《Blood Type: Dragon》 1 A Lightning To Remember It was nine o''clock in the evening and Elric finally got to his bed with a tired face and a crooked back after a long busy day at the office. Keeiekk~ The sound of his old bed made from bamboo tree creek with his obvious weight added. He was feeling full after having a hearty dinner cooked by his grandma. "I finally finished that presentation after how many weeks of designing. However, it seems I have strained my eyes too much that my vision has finally started blurring. Not a good trade at all for a very underpaid job. Not good Elric, not good at all." Elric mumbled to himself regarding his work as a graphic artist. He had been working for two years in a small printing shop since it was conveniently close to his home. Suddenly, the nagging sound of his grandma came from out from the other side kitchen after overhearing Elric''s mumbling complaints. Washing the dishes, his grandma started to roll again, "Well, you have no choice at all boy since you were too adamant that you wanted to become an artist. Look at you now! You are indeed an artist, to be specific, an underpaid graphic artist! Hah!" Elric rolled his eyes as he heard his grandma starting to recall all his bad decisions in his life and reminding him how naive he was in his dreams. "You should have just gone to become a teacher or a seaman! They are both stable jobs and really pays well. Finding a partner in the future should not be a problem too! But what do you want again? An Artist! What will you feed yourself? Paintbrush? Can''t you just-" Elric knew that once she hears him complaining about his job, his grandmother would initiate her ultimate nagging rampage and he had prepared himself to open the other end of his ears for the incoming insult flood. He decided to distract himself from the noisy nagger by browsing his mobile phone, swiping entertaining posts in facebook and sometimes, watching dota videos. They were poor and his grandmother is the only family he has left after losing his mother and father in an unfortunate accident during a storm. Considering that they live in the Philippines where more tropical cyclones enter than anywhere else in the world. Especially during the typhoon season on July through October. Elric and his grandma lived in a small nipa hut but with thin metal roofing. They have a small farm just behind their small house and a small vegetable garden right outside their door for their own consumption. The closest neighbor they have is a hundred meters away which makes their home feeling very isolated especially during the night time. There are a few kilometers wide forest nearby and Elric seldom goes there because of his grandma''s constant warning regarding the stories of hidden evil creatures such as Manananggal, Kapre, white ladies and so on. "-You better get a night of good sleep now. You choose that career path now beat it. I told you to become a teacher to get a stable job. Marry another teacher and I am happy!" "Yeah yeah, Lola I get you. (Lola is a Filipino word for Grandma) I am gonna sleep now." "I am not done talking yet!" "But you told me to sleep!" "Sleep when I am done talking!" "Zzzzzzzzz" Whapak!~ A sound of a crispy hand smacked at Elric''s bottom and echoed across the house. "Ouch! Lola I was sleeping!" "I know you since you were a child El, do you think you can fool me? Don''t you dare sleep when you have just finished eating. Do you want to die early from orom?" "It''s not like I would really sleep right away. I am watching tutorial videos here." "Do you mean watching dota videos? how many times have I told you that game will only-" Elric on the other side of the room decided to imitate his grandma''s expression while watching videos. He had lived with such nagger in his life that he has eventually recited the whole nagging speech. However, Elric knew that this is not the kind of nagger that wanted to discourage him, rather it was to remind him to be careful of his life choices. It was the nag of love from his grandma and he knew it. "By the way, did you finished brushing your teeth?! "Lola I am already 27 years old, you taught me to brush my teeth since like I was a fetus, of course, I already did!" "No wonder you have plenty of tooth decay.~" "I love you, Lola." With these words, Elric''s grandma finally stopped talking and just smiled warmly while looking at her only grandchild sleeping. She took all the responsibility of taking care of Elric since he was a child when he lost both his parents since he was only five months old and promised herself to take care of him. Since elementary, high school and finally graduating in college three years ago, she has always been there him. "Goodnight Elric." Said grandma as she finally left towards her room to sleep. It was finally 11:20 at midnight when he noticed the eerie quietness, Elric took a glimpse of the quite sala from his open door and scanned his surroundings. "It''s already October but why does it feel like summer?" Elric complained as he turned the electric fan on and switched it up to its maximum speed. The atmosphere was extraordinarily hot. No sound from crickets nor any dogs barking from the distance. It was a night too still and Elric wasn''t able to sleep at all. Elric decided to let the fresh air in, but as he stood up and opened the windows... Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. KrakaaaBoooM!~ An incredible flash of lightning illuminated the whole scene before Elric for a moment. His brown eyes quickly dilated from the sudden light while a loud rumbling sound of thunder came after. It was so strong to the point that grandma almost had a heart attack from the shock. But amidst that momentary light, something else caught Elric''s eyes that was gazing at the midnight sky. With his eyes sensitive to details, even if it was a glimpse, but Elric is pretty much surprised in what he saw. It was a Dragon! That extra-ordinary lightning has actually hit a Dragon that was seemingly flying silently in the midnight sky! It was struck down and immediately dived in a seemingly unconscious state heading towards the dense forest before Elric''s house. He could obviously see the small horns on the head, the pan-shaped tails and the long snake-like body, reminiscent of an ancient Chinese dragon. Elric has seen too many movies that showed what a dragon should look like and he was pretty much convinced with the shadow of that creature in the light. Right after that lightning, Elric saw that the Dragon figure is now shining like a lightbulb in the middle of the pitch-black sky and it appeared like it was not moving while falling towards the forest. Was it dead? Elric raked his mind and immediately made a decision. Without any second thought, Elric jumped right from the window which is just a few feet tall from the ground and ran towards the direction of the forest where the falling dragon was heading. Heavy rain suddenly poured out of nowhere and the sound of barking dogs can be heard from the distance. The wind seems to be gearing up for an unexpected storm and the atmosphere became very heavy. While running, Elric''s skin hair stood up like tiny needles as if he was surrounded by unseen ghosts. "Elric! Where are you going! Come back! It''s raining and you might get hit by the lightning!" Grandma''s voice suddenly tugged him to slow down and Elric faced her while waving his head. "Will you believe me that I saw a dragon, Lola?" "What!?" "I said I saw a dragon!" "See!? This is why you should stop playing Dota! Come back or I will whip your limpy ass!" Without stopping, Elric rushed towards the creepy dark forest with his heart beating wildly. His imagination started running with conclusions and he could not help but think of those movies where the main character tames a dragon or any mythical beasts and goes on an adventure. How exciting is that!? "I will be right back Lola! This will be quick." "Come back! I said! It is raining Elric! Come back!~" Quickly, Elric''s view went farther away from his grandma who was adamantly calling him. Little did he knew, his life is about to change. It was lightning he will forever remember. 2 Following In The Dark Elric ran for more than 15 minutes before he started slowing down upon seeing a bright yellow glow in the middle of the forest not far from him. Luckily, the place where he lives was not far from the landing spot and he seems to be the first one to have come this far at the moment. This excites him but at the same time, scares him. What happens if that dragon is still alive and ends up going after him? What if it wasn''t a dragon and it was just imagination? Should I stop watching those fantasy movies? Right now, there is only one thing to find this out and that is by going there and check it out himself. After all, no guts bring no glory, right? Elric braced himself up for this event as he slowly walks down the slippery hills. The mud has almost covered his entire rubber slippers and the cold wind blew colder on his wet blue t-shirt. It was only thanks to the bright moon and stars in the sky that he managed to see in this dark forest. With this aid, he was able to walk the path safely and should surely get to his destination in no time. The night was supposed to be very dark since it was raining but the mysterious shining light from the distance seems to be guiding him. For some reason, Elric felt like he was about to meet some alien creatures from a spaceship due to the mysterious forest lights. But since he is here for a suspected dragon encounter, he quickly came to another scene. "This scene feels like that moment when I watched How to train your dragon. Am I gonna find a cool Night fury too? I can''t wait to get there!" Elric thought excitedly. When he was about to inch closer to the brighter part of the area, Elric saw plenty of broken trees and branches. Scattered leaves and scorched marks are everywhere as well. An obvious traces of destruction of a hard struggle could only be the only conclusion in his head. There are a faint smell of burnt leaves around the area and even small boulders had obvious broken parts that seem to have been smashed not too long ago. It was a scene like a that surely brought Elric a clear sense of danger. "I have to be careful." Elric could not help but started to shake not just of cold but of fear as well. But his curiosity gave him the courage to continue slowly. Elric''s heartbeats pounded at its highest as he finally slowed down his feet from advancing. For some reason, his instinct keeps telling him to go back but his motivation for seeing a legendary creature has already taken over him. After all, if he did end up seeing a legendary creature such as a dragon, not only would it will be a newsworthy find, he should probably become the first person to see one or perhaps, tame one! Just thinking of his face to be seen on the TV for such an outstanding find because of his bravery, he could already picture the proud smile of his grandma and the possible amount of money he will receive from the science people or the government! This is a test! I am not backing down. Whatever is at the end of that light, if it was a dragon then good but whatever it is, surely it should be something since it shines soo bright! Elric continued to motivate himself despite the fear and danger he was feeling. This event could unfold into his final straw of hope in solving his financial problem and honor his family! "Just wait for me Lola, whatever is at the end of this light, It should be something that would change our lives!" While Elric was slowly and sneakily approaching the bright light from the distance, a pair of sharp and creepy demonic red eyes, which was shrouded in shadows, was also following him. This pair of red demonic eyes continued to follow him from the top of the trees. Its silhouette is that of a giant bat but for some reason, its wide flapping body reflected the light of the moon. Whenever it moves, a faint slimy and wiggly sound of moving intestines can be heard together with a scary smirk from its big bloody mouth. "Heeiiik-Heiiik-Heiiik~" It was a flying monster called Mananangal. A flying monster with the appearance of a woman, long black curly hair that seems to move on its own, red demonic eyes, pointy witch-like nose, long sharp nails, big black bat wings and its signature missing lower body parts. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Its intestines can be seen dangling and wriggling on its own as its bottom part was away hidden somewhere. Blood can be seen sipping out of its mouth with craggy sharp fangs. It was because of the noisy raindrops from the rain that Elric failed to hear the heavy flapping of the wings of the scary monster flying closer behind him. KrrrgugghH!~~~ Elric instinctively looked up at the night sky after it whisp out another rumbling sound. "It seems like this is gonna be a long night rain. I better hurry up or I will end up sick at this rate." 3 Unexpected Battle In The Nigh As Elric started moving closer and closer to the area, the Manananggal was about to dive on him when it suddenly stopped mid-air. "Ughhhmmmm~" It''s scary demonic face distorted with a pleasurable moan. It seems to have smelled a delicious meal! "This scent! well...well...well.... ", The Manananggal said excitedly. "It seems this is my lucky night after all. Who cares about a measly human when there is premium meat nearby!" Ignoring the oblivious Elric, the Manananggal flew past over him from above. Wog~Wog~Wog~ The loud flutter of her batlike wings of the Manananggal has finally caught Elric''s attention and the could not help but froze on the spot - pissing himself. A woman with huge black wings and missing lower body had just flown over his head! "Mananagg-!?" Elric had an urge to shout but his right hand instinctively stopped himself from being stupid. The gory look of its wriggling intestines and the creepy smile of its face looking forward was something his imagination could not take in. The good news is that the Manananggal doesn''t seem to be interested in him. Could it be that the Manananggal, who is greatly known as human hunters, had failed to notice him? Perhaps, it was thanks to his sneaky maneuver that he had managed to just save himself. He immediately turned around to run back home when he suddenly stopped midway. "I thought I''m just gonna see a dragon. But why I am seeing a Mananangal as well?! Am I dreaming?" Elric finally calmed himself and immediately pinched himself. "Aw! It hurts!" He looked back at the direction where the Mananaggal was going and he realized that it was also after the bright light from the distance. Is it after the source of the mysterious light? Now Elric''s mind is conflicted. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Should I go home and stay away from all this safely? Or should I buckle up my egg and check out the truth behind the light? Suddenly Elric got a hench of what the Mananangal was after. "That Manananggal must be after it too. I should check it out even if from the distance! " Elric has completely forgotten his fear and was now full of curiosity. "If it is a dragon, then, I must see what happens when a Manananggal meets a dragon. But the question is that, was it a dragon?" Elric started dashing towards the bright area when he noticed that the glow is finally fading out but there are shadows of something moving restlessly from the source of light. "I have to hurry!" Elric''s curiosity has reached the sky which fueled him with more energy despite his mixed emotion. His body is now completely soaking wet and his feet are now covered in mud. *** "Huh...Huh...huh?... What is this?" Elric reached the spot with another surprise. The area where the light came was actually in the middle of the forest. Without the light guiding him, Elric would have been lost trying to reach this spot. His eyes grew wide as the scene was finally revealed before him. There was a huge scorched crater with an unconscious naked girl in the middle! The trees and rocks are much more in sorry pieces in this place compared to before. "A girl? I was expecting a dragon; perhaps it can transform into a human too!" Elric hid from the trees as he peeked at the center of the crater. He was aware of the presence of the Manananggal and he had unexpectedly steeled himself to ignore it just to get a glimpse of what was behind the light. However, his curiosity changed to shock as he saw the naked woman in the middle of the huge crater. Elric thought that the dragon crash-landed based on the broken trail it brought and transformed into its human form to minimize the final impact. KYAAAAH~ GRAAAAH~ Suddenly from the distance, Elric was surprised to see the presence of the Mananangal fighting a dark and huge Kapre just a few meters away from the naked woman! A Kapre is a giant forest troll with barely any cover in its dark bulky body. They are mysterious creatures known to live in huge trees and kidnap women in the forest and **** them in their hidden base and eat them after. It has black small eyes and they stood around 3 meters tall. It was holding a thick tree branch and was swinging it furiously before a mad flying Manananggal! "Raaaaaaaaaah! This girl mine! I find first!" shouted the huge Kapre. "KyaaakheeiiiI!~Over my missing lower body!" replied the Manananggal with a creepy smile on her face as she swope up and down dodging the Kapre''s furious swing. "I not let you touch her. She my territory. She mine! Leave now Mananaggal!" "You Kapre are too dumb to understand my appetite, What''s the use of her but food!" The Manananggal swiftly flew across the Kapre''s back after avoiding its swing while living 5 deep cuts in the Kapre''s huge body with her sharp-long nails. "Raaaaah! Come, I kill you!" "Come! Catch me!" The Manananggal is known not just to be scary and deadly hunters but smart and cunning as well. With a plan in her mind, the Manananggal playfully lured the Kapre away from their current location. With the Kapre''s unforgiving tendency, it madly chased after the Mananggal with its furious rampage. In no time, both of them have dissapeared in the horizon of the pitch-black forest. Elric who witnessed the furious battle was wetting himself more in shock. A Manananggal and a Kapre is fighting before him. How stupid could this night become? He shook his head to clear up his mind and calm his senses. "Lola is right. I really should stop playing Dota." As Elric finally calmed his mind, he finally made up what he is gonna do. Time to save the girl! But the question remains. How? 4 Saving A Naked Woman! Save the girl. Whether it is actually Dragon or a human, it doesn''t matter. Elric''s conscience did not allow him to go back and let everything go after witnessing all this absurdness. Despite his current doubts and fears, he could not afford to just leave and watch that poor girl get devoured by the hungry monsters. One thing that his grandmother always taught him is to never refuse to help someone who needs it. His eyes are now full of determination. He racked his brain out of what to do. The unconscious girl is in the middle of a small crater surrounded by scorched marks. She is lying there, naked, with her face and body covered by her long black hair. He scanned the surroundings for anything that he could use to help the woman. It was still raining and he needs to move fast or his grandma might follow him in the forest and things could get worst than he imagined. However, the real threats are the two monsters beating each other and causing damage everywhere with incredible strength and power. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric did not dare to move recklessly, much less grabbing both the monster''s attention. He is now dancing in a thin thread of life and death all thanks to his curiosity. The creatures before him right now are the legendary human eating Mananggal and the woman-kidnapping Kapre. Both with hostile intentions to human and Elric knew better than anyone than to get their attention. "This time, curiosity might just kill my poor graphic-artist- ass!" He started blaming himself. Slowly and silently, he moved inches after inches towards the senseless naked woman lying helplessly in the middle of a small scorched crater. He did not forget to hide in each possible cover as much as possible. ~Kyaaheieeiiee! heeiiI! heii heiiI! ~Rawwwhh! The loud shouts of the Manananggal and Kapre echoed in the middle of the forest as they continue rampaging each other with heavy branches and claws. With every swing of the furious Kapre, the powerful swooshing sound could be heard from its sheer might! But the Mananagal had the time of its life as it freakishly laughed and kept its safe distance away from the Kapre. Despite the height and strength advantage of the Kapre, he was not able to land a single hit thanks to the Manananggal''s incredible speed. By constantly provoking the Kapre with an evil and maniac laugh of the Manananggal, they started going farther and farther from the unconscious girl. The moment Elric confirmed that they have fought far away from the girl''s location, he did not hesitate to finally run for it! The moment he moved, his heart started beating wildly and his mind keeps telling himself with a very inspiring motivational speech: "You are crazy Elric! You are crazy! You are crazy! You are crazy and you are so dead asshole!" Elric dashed straight to the woman, slid down the crater and, as a gentleman, he immediately threw his shirt to cover her sensitive parts with his blue muddy T-shirt. It was the least that he can do to protect her privacy after all. The moment he reached the unconscious girl, he was appalled to realize her incredible beauty up close! Her skin was still glowing faintly like a light bulb but it was so soft and smooth! Her black hair was silky long and she has a very small face. Her soft and small lips and long curly eyelashes would mistake her for a doll in first look! The moment Elric touch the woman, her eyes suddenly opened. It was an eye with a serpent-like vertical slit for a pupil while it was a glowing mixture of red and green light in the middle! It was a dragon''s eye but adorned with beautiful dancing faint lights of green and red inside! Elric was shocked by the woman''s unexpected serpent eyes! Suddenly the woman''s expression turned to hate after she looked at Elric. "B¨´y¨¤o p¨¨ng w¨¯!" The woman shouted angrily as she swung her arm that Elric was holding. (it means ''don''t touch me!'' in chinese) Unexpectedly, Elric failed to let go right away as he was swung far away with a single sweep of the woman''s arm! AAH! Elric flew up high from the naked woman''s mighty swoop. That woman had just swung her arms but he felt like it was a giant ogre''s arms as he was effortlessly flung away like a cockroach in a woman''s arm! Is this actually a woman or an ogre? Why fling me like I am a criminal? I am here to help you just to let you know. Judging from the words that she just spoke, Elric immediately knew it was Chinese although he had no idea what specific Chinese language it was, all he knew is that the woman with ogre-like strength spoke in Chinese. 5 Dragon Against A Manananggal! "Ouch!" Elric landed around 5 meters away from the woman with her simple swing. He landed butt first and rolled like a potato for a while. "What''s with that crazy strength!? Are you a Kapre in human disguise? And was that Chinese!?" Elric was surprised to know that the beautiful woman was Chinese. He started to think that maybe Chinese people are related to dragons! "N¨« z¨§nme g¨£n!!" (**it means "how dare you!") The woman stood up with the shirt covering her body in front of Elric. She stood with extraordinary curves and beauty that would make any men drop their jaw. With a glaring dragon eye, she stares at Elric with a condescending stare as if looking at a lowly creature. She does not like the presence of Elric before her. Contrary to the beautiful woman''s anger, Elric had only one thing in his mind: "She was smoking coca-cola hot!" Elric could not help but stare in shock. If ratings could be done right now, it was an 11/10! Suddenly she raised one of her hands towards Elric and shouted: "S¨«le!" Her hands started to glow and a ball of green fire suddenly emerged in her palm facing Elric. The obvious heat produced cracking sounds and steam from heat immediately rose above the fire. Seeing this, Elric was had mixed emotions of surprise and fear, his terrified expression was drawn all over his face as he realized that the fire she was holding was real and he could feel its intense heat even from five meters away and despite the cold setting of the rain! The bigger the fire burned, the stronger the heat becomes. The cold atmosphere is gone, now replaced by a burning threat! Knowing that he could probably die in this situation, Elric mustered his best English he learned from school in hopes that the fire-bending-Chinese woman could understand him. "Hey! Hey! Hey! I am was just trying to help you!" Elric pleaded with an explanation. "Liar! You are one of that Arkhan thrash!" The Chinese girl suddenly talked in English. "You can speak English? And what is an Arkhan?" "Explain yourself. Where am I?" The Chinese woman asked in a domineering tone. "Yes! Yes! Now listen! You in the Philippines! Cebu, Philippines to be exact! I is trying to save you because the monster is coming here!" Elric said with barely understandable English. Looking down at the wet ground to avoid looking at her tempting body, Elric continued: "I saw lightning, and you drop here. I live here in Cebu, Philippines and I come to help you and-" "Stop! - " The woman held her head as if suffering from a terrible headache. After learning that she is in Cebu, Philippines, she suddenly spoke in Elric''s native language - Bisayan. (Although they speak in Bisayan language, let''s keep it in English for everyone to understand) "Your English sucks so speak to me in your native language!" increasing the size of the fireball in her hand, she demanded Elric in a threatening voice. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric was surprised to hear her talking in his native tongue. However, a Chinese person that can speak fluent Bisayan language was not new for him as there are millions of Chinese families deeply rooted in the Philippines and it was only normal to see some Chinese blooded Pinoy speak in the different local dialect in the Philippines. "Oh, okay. Sorry about my English. You see English, it is just not my favorite subject, but I do excel in the arts and-" Elric hurriedly answered back trying to explain his side, afraid that a slight mistake in his intention with cause the other to toast him alive with burning green fire. Fooooosh!~ A small amount of green fire suddenly landed before Elric and the latter immediately jumped a few feet away from the terrible heat. Fear and panic exhibited his wet and muddy face. "I don''t care who you are and what you like. I want to know, how long was I unconscious?" "How long you were unconscious? Hmm. It should not be more than twenty minutes since I saw you drop from the sky, uhm mam." Elric held his chin while in deep thought with his wet body shaking from the cold rain and fear of burning. As for the angry woman before him, she glared at Elric with a suspicious look. "Are you sure you are not one of those Arkhans?" "What Arkhans?! What are you talking about?! I am not Arkhans, I am Elric! Elric de la Cruz!" Elric was confused. Why would she insist that he is Arkhans? What or who was it anyway? "Hmp. Thank you for your information. But you still can''t fool me Arkhan bug. Now die." "Huh? What do you mean? Wai-" With an emotionless face, the fire-bending girl was about to unleash her fire toward''s Elric when her ultra-sharp senses noticed an incoming enemy and immediately looked behind her. KyaaheeiiiIkheiik!~ Stupid Kapre finally trapped in a landslide hahhah! Dragon meat is mine! KyaheheheheheiiiIk! The Manananggal came back at a blazing speed straight to the naked Chinese woman! Her arms were extended forward with her excited eyes and salivating mouth. With quick thinking, the naked girl decided to shoot the Manananggal with the fireball instead! Fwooooohhssshh!~ The fireball missed the Manananggal as it hastily curved to the side with extraordinary speed despite her wide wings. "KyaaheheheheheiiiK!" The Manananggal laughed excitedly as it inches closer to the naked girl while making the most gruesome grin she can showcase. The girl with a nonchalant look on her face decided to throw more fireballs in a flash but the Mananaggal just evaded them effortlessly, slowly making the proud fire bending girl getting irritated. "Just die you insect!" the naked fire-bending girl unleashed an even larger fire only to miss her target again. "Grrrr!" looking at her hands, she mumbled to herself. "Why is my recovery going too slow. I can''t even use more than two percent of my actual power right now. I want to squash this annoying bug so much!" "Kyahahahaha~" The laughing Manananggal was too fast contrary to its size! Elric did not know what to do but to watch the spectacle with his eyes glued and mouth still open! "B¨¥ib¨«! You even worked together with demons!", The woman stared again at Elric with even more resentful eyes! (means "despicable!") "What now!?" awoken and back on track, Elric shouted with a confused and anxious face. "Mine! heiikheiikheeiiik!!" The Manananggal was about to grab the girl''s neck when she narrowly dodged the Manananggal''s dive with a quick but elegant jump! Her hair flowed along with her graceful movements as she flexibly grabbed both of the Manananggal''s wings and landed at her back. Like a rodeo, the naked girl rode against the Mananaggal''s back while the latter struggled its way up again to avoid crashing with the added weight behind her. Just when the fire bending girl was about to smack the Mananaggal with her green fire, the Manananggal''s head suddenly rotated 180 degrees like a doll to face the riding girl at her back together with a menacing laugh! "Kyaaaaaaheieheieheh!" 6 Rocking The Manananggal Together with the devilish laugh from the Manananggal, the wings made a sudden stop which caused both of them to dive down. The girl being creeped out of the Manananggal''s ability, let go of her wings and jumped away leaving the Mananagal''s back when suddenly, its thick long hair moved like a snake and grabbed her foot midair! "Zh¨¥n ¨§x¨©n!" (means disgusting) The girl shouted. "Let me go bat or I will destroy you and every member of your cave!" "Kyaheheheheh! Dragon Meat! Kyaehehehi~" Unyielding to its cravings, the Manananggal only replied with a demented laugh. With a sudden jerk, the naked girl lost her balance mid-air and she was dragged in the air by the Manananggal''s hair! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Like a human toy leashed by the Manananggal''s hair, she was carried along like a children''s toy. She was smashed in the ground, in the trees, and thrown even on solid rocks just to completely weaken her but the naked girl seems to be persisting. Not a single scratch or a broken bone at all can be seen in contrast to her slim and soft-looking body! "If only I could transform right now this crazy bat would surely regret crossing against me!" the girl continued to protect her self from the impact with a vindictive gaze towards the lunatic bat. If only she could transform back to her original form, this arrogant beast should be a crispy toast in no time! The girl tried to conjure another fireball but her body was still too weak and the forceful impact against the solid ground and trees caused her to lose focus. Every time she was about to release the fire, the Manananggal would just smash her again and again to the ground! "You need more than that to kill me disgusting bat!" Shouted the girl with a daring tone. "As expected from those Dragons!" With a smile, the manananggal continued flapping her wings wildly." I just have to be more patient with you! I am just softening up your delicious meat for my breakthrough feast later!" "There is a human nearby why don''t you go for it stupid bat?!" "Who would choose a bland fish for a delicious steak!?" "Lowly creatures like you should be eating rotten fish for the rest of your life!" Suddenly, the Mananaggal forcefully dropped the dragon girl to the ground with a forceful swing! BAAAAM!~ "Who''s the lowly creature now again?" Said the Mananangal, who''s flying just above the dragon girl''s struggling body. Facing the ground and struggling to get up, the proud dragon girl answered back, "You are a lucky bat that I am currently recovering from my tribulation. Or else, I would -- Aaah!" The Mananaggal''s sharp nails suddenly pierced behind the weakened dragon girl''s back. "Or else what? Kheieiehehehehe... This is my chance to become stronger! You should know by now how much the world coveted your race''s blood and meat! Kheiiehehehei~ Do you think, Do you think I, will let this opportunity go? I will eat you till you have nothing left!" With salivating mouth, the Manananggal added: " I will feast on you until the last of your precious skin and bones. With your help, I will be able to attain unparalleled strength amongst all cursed beast and dominate the night sky! Nyahahahaha!~" The Mananangal raised her other arm with long and sharp nails as it slowly grew longer and sharper. The dragon girl had finally lost all her strength with her injuries draining her. Her vision has finally blurred and she is slowly losing consciousness. She was laughing with her mouth wide open in celebration while preparing for the final blow when suddenly came a rock bigger than the size of a fist! It was thanks to its speed and color that it manages to conceal from her detection right before it came across and went straight to her face. PLUHG!~ The fist-sized rock went straight to the mouth of the Manananggal causing her to choke on the spot. Khuhalkakh! Gkhgk!~ The Mananaggal lost its celebratory mood after it choked on the huge rock. In a panic, it hurriedly reached for the rock stuck in her throat when it forgot its oversized sharp nails and accidentally pierced itself instead! KSSSK~ Realizing its mistake, the Mananaggal screamed with a weird frightening sound as it crawled in pain and regret. With red furious demonic eyes, the mananaggal refocused herself despite the terrible pain. Her mouth creepily stretched at an abnormal level together with its neck. The stuck rock was about to roll out of her mouth when Elric suddenly dashed right from her back holding a solid tree branch! Elric had to run barefoot to increase his speed since his slippers were already covered heavily in the mud. His had already steeled his heart in this attack against the legendary aswang and since he had already started this, he would not be sure if he could avoid being hunted by the aswang later on. Let''s end this hunting right here! It is time for the hunter to be hunted. Too distracted from her pain and the sound of the rain, the Manananggal was like a baseball stand when Elric courageously smashed the rock back in with every bit of his strength! PANG!~ It was too strong that the rock came out behind the Mananangal''s head through her back neck and had almost knocked the latter out! Aahaagghgghg aggaaaaagah!~ The Manangal lost its mind with a creepy sound. Losing its balance and proper reasoning, the Mananaggal was unable to fly! In its unending struggle, it madly swung its long sharp nails everywhere, while its bat wings flapped in frenzied movements. Fearing that it might recover right away, Elric put in more powerful smashes in the head as the monstrous being fought back by swinging its wings and nails. The dragon girl who is trying to recover her strength could do nothing but feel grateful for Elric''s help despite her loathing the latter a while ago. As much as she wanted to destroy the Manananggal herself, the wounds and internal injuries she had incurred from the lightning, the impact from falling and the merciless attack from the manananggal were enough to incapacitate her rendering her unable to move. Right now, her body is trying to recover from its injury and she could only hope for Elric''s desperate struggle for survival. He fought with all he got against the madly swinging Manananggal before him. With he and the dragon girl''s lives on the line, he had no other options but to fight this evil creature and make sure to see its end! AAAH~ WHAM~ SLASH~ WHAM~ KYAAAH~ His desperate shout and the agonizing scream of the devil beast echoed across the dense dark forest accompanied by the humming sound of the midnight rain. After countless smash on his enemy, Elric finally lost all his strength and limped down as well just beside the so-called dragon girl. The Manananggal is finally dead with its head totally busted. Its shark-like mouth had been over-stretch from Elric''s relentless hit that it has been severed from the head a good two meters away. Somebody parts of the Manananggal refused to surrender with its creepy momentary twitching. With the unpredictable fight finally ended, silence has finally taken over the messy dark forest. "Not bad for a measly human..." The dragon girl complimented Elric still with her proud tone. "Hehe..." Elric could barely say any more words. The dark clouds in the sky continued to linger around, keeping them well hidden from the moons soothing light. 7 The Goodbye Of Elric "So If tell me, if you don''t mind." Elric, who is gasping for air started talking to the girl who also happens to be unable to move due to her injuries. The bright glow of the moon desperately trying to escape the cover of the black clouds reflected in his brown eyes. "Is what the Manananggal said a while ago true? That you are a dragon?" "..." The girl did not reply right away. She instead chooses to ignore Elric''s questions. With stubbornness, Elric asked another question. "So aren''t you supposed to be the strongest creature? How come you can''t even beat a manananggal. I used to picture dragons as the mightiest of all beasts but after seeing you I think-" "You were right." The girl could not bear it anymore. After hearing Elric who is about to look down on her, she finally decided to talk on her defense. "Just to let you know, I am currently on my weakest state due to that lightning tribulation which you have witnessed a while ago." "Lightning tribulation?" Elric struggled to look at the woman but after seeing her half-naked body, he decided to switch back on looking at the dark clouds. Paying no mind to Elric''s blushing face, the woman continued. "Lightning tribulation is something you do not have to know about. The point here is that I am a dragon and you do not have the right to underestimate me human. Not to mention, I was not even able to use an ounce of my true strength from that battle thanks to my previous injury. If I was on my dragon form, I could have just swiped that manananggal into pieces with just a single finger." "Ooh. So can you transform now?" "I told you I can''t right now. Shifting to human form allows us dragon to lessen the stress on our body during recovery since it was much smaller compared to our other large true form." With pride back in her eyes she added, "To tell you the truth, I could have destroyed that Mananggal without your help." "Wueee~?" Elric could not help but sneer in her overinflated pride. "You are too stubborn human. I told you, I can take care of myself." "Grandma said that people are stubborn. Especially girls. But I am sincerely trying to help you. I am not asking for any returns. If I see a person who needs help, I will do what I can to help you. Doesn''t matter if you refuse, I will help you because I want to! Grandma said that''s what men are for, to protect the weak!" "Did you just called me weak?" the dragon made a chilly smile and added: "Do you want to die so much?" "No still value my life. I am just following my values. Although yes, I am a little bit stubborn." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. They both looked up at the sky while they rested weakly in the wet and muddy ground while Elric constantly coughed. "But I am still going to kill you when I recover." "uhoo!... why?" "Because you are not supposed to see a dragon. Letting you live would ultimately expose the secrets of Dragons in the world. We have been hiding from the human eye to avoid unnecessary trouble and your science panic. That''s why I have to end you here human." Not a single trace of sympathy could be seen in her cold serpent eyes. The rain has finally stopped and the sky is slowly clearing up revealing a beautiful Milkyway full of shining stars. The dragon girl has finally stood up. She seems to have recovered a bit of her strength and not a single wound can be found in her body thanks to her supernatural healing ability as a dragon. Without emotion in her face, the dragon lady stood before Elric, cracking her bones and seemingly preparing herself to destroy Elric. "..." "any last words?" "uh..." Elric was unable to utter any words from the unexpected form of gratitude from the girl he just saved. His vision was too blurred from his wet face. It seems he has suffered hypothermia from being exposed in the windy cold rain with barely any dress for quite a long time. Right now, the dragon girl was wearing the oversized T-shirt that he gave to cover her. Elric usually wears this T-shirt at home as it was his most comfortable shirt. It was a Christmas gift for him from his grandma who purposely bought him an oversized T-shirt for the sole purpose of saving money from buying new clothes in the future as he grew. Unfortunately, he lacks enough nutrition and he was just barely 5 foot and five inches tall. For some reason, the dragon girl had traces of hesitation in her eyes as well. They remained quiet still for almost an hour. "I never knew it could end up to this..." With mixed emotions of sadness and regret, Elric closed his eyes as he prepared himself for what is to come. Luckily his grandma seems to have not come after him in this godforsaken place. The forest was too dangerous after all when it''s raining in the middle of the night. Elric was pretty sure that she must be worried sick at home. Knowing that the girl is serious, Elric pleaded. "Can I at least say goodbye to my grandma?" "I am afraid no. Bad luck for you to save me human." "I see... then make it quick, please. I am hurting." "What do you mean?" The dragon girl took a clearer look at Elric only to find multiple wounds all over his body. He is dying with the amount of blood he has lost. It seems that he never won that fight against the Manananggal unscathed. He had taken quite some sharp blows from her blade-like nails. Right now, the black clouds have finally moved away and the bright glow of the moon revealed Elric''s dire state. He is swimming in his pool of blood clenching his fist in pain. 8 Dragons Blood "So you are dying after that small fight?" "I am pathetic right? uhoo...At least, I saved you." The dragon girl stared at Elric''s eyes. Not a single trace of hate nor fear can be seen in his eyes. It was too clear that the stars reflected beautifully on them. "The stars are beautiful tonight huh," said Elric with a weak smile. It seems that his curiosity to see a dragon got a good fool on him. Not only he did find the dragon in human form, he even gets to battle it out against a manananggal which he used to fear so much. Instead of blaming himself, he could only resign to sigh and regret that he was too weak. Well, at least, he fought and will die like a real man. With such a mindset, Elric consoled himself. "Are you not afraid of death?..." asked the Dragon girl. She had never seen someone dying before her with a peaceful demeanor. "Why should I? It''s not like I died without a purpose." "You are barely in the middle of your life. I think it''s pathetic not living to your fullest." "Just so you know, I''ve reached a divine rank in dota which only a handful of players can reach. I lived happily with my grandma despite her hitting my ass from time to time. And, I lived upholding my duty to do what men should do." "By dying?" "Dying with dignity." "And you are proud of that?" "hehe.." Elric just smiled as a reply. His sight has finally faded and he could feel his body slowly going cold. Numbness has crept from his feet and toward''s his internal organs. It seems was about to go after losing too much blood. "May I know your name?" Elric mustered his last words to ask her. "You don''t deserve to know my name." the dragon lady with a proud face answered back while observing Elric''s state. "..." Elric did not have the strength anymore and just closed his eyes with a contented smile on his face. "But If you will beg me, I will give you at least an initial of my name. You should be honored for knowing at least that." "I guess I am going before you, grandma. I am coming, mom and dad!..." Elric thought. Little did he know, Dragons can read his mind. "Don''t you want to ask anything from me?. Not even when you are dying? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With hesitation, she spoke louder in a hurried tone, "Don''t you know that my blood can save you? If you just beg, I could give you a drop or two you know..." The dragon girl tried to give Elric a clue however, Elric''s body has already gone cold and could not hear her anymore. Only his thoughts are flickering weakly inside his head. "Perhaps, he''s just another normal human after all and not one of those Guardians?" the dragon girl suddenly thought. Seeing Elric laying down motionless, she suddenly remembered something. "Wait. I could not accept such a weak creature managed to save me! No way!" From a human''s perspective, one problem that every dragon has is pride. And it is not that they disliked it. After all, being a dragon also means they are on top of the food chain! For the Dragon Race, having a mountain-like pride is considered a good characteristic of a powerful dragon! Basically, in dragon''s psychology, they are not allowed to have their life indebted to a lower creature other than a fellow dragon! It is despicable and considered a disgrace in their race! She could not allow herself to be indebted to a dead human for the rest of her life or she will lose a considerable amount of dignity and pride and she will be a slave of Elric''s dead shadow forever! "You are not dying on me human! I will save you even if I have to give you all my blood!" Slit~ Using her nails, the dragon girl suddenly made a big cut in her palms and a considerable amount of her blood finally came out. With her lightning tempered body, 3 inches of cut in her palm feels nothing to her but a little ant bite. Not to mention, the wound was immediately healing at a visible rate thanks to her dragon constitution! The blood flowed smoothly and landed perfectly at Elric''s feet long wounds in his stomach, arms, and legs. It was red-green blood that seems to be bubbling with fire. It was blood full of dragon power! And like a sponge, the dragon blood seeped into Elric''s body in less than a minute while his feeble body suddenly convulsed at the extreme heat and energy from the dragon''s blood. GRAAAAAAH~ With the overwhelming benefits of the dragon''s blood inside him, Elric could not help but come to his senses and scream in a dragon-like tone. His muscles rapidly twitched like a bent rubber band while green oversized blood vessels almost collapsed at the sudden gush of power. His eyes slowly mutated from an ordinary brown one to a mixed bright green and red together with the signature dragon-like slit! 9 Blood Type: Dragon! As she poured her blood in Elric''s wounds, she could not help but be amazed at the incredible effects of her blood to a dying human. Elric''s wounds immediately healed like magic while undergoing over-all mutation! In return, the dragon girl lost a significant amount of her power and immediately fell again after losing too much blood. Elric, on the other hand, started glowing. His body slowly taking a powerful transformation. His muscles have finally stopped twitching only to end with a perfectly toned body. His hair had a significant makeover as well from light black to a striped mixture of royal red and emerald green. Elric''s body had also started sweating smelly dark liquids profusely all over his body. It was all the impurities from his body being scorched out by the dominant blood in his system! His eyes are also undergoing mutation behind his closed lids. His heart started pumping restlessly with new and powerful blood being in his system. It was a blood that conquers every kind of blood in the animal kingdom. The Blood of a Dragon! Slam!-Woooohm~ Elric in a semi-conscious state forced himself to stand up and with a powerful stomp to snap himself out, he unleashed bright red and green flames out from his body towards the surrounding area creating a powerful shock wave and a mini earthquake that can be felt within five kilometers! It was in the middle of the night but every resident in the close proximity woke up from the sudden boom and an earthquake as strong as magnitude 5 from the center can be felt! Except for the dragon weakened dragon girl behind him, everything close to Elric, including the Manananggal, was crushed and turned to ashes in an instant from the blazing shock wave. Ksssssssss~ Elric''s body was still covered in a radiant flame of red and green as he slowly breathed in and out and right after calming himself down, so did the flames subsided. *** Elric awakened from intense heat and power he felt. He is now standing naked but was more shocked by the transformation of his body. He was fit yet thick! He could feel the power in every part of his cells. He felt extraordinary powerful as if he could do anything. His body feels heavy yet too light to control. Strong yet very flexible. And his eyes could see as far as he wants as long as there are no obstructions in his sight! His nose could capture scent he never knew he could, from the burning trees surrounding him to the distant clear water from the river far away from his current location. His hearing had also become extraordinarily clear and sensitive as he could easily discern which sound is which without getting overwhelmed or distracted at the same time. Is this the sense of a dragon? "What did you do to me?" Elric asked the dragon girl after turning around. With his naked eye-candy body that can surely make any woman gape in amazement, there are now two naked people in the middle of the burning midnight forest. She opened her eyes feebly and with a proud smile said: "Don''t think I wanted to save you. I just gave you a part of my blood to cleanse my conscience and keep my dignity intact." Slowly standing up without minding her naked body, she continued, "You are half a dragon now. But what''s more important is that I don''t owe you anything now that I have given you another chance to live. Now that you have dragon''s blood in you, it is up to you to learn how to survive the dragon hunters and-" "I told you I was ready to die didn''t I?" Elric suddenly cut her words. He had already lost hope and was indeed really prepared himself to meet his makers but this girl chooses to save him just when his pain was about to end. And now what? He will be hunted by dragon hunters? "Just to be clear, I am doing this for myself, not for you shameless human! And besides I --" the dragon girl tried to explain herself when loud crashing from the distance interrupted her again. RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHKKK!~ BANG! Suddenly the Kapre that fought the Manananggal a while ago finally came back however, it was much bigger and stronger as it smashed a huge tree with a single swing of its arm. Its body is covered in mud and bruises while his other feet seems to be limping in pain. It appears to be injured from the previous battle! "RAAAAGH! MINE!" The Kapre did not hesitate and went straight to the girl. Elric instinctively moved his body to block the incoming Kapre but he failed to control his newfound strength and speed. He indeed up bumping into the Kapre, sending it rolling a few meters back. "I''m sorry Mr. Kapre! I didn''t mean it!~ Sorry!" Said Elric with an innocent face. He never knew that with his newfound strength and speed, he could end up bumping against the huge Kapre accidentally. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The dragon girl could not help but facepalm herself. Elric doesn''t seem to have noticed his current overwhelming power. Quickly, Elric flashed beside the Kapre and was about to help it to get up when it suddenly swang a huge fist towards his face. As expected, Elric dodged the fist without many efforts. His primal dragon instinct had already warned him of an incoming attack and his dodging reaction was flawlessly executed. "I am sorry sir! Can we just settle this with a few tobacco sticks? How about some Vinu Kulafu wine?" Kapre tried to offer local goods as barter for his misstep but the Kapre, in its furious state, continued to slam its ultra-sized arms aiming to squash Elric into a meat paste. The Kapre was furiously swinging madly his arms but failed to hit Elric in its desperate effort to get rid of the one stopping him on getting his hands on the beautiful maiden behind. In Elric''s his vision, the Kapre was just too slow! "Please I dont want to hurt you!" Elric pleaded. "RAAAAAH!" replied the Kapre. "Just kill him already!" shouted the dragon girl. KRRRRGGGH!~ The sound of the rumbling thunder that signifies an incoming trouble reminded the Dragon girl of something gravely important. "Oh no. Hey Human! If you want to live, Get away from here! Now!" She shouted immediately and immediately sat in a meditative position. "ammayu uka aras nyuda natan takis wagmatnag~ Her body started shining as she mumbled an incantation that summons the healing light in her body. Slowly, the slight bruises in her skin faded while her internal injuries slowly moved to fix themselves at the cellular level. Despite her calm stance, panic and fear are still obvious in her eyes. Curious, Elric took a glance at her only to see her anxious face. She has never been this afraid in her life before! 10 Consequences On Failing The Tribulation Of Ligh The Dragon girl could not stop herself from shaking while looking at the sky darkening again. "This is bad. I forgot the trial is still not finished!" The dragon girl said to herself and hurriedly sat down to recover her strength as fast as possible. Elric who happens to hear her with his new super-sensitive hearing asked her right away. "What do you mean trial and what''s with ¡ª" "RAAAAAAAHH!" Shouted the Kapre. Elric could not stand anymore with the annoying shout of the Kapre. He quickly grabbed one of its incoming punch and countered with an even more powerful punch sending the Kapri flying far enough which knocked it unconscious instantly Elric was shocked by how powerful he became as he did not intend to knock the Kapri out, however, this might just work out well with the current situation. For some reason, Elric''s current body seems to be warning him of something. Having dispatched the giant Kapre like it was nothing, he came closer to the dragon girl who finally covered herself with a white dress that popped out from one her ring. Elric immediately thought that It seems to be a magical storage ring used by dragons. The dragon girl kept her eyes closed while answering him. "Since you are now half a dragon, you should be honored to receive my powers; and with regards to the trial, I am referring to the Tribulation of Light." "Tribulation of light?" Elric was still confused. "Sigh... Tribulation of light is the test for a qualified dragon to overcome our current life span, expand our strength to a whole new level and purify our blood to better connect to our ancestor Dragon." "There is a qualification?" Elric asked. "You need to be 100 years old and have flown across the earth for 100 times before you can summon the first level of Tribulation of Light." the dragon girl said calmly. "100 years old!? How old are you by the way?" Elric asked in surprise. "I am 159 years old." "What!? But you look like 16 or something. Not to mention, I am a few inches taller than you and you seem too weak for a dragon!" "Huh. Compared to our elders who are over 500 years old, this is nothing. And don''t think this is only my power. I am currently this weak because I have just taken the Fourth strike of the tribulation an hour ago and still trying to recover my strength." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I see. But wait... you guys can reach 500 years old!?" Exclaimed Elric in shock. "Normal dragons can reach 100 years maximum. We can only live longer by going through a series of Tribulations of Light. It''s lightning sent from heaven sort of to test our physical, mental and spiritual capability. After facing the three stages of Tribulation of Light, we can ascend to our Immortality and enter the gates to the Sacred Sanctuary of Dragons." Explained to the dragon girl as she stood up while looking at the storm brewing sky. Determination is obvious in her face. "And what happens when you fail?" Elric started becoming serious. After all, he might end up facing this so-called tribulation in the future as well. "You burn to a crisp and turn to dust." "Well, at least it should be a quick death." "That''s not all. We dragons are also cursed. Once we fail and die through the Tribulation of Light, our complete existence disappears together with every trace of our body except the mark we made in this physical world." "What do you mean ''complete existence will disappear?" "Any memories related to us will completely disappear from every living dragon. Even from your parents. It''s like we never existed in the first place." 11 Staying With You "That''s just..." "Harsh, I know... Well, that''s what you get for challenging the authority of heaven." "..." Elric went for a momentary silence before he started talking again, "Considering you are already 159 years old does that mean ..." "I have already overcome my first tribulation. This is my test for the second level of Tribulation of Light which has double the lightning number and power from my first tribulation. I am one of the young Dragons who qualified for the second level of tribulation before even reaching 300 years old. If I can survive this final strike, I can finally evolve to my mature stage and expand my lifespan up to 500." A hint of pride appeared in the girl''s stance. "I see. By the way, I have been talking to you for quite some time now. May I know your name?" Asked Elric. "Knowing my name is pointless if you don''t leave now. You will end up dead anyway..." Elric gave the woman a curious look. She seems to be determined to face the incoming lightning. "Sigh..." Elric decided to stay beside the girl and looked up at the sky as if waiting for something as well. "What are you doing?" Asked the woman in bafflement. "The final lightning tribulation of light is about to come. With your current half-dragon strength, you are guaranteed to turn into dust and become forgotten!" Scolded the woman. "How about you? Are you confident you can face it? It doesn''t seem you are in perfect condition to face it. If I am not mistaken, I saw you knocked unconscious by the last lighting which resulted in this mess. I could never forget that scene you know." "You must be hallucinating human." A hint of shame covered her face as Elric''s words pricked her overwhelming pride as a dragon. "Truth be told, I am not confident if I can face the final strike with my current state; let alone facing the strongest lighting with almost triple the power compared to the last strike." "Why not run away from it then?" "Running away doesn''t help as the Tribulation of Light has absolute power and authority. Don''t forget, running from the Tribulation of Light we summoned means we must be confident to face it. I have trained and prepared for this day. Not just me, but the whole Kingdom prepared me for this, running is considered cowardly and does not coincide with our Dragon values!" "You mean Dragon pride?" "Yes. That''s how you humans call it." "You dragons value pride huh." Elric thought. "I can hear you." "..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. KRUUUUUGGHHHHH!~ "It''s finally coming..." Elric said with his eyes glued to the dark raining sky. His body could not stop shaking and his mind wanted him to run right away. But his curiosity got the best of him, anchored by his conscience of leaving a frail-looking girl behind. 12 Appearance of the Ancestral Dragon "What are you waiting for human? Go! Don''t waste your pathetic life standing here."Scolded the dragon girl. "You are in that state because you gave me your blood. Let me help you!" "How dare you pity me?!" Said the girl with an insulted look. "I don''t want to live without owing you back for what you did for me. I don''t want that! Just like you, allow me to redeem my pride even till my last breath! Even if it means dying, I am dying with you!" Elric explained. For some reason, the dragon girl could not talk back. Her heart skips a bit with Elric''s last words. KUKUUUURGGGHHHH!~~~ KURRRGGHH~~ Their mini emotional moment suddenly ended with the final sign of the incoming Tribulation of Light. The wind started to intensify with a wooing sound. Leaves started flying everywhere and the seas are rampaging. "My name is Lesse." The dragon girl finally shared her name. With a warm smile, Elric replied: "Nice to meet you Miss Lesse, my name is~" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Elric... I know, I heard you before, so there is no need to repeat it." Elric just smiled. Suddenly, a powerful force of gravity started pushing him down as if he was wearing a thousand-kilo belt! He braced himself as a powerful force is trying to push him on the ground. With all his strength, Elric resisted the force but could not stand properly anymore. Bulging veins started popping out of his body. This must be the reason Dragons could not run away from the Tribulation of Light! Lesse on the other side doesn''t seem to struggle. She just stood beside Elric effortlessly. It seems she is used to this feeling and their disparity in strength was just too much. However, the terrifying power of the incoming Tribulation could not be hidden in the face. Seemingly losing her hope, she took a last glance to Elric. "Human Elric... I do not like to say this but I appreciate your presence in my final hour. Do know that you still have a chance to survive if you just use your full strength to run away from here." "I hate to say this too, but I hate losing to girls when it comes to courage so I am staying here with you." Elric tried to encourage himself. Lesse gave a simple smile and replied: "You have pride. You could have been a decent dragon if only you could have lived." "Thanks for the compliment Miss Lesse. I guess this is hello and goodbye hehe!" Shouted Elric. With those last words, Elric could see a beautiful smile in her face before everything turned to a bright flash of light followed by a powerful surge of lighting that pierced from his head into every part of his body. The pain was beyond words. It feels like a shower of burning needles piercing to every inch of his body. Elric lost the will to make any more sound. All his memories just started flashing in his eyes. "Is this finally it?" He thought. As his consciousness starts to fade, a warm light suddenly covered his body. It was a sphere of light with hues of blue and green. Elric felt like he was soaked in cold-healing water. His awareness starts to come back and slowly opened his eyes again. Before him is a majestic looking dragon about 20 meters long. It stood proudly and withstanding the tribulation of lightning as if it was a gentle rain. This powerful looking Oriental Dragon was covered in glittering royal red scales like little diamonds and green long stripes covering its whole body. Its eyes were shining in green light and red light to the other one. All the while looking down at Elric. Its two long red whiskers are waving in the air in elegance. It''s two horns were about five meters long and it was glowing in radiant light, seemingly absorbing the power of the Tribulation of Light. The moment their eyes met, Elric''s body moved to bow on its own. After Elric, Lesse who happens to stand beside him also bowed down. "Wait, if Lesse is here beside me, then, who is that powerful-looking dragon? Although I felt so powerful now, why does it feel like I am an ant compared to this one?" Lesse on the other side counts not help but shudder in fear and excitement. "What is the Legendary Ancestral Dragon doing here?!" 13 Ancient Dragon Essence The final strike of the Tribulation of Light that was supposed to destroy both Elric and Lesse has ended safely for both of them. It was thanks to the sudden appearance of the legendary ancient dragon who absorbed the power for them. This dragon who stood firmly and elegantly before them shone with incredible radiance. Its eyes were filled with lights reminiscent of a diety and anyone who would look at its eyes would not be able to hold their body from bowing down in respect. Apparently, once a dragon overcomes the Fourth and Ultimate Tribulation of Light, they would be able to reach immortality and ascend to Godness. Ancestral Dragons are able to open the Mystical Golden River which leads to the Sacred Sanctuary of Dragons where they permanently live as one of Heaven''s Pillar. For the Dragons, reaching the Sacred Sanctuary of Dragons and becoming one of the Heaven''s Pillar also means reaching the pinnacle of the Dragon''s power and authority. There are only 4 dragons that are known to have reached the Ancestral Stage. Three from the North and South Alliance, 1 from East and one from the west. "My Child...." said the legendary dragon via telepathic communication. Lesse understood right away that the dragon in front of her is the original and great Ancestor of her Dragon line: The Red and Green Flame Dragon. Elric could hear the voice with an echoing brillance. It was soft, yet full of authority. It was magical that he could not help but bow down in awe! Lesse on the other side is trying her best to calm herself and be attentive to every word of the very presence of the legendary Ancestral dragon. The powerful dragon looked at Lesse and communicated with her. "You have the blood of both the Green Lotus and Red Flame Dragon and has even surpassed your predecessors in facing their own tribulation in terms of age and potential. You should know by now how precious your blood essence is but you still decided to share them to this pitiful human just to retain your pride. Truly, you are full of pride even in exchange for death and I admire that." The Ancestral Dragon took a glance at Elric for a while and continued. "My only problem is that the human you choose to give your blood to is too weak and might not be able to cultivate the power you have bestowed." "Forgive me for my recklessness oh great Ancestor. If you will, I will end his life right here and take back my blood from him." Lesse immediately suggested. "I did not say that my child." The Ancestral Dragon corrected. "Although it is true that this man here is really weak. In terms of all the dragons, there is no doubt he is the weakest one. Being a half-dragon, even newly born one can defeat him with no problems." Lesse could not help but frown upon hearing the Ancestral Dragon''s words. Elric on the other side shuddered in thought. Just how strong dragons can be? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "However, it is still not too late for this man..." Said the Ancestral Dragon as he spat a small fireball the size of a fist in front of Elric. It was a ball burning with a green and red fire dancing inside it. Despite its small size, it exuded a powerful pressure on him and Elric felt a powerful urge to bite into this small fireball. "Oh great Ancestor, Is that?!" Seeing this ball, Lesse could not help but stand up in shock. "That is my Dragon Essence." Explained the Ancestral Dragon. 14 The Offer Elric looked at the fireball like it was nothing is contrary to Lesse who could not help but fall in a great dilemma. In front of her is a Dragon Essence. A powerful ball of fire that when consumed, would help raise a certain dragon''s blood purity and raise their physical capacity and possibly activate an extra elemental affinity! Not to mention, a Dragon''s essence can only be created once every 1,000 years! To top it up, it wasn''t just an ordinary dragon''s essence but one of an Ancestral Dragon! Compared to the normal Essence the Great Elder Dragons from her kingdom could make in every 10 years, this one is a hundred times more powerful! Lesse could not help but look at the unaware-half-assed-dragon beside her with agonizing envy! If only it wasn''t being offered to Elric, she would have snatched it in no time and absorbed it herself! Looking at it, Lesse felt as if she staring at the rarest-shiny diamond that can be eaten! "I imagined a dragon ball to have stars inside but this one doesn''t look like one!" Thought Elric. Slowly, Elric faced the tall Ancestral Dragon and started addressing it with the utmost respect. "Oh, great dragon Ancestor. May I know what this burning thing is-? "That, my child, is called a dragon essence. Eat it and you will be abandoning your humanity and become fully a dragon. That is the simplest explanation I can give you, for now, my child." Replied the Ancestral Dragon in a soft but loud telepathic voice. Hearing the word ''abandoning humanity'' made Elric stop for a moment before he started talking. "If you don''t mind me asking, what does it mean for me to lose my humanity oh great Ancestor Dragon?" Asked Elric. "ughhh." Lesse facepalmed herself. This human doesn''t seem to know just how lucky he is to be offered an Ancestral Dragon''s Essence! If looks could kill, she would have killed Elric a thousand times already! "Good question." Said the Dragon as he made the small fireball float before Elric and continued. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "If you absorbed my Dragon''s Essence, you will lose all your memories as a human and become a dragon for the rest of your life. You will enjoy the true power of a dragon. While the power of Green and Red fire. You can dominate the sky and become one of the most feared creatures in existence. You will undergo a full transformation into a dragon until you reach 100 years old and gain the ability to shapeshift back into a human and as well ability to-" "I am afraid I cannot accept this gift oh great Ancestral Dragon... but thank you for your kind offer." Elric did not wait for the explanation to finish. 15 Dragon Hunters Incoming "Are you crazy!?" Shouted Lesse. "How dare are you not to accept such gift from-" "Enough Lesse." Interrupted by the Ancestral Dragon. "But!~" "Enough!!!" The Ancestral Dragon raised his voice and Lesse immediately choke with a powerful force that pushed her down. It took quite a while before she finally calmed down. She finds it hard to breathe normally after experiencing a glimpse of the Ancestral Dragon''s wrath! Elric stood still and is determined to refuse the tempting offer. "Please do not misunderstand me oh great Ancestral Dragon. I know that becoming a dragon is such a great honor very well. Unfortunately, I love my family more than anything. Instead of proudly soaring the skies and dominating the land alone, I''d rather spend my day with my dear grandmother who is already old." With a determined expression, he paused and looked at the direction of his home and continued. "My grandma is the only family I have left. My mother and father are long gone and I would love to be with my grandma''s side for as long as she lives. Losing my memories should also mean that I will lose my identity as her grandson and that is something I cannot live by." The cool night wind blew for a while as the stars finally poured their solemn lights in Elric''s face. Lesse did not dare utter any more words concerning Elric''s decision. Who knows, this might be her chance to ask for the Ancestral Dragon''s essence instead! "I understand your reasoning human but It seems you forgot that you are already half-a-dragon thanks to my descendant here who happens to share her blood with you." "I already know that great Ancestral Dragon," said Elric. "Then do you also know, that your human family is subject to destruction by the Guardians and Rival Dragon Clans?" replied the Ancestral Dragon calmly. Elric was surprised to hear the explanation and asked for clarification. "May I know what you meant that my family is subject to destruction?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lesse could not help but finally talk on behalf of the Ancestral Dragon. "We dragons are hunted for our precious blood and meat that could aid in curing almost every disease of humans. Not to mention, by consuming even a drop of our blood, ordinary humans could extend their expected life for a year. Our meat improves the overall potential of human by a huge margin and even bring back lost sexual drive." "And that is just a tip of the iceberg.." Added the giant dragon. "Even if you are a half-dragon, you still have the dragon blood. And its a royal one for that. The Dragon Hunters are a group of a powerful human syndicate that uses the latest technology to hunt us dragons for their benefit. Every single drop of our blood, no matter the purity, is worth millions of dollars." "Do you mean I am being hunted now?" But they do not know me!" "That''s what you think!" rebutted Lesse. Suddenly the Ancestral dragon and Lesse stopped talking and looked at the northeast direction with troubled looks on their faces. "Oh, how I wish I can give these little kids a lesson. If not for my oath not to interfere too much in the world, I would have destroyed this pest of Guardians. " murmured the Great Dragon. "What do you mean?" Asked Elric. "In a matter of minutes, you will understand what I mean..." Said the Great Dragon. It took quite a while and even though it was too late, Elric also noticed a flying object coming their way. Normal humans could not see it but Elric, now being a dragon with supersensitive hearing and eyesight, can see the incoming object as clear as a day! Despite the fact that they are still hundreds of kilometers away, Elric''s eyesight can still see them just fine. He focusses his eyes and finally recognized the incoming objects. It was a stealth bomber in a stealth mode! Not just one, but ten of them at the same time flying at an incredible speed but without a single sound! "Dragon Hunters are coming!" Said Lesse as she suddenly shone brightly covered in dancing red and green flames. Her body slowly mutated, her eyes, nose, arms and whole body polymorphed into a western dragon! There are traces of royal green spots in her red-scaled-body. Strong and ferocious but moves with elegance. It was the shape of the dragon that Elric saw during the lightning storm! Elric could only look in amazement. He wondered what would he looked like if he transformed into a dragon as well. "This is a good warm-up!" Shouted Lesse as she looked at Elric. "Elric, today I will show you my true strength and why you should be ashamed in refusing our offer graceful offer!" 16 The Choice Lesse was about to fly and face the incoming invisible fighter jets when her body suddenly froze mid-air and dropped to the ground like a statue. "Akkkkk...I can''t move!" "Stay down child, you still haven''t recovered all your strength." Explained the Ancestral Dragon as he unleashed his suppressing power on her. Upon turning to Elric, he continued. "Now listen to half dragon kid. Since you have the blood of our dragon lineage, you should know how valuable even just a single drop of your blood." Elric looked at his body and lamented at the Ancestral Dragon''s word. "I believed you now have the right to know that we Dragon are actually in the war against Dragon Hunting Humans who call themselves the Guardians." "I see. So that''s why she confused me as a Guardians when she first met me and even tried to roast me quick." Elric thought as he looked at Lesse. The suppressing power holding Lesse was finally released and she transformed into her normal form again. Lesse heard Elric''s thought and explained. "You pop out of nowhere, of course, I will be cautious of you." She said in a telepathic reply. Elric could not help but smile in submission. Any humans who''d see an actual dragon would jump in their seats just to make sure they were not mistaken! "Anyway," The Ancestral Dragon continued. "As I said, since you are now a half dragon now, you will still be hunted for your blood and meat by those Guardians. In just a matter of minutes, they will finally arrive and you don''t stand a chance against them unless you completely accept your fate to become a dragon." Elric did not respond. he just looked at the burning ball before him and kept on analyzing is the situation. "I''d rather die than forgetting my grandma. That is my decision." Said Elric with a resolute face. "So are you willing to risk your family too?" replied the Ancestral Dragon. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "What do you mean?" asked Elric. "I will be taking away the Dragon''s power in you since you don''t accept our power. Which obviously means, you will die during the process. .The Guardians will trace your presence here and would probably hold your parent''s hostage until you show yourself to them. With your current power, you are no match against them. Consume that Dragon''s essence and you are finally a complete dragon and you will have the chance to protect your loved ones. Albeit, from the shadows, since you are not allowed to show yourself to any humans anymore." Elric looked at the great Ancestral Dragon before him and in the direction of his home. How did all of this become this absurd? If only I did not go out and get into this mess, I could have been sleeping peacefully not minding these chaotic events. Elric could not help but blame himself. "30 seconds before they arrive. So what is your choice human? Become a dragon and protect your family or surrender the blood and die in agony." pushed the Ancestral Dragon. 17 The Guardians And The Turncoa An hour and a half before the event that led to Elric''s Dragon transformation, somewhere, there is a floating giant ship flying over the Philippine skies. The light of the stars and the moon does not reflect in this giant floating ship due to its stealth technology and could not be seen or detected even by the satellite radars much less with a human''s sight. This giant floating ship is called The Arkhan, a giant flying metal fortress equipped with never before seen technologies. It is capable of antigravity technology, stealth, long-distance firing weapons, private super armies, private war jets, and state-of-the-art radar types of equipment. Aboard inside this two-kilometer ship are a group of advanced humans who call themselves the DHG or Dragon-Hunting Guardians who made the Arca themselves. They also belonged as one of the top-secret society of the modern era. Although they looked almost the same as normal humans, the DHG are highly intelligent people, they are five times faster and five times stronger than an ordinary human. Some are even capable of the strength of a hundred. Arkhan''s main purpose or business is to hunt for more Dragons especially the weak once who have just undergone their tribulations, butcher them, and obtain their meat and blood for the advancement of their people and other wicked purposes. It is also because of this purpose that they are being hunted by the main Guardian''s Government and the Dragons themselves. Three hundred years ago the DHG is founded by a certain person named Khan who also happens to be a member of the secret society of Guardians whose sole purpose is to keep the balance between the Dragon, Elementals, and Spiritual Race and prevent them from dominating the Human Physical world. Khan is smart, diligent but very obsessed with power. With access to the top-secret files, Khan discovered the priceless potential of the rare and elusive Dragon''s blood and meat and with his dream to create his race of superhumans, he decided to become a dragon hunter and hid from the eyes of the Guardians. Because of these, Khan became the first Guardian traitor and is currently on the wanted list by the Guardian''s Government. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Using his Guardian knowledge and his incredible thirst for power, Khan made his secret super army that hunts down dragons who only show themselves during their tribulations. And after a hundred years of hunting weakened Dragon''s, consuming them and outsmarting every ambush, Khan became extremely powerful, smart and created his own secret empire that aimed to become the most powerful race. Thus, the creation of the Arkhan Ship. Inside the Arkhan information headquarters, a female staff was monitoring the screens for signs of possible tribulation lightning caused by dragons. They are responsible for finding possible threats and signs of dragon tribulations. Her eyes were glued on the screen while her hands typed astonishingly fast! She appears to be calculating something. "I heard that this is one of the rarest Dragons we have hunted so far. Do you have news about its current location?" I asked a superior behind the monitoring staff. This superior wore dark red clothes striped clothes with a golden fedora hat. His eyes are deep-red and have a well-toned body mass. His name is Arkhoz. One of the descendants of Khan and a famous dragon hunter as well. "The last lightning occurred over the East China Sea, and that dragon seems to have noticed some of our army coming and escaped south quickly. I have made calculations about the possible routes, it might take and there is a 70% chance of going to this certain part." The staff immediately pointed her fingers at the monitor. "Cebu, Philippines?" 18 Going for Hun "Yes. But there is also a 20% chance of going towards central cities of Vietnam and 10% Indonesia" "Judging from your calculations, it is possible that this Dragon is trying to ask for help from other hidden Dragons in southeast Asia." "But Dragons are prideful creatures and do not like to ask for help. Is it possible that..." "Possibly... but who knows. If it is one of those royal dragons. After all the last two royal dragons whom we failed to catch went hiding in the Philippines and the other in Indonesia." "You are right. This could be great news for our people if we happen to catch this one." "Indeed. I have never tasted a royal dragon after all. Keep looking" said Arkhoz with an exciting look. "Understood." replied the staff. Just when Arkhoz was about to leave, the beep suddenly sounded in the monitor. "We just received a tribulation lightning signal! Location confirmed at Northeastern Cebu, latitude 11.28, longitude 123.73!" Shouted the staff. The other people nearby also stood up in attention, waiting for more details to be said. "What''s the tribulation strength?!" Arkhoz immediately stood behind the staff. "It''s a type 2, level 10 lightning." "It''s a superior lightning type with a level 10 strength! This is a huge catch! Update me for additional details, I will be personally leading the hunting group." "But sir, this is another royal one! Shouldn''t we wait for Team A and B?" "That dragon would recover her full strength in just an hour. We do not have the moment to waste here. I am leading my party right away." "Noted but please be advised that there must be something else in the area aside from the dragon. The system has actually two small traces of local Elemental energies from different entities. It is also possible to have a human nearby!" Arkhoz immediately tapped on his earpiece to connect to his communication channel with his Hunting team. "Stealth team C, prepare to go. We are hunting a royal one and a bunch of possible Elementals fuzzies in the Philippine island." "A royal one? Now that is exciting!" "Affirmative."~ "Affirmative" "Got it. Going now!" "All right!" --- A series of nine excited voices immediately replied at Arkhoz''s command. "I must have this! A Royal dragon blood and meat would surely allow me to break my bottleneck and reach the next level. My brothers will not look down on me anymore after this hunt!" Arkhoz''s deep red eyes were full of burning determination. "Let''s go hunt that royal dragon!" *** In the middle of the night, 10 invisible fighting jets flew out of The Arkan ship and dashed towards the location of Elric. This is not just ordinary fighting jets but stealth ones capable of hiding their traces in the human eyes and even bypassing the detection ability of the modern radar devices used by the airports and security agencies. In just a matter of a few minutes, they have traveled thousands of kilometers already. "Everyone lock on my target. Let''s divide in the group a and b. When we reached the 50-kilometer mark, I want Group A to release your shock missiles while group B reserve for the next round until I give the signal!" Commanded Arkhoz. "But leader, aren''t we supposed to release these missiles when we reached the minimum range of 30 kilometers?" "Just do what I say, I have a plan. I am not letting the past mistakes happen again!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "well, if you say so, leader. We are counting on you." Suddenly, Arkhoz received a radio call from The Arkhan headquarters. "Bad news commander Arkhoz, a powerful unidentified force suddenly appeared out of nowhere near the tribulation''s location! I repeat, an unidentified force is ahead." "Any clue about what is it?" Arkhan kept his head cool and replied calmly. "I haven''t seen this kind of energy signature before but it is possible to be another dragon. Probably to be an even stronger one. I am not sure since I cannot gauge its strength with our current data." "Don''t worry. If it is another dragon, we will just take it down. These creatures may have dominated us in the past but not in this era! Not in the Era of the Khans!" "Yeah!~" Every member of Team C shouted together in excitement. They have no idea of the nightmare waiting for them. 19 Setting Up The Barrier Back at the present, Elric is still filled with hesitation. Either he chooses to become a dragon and forget his family or giving up the Dragon''s blood in his system only to end up dead. Both options gave him no real advantage at all. Elric loves his grandma very much. After losing his mother and father in a terrible typhoon disaster 27 years ago, his grandmother took the brunt of raising him. He learned to talk, walk and decide for his future with the blissful guidance of his only family left. But now, he is on a dilemma to forget the only source of his strength in exchange for his life. After a few more minutes of thinking, he finally spoke. "I am willing to accept my fate to become a dragon but I have a condition to ask oh great Ancestral Dragon. That is if you don''t mind." Elric spoke in a resolute voice. "Speak human." "Is it possible for me to retain my memories as a human even when I become a dragon?" Elric hoped that with his memories as a human, he should still be able to protect his family from the sidelines. He knows pretty well that this is his only choice considering that only death is waiting for him on the other option. I could not imagine my grandma''s face when she finds out that I am missing after running towards the woods. How I wish If only I could turn back time, I should still be sleeping soundly tonight, far from all of this dilemma. Elric thought. "I am afraid that all of these happens for a reason human. There is no such thing as a coincidence. Maybe heaven has plans for you. Who knows." Lesse told Elric and added: "After all, aren''t you supposed to be happy with your current luck? You are still alive thanks to my blood and even got a precious opportunity presented before you. If the other dragon''s found out about your hesitation for getting an Ancestral Dragon''s essence, they would surely tear you to pieces!" "That is according to your dragon''s perspective." Elric immediately rebutted. "Well aren''t you a dragon now?" Lesse responded. "You mean ''Half-a-Dragon?" Eric doesn''t seem to appreciate being a dragon in contrast to Lesse''s expectation. "You ungrateful human," Lesse said with killing intent. "Pay attention. The incoming Dragon Hunting Guardians are about to fire on us." The Ancestral Dragon warned them. A few seconds later, far away from Elric''s location, a group of Stealth Fighter Jets headed by Commander Arkhoz, flew closer and closer at a dizzying speed. Suddenly, their pack splits up into two groups with 5 fighter jets each. The other one split up into different directions and the remaining 5 went straight to Elric''s location. "Group A comes with me and engages the targets, Group B prepares the isolation barrier now!" Arkhoz commanded the team with utmost urgency with a plan already in his mind. His team, trusted him as Arkhoz is known as one of the most brilliant commanders when it comes to dragon hunting and even war. "Group A, Copy that!" "Group B, on our way! The leaders of group A and B shouted in unison after hearing all of Arkhoz''s commands. Their fighter jet''s they are riding is unlike the normal fighter jets we have known. These are equipped with secret technology never before seen by normal humans. These Jets are made of mysterious metals that are ten times harder than Titanium but are incredibly light! All thanks to their stolen technologies from The Guardians. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. In terms of battling, these Jets are also capable of creating a controlled isolation barrier to prevent any sounds or even light to go out public. It''s weapon systems are equipped with shock missiles strong enough to knock powerful dragons unconscious, tracing freezing beams that can slow the target down, energy bullets that can numb the Dragon''s muscles rendering them unable to move, and multi-purpose bombs. All while flying a lot faster than the speed of sound reaching a thousand kilometers in just a matter of minutes. However, one thing that makes this fighting jets special is that they are specifically made to hunt the elusive Dragons. Especially with its secret transformation ability. "Group B is now in position!" Arkhoz heard one of his team B Leader confirming their location and immediately replied. "Good. Activate the isolation barrier now!" 20 The Mist Of Isolation "Activating Isolation barrier!" replied the team leader responsible for the barrier. "Stike Team A, standby. Strike Team B, follow me and cycle them. Isolation team, keep up with us in case the battle moves to a different place. We do not want to be exposed to the humans, much less to stupid The Guardians." Arkhoz reminded them. Five fighter jets all in an invisible state positioned themselves about 10 kilometers away from each other and accurately forming a pentagon shape. They remained in this position and did not go anywhere else. With a sudden flash of dim lights, a transparent barrier started to expand from their bodies and moved to converge with the other Jet''s transparent barrier; forming a closed space in the shape of the pentagon. Immediately after, tiny homing bombs flew out of the tiny parts of these Jets and traveled quickly to areas where there are humans. These bombs exude chemicals in the air that can dull human minds and ultimately making them fall asleep. Those who are already sleeping would feel numbness in their body and will even sleep deeper. The whole area covered by the isolation barrier would appear to be misty from the outside but people would still be able to get inside unhindered but will immediately succumb to the dulling effects of the chemicals in the air and fall asleep. Anything they have seen before and after inhaling the chemicals will be forgotten when they wake up. In some unfortunate events, some drivers would fall asleep while in the middle of driving and would lead to accidents. They end up blaming themselves thinking it was just them being too tired. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. *** "They have finally made the move. The poison mist has been released." Lesse said as she stood in preparation. "These humans have actually dared to move against me..." The Ancestral Dragon said as his long and huge body started to emit faint lights seemingly deterring the mist away from them." Noticing the mist starting to cover the air, Elric could not help but feel a chill running down his spine. "Grandma..." with Elric''s heightened senses, he could not help but get worried about his grandmother''s situation. "Make your decision now human. You have 10 seconds to decide. Become a dragon and fight with us to save your family or just give up the Dragon''s blood in your body and die pathetically in my hands." The Ancestral Dragon told him. 21 Elrics Decision "Oh great Ancestral dragon, if I may ask, If you wanted to help the dragon race, why not do it yourself? Aren''t you supposed to be the strongest?" Elric asked the Ancestral Dragon suddenly. "I am afraid that as a Heavenly being, I am not allowed to interfere with anything to do in this mortal world. However, under special conditions, we can bless those who paid enough tribute or curse creatures that violates our authority." Explained the Ancestral Dragon. "Then, do you mean you cannot attack those incoming Dragon hunters even though they are the reason for the decline of your descendants?" "That is a problem the current generation has to face by themselves. The path of a Dragon is expected to be harsh and brutal. If you wanted to survive, get stronger. If you cannot overcome the challenge of heaven and the earth, you do not deserve the title of a dragon. That is why we accept any challenges from the lower creatures such as these humans taking advantage of us even when we are at our weakest after a tribulation." The Ancestral dragon further explained. For thousands of years, the Dragon population has been declining because of Arkhan''s people. But the Dragons refused to learn and even considered these as challenges for their race to overcome these obstacles on their own. The Dragons have their own hidden world somewhere no humans can ever find. In that world, the dragons are free to live and dominate. They have their own kingdoms, own seas, mountains and rules in every region. And they all strive to reach the pinnacle of their strength in various ways and ascend to a higher existence. Either by harnessing the power of the earth, through blood and body purification or receiving external power, it is every Dragon''s dream to become the strongest one. One of the best ways to overcome their limitation is by going through the Tribulation of Light which can only be activated when they come out at the Human world, where the Dragon Hunters are waiting to hunt them down for their blood and meat. "My time is up and I should go." The Ancestral Dragon''s body started to become transparent and his existence slowly faded and at the same time, the invisible enemy Jets continued incircling them while slowly shrinking their escape route. "Listen to me human Elric," Lesse said. "Once these Fighter Jets start firing, I am afraid to say that every human nearby would become an uwnanted victim. And that includes your family who isn''t far away from here. And I am not the kind of Dragon who doesn''t give my all in fights like these. After all, it is also my life that is at stake. All it takes is one loose missile from them or a missed breath of my fire and your mother''s small house is gone including her." With these words, Elric suddenly imagined the face of his dying grandmother in a burning house. A scene that Elric would hate to see happen for his dear grandmother. Elric finally made up his mind and grabbed the burning Dragon Essence before him. "I want you to know that I am going to accept your offer to become a dragon and help you in your war against the Dragon Hunters," Elric said in the resolution. "That is a good decision." Said the fading Ancestral Dragon. "But I have one wish in return." Elric bowed in front of the Ancestral Dragon. "Say it, my new child..." The Ancestral Dragon said. "I wish that you extend the life of my grandmother and if possible..." Elric summed up his courage for the next words. Tears slowly slid down his cheeks. "And if possible, Could you please remove me from her memories?" The Ancestral Dragon looked deeply at Elric''s eyes and said. "It shall be done." "Thank you." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 22 Cocoon of Fire "Are you ready?" The Ancestral Dragon asked. "Yes," Elric replied without hesitation. "Good. Remember to uphold the Dragon''s pride. I will be watching you..." Said the Ancestral Dragon as he finally faded completely before Elric and Lesse. As the Ancestral Dragon dissapeared without a trace, the fire from the burning Dragon Essence slowly crept all over Elric''s body. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric felt a powerful burning sensation coursing through every part of his body and left him feeling like he was in hell! Elric could not help but kneel down in pain while trying to keep himself sane throughout the ordeal. The fire went inside every cell of his body and he could not help but shout in agony. A few seconds later, Elric is completely covered in the burning fire of red and green. His memories since he was a kid flashed all over his mind. He could see the last time he bid farewell to his grandmother before getting into this mess. He could see the last time he played Dota with his best friends, John and Bok. He could see the faces of his teachers from elementary, high school and college days. He could see his first date, his first walk, and lastly, his parent''s smiles back at the day when he was born. It was Lesse''s first time to actually witness a human transforming into a dragon. She could not believe how a human whom she tried to kill a few minutes ago end up receiving the blessing of the Ancestral Dragon. Her eyes could not let go at the sight of Elric now hidden in a giant ball of fire. The reflection of light appeared in her eyes and she could not hide the envy she felt. If only she was chosen, it should have been her who gets to be covered in the Cocoon of Fire and evolve into her next form! How powerful could she get? Lesse could not help but wonder. Suddenly Lesse''s senses picked up a threat. one of the Dragon Hunters fired a missile on their way! Lesse immediately transformed back to her elegant dragon form! "These lowly creatures dare to attack me now that I have fully recovered. Let''s see what you got!" Lesse looked at the Elric who is currently evolving inside the Cocoon of Fire. With a hint of envy, she left him alone. "If he gets attacked while evolving, it is his fault for being too indecisive! He needs to learn to make decisions quickly and stand for it!" Lesse left Elric who''s still in the middle of evolving. Envy, pride and frustration fueled her facing towards the incoming Hunters. "Ch¨© zh¨¨xi¨¥ ch¨®ngzi" (eat these bugs!) lesse shouted in her native language as she unleashed a red fireball towards the incoming missile. BOOOOOM!~ The fireball intercepted the incoming missile accurately and exploded in the air. The explosion caused a brief bright yellow shine that looked like a small sun in the middle of the night! Unfortunately, almost every human being asleep at the moment unable to witness the trouble happening right above their nose. It was also thanks to the isolation barrier set up by the guardians that people from the outside were still ignorant of the huge battle going on nearby. 23 Evolving In The Middle Of The Battle While Elric was still unconsciously evolving inside a burning cocoon, Lesse did not have the slightest of intention to protect him. Her pride, envy, and frustration from not getting the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence fueled her with madness to face the incoming enemies. The fire burned furiously in her heart which makes her, even more, stronger and fiercer, Five fighter jets continued to surround her kilometers away from her. They don''t seem to attack her right away and that shot appears to be a test on her. A few seconds later, another Fighter Jet fired a missile towards her. Lesse replied with another flaming breath and turned it to dust accompanied by an explosion. "Bugs! Why don''t you come closer and let me burn you into crisp!" Lesse shouted furiously towards the distancing Fighting Jets. Slowly she started gathering fire in her mouth as she prepares for a powerful attack. *** Contrary to the furious dragon he is observing, Arkhoz did not dare to be reckless and continued to send testing shots towards the dragon. He is also aware of a bright burning ball floating peacefully in the air where the Dragon girl came from. It was his first time to see a huge ball of fire that doesn''t seem to burn its surroundings. "Commander, do you see that huge cocoon-shaped ball of fire?" said one his men. "That kind of fire seems to be the one recorded in the secret records. If I am not mistaken, that is their so-called Essence of a dragon that accumulates from their cores if they are old enough." Arkhoz replied. "As expected of the commander, not only he is a brilliant fighter but a knowledgable commander as well." commented by one of his men. "Stop being a sucker and focus on the plan!" Arkhoz commanded with authority. "Now let''s take this dragon down. Whatever that burning ball is, we can deal with it later since it doesn''t seem to move for now. Let''s focus on that dragon girl for now." Arkhoz added. "Strike team A, copy that." "Strike team B, affirmative." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Isolation team, ready to adjust! All surroundings clear!" "Good, now on my lead!" *** Five homing missiles suddenly sprouted from each Fighter Jets. They all came from different directions and different angles! Unlike the previous shots, this missile looks different! "So you finally choose to get serious bugs?!" Lesse let go of the fire currently accumulating in her mouth. She danced elegantly in the air completing 360 degrees. The fire in her mouth suddenly flowed away like a dancing rope accurately blocking each missile despite coming from different directions and exploded simultaneously. "You got to do better than that!" Shouted Lesse. "Hmp!." A smile crept out of Arkhoz''s smile. "let''s freeze you first for the dinner later." Suddenly the fires from the explosion of the missiles changed in color from bright red to blue. The air temperature surrounding Lesse dropped significantly. She felt like she was inside a freezing box and her body significantly slowed. Lesse started to drop to the ground as she struggled to keep herself flying. Lesse is a royal dragon with a mixed elemental attribute of fire and earth which is incredibly weak against ice attacks! "Strike Team B now!" commanded Arkhoz in a hurry. In response, the Strike team B which is made up of two members of the Strike Team came flying from the top Lesse''s top side, raining her with energy beams that caused Lesse to stagger down in pain with each successful hits! "You are going down!" One of the pilots shouted. "Not enough!" Lesse suddenly bursted with more power from her core. Her fire shifted in color as well from red to green! The earth element that she has in her blood allowed her to have the natural ability of super healing and an improved defense! She started glowing in green and her body is now like a flying sword capable of slicing almost everything! 24 Change Of Plans With a renewed strength and confidence she rose her head and swopped up aiming to slice the two incoming Jets with her steel-like wings when they suddenly split away from each other, narrowly dodging Lesse''s grasp! "You think you can run away?!" Lesse chased after one of the Jet when suddenly it spat a giant glowing net from its back and successfully covered her entire body! "Eat my shit lizard!" Shouted by the pilot. It was Dragon Shocking Net that sent in thousands of bolts of electricity in her body. The materials are made of incredibly durable wires that become more solid and compact the more force you apply against it. A net specifically made to capture dragons! "Well done!" "Nice!" "How does the electric shit taste like a lizard?" The team pilots shouted in celebration as Lesse quickly dropped towards the ground after she was disabled by the glowing net. "These bugs seem to underestimate me." Lesse thought. Suddenly, the net busted into pieces as Lesse forced her way out with her raw strength! "Impossible." The pilots were in disbelief as they witnessed the Dragon tore out of the net. "It is as expected. That is not an ordinary dragon after all." Arkhoz immediately calmed them down and they all quickly adjusted. "Compared to the Superior Tribulation of Light, this kind of electricity is like a tickle to me bugs!" Lesse shouted as she continued to chase the pilot that shot the net. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The other Jets started shooting her with electric nets and energy beams but her speed started catching up in their pace as she started dancing in between their fires. "Keep a safe distance away and continue to lure her to the spot! Strike team A get ready!" Shouted Arkhoz. "Roger that!" All the pilots replied. While the hunters are busy luring her while talking, Lesse suddenly stopped chasing and gave each enemy with a glance. Her eyes locked on at Arkhoz''s Jet. "So you are the Alpha," Lesse said with a deadly look. She recomposed herself and flew straight at Arkhoz''s direction. "Let''s get rid of the bigger bug first!" "Move to plan B. Operation Spider Boom!" Noticing the danger coming his way, Arkhoz immediately gave a new command and every pilot hastily adjusted their positions. As planned, his team formed a box from a distance while Arkhuz raised his speed to the maximum and dashed towards the middle in the blink of an eye! f them. 25 Trapped Lesse! Lesse flapped her wings to her maximum speed and gave Arkhuz a serious chase shooting him with a fireball from time to time which the latter dodged skillfully. "This Guardian commander is no ordinary one. I wonder how many dragons he has slain already considering his movements were beyond what normal humans can do. Killing him should be a great accomplishment for our race!" Lesse had now more reasons to chase after Arkhuz! Arkhoz lured Lesse towards the ground where Elric is currently evolving while his teammates are trying to chase after them and preparing to execute the Operation Spider Boom. Arkhoz is planning to use the so-called Dragon-Essence as a cover thinking that the dragon would hesitate to shoot him if she only ends up hitting that precious commodity for the dragons. But contrary to his expectation. Lesse became more furious and did not care if she ends up hitting the Cocoon of Fire. BAASHHHHHHK~ KKSH~ BAAABAAASHH~KKKKKSH~ The moment Lesse''s fireball hit the Cocoon of fire where Elric is evolving, the fire did not cause an explosion but got absorbed instead! Elric, who was sleeping soundly inside, was slowly getting his consciousness back with the powerful impacts from the outside. His vision was still blurry and he was in the process of slowly learning to move every part of his body. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. He was like an oversized dragon fetus without a single scale in his body inside the Cocoon of Fire. Arkhuz realized his plan did not work and made a quick reverse seemingly trying to crash against Lesse! Lesse responded against Arkhuz full of confidence. Her wings suddenly closed to cover her entire body except for her tails. Her longhorns in her head and her wings protruded out to face the incoming Jet! Lesse is prepared to skew the incoming Jet! The moment that they were about to collide, Arkhuz ejected out of his Jet while quickly giving his go signal. "Activate Operation Spider Boom now!! Let''s wipe this place!" "Roger!" All of his pilots shouted at the same time and pressed their activation button. Arkhu''z Jet suddenly split into different sections and just when Lesse was in the middle, it immediately reconnected like a powerful magnet rendering Lesse unable to move and trapping her completely! Four dangerous-looking missiles with almost 10 meters in size flushed out of the Strike Team Jet''s belly and proceeded to the incapacitated Lesse. "Activate the Solid barrier!" Arkhoz commanded as all the Fighter Jets shot a transparent wave with perfect timing and coordination toward''s Lesse. Just as the missiles collided with her, the transparent solid barrier also formed, preventing any impact from the inside to affect the outside. Lesse felt a different isolated barrier surrounded her and immediately felt like she is inside a metal box. "This is not good!" Lesse knew the limitation of her strength and like a dragon, she knows very well when a danger strong enough to take her like is coming. And this is one of them! Using their extraordinary technology, the Arkhan race made these missiles to deal with powerful dragons. And it appears that they have made enough weapons to deal with Lesse despite being a royal dragon! Woop!~ The solid barrier successfully contained the explosion inside making a weird womping sound. These missiles are not made to create huge flaming explosions, rather they create a powerful shock in a very isolated space that caused a very concentrated force to knock or kill the target inside. With a pressure quizzing the dragon inside to its very core. Lesse felt like she is being squashed by a giant a thousand times her weight from all directions! In other words, the Operation Spider Boom is like isolating a bug in a tight-closed metal box and trapping it together with a silent but powerful firecracker strong enough to blow a metal cage! 26 A Feast for Victory The powerful force was contained inside the transparent barrier but Arkhoz and his men could see clearly how Lesse, on her dragon form, was being wildly shaken like an unstable fish in a tight aquarium. They could see her draconic body limping around and flying in different angles with her steel-like scales flying all over the place. It all happened in a flash but Lesse felt numb all over her huge body. Her senses are gone and all she could see are momentary flashes of consciousness of the world being upside down and sideways from time to time. Blood, bones, and scales are scattered in that tight space and she could barely feel any part of her body anymore. "Look at that. This is the perfect way to soften up their steel-like bodies. The powerful shock delivered into every cell is like a marinate to a juicy dragon steak! Tonight, we''ll have a delicious dragon barbecue and our strength will leap by heaps and bounds tomorrow!" Arkhoz could not help but droll at Lesse''s bloody body. Dragon is the most south after food in the modern black market due to their elusiveness and ability to hide from the eyes of ordinary humans. Not to mention their immense strength and unpredictable natural abilities aside from invisibility. "If we calculate the size and the amount of blood this dragon has, five trillion dollars should be too cheap for her actual price in the black market." One of Arkhoz men said in excitement. "No, we will not be selling this one. We will consume it ourselves. Don''t you guys want to improve your body and extend your lifespan? Think about it, the money will always stay but our lives don''t." Arkhoz decided for the team and no one disagreed with him. "And as usual, we will present half of our catch to the Great Khan as a tribute and the rest will be divided into each one of us here. Wrap everything up now, quickly proceed to butcher. Squeeze every ounce of her blood and contain the body in the freezing container. We will be leaving right away before the real Guardians come." Arkhoz added. "Yeah!" "Nice! Another breakthrough coming through!" "Dragon steak is the best!" Everyone shouted their excitement as they started wrapping everything up. Lesse was unable to move at her current state, much less fight back while her consciousness is slowly fading away as her body tried its best to recover, however, the damage was too dire that she could barely be recognizable anymore. Lesse struggled to open one of her eyes just to look at Elric''s location where she could feel an immense aura coming out. "What''s taking you so long... wait! Is that!?~" She thought while staring at the burning cocoon which suddenly flared up. BOoooOOOM!~ Wooooing~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A powerful shockwave washed out towards all directions as the Cocoon of Fire where Elric was evolving exploded with immense heat and force. Trees and rocks flew out everywhere and the bright flash brought the dark night into a momentary sudden morning. If not for the sleeping mist they have released in the area, all of the normal people would have woke up from their sleep and come to investigate all these matters. 27 Kill It Before It Grows! *** Far from the location of the battle, inside an unknown headquarters, people in different races are busy in their individual tasks. They all spoke in a different language but they are able to understand each other. Equipped with alien technology and information database that covers the whole world. They are the Guardians. A group of specialized humans who have been responsible for keeping the balance between the Four different power races in the world: The King of all beasts, the legendary Dragon''s race who are in a war against the Dragon Hunting humans Spirituals. The Elemental''s composed of elemental creatures who live in an alternate dimension of earth, are also categorized by their elemental affinity which defines their races in their own dimension. The Spirituals, mysterious race of ether. And lastly, the Guardians who are also known as the Ancient Humans. Having access to the Ancient and Alien technology of the world, the Ancient Humans acquired the knowledge and strength to face against the other power races and established balanced between each faction Unlike the normal humans who live in the surface, The Guardians or the Ancient humans have their own small hollow world inside the earth called Agartha. How to get their is a secret they have been protecting for millions of years. They have thousands of headquarters hidden around the world to monitor every movement of the other three races and respond according to their duty to protect the earth and mankind from the shadows. Khan, the Arkansas race is one of the Ancient Humans who conspired against the Guardians and choose to live outside with a dream to create his own superhuman race. Inside the Guardian''s base, are people who looked like fighters but with excellent facial features. They move elegantly and fast but without any unnecessary movements. They are refined inside and outside possessing extraordinary power and intelligence thanks to their access to the "Sacred Library". Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. All of them wor black and white uniforms, they have staff working on computers, discussing data and superiors monitoring the huge screens above. A huge live graphical render of the world map can be seen across the main screen. This is just one of The Guardian''s hidden base located in somewhere in the middle of the pacific ocean. "We have detected another huge energy impulse from the same spot in Cebu Philippines Mr. S5... How should we respond?" One of the staff spoke via telepathy to her superior behind her. "It is probably those another despicable Dragon Hunting activities by Arkhan''s children. Dispatch Wyvern''s Team. He should be enough to teach them a lesson." "Wyvern''s team has been dispatched. The result should be ready in less than 10 minutes." "Good. update me ASAP." "Roger." *** What''s this? I thought it was just a ball of fire!? Arkhoz could not help but be surprised by the immense pressure the ball of fire just exuded. "Bad news commander!" One of his men suddenly reported. "What is it?" "My monitor showed a sign of life inside that ball of fire. It appears to be an egg and not the Dragon Essence that you mentioned a while ago..." "An egg? Are you sure?!" "I am not sure but one thing I am certain of is that there is immense pressure from the being inside the egg! I even got an estimate for its force data!" "How much is the force data?" "It is over a hundred thousand!" "What!?" Arkhoz could not help but drop some huge sweat. Panic, fear, and pressure suddenly composed of his body. The strongest dragon that we have captured according to the record only has the power of 50,000 but it took us more than a thousand sacrifices of our finest hunters to take it down. But now, we are facing a dragon with an estimated power of a hundred thousand despite still in its egg? Arkhoz could not help gulp a huge one for the disaster they have found. "All team attention to me! I do not care if we get exposed anymore. Worst, we can just blame this catastrophe on a natural disaster or the Dragon''s recklessness! I want you all to use every arsenal we have and takedown that hatching dragon! After unleashing every bullet you have, retreat immediately to The Arkan!" "Roger that!" Everyone responded in haste and pointed their weapons toward Elric''s location. "Bring it to dust! Fire at your will and kill that bastard before it grows!" Arkhoz immediately gave his command. 28 Full Fire! BOOOM! BOBOOOM! BOOOOM~ BOOOO~ A rapid succession of explosion can be heard even from afar as Arkhoz and his men mercilessly unleashed all their power to stop Elric from hatching. Flashes of light would continue to flicker towards the mysterious Cocoon of Fire accompanied by defeaning sounds as their barrier started to become unstable from the impacts. "Focus aim at the center and do not worry about the people waking up. The chemicals will take care of them." Arkhoz is now hovering in the air with a jet pack on his back. He was well prepared before ejecting himself from the Jet and was willing to stake it all for this catch. Unfortunately, the force data of this being inside the burning ball broke his supposed to be a celebration. With his outstanding memory, Arkhoz could still remember the last time they faced a dragon with power over 50,000 power force! It should be known that normal dragons they caught have power average power not exceeding 5,000 and the royal dragon Lesse were impressive enough to reach 15,000 on their scale. But this one, despite still being in its shell, has already reached an extraordinary power. He could not help but shudder with the thought of facing this creature at its prime! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. But at the back of his mind, Arkhoz is also hopeful that they could hopefully stop this one from hatching and possibly become an addition to their catch of the night. However, judging from the dragon''s natural healing ability, that appears to be impossible. They have already used their most powerful shock missiles against Lesse successfully and still failed to kill her completely; much less killing this one. The only thing Arkhoz could do now is to hope that he could at least put enough damage to disable this being currently inside. His eyes were glued to the flashing explosions as the lights reflect in his matured face. He recalled the first time he hunted a dragon and it wasn''t easy. To get the blessing of Khan and become accepted as a true descendant, he has to prove himself by successfully hunting a dragon before the age of 20. In the Arkhan race who lives in the floating island-like ship, every descendant is subject to prove themselves useful by hunting a dragon and present it to the Great Khan - their supreme leader and ancestor. From a young age, they were strictly trained and studied the knowledge, skills and technological advantage to become a Dragon Hunter Guardian. From every knowledge required to hunt dragons like dragon anatomy, habitats, hunting arts, language, history and to every simple body language, they are trained to master each of them as the Arkhan race believes that Dragons are the most, if not important, an expensive commodity the world could provide. And if an Arkhan descendant from a branch family failed to hunt a dragon on his own before the age of 20, they will receive the Arkhan Branch Extirpation- it means wiping his own family down to the 3rd level. From Grandson to Grandparents, not one will be left behind. Therefore allowing the Arkhan race to keep a small population composed of nothing but the elite of the elite. The Arkhan race believes that by continuous consumption of the Dragon''s blood and meat, they will be able to overcome the human limits and enhance their racial capability and possibly, raise to the top and become the most powerful race of humans. Even stronger than the mysterious Guardians! After a few more seconds, the firing stopped which signified that every one of Arkhoz''s mean has finally emptied their shells against Elric. 29 Retreat In A Gaze But despite the pressure, every one of them kept a calm composure not a single one with traces of panic and worry in their faces. They are confident with the burst of power they have just poured out. Not a single existence in the world could ever survive such an attack! With the help of the Compressing barrier, they have activated shortly before they fired, they were able to contain the explosions and impact inside a barrier that only allowed things to come in while keeping everything from going out. Including sounds and shockwaves With his extraordinary eyes, Arkhoz stared intently at the dissipating dust and smoke on the ground inside the transparent Compressing barrier only to see a silhouette of a handsome young man standing a deep pit caused by the explosions. Not a single scratch on his body, the man stood on the spot blankly like a statue. Elric''s body is now naked with a reddish color. His face was not the same as the humble and simple one he had before. From a distance, one could see his domineering aura. His serious face revealed a royalty demeanor and his stance is that of an authoritative emperor! A godly beauty of a man who has come down on earth! The Cocoon of the fire has finally dissapeared while his steaming well-toned body was incredibly smooth. His bulging muscles would leave any woman with a gaping mouth. In contrast to Lesse''s thorns, Elric has a pair of white small thorns protruded in his head while he continued to exude a powerful aura. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Despite already out of his cocoon, Elric still refused to move. Like a computer, his consciousness is still slowly processing. Over him, even darker clouds started to form reminiscent of an incoming Tribulation of Light. Arkhoz could not help but gulp a large one. Streaks of sweat finally slid in his jaw. He could already feel the terrible wrath about to come. His hands are shaking and his eyes are glued to the mysterious young man before him. Suddenly, Elric''s eyes opened slowly and met Arkhoz''s gaze. Arkhoz could not hold himself anymore and suddenly wet his pants as he finally succumbs to his panic and quickly made a command. " Strike team leader, give me a ride! Retreat! Everyone! Back to the base! Now!" His countless years of experience of hunting dragons allowed him to hone his instinct to able to predict an immediate danger with a simple gaze! With a quick burst of his jetpack, he landed inside one of the Strike team''s Jet and flew away in a blink of an eye. Together with them, they took Lesse''s unconscious body inside a flying metal container that seems to follow them wherever they go. The invisible barrier also dissipated and finally letting everything go including the mist from inside as the Barrier Team deactivated their set up and left the area in a flash. "Commander, something is wrong." One of Arkhoz''s monitoring staff from The Arkhan Ship suddenly sent him a call. 30 More Trouble Urgency filled her voice only confirming Arkhoz''s instinct of an impeccable danger to come. "I am listening!" "An even larger storm is currently brewing in your area. It has the same formation signature of a Tribulation of Light but the power is almost ten times the power of the last Tribulation we have witnessed." "Do you mean a dragon is getting a tribulation just after this one and an even stronger one?!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "That is what the data is saying in my end. Do you have an idea of these dragon''s location? Our system could not detect any other dragon except for the one in your possession at the moment." "What do you mean you could not detect any dragon aside from this one?" But before Arkhoz could receive her reply, another voice barged in his communication channel. "Going somewhere, kids?" "Who?-" BOOOOM!~ Arkhoz''s ship was hit by a missile that just came out of nowhere. Thankfully, they are equipped with an energy shield that saved them from being turned into a metal scrap. "Commander, it''s the Guardians!" one of Arhoz''s men quickly reported. "Apply evasive maneuver and full speed retreat. We can''t fight back with our current condition! Requesting backup from the headquarters now! "Arkhoz immediately commanded. "I am afraid you won''t be reaching your ship kids. We have you surrounded. Surrender now and release that dragon." The intruding voice quickly instructed Arkhoz''s team with confident authority. Arkhoz tried to remain calm despite their unexpected encounter. Arkhoz and his men did not bother to reply to the intruder''s request and turned off their communication channel. At the same time, they all shifted to the Mind Channel or simply, telepathic communication. The only problem with telepathic communication is that they can only talk to one person at a time and is not convenient enough for giving a team command as he has to keep repeating his orders. And as they have trained for a long time, Arkhoz and his men immediately regrouped to form a defensive position to cover each other''s Jet with an energy shield. BOOM-BOOM-BOOOOM~ More invisible missiles came out of nowhere and were successfully deflected by their slowly depleting energy shields. These missiles are signature weapons of the Guardian race. Arkhoz and his 9 other members continued to fly towards the location of their base at their top speed as the unseen forces of The Guardians followed their trail like a hungry tiger hidden in the bushes and slowly draining their energy shields with their invisible missiles. This is what happens when the DHG blew their cover and revealed their activity to the Guardians. "Commander, I have more bad news." "Report." "Our communication with the Arkhan mother ship has been severed and I could not find their current location!" 31 A Proposition Arkhoz could not help but frown in his realization. "So they choose to abandon us instead of giving us back up...." Arkhoz fell into a quick regret as he clinched his hands in anger. "Well, that is as expected. They would rather lose our team than risk exposing their location to the real Guardians. After all, we are descendants of a turncoat Guardian who broke their law." Arkhoz tried to relaxed himself when another news broke his momentary silence. "Commander, I have detected a total of twelve dragons incoming to our location! They have us surrounded and are coming in from different directions!" Arkhoz fell into shock as he heard the report. "So the Guardians are just staling them time for the flying lizards to come and save their little princes huh. The most pathetic kind of humans who refuse to stomp those dragons when they have the chance are the real definition of weakness!" Every member of Arkhan''s race hated the Guardians due to the latter from refusing to immerse themselves to the chance of evolving into a more refined version with the help of Dragon''s blood and meat! Meanwhile, the hidden Guardianship continued to follow them from the sides, refusing to be left behind. In terms of technological advantage, the Guardian''s technology is on par with Arkansas, after all, the Arkhan''s technology is stolen from the Guardian''s great library thanks to their scheming and traitor supreme leader Khan who used to be one of the top echelons of The Guardian''s society. Arkhoz recomposed himself inside the jet he was in. "What should we do now commander?" The pilot of the jet who also happens to be the leader of the Strike Team A asked him. "We are surrounded by the Guardians, twelve dragons are coming in our way, our mother ship abandoned us, we are in a middle of an incoming Tribulation and a Human with mysterious presence is standing below. What else could make this night beautiful?" "..." The pilot fell into an abrupt as he suddenly realized their worst situation is slowly unfolding before him. Everyone felt their regrets suffocating their throats. They may have fared a better result if only they waited for the other teams before hunting the dragon. The members could not help but blame Arkhoz for his reckless decision a while ago that lead them to their current battle. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Not to mention, they are all nothing but flying tin cans at the moment with no means to fight back against the incoming Dragons, much less to the tailing Guardians! "I have a better proposition to your kids.." The intruding voice from the Guardians suddenly sounded in everyone''s mind. What the? Is this a multi-channeled telepathic communication? 32 Diving To The Sleeping Devil Arkhoz could not help but be surprised by the voice. The Arkhan''s have been training to learn telepathic communication for a long time if they willed but only learned the single-channel or one on one communication with a specific distance or boundary. They struggled to communicate to multiple persons due to incomplete scrolls the skill was based from. As it appears, the Guardians managed to solve the singular communication problem and were able to communicate via telepathy to multiple persons at the same time! Arkhoz could not help but envy the Guardian''s learning potentials thanks to their access to the Great Library of Ancient Humans. After calming down, everyone in Arkhoz''s team listened intently to the voice in their heads. "The Dragons are here to save the dragon you guys hunted. Although it is still a mystery for us because it is not in their nature to help those who are currently ongoing their Tribulation of Light. But one thing I am sure is that they have already spotted you from thousand of miles away and once the dragons caught up to you guys, they would surely grab this rare opportunity to shred you into pieces as a little payback for the dragons you guys have slain." Gulp. Everyone continued to listen to the voice of the Guardians representative hoping for any chance. The Guardians finally stopped shooting them and sent them his condition. "Now, if you will drop that dragon and surrender to us, I can at least make a little arrangement to spare you guys from the incoming Dragons; but if not, I will have to destroy you guys here and now. How does it sound?" The Guardian representative''s voice was full of confidence and Arkhoz and his team were well aware of what they can do. Arkhoz remained quiet for a long time and looked at the monitor showing the flying container metal that has Lesse inside it. It was the box that could help break through the next level of his power advancement but who would have thought that it would lead him to his current dilemma. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Everyone of Arkhoz''s men looked like they have aged in an instant. Is this the end of their life? Will they rot in the Guardian''s cell? Or burn to pieces by their weapons? Or shred to bits in the fang of the incoming dragons? Which would it be? Questions continued to loom in their minds when Arkhoz finally talked. His eyes were still burning with determination. "Our race may have come from your lineage but we are not the same. We are far superior to you stupid Guardians! Who do you think you are to command us? To command me?! I am Arkhoz of the Eight Branch family! Remember that! We, of the Arkhan race, will never bow down to any race in this world, may it be Dragons, Elementals, Spirituals or even to you, the weak and stupid, Guardians!" And with quick hands, Arkhoz reactivated the communication channel and issued his next command: "Activate the emergency protocol. It''s time for operation Flying Kamikazee!" With his hearts steeled and mind fixed. Arkhoz refused to give up despite the pressure. Considering they have no more weapons at their disposal, they are planning to crash against the Planes of the Guardians! Arkhoz''s men immediately turned back to face the hidden firing squad of the Guardians. By spending their remaining energy in enforcing the energy shields in their Jets, they aimed to destroy their pursuer with nothing but brute force even at the expense of their own life. Arkhoz in the meantime has different plans. A glimpse of a mischievous smile slowly crept into his face. With a powerful snap of his palm, the pilot of his Jet was knocked unconscious and he quickly took over the controls. With a sudden burst, his ship separated from the group and dived straight at Elric''s direction at a speed faster than the sound! Arkhoz planned to lure the chasing Guardians to the standing devil in the middle of the pit and let them experience the wrath of the latter! 33 More Troubles *** Inside Elric''s mind... all kinds of emotion continued to pour out into him. Hatred, agony, sadness, joy, anxiety, name it, Elric is experiencing the most unexplainable feeling and he is slowly losing his sanity. He felt like his soul is slowly draining away from him together with his life. It was unexplainable, crazy, painful and scary. This is the struggle in assimilating with a Dragon''s Essence. His mind could barely understand what is happening. It hurts. I can''t breathe. Am I even breathing? Where am I? It''s too dark. Why am I smiling while crying and dancing and jumping and running and sleeping and dying and living? I do not understand. The power of assimilating with the Dragon''s essence test, not just one''s fortitude of mind but the purity as well. The Dragon''s essence is born from the accumulated mental energy of the Dragon throughout his life. This power takes a solid form and can be used to temper a younger dragon''s mind and body pushing anyone''s state to push forward its limits and breakthrough its current bottleneck. The Dragon''s essence is every dragon''s dream energy for them to ascend to higher realms of their existence. However, the Dragon essence that Elric is currently facing is that of an Ancestral Dragon -the strongest and heavenly form of a Dragon that is not supposed to come down. But under a special circumstance and the authority of heaven, they are allowed to stay in the mortal realms for a while and possibly bless some. The Ancestral Dragon''s Heavenly essence, not just test and temper one''s mind, and body but also one''s soul. The main purpose is to remove every stain of negativity and darkness leaving one with nothing but incredible purity to the level of holiness. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Currently, Elric is struggling to face the different emotions throughout his life and is on the verge of breaking. The pain, the suffocating pressure, inescapable guilt, self-degrading madness, and uncontrollable anger and other emotions continued to break him down to his soul. Elric slowly lost his final mental resistance and finally gave up on the power of the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. Unfortunately, he could not contain its immense power. *** Back at the present, The invisible soldiers of The Guardians have finally noticed a certain Arkhan Jet was trying to sneak away towards a certain direction. With quick thinking, they were already able to guess the ship''s intention. "Reporting to the commander, Target A is currently heading towards the Danger zone!" "He and his men lost their mind this time... everyone, avoid a collision of their frontal distractions at all cost and continue to buy more time for the lizards to deal with them. We won''t be wasting any more resources for these traitors." The Guardian''s commander said and added. "falcon one and falcon two, go intercept and catch target A. We need him alive for our investigation." "roger" *** From the northwest direction, two red magnificent Eastern dragons were flying at an insane speed towards Elric''s direction. 34 Cockroach Everywhere! "Father, do you smell that? Lesse''s blood is everywhere!" The younger dragon talked to the bigger while he struggled to keep up with his speed to the older one. "Hmp. How dare she allowed those lowly creatures to scrape her royal flesh! Don''t she dares to stain our reputation by showing herself to me in a limping state or I will finish her off myself!" "But father she might-" "Shut up! Are you a Dragon or a cockroach? So what if she is dying around here?" Scolded the elder dragon. They spoke in Dragon language that uses odd and unexplainable tones in a frequency no humans could hear except for Dragons. If a human could hear them, they would hear nothing but silence. The younger one could only fly silently and listen to the scolding. He is the only younger brother of Lesse named Lou and the older dragon flying beside him is his father Lang. They belong to the royal bloodlines of the Dragons of the Eastern Region. They both belonged to the Dragons of the eastern region that covers and dominates the whole Asian continent. His father, Lang is one the strongest Elder Dragons who have faced the ultimate Tribulation of Lightning in their kingdom and is respected by every dragon from the four different regions namely the North, East, West, and South regions. And as children of the strongest Dragon in Asia, they have expectations to meet and was forced to be trained in order to excel in almost every aspect. Lesse and Lou have twenty other siblings and fifteen of them have been forgotten out of their memories thanks to the Tribulation of the Light. His father added: "She knows what she has gotten into. Our mission here is to investigate the powerful Ancestral Aura a while ago. I am pretty sure it was from this direction. The other elder Dragons from the different regions are probably coming as well so we must hurry before they arrive!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A few seconds later they have spotted an Arkhan Fighter Jet going towards the direction of their destination. The Arkansas ship was being chased by two other invisible Guardians! The elder dragon could not help but frown at what he had just witnessed. This is despicable! The Ancestral Dragon''s presence is still in the air but these three Guardian ants dare to roam around the area like disgusting cockroaches! Furious the elder dragon bursted in fire and shifted his direction to intercept the so-called Guardian Ants. "I will teach these cockroaches their rightful place - in the burning kitchen!" And so the chasing game finally upgraded with two more dragons and possibly more about to join the fray. Noticing the approaching dragons, the pilots of the chasing Guardians reported to their commander their situation. "Commander, two eastern dragons are coming this way. We have energy signatures that their intentions are hostile. Should we fight back?" The Guardian commander is inside a bigger plane in the shape of a magnificent Phoenix hovering high above the clouds. His eyes are fixed in the monitor and maintained a calm look. "Falcon 1 I want you to lure the two dragons away, falcon 2, I trust that you can catch him in before he gets to the danger zone." "Affirmative." "Consider it done!" *** "Father they are splitting away and they''re really fast!" "These humans think they can play with us." The two eastern dragons became angrier the longer the case drags on. The elder dragon scanned the dark surroundings with focused red eyes. In the eyes of the human, the night was as just another stormy night, but in the dragon''s eyes that can see through invisibility technology, the night sky is currently a war zone. With the mad Arkhans ship trying to bust the Guardians with their ship! It was like a night feast of the chasing fireflies only in the forms of big fighting jets! Suddenly, his eyes stopped in a certain direction as the elder dragon spotted the unconscious Lesse being dragged on inside a metal container. She is being used as a cover and was swung purposely just to hit the dodging Guardians'' ship. This sight fuelled the elder an uncontrollable hatred towards Arkansas! "Screw you Arkhan cockroaches!" With a red blazing body, the elder dragon bursted off into the Arkhan''s formation shredding three of them in an instant! One of the shredded jets is responsible for controlling the metal container holding Lesse. . 35 A Dragon Or A Demon? With the formation and invisibility technology finally gone, the three shredded ships exploded in the middle of the night sky lighting the nearby mountains and trees! With the metal container now destroyed, Lesse''s unconscious body dropped towards the ground when her brother, Lou, caught her mid-air and landed her slowly in the ground. Lou transformed into his human form. A handsome Chinese boy with cold eyes. One could see the air of royalty in his stance. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. And like an expert medical staff, he moved quickly to position Lesse''s giant body. He chanted some Dragon words and Lesse''s body shone brightly and slowly shrinked to her human form. Lou, quickly covered her severely wounded body and took out a white pill out of his storage ring. With a small blow from Lou''s mouth, a bright red fire came out and slowly melted the white pill like an ice meeting fire. He then fed the melted pill into Lesse''s mouth and stood up. "Father and I might need your help. Get up." Lou said as he transformed back to his red eastern dragon form and left her without hesitation heading towards his father''s direction. "The smell of the Ancestral Dragon is gone and I am picking up a completely different scent. This is a foreign scent that does not belong in this region. Could it be an intruder?" Lou was silently assessing the situation when he finally noticed something. "Wait this is not a scent of a dragon! This is a mixed human and dragon''s scent! Could there be a hybrid here?" ROOOOAR!!!!!!~ . . . BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!~ Suddenly a roar can be heard from a distance which was followed by a powerful boom that smacked Lou down out of his flight! The roar was loud and powerful that can only be heard by the dragons, guardians, and Arkhans but not by ordinary humans. Lou''s father, Lang was about to finish the remaining two Arkhans Jet when the powerful aura washed over him and stunned him that sent him diving down towards the sea. Not just Lou, but everyone who is nearby in the vicinity is forced to stop as well, the Guardians, Arkansas, and even the incoming dragons who have yet to arrive, all fell towards the ground while others fell straight to the sea as the shock of the domineering aura washed over them. All of the fighter Jets lost their control and power as if they were hit by an EMP and crashlanded everwhere! Houses and towns lost their electricity and the air became incredibly furious as if being stirred by unseen hands! Lou surfaced out of the sea after everything calmed down. Not a single flying Jet nor dragon can be seen hovering in the air. But there was an aura in the air of a certain being that sends out a warning to every single cell in his body. "Wait... What is this?!" Lang''s wet scaley dragon face warped in shock, confusion but most of all, fear when he focused his gaze in Elric''s direction. *** Elric finally opened his eyes. All he can see are broken trees everywhere, the muddy ground is gone and is replaced by a dry, deep and scorched crater! His eyes are gleaming with steaming fury colored with red and green on each side. He stood undaunted with authority in his half dragon form! His wings resembled the wings of the Western Dragon and a long striped tail with a diamond-shaped tip shines in sharpness and flexibility! His bulky and domineering body is covered by dark red scales compared to his previous human-skinned form with two long red horns branching out of his skull and nails as hard as strongest metal. Standing like a hungry wolf in the middle of the burnt forest Elric could not understand his purpose, much less what he wanted. He lost his memory and personality due to the test of the Dragon''s Essence. This time, he''s more of a demon instead of a dragon! His heart is full of anger, hatred, and destruction. Elric is craving for death of every creature in his sight! Like a magnet, Elric''s eyes turned toward''s Lou''s direction and the latter could feel his poor dragon soul leaving his lizard body. 36 Dangerous Dragon! RUN! Lang has only one word in his mind at the moment and he could not help but blame himself for what he got into. He knew he doesn''t stand a chance against the being before him despite being the respected King from his own Eastern Dragon''s Kingdom! Why is this hybrid oozing with an Ancestral Dragon''s aura? Could he be the Ancestral Being that has descended a while ago? But why possess a human? Questions filled his confused mind as Lang bursted at an incredible speed to flee from the being but before he could fly far enough, the hybrid being got into him in no time and grabbed his tail! WHAAAM!~ BOG- WHAAM!~ WHAAAM!~ Lang was being smashed to the ground over and over again like a long snake being battered to death. The being who was responsible for his beating was smiling wickedly with every swing of Lang. It was a rare sight to see a eastern dragon playing with the long eastern dragon like a toy to death! With his Ancestral Dragon level strength that is only supposed to belong in heaven, Elric in his half dragon devil form battered the King of the Easter Dragon Kingdom! Thank''s to the Easter King''s Dragon body, he was able to survive the beating given that Elric does not use the Forbidden Fires of Heavenly dragons which is a type of fire exclusive only to an Ancestral Dragon! Lang tried to keep himself conscious and used all his power to free himself. How dare this hybrid make fun of my glorious body! I don''t care if you have an Ancestral Dragon''s Aura! I will fight you till I turn to dust! With all his strength, Lang decided to fight back and unleashed his powers against Elric. Lang''s body suddenly shone a bright royal green and his physical strength shot up to his maximum ability! Claws of the Eastern Rage! Lang''s long claws glowed a bright red reminiscent to hot steel! His body swung flexibly and brandished his claws against Elric with speed and might strong enough to cut several buildings into pieces! Haaa~ Haa!~ Haaa!~ The claws continued to rampage against Elric but the blinding claws could not even cut a single strand of Elri''c hair, much less leaving any scratch to his Ancestral Dragon''s Body which has been tempered inside the Cocoon of Fire! Elric''s eyes are dark red and not a hint of pain or struggle could be seen in his face. Rather, his sinister smile could only mean something else - like a massage, he seems to be enjoying the attacks against him! Seeing that his attacks did not leave a single scrape, Lang decided to change his attack. From his claws, he decided to use what Dragons are expert at - their fire! Lang inhaled a mouthful of air and his mouth started to pulsate with an accumulating firey rage! Let''s see if you can take this! FLAME OF THE EASTERN RAGE!~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lang unleashed the green frame from his mouth straight to Elric at point-blank range. BOOOM!~ With a blinding light, the flame scorched the earth together with an earth-shaking explosion! The power of Lang''s flame was comparable to a hundred TNT''s exploding at the same time leaving the area with a huge deep pit of burning hell! 38 The Dragon Kings and Queen of The Different Regions "The Ancestral Aura is still present albeit that powerful explosion. It seems that this is not an ordinary creature at all. This is gonna be fun." One of the six dragons communicated with the other dragons via their Dragon language that can only be heard by Dragons themselves. He is Arthur, one of the feared but respected 900 years old Dragon King of the western region who dominated and controlled the Dragon tribes of the western countries. He is a big western Dragon with a wingspan of more than thirty meters. His scales glittered in a golden hue and has a bulky built. His unique deer-like horns with six total branches, which happen represent his rank in their region, stood mightly upon his head. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Together with Arthur is his dragon son Lucas de feu d''or. (*French for ''of the golden fire'') Normally, Western Dragons specialize only in the use of Earth elements. But Arthur and his son Lucas belonged to the gifted dragons who possess the dual elemental affinity of Earth and Water. "I second. It appears that there had been a war in this area against the insects of Arkhans and the Guardians. I can see their broken ships scattered all over the area. I wonder how will the human media cover this tragedy." another elegant dragon that exuded an intimidating might covered in white scales replied. She has a wyvern type of dragon body with their signature triangle tipped tails and white single-pointed horns. One must know that Dragons of the northern region belonged to the richest dragon race who specialized in the wind elemental affinity. She is Leah Str?lende Is. (**means Norweigan for "Glorious Ice") She is the 800 years old dominant Dragon Queen of the north and beside her is the quite and mysterious Dragon King of the Southern Region known only as Forgar. Forgar is also considered as the strongest Dragon of the Southern Region at the age of 850, however, he is not the King. He only came as a representative of the King of the Southern Region, Fargor, who also happens to be the smartest in his region and his twin brother. Forgar is covered in pitch-black scales with a metallic hue. He has a small but long and solid Ampithere body with a wingspan of only ten meters with no arms or legs. He flew flexibly and quietly without any sound. Forger''s dragon race has a distinct razor sharp tails that can stretch as far as 50 meters and as hard as any kind of metal! They are not mainly users of fire but can slice any dragons into pieces if they wanted. They are confident in using the water element but Forgar is the only dragon who can use water and lighting. The southern dragons are also known to be the deadly Assassin Dragons. Leah loved Forgar''s mysterious and quiet nature that she was willing to marry the latter but Forgar refused to her affection and devoted his time to improving his skills and power to become the most powerful dragon and ascend to Ancestral stage. After confirming the Ancestral aura in the Philippines, he immediately departed to investigate only to meet his persisting lover on the way. Following Forgar and Leah are their assistant dragons who are also combat experts that have gone through the tempering of the second Tribulation of Light. By far, it is safe to say that the Dragons currently in the area are the most powerful dragon in the whole world. They swiftly landed beside Lang and focused their gazes towards the deep-scorched pit before them. 39 Preparing To Hun "Why are you here? This is my territory." Lang exuded a hostile stare to the newly arrived dragon only to be ignored. Seeing the battered state of Lang who is known to be the strongest dragon of the Eastern region, they got more curious about the being hidden beneath the ground. "How dare are you to ignore me, Lang the king of the Eastern Region and-!" "You standing in front of us in a battered state is such a disgrace to the Dragon Race. Get away from our sight!" Leah confronted Lang right before he could finish his word. "Just how strong is the pest over there to give you so much trouble Lang?" Arthur spoke with a hint of ridicule in his face. Despite being respected figures of the Four Regions, Lang wanted to give Leah and Arthur a good bite to their neck to teach them a lesson but he remembered that he needs to focus on regaining his strength back before the creature from below resurface again. Suddenly Lou arrived behind Lang in an even more terrible state. He was busy crushing madly the fleeing Arkhans a while ago after saving his sister only to be stunned by the powerful shock of Elric hatching out of the Cocoon of Fire. "Where have you been?" Lang asked in frustration. "Father forgive me, I was knocked by the powerful shock a while ago." "Hmp! And where is your sister? Is she still playing dead?" "Father I have hidden her in a safe place and given her the Grade A healing pill. She should be awake in about a day or two considering she was hurt badly even her bones have been crushed to pieces." "I see..." After contemplating for a while, Lang gave Lou another instruction. "Listen, I need you to take your sister away and go back to the kingdom. Tell the Elders to send the Tribal leaders here and reinforce the barrier. I have a hint that this is gonna be a strong cockroach to kill and I don''t want him to find our kingdom in any case..." Lou was surprised to see his father being worried for the first time. As a Dragon who values pride over anything, worrying is not really in their dictionary. Lou knew his father is a ruthless Dragon king who would never hesitate to abandon a weakling. But this time, his father genuinely showed fear and worry in his face. Lou knew that his father would never show these emotions if the situation is that easy. He had a feeling that the real danger is yet to come and this could be the last time that he is seeing his Dragon King father breathing. "What are you doing here still standing? Now! GAAAH~" Lang gave Lou a good spank of a fire and the latter flew away swiftly towards Lesse''s direction. "Be careful father, we will be waiting for you." You sent one more message to his father but he was already focused on recovering his body. You did not know that his father was an even sorry state than Lesse. With broken bones and internal bleedings slowing his recovery significantly. it was only by his pride that does not want to show weakness to anybody that he is still standing. Much less in front of the other Kings and Queen of the Four Regions. "It''s finally coming." Leah suddenly said and the rest of the Dragon King''s split in four directions to cover the fearsome being''s exit. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Arthur stood in the western direction together with Lucas their body leaned closer to the ground like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey. 40 Dominance! Contrary to the western dragons, Leah stood proudly with her white glittering body in the northern direction. Behind her is her assistant Dragon who does not want to lose her composure as well and stood proudly just like her queen. "Let''s see how strong the so-called Ancestral Dragon of the Eastern Region is," she said with a mocking voice. "I do not think you will have the same confidence later when it finally shows up," Lang replied. "It''s strength is not something even us King Dragons could face alone." "Whatever, with just my pure strength alone, I will make sure to land the finishing blow on this one and hang his head in my throne." Arthur intersected. Leah looked at the southern location but no matter how she scanned the area with her super sensitive eyes, she still failed to find Forgar. Not even his assistant! She could not help but be amazed at this mysterious dragon''s ability making her want him more! Forgar blended himself in the ground like a chameleon in the southern direction as Leah predicted. A typical move for a dragon race who are famous for their assassin skills. Behind him is another assassin Dragon who blended to the area as well. Unlike the other proud King and Queen Dragons, he prefers to remain quiet and attentive as much as possible. His well-hidden eyes are fixed on the direction where the Ancestral Dragon''s aura came from. His long and sharptails are coiled in a compressed "S" formation like a viper preparing to strike. The reason Leah failed to find him is that they were able to completely shut their energy from leaking out. They covered their smell with the surrounding scent and even copy the temperature of the area. Their scales don''t just hide but can also mimic the form and color of the nearby ground, be it grass, a rock or even water. All dragons have their inherent stealth ability but hiding completely from another dragon''s senses is one of the Southern Dragon''s exclusive specialties and the reason why the Northern Dragon queen wanted to create an inter-racial dragon marriage with Fargor. As expected, Lang stood in the eastern direction without anyone back him up from behind. "So what are we gonna do if it runs toward the weak spot?" Leah spoke while looking at the recovering Lang who stood weakly in the eastern direction. Everyone understood her words and looked at Lang''s direction as well. "Mind your area Queen of North. I do not think Fargor likes a talkative bride like you. " Lang spoke with words that accurately hit Leah''s sweet spot. "What did you say you weakly-" "And besides those Guardians people got this area sealed already so we can fight this creature with all our might," Arthur added after noticing the barrier covering the whole area with a solid transparent barrier. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The Guardians know that Dragons would take care of their mess and so they have decided to help them by covering up the whole battlefield by a transparent barrier to deflect anything coming out of the fight. Despite its invisible state, this barrier is strong enough to imprison the strongest dragon in place! "They better have no bad idea for keeping us here together or I will make sure that these human Guardians will feel my wrath!" Leah murmured and the rest gave the invisible Guardian planes from the distance a hostile look seemingly warning them. After confirming the other King Dragon''s reaction, Leah added: "And by the way, why does it feel like this Ancestral Aura belongs to Lang''s line-" KABOOOOOM!~ Before Leah could finish her words, Elric has finally come out of his hiding. This time the power of the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence has been completely absorbed giving him an even more menacing look and presence. Every single dragon king and queens surrounding Elric could feel their bones shake in the presence of Elric''s power. "What the hell is this!?" Lang did not expect to see Elric standing proudly without a single blemish from his most powerful attack, what''s worst, this dragon seems to have even absorbed his fire and used it to temper his own body. "Is it because we have the same lineage that he was able to absorb my attack a while ago?" Elric''s horns and body have significantly grown and his fierce aura blazed with dark dominance strong enough to leave normal dragons kneeling. His mouth started to exhale a black fire, the fire of corrupted state which is known to triumph against any forms of fire except the holy fire of heaven. "This is impossible! He exudes the Fire of Corruption! The Black fire!" Fear could be seen in everyone''s eyes as Elric stood motionlessly seemingly trying to get used to is ever-transforming power. Everyone felt the dominating aura of Elric and it was something that they have never seen before! Leah was the first dragon to forcefully kneel on the ground; awe and fear were instilled in her heart and she could not help but grit her teeth in resistance! "This power! Why is this hybrid possessing the full power of an Ancestral Dragon that is only supposed to exist in the heavenly Garden!?" Arthur could not believe what he is seeing while the other King and Queen Dragons taught the same. "Everyone prepare yourselves! Now is not the time for us to relax and lets all work together to bring this monster down! He may have our bloodline but I refuse to acknowledge this abomination as one of ours!" Lang resolutely declared as his long Eastern dragon body floated in the air. 41 Combined Power! Realizing that they are bowing to an unknown dragon, Leah and the rest could not help but unleash their power to resist the dominating force! RAAAAAAHG!~ ROOOOOOOAAR!~ GRAAAAAAGHH!~ Every Dragon Kings and Queens bursted in different colors of flames that represent their elements. Leah and her assistant were surrounded by blazing white flame, Arthur and his son Lucas shone in bright yellow while Lang brought out his red flaming aura. Fargor on the other side remained hidden with his whole body laying flat on the ground together with his company. This burst of powerful aura allowed them to withstand the oppressing power and stand their ground with pride while enhancing their senses to the maximum level and strengthening their bodies. Not realizing the struggle of the Dragon Kings and Queens near him, Elric''s mind was still unstable and blurry. His head has nothing but cravings for blood and destruction as a result of the mental corruption caused by the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. "Kill, Die! Death! Kill! Destroy! Burn! Burn! These are the words that continued to plague Elric''s mind as his body continued to grow bigger and stronger with every single second. "I do not care if this bastard has Lang''s bloodline. If we let him grow stronger anymore, he could very well at least destroy everything in its path!" Arthur braced himself as his mouth started glowing with a concentrated yellow fire! "I do not mind at all. This is probably my daughter Lesse''s fault and I am more than willing to eliminate this stain off our bloodline!" Lang confirmed and started charging a powerful fire as well. "Enough talk! His head is mine for my throne''s decoration!" With a hostile smile, Leah made the first move as she shot Elric with huge and sharp ice blades! "Not on my watch Queen of the North!" Arthur did not lose and let go of his fireball that instantly expanded like a balloon containing destructive power strong enough to wipe out an entire island! Lang on the other side could only unleash his most powerful flames as his body was not in a perfect state after dishing out two of his most powerful attacks a while ago. BAGABOOOoOOOOM!!!~ All the attacks collided at Elric as the center instantly creating a huge explosion of different elements! The flashing of lights and the ear-shattering blast could leave any normal humans to go blind and crisp from the overwhelming heat. Fortunately, the whole area was sealed by The Guardians from the outside, preventing anything that happened inside the barrier to leave and affect the innocent people outside. However, the impact of the combined power created tremors all over the area reminiscing of a small earthquake! Everything inside the barrier was soon covered in dust and smoke and the fire continued to burn around the area. Just when the King and Queen Dragons taught Elric was finished, they suddenly felt their instinctive nature warning them from something and instantly guarded themselves! BOOOM!~ BOOOM!~ BOOOOOOM!~ Three power-compressed Dark flames the size of a small basketball flew straight at the three Dragon Kings and Queen and exploded right in their body sending them crashing down to the ground. Elric stood proudly in the middle of the explosion seemingly enjoying the blows according to the menacing smile in his face. His mouth was still burning from the previously unleashed black fires. "DIIIIE!~" Elric, in his Devil Dragon form dashed straight at his biggest target - Arthur, the King Dragon of the North and the latter''s son Lucas, immediately responded with a powerful fire only to be caught by Elric''s humongous mouth and spat back in a form of a corrupted dark fire with ten times the scorching power! "AARRRGH!~" Lucas cried in agony as he was sent rolling away from the dark fire and continued to melt his body like a marshmallow! "LUCAS!~" Arthur shouted in distress at the state of his son when the Queen Dragon of the North suddenly came to aid Lucas by blowing him with her specialty Healing Ice Breath! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You owe me five Elixirs of Life after this battle!" Leah, the Queen Dragon of the North did not let go of this chance to ask for her reward after saving Lucas. Arthur could not respond as he was busy defending against the incoming mad Elric! "DIE! DIE! DIE! HAHAHA!" Elric continued to blow small but deadly black fires towards Arthur as the latter swiftly distanced himself away from the black fire''s trajectory! Wherever the black fire hits, a powerful explosion would follow with a resounding shock and explosion. Elric chased after Arthur while Leah continued to heal Lucas with her healing ice from the persistent black fire that is slowly eating away his flesh! Lang on the other side tried his best to keep up with Elric''s speed only to be left behind thanks to his injuries. "This is such a shame to me and my bloodline but I am not gonna give up until I, the King Dragon of the Eastern Region will destroy you!" Lang had nothing but burning hatred against Elric at the moment. His long eastern dragon body tried its best to keep up against Elric and Arthur''s battle. BAAAAANG!~ Finally, one of Elric''s attacks landed on Arthur''s huge body and followed up with another melle attack when Fargor suddenly appeared behind Elric and slashed at his back leaving him a visible wound on his back. However, thank''s to Elric''s Ancestral level power, his long wounds immediately healed! "This healing ability..." Fargor could not believe his eyes upon witnessing Elric''s out of this world recovery. Normal dragons should have been sliced into from his normal attacks but against this Elric, all he could do is cut a small wound far from creating a fatal one! With Elric''s quick reflex, he managed to turn around to face Fargor only to see the latter has dissapeared already like a ghost that comes in and out if he wants. SLAAAAASSH!~SLAASSH! A series of other sharp slice came out from above trailing from an unexpected angle and hit Elric from his blindspots! If it was another normal dragon, they would have been diced to minces already and it was only thank''s to Elric''s Ancestral Dragon level of recovery that he was able to stay intact! It all happened in a flash and despite Elric''s overwhelming power, he was still not able to keep up with Fargor''s unbelievable speed! SLAAASH! SLASH! SLASH! Fargor continued to rain down relentless quick attacks against the furious Elric at blinding speed! "That''s my future husband!" Leah shamelessly announced with an admiring look at Fargor. ROOOOAR!~ Irritated, Elric aimlessly fired in different directions and reacted with seldom furious swipes! "DIIIIE-UUGH!" Every time Elric would spout words, Fargor would take that opportunity to slash him at his face inducing even more frustration at Elric''s mood causing him to attack recklessly and give Fargo more opportunity to counter-attack. As time went by, Elric''s attack started to finally slow down. "It seems even an Ancestral Dragon blood could not resist the poison in his blades!" Leah noticed that Elric''s mad attacks are slowing down. She could only conclude that this is the effect of Fargo''s poison coated blades surrounding his body. "I guess it''s time to end this!" She stopped healing Lucas and headed straight at Elric with a hostile smile creeping slowly in her face. "Your head is mine!" 42 Arthurs Fall With Elric distracted from Fargor''s relentless sneaky attack, everyone took this opportunity to charge against the madly swinging Elric with a finishing blow. Leah''s white dragon body suddenly accelerated at a blurring speed towards Elric and her claws extended like sharp scythes aiming at Elric''s neck! BHEEEENK! Like rock hitting steel, Leah''s slice attack failed to cut Elric''s extraordinary body! "Impossible!" Leah could only distance herself as fast as she can after one failed attempt. Arthur at the same time activated his inherent power transforming himself into an impenetrable giant ball of rock covered in a blazing fire ready to squash Elric into a meat paste! "Don''t compare your lousy ice blade to Fargor''s steel-like blades Queen of the North. You stay there and let me squash this bat into a meat pie!" WWOOOOOOMMB----BAAASH!!!!! Elric was able to guard himself against the falling meteor-like attack of Arthur and successfully bashed him out of his rock form with his dominating tail swipes, sending the latter straight to the ground like a falling giant lizard! Taking the same initiative, Lang''s long eastern dragon body started to charge in a fiery aura with his mouth slowly accumulating another powerful burst of fire. Thanks to his quick dragon healing ability, he finally had enough strength to unleash one of his most powerful attacks - It was the same attack he used to bury Elric underground! FLAME OF THE EASTERN RAGE!!!! BOOOOMM!~ Lang''s powerful green fire was released from a few meters behind Elric but the latter wholeheartedly received his attack as a blessing from heaven. SHHHHEZZZZ~~~ Seeing Elric absorbing the powerful fire of lang confirmed their suspicion of Elric''s ability and compatibility with Lang''s fire! "You idiot!!" Leah''s voice reverberated seeing that Elric''s power only surged stronger with each green fire he absorbs from Lang. "I..." Lang could not help but blame himself for his stupidity. Energized with the new fire he has just received, Elric''s power reached another level and was finally able to get rid of Fargor''s poison inside his body. WOOOOMBAASSSH!~ Despite Forgar''s blinding speed and deadly attacks, Elric''s extraordinary ability to regenerate and indestructible body finally managed to get a hold of him and sent him straight to the sea with a powerful smash of his claw followed by a series of quick black fire blast! BOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! The seawater formed a small mountain of explosion with each ball of black fire hitting Forgar''s small black body! "FORGAR!!!!" Leah, the Queen Dragon of the North immediately went inside the water and made an ice defense against Elric''s destructive black fires to cover for Forgar! Leah knows that one of Forgar''s disadvantage is his defense since their bloodline focused on speed rather than defense. If only it has been a normal dragon, no one could have survived a single attack from Elric. It was all thanks to the King and Queen Dragon''s powerful body that has been tempered by tribulations and war that they managed to stay alive this far! With Lang''s power useless against Elric and the rest of the Dragon Kings injured, the rest of the accompanying Dragons did not dare to join in the battle knowing they don''t stand a single chance against Elric''s black fires! HAHAHAHA! DIE! DIE! DIE! Elric maniacally laughs as he restlessly continued to rain down black fires against Leah and Forgar. BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM!~ Series of explosion continued to resound all over the barrier and the Guardian Pilots from the distance could only gulp mouthful saliva as they witnessed the mighty and ferocious Dragon King and Queens of the Four Region getting pummelled by an unknown dragon that appeared out of nowhere. *** "Shouldn''t we start running away now?", one of the Guardian pilots asked nervously. He belonged to one of ten Guardian Planes responsible for setting up the barrier to isolate the battle out of the human''s sight and keep them safe at the same time. "I wish we can, but we have duties to follow and that is to protect the innocent lives from this battle. That is our responsibility as The Guardians. No matter what, we must keep our formation and this barrier intact at all costs! That is the command given by The Guardian Council." "But at this rate, we will be next in his target after he gets rid of those Dragon King and Queen!" one of the pilots could not help but voice his concern as well. "Have faith at the Guardian Council. I am sure Mr. Two has already made the calculations and plans. If there will be a casualty, I am sure it is still under their control." The other pilots could only steel their hearts as they prepared themselves for the worst. *** After realizing that the dragon kings and queens are all down, Elric started chasing the younger dragons who accompanied them and would eventually wreak havoc in the nearby towns. Wherever Elric goes, destruction follows. People are finally awakened after the effect of the sleep-inducing chemicals thinned down due to the overwhelming heat of Elric''s black fire in the atmosphere. The Guardians planes, on the other hand, seems to be calling for more help as they prepared to engage Elric. *** Inside the Guardian''s headquarter, somewhere in the Pacific, a group of noble-looking white men stood before each other in a huge circle. These people are the High Councils of The Guardians. Every member of the Guardians has the same face, the same white eyes, the same slim bodies only differ in height due to their contrasting ages. They all wore a smooth and plain white dress with their hands and feet are hidden. The Guardians are an advanced race of humans who are in charge of taking care of the world and its inhabitants. But despite their weak physical capacity, they have access to technologies and abilities that have far surpassed the normal human capacity. Telekinesis, Remote viewing, Astral Travelling and so on are just one of their basic skills. One must also note that Guardians are almost devoid of emotions. They may look like humans but they move and think like robots. Fast, efficient and systematic. They think and decide according to their objectives and calculations. They sacrifice what must be sacrificed, all to save the Earth and for the benefit of mankind. It is their only goal in their lives as programmed by their mysterious founder called The One. The Guardian council members are different from normal guardians because they are all cloned from their founder. In a way, they are copies of the original Guardian founder except for every one of them are genetically modified for a specific specialty. They are also a being known as the Higher Forms compared to the normal present humans which they called the Lower Forms. They all stood a communicated telepathically at the same time. "Calculations is done. Two, if we move now, we can save at least 30% of Lower Forms in the area." one of the Guardian council stated. He is called Five and specializes in creating calculations. "So that man is a variable?" A council member called Two replied. "Apparently yes." "Very well, proceed to the plan. We may not be able to predict the future but we can create calculations with almost 99% accuracy. I am confident that everything will go as planned." "Noted. Sending command at the moment..." There is a little frown on Two''s face after making his command. With their out of this world intelligence, there is still that certain 1% uncertainty that could create troubles out of their expectations. And the last time their calculation failed, the heaven-sent an Ancestral Dragon that eventually left a huge mess behind. Could this be their punishment for failing a once? *** Elric was having the time of his life destroying villages after villages leaving nothing but scorching inferno behind. With his current unstoppable power, not even the Mighty Dragon King and Queens of the Four Regions was able to stop him. "Why are those stupid Guardians and Elementals doing nothing to stop this bastard?" Arthur could only open one of his eyes as he struggled to recover his broken body. There are wounds all over his body and even his mighty deer-like horns are broken! He was forcefully burried deep in huge rocks when Elric smashed him down with a mighty tail swipe. Suddenly a shadow crept out behind him and with a fast and powerful slash, Arthur''s head was loffed off giving him no chance to react at all. His head rolled down along while spurting dragon blood under the feet of an unknown assassin. His surprised eyes remained open at the sight of his unexpected enemy who is covered in darkness. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 43 The Cry Of Elric What Elric currently wields is a power not supposed to be brought down on earth. But under an unexpected circumstances, it still happened. The Guardians, who are supposed to protect the humans and the world unexpectedly did not make any significant effort to stop the current disaster. "Help! Help! There is a giant monster burning houses everywhere!" "Everyone hide! Quick!~" "This way! This way hurry! Hurry!" "Moooomaaaa! huhuhuhhhuuu" "My baby! Where is my baby!?" WeeeeooohhWeeeoooooh!~ The whole town is in panic, people are running everywhere in search of safety while firefighters desperately tried their best to put out the fires everywhere. Ambulances continued to crowd the streets, cars, and people made the traffic worst while the rest remains in utter chaos fleeing in depair. Elric, who has been corrupted by the Dragon Essence and the ultimate suspect of all this terror, had been busy burning countless people to crisp, turning houses into dust and was munching leisurely his midnight snack - an FA-50 Fighter jet which ended up in his mouth after it shot him with missiles. Elric was the embodiment of a demon at the moment. Not as a Dragon but a merciless Demon! No one could imagine what is currently going on in his mind. A couple of tanks came and tried their best to defend against Elric''s otherworldly power only to meet their demise under the barrage of his unholy black fire. Soldiers would creep out of their hideouts only to die in burning agony. Under Elric''s devilish eyes, no humans are safe even if they hide from the deepest pit of the world! *** Inside the unstoppable Dragon''s mind, Elric''s life essence continued to slowly fade. The overwhelming Corruption of Hate and Darkness left him unable to control his body and he became a monster that he is now. "STOP! NOOOO!!!!" But despite losing the control of his body, a sliver of his spirit and consciousness remains, desperately fighting the darkness corroding his soul. "PLEASE, I BEG YOU! GOD! HELP ME!! PLEASE, SOMEBODY!" Desperately asking for God, Elric cried in his thought for every life that became a victim from his uncontrolled slaughter. To every house, he burns, to every family he squashed with his huge tails. Elric could do nothing but watch as these people beg for help. Not even the children are spared with his brutal massacre as they cried for mercy. His eyes reflected the faces of these people who are covered in blood and fire. Burning in front of him. Weeping and hurting, Elric can see and feel it all. They all cried helplessly and hopeless as he continued to rampage as he flew everywhere. Finally, his view changed to a small house in the middle of a small farm. Elric''s eyes contracted in fear at the sight. It was his grandmother standing outside the house. Elric''s huge and ferocious body landed in front of her while she stood on the spot unmoving. Time suddenly stopped. The sound, they dissapeared. The wind became quite. The chaotic background blurred in his eyes. The scent was just too familiar for him. Before him, is the person he wanted to see desperately; but with his current state, Elric would rather die than to meet her right now. Elric could see every detail of her face, the wrinkle brought by time. The warm eyes were full of love and the soft brown arms shrouded by gentleness. Her old white hair swayed slowly from the flutter of his giant wings. She was still wearing her kitchen dress. Elric could not utter a word at this scene. He suddenly felt the familiar feeling of coming back home from the school. Where his only parent stood at the door, waiting patiently and asking him slowly how was his day. Tears poured out of Elric''s eyes uncontrollably. "If only I did not leave...If only.." Condemnation overwhelmed Elric. He blamed himself for leaving home despite his Grandmother''s request to stay. She was worried and old and only cared about him all along, but he chose to follow his stupid desire and curiosity! Oh, how he wishes he could turn back time. But now its too late, Elric is about to witness the death of his grandmother - by his own hands. She just stood there on the spot. Surprisingly his grandmother showed no fear before his massive dark-dragon body. Elric could see her eyes full of calmness like the untouched river in the middle of the forest. She just stood, never backing and never afraid. The more Elric looked at his grandmother, he could not help but cry his eyes out. It might just be a sliver but she must have felt it too. The "Lukso ng Dugo" or the Leap of Blood only felt by your closest family member. Truly, her love never fades no matter how dangerous he has become. "God, please don''t make me do this. She is the only family I have!" Elric cried in helplessness. With every little strength he has, he was willing to bet them for just an opportunity to stop himself. He remembered the Ancestral Dragon that promised him that will protect his family when he accepted the Dragon Essence, he could not help but cursed in his heart. "Damn you lying Dragon! You promised me you will protect my family! Now, what is this!? I will find you even if you hide in heaven!" Elric could try to blame, curse, or get mad about almost anything. But nothing can stop the reality in front of him. His menacing Dragon eyes are locked at the old and fragile figure of his grandmother. "Please God. Stop me. I am begging you!..." Elric begged and cried. He could see his grandmother standing before him and he could not do anything to stop himself from killing her. The huge and slimy mouth of the Dragon slowly opened. Preparing to devour her. "God no..no..no... PLEASE!" His head slowly came closer and closer to his grandmother with saliva and blood mixed in between the gap of his sharp bloody jaws. "GOD, TAKE MY LIFE! PLEASE! TAKE ME! NOT HER! ME! PLEASE!" Elric does not want to look at his only family getting devoured, but his eyes and senses are connected to the Dragon''s body. Whatever the creature sees, he could see it too. Every detail, every sound, every taste, and every bite. Suddenly, Elric could hear his grandmother whisper her last words. "Is that you... El?" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric''s eyes grew in shock and tears. "I have been waiting for you...you little bastard. I do not know what happened to you but.." With a smile that seems to melt his eyes, she added: "Take care of yourself..." And right before his huge mouth finally closes... "And don''t forget to wash your teeth before you sleep okay?-" Shut. 44 The God Reckoning Tribulation Elric lost his mind and everything went blank. A deafening silence has overwhelmed his only remaining consciousness. It was a feeling worse than death. Sadness, agony, helplessness, hopelessness, and loneliness. They all covered his very soul. Why? If only this was a dream, but sadly it''s not. His heart continued to cry in misery. He could only blame himself and no one else. How could a simple act of leaving his home resulted in so much death? Questions continued to pour out in his heart. He was broken and has lost his will to live. "You have to let it all go." A voice suddenly came out of the darkness. Elric''s consciousness was reawakened from the warm and gentle voice. It was like a comforting voice from a loving father talking to his son. It was pleasing, relaxing and seems to wash away all the pains and suffering. It was a liberating voice. "Why do you hold on to it? It''s not like it is the end." The voice continued. " Your life has just begun... Elric." And like a spark, a realization dawned on Elric''s mind. All of his memories flashed again like a passing star. This time, what he saw are not the painful or sad moments but all the blessings he had in his life. The fun and joyful moments devoid of malice and hate. Elric could see the smile of his parents when he was born. He could see when he blew the candles from his birthday cake while his young neighbor and friends sang the happy birthday song for him. They all sand with gladness and happiness. Elric could not help but cry in happiness as he saw the gentle smile from his parent''s faces. He can see the scene when he came hope waiving his perfect score from the elementary exam and getting a pat from his mother and father. They were so proud of him and so is he to himself. He could see how his classmates cheered for him during a successful school presentation and how it boosted his confidence. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The moments when he and his best friend, Jim, skipped school to steal Mrs. Eding''s huge and delicious guava fruits only to get chased by the bees. They went home laughing from each other''s swollen faces. He recalled how he met his first crush and how his heart beats wildly from her presence. The day he dedicated his first salary to his grandma only to see her cry in happiness. And lastly, the contented smile on her face before she got devoured. It was an eye of calmness and contentment. It was the real definition of love and happiness and acceptance of fate. And like a revelation, a series of realization poured out in Elric''s mind. "Life is the movement of time and things. Everything comes and goes. Let go of your attachments and discover the boundless power of your light." Elric''s eyes are closed but open to the wisdom of light. His soul shines in holy divine light. "It is time Elric. Wake up." said the warm and mysterious voice. Suddenly, Elric''s vision was warped in white. He felt the heat and power gushing out of his body. He gained back control of his physical body and the blinding light was slowly melting the darkness all over his body. Elric was in the middle of the God Reckoning Tribulation. **** "This... could it be?!" Lang struggled to raise his head due to his injury but nonetheless, he was still able to confirm his suspicion. "Is this the legendary God Reckoning Tribulation that can transform an ordinary Dragon to a Devine stage?" Lang''s body shook in unexplained agitation, but he was also confused. Was it one of the Dragon Kings or Queen who triggered this phenomenon? Above him is a White blue sky forming the shape of an eye! The bright light covered the whole area and everything was too clear. He could not believe the clarity of his surroundings as the light turned the night into a day! KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKAKABONG! Without any warning, the dark clouds sent massive lightning that resembled a white blade straight at Elric''s head and instantly covered him with scorching white light! "Is that God-Reckoning Tribulation of Light choosing the Dark Dragon?!!!" Every Dragon knows that there are different levels of Tribulation of Light for every stage of breaking through. The first was the first level of Tribulation of Light called Mortal Breaking Light which allows a dragon to reach up to 300 years old and drastically improve their physical capacity and even learn the ability to shapeshift to different life forms. The 2nd tribulation is called Primal Vehemence Dissension and allows them to break their current bottleneck and reach 500 to 700 years old, ultimately improving their body and enhancing their quality of blood closer to an Ancestral Level which is the origin of all Dragon species. The purer a dragon''s blood, the more powerful one can get and the more expensive it is sold to the black market! But the final tribulation of Light is called the God-Reckoning Tribulation that allows one dragon to reach a Divine state and become immortal with an indestructible body! However, it is also because of this overpowered state that Dragons who have overcome this tribulation are not allowed to stay on earth and are taken to the Heavenly Garden where only the most powerful beings exist! Could this out of nowhere hybrid have become a true Ancestral Dragon? Or is it just heaven''s decision to take the overpowered creature back to where he should belong? Questions continued to overwhelm everyone when they suddenly realized that they are also not safe. WOOOOOOHHHMMM!~ The powerful impact of the God Reckoning Lightning Tribulation sent powerful shock waves sending everyone flying away like dust except Elric who is at the center of the lightning. The blinding light suppressed every other living being and it continued to rain down on him like a waterfall of lightning. BAAASSSHH~ Not even the powerful barrier which was set up by the Human Guardians was able to last from the powerful heavenly lightning! One could see the pilots of the Guardian planes hastily controlling their planes to avoid crashing down! The Dragon Kings and Queens who were all close to the Tribulation were not safe as well. The powerful impact sent them hundreds of miles away while sustaining more critical injuries! Slowly the lightning Tribulation has faded and the remaining Dragons and Guardians hastily came back to see the result only to be disappointed as Elric was nowhere to be found. 45 The World Of The Elementals Elric woke up in an unfamiliar grassy field. Everything he saw was too bizarre for one to imagine. There are no stars in the sky, the atmosphere was cold and misty while fireflies surrounded him showcasing a dreamlike view. He slowly stood up and felt elated realizing that he is now back to his normal human body. But Elric realized that his senses were still the same as when he became a half-dragon. His eyes are sharp, his hearing is as acute as ever and his sense of smell was incredible. However, the power of the Ancestral Level Dragon has finally dissapeared and he felt like he was just another normal human aside from his exceptional senses. Slowly he walked out of the grassy field only to reach a dead end. What he saw next made his eyes grow in surprise. All he could see is a thick white mist covering the wide gloomy black water. There are no stars in the sky but he could see five giant bright moons of varying colors scattered all across the deep purple sky. The smallest moon was glowing in bright blue color and the biggest one was a mixture of orange and red and glowed the brightest. The more Elric focused his sight on these moons, the more he realizes that they are not that far away. He could probably reach these moons if he can just fly high enough! The atmosphere was mysterious while the air was cold and eerie. Suddenly, he saw a giant scally head from the north direction and realized that he was actually riding in a giant turtle. The turtle was the size of a giant ship and with its back fully covered in soft mushy grass! Elric could feel the turtle was swimming in the dark waters and was struck with sudden overwhelming questions. Where am I? What happened? What is this? Elric''s face was confused with hundreds of questions. His mind wandered back to his recent memory and he recalled the night when he left home. He remembered the fight against the Mananangal and the Kapre, the unexpected meeting with an Ancestral Dragon and the unbelievable battle that followed after. He remembered his losing his grandma by his own hands and the light that devoured him after. Unexpectedly, despite all of those overwhelming events, Elric''s heart was calm and serene. Not a hint of anger nor any forms of negativity polluted his mind. He felt pure and free. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. What is this unexplainable feeling of calmness and serenity? What happened to me? Elric decided to throw away the questions for now and walked slowly closer to the turtle''s head. "So you are finally awake kid..." An old but heavy voice that seems to resound in his mind suddenly got Elric''s attention before he could walk even closer. "This giant turtle can talk to me?" Elric was surprised upon hearing the Giant Turtle speaking to him. "I am old enough to learn to communicate through everyone''s mind." "Wow! A giant turtle that can actually communicate to me?!" "My name is not Giant Turtle. I am the legendary Turtle of the Abys called Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash!" Elric was stunned upon hearing the ridiculous name of the giant turtle. He could feel that the latter was even proud of its unnecessarily long name. "Isn''t your name too long Mr. Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash?" "You have a problem with that?!" The giant turtle replied with a hostile tone. "Not Mister Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash." "If you don''t mind, can I call you OMG Dash?" "What do you mean OMG Dash?" "It stands for Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash. It may be shorter but it has the same meaning." Elric tried to reason. "Hmmm.. Whatever. Suit yourself Hugon kid." "Hugon?" Elric was confused with the new word he just heard. "You are a Hugon. Half a Human and half a Dragon. I don''t meet a lot of your kind but you sure are something else." Elric''s eyes were clouded with even more questions as the giant turtle continued. "The great Seer Mata of the Red Moon has predicted an unprecedented event that is to happen in the future and she sent me to save you and bring you away from danger." "Save me? Great Seer Mata?" "I know you have plenty of questions right now Hugon kid. The Great Seer Mata will explain everything to you further when we get there. As what actually happened, to put it short, I save you from the hands of the angry Dragons." Elric went for a momentary pause as scenes of the previous battle started playing in his mind. He remembered meeting Lesse, the sudden appearance of the Ancestral Dragon, the battle against the different Dragons and his rampaging that took countless of human lives and lastly, the message of the mysterious voice before the blinding light. "I am an elemental and live in the world of Elementals." The giant turtle started elaborating even further. "The God Reckoning Tribulation has sealed the negative energy inside you which explains why you are in your current controllable state, but at the same time, it also left you weak and unconscious. Under the guidance of the great Seer Mata, I took the perfect timing to enter the human realm just to pick you up and dive back to the Elemental Realm before the scheming Guardians and mad dragons get their hands on you." With a quick pause, the giant turtle had a cocky face and added. "Hehe!I bet they''re currently losing their minds trying to find you. hehehe" Elric continued to listen intently. His eyes were full of complicated emotions under the glow of the five giant moons across the purple night sky. And after calming himself down, Elric smiled. "I see. Thank you for saving me Mister OMG Dash." "Hmp.." The giant turtle''s scally face had an obvious proud look upon hearing his new title. Elric still has a lot of questions in his mind that needs an answer than bothering to ridiculous name. Elric became silent for a moment as he recalled the troubles that happened so far. The more he founds out about this place, the more mysterious it becomes. After a few more days in actual time, Elric did not feel hungry at all and their journey continued without a single stop. The wide black water continued to span over the horizon bringing the limitless feeling of boredom and darkness. "Wait...I sense something. Do you see that-" Elric''s senses suddenly perked up from his instinct? "Brace yourselves, hugon kid!" WOOOOOSHHH!!~ Before Elric could continue his question, the giant turtle suddenly jumped up of the water like a bird! Contrary to his size, the turtle leaped from the water with the flexibility of a frog! A millisecond later another giant black snake as big as the giant turtle whizzed away as its attack that aimed at Elric missed. The huge and shining scales of this deadly giant snake glittered with creepy flashes as it repositioned itself for another attack! SSSSHHHHHHHHSSS~ Its huge black tongued slide out of its mouth while its two huge fangs immersed a deadly poison and like a spring, it went for another attack! Surprisingly, the giant turtle danced in the air like a bird and skillfully avoided the giant snake''s attack! SNAP! The giant turtle''s mouth pricked open revealing a razor-sharp beak and bit the snake''s neck! It proceeded with a relentless thrashing that leads to a furious battle of strength. Elric witnessed the battle and was surprised by OMG Dash''s incredible speed in battling the giant snake. He truly does deserve the name and title of Legendary Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash! The giant snake tried its best to coil again the giant turtle only to have its head gripped with even more force resulting in the snake losing its body control. "How dare are you to attack the legendary OMG DASH!" the giant turtle shouted in confidence. And with another powerful bite, the snake''s head was finally severed. OMG Dash finally lets go of the giant snake''s body as it quickly limped lifelessly back under the black water. And just like that, the giant turtle went back to its normal slow speed and continued to paddle towards their destination. Elric could not utter a single word from what just happened. A giant turtle just snapped a giant snake''s head before his very eyes and the giant turtle acted like it was as if everything was normal! "This is it." Suddenly the giant turtle talked. "Have we arrived?" Elric immediately asked. "No. This is the gate. That snake was just a test to those who wanted to try to reach the Palace of the Red Moon." "That was a test?!" Elric''s mouth gaped in surprise. The giant turtle''s body slowly ascended in the air with a proud face. They flew across the fantasy-like sky greeted by five giant moons with different colors. Elric sat helplessly at the back of the turtle''s shell and got an even better view of the black sea he came from. The higher they go up, the more his eyes glowed in astonishment. The black sea was limitless and continued to span all over the horizon! "Welcome to the World of the Elementals hugon kid." The giant turtle said. "It is here where your questions will be answered, the truths will be revealed and your true self will be discovered." 46 Bizzare World Of The Fire Elementals Elric traveled across the mysterious sky at the World of Elementals. Below him, he could finally see the edge of the black sea which was a boundless end out to be a huge Waterfall with a bottom, not even his dragon-like-eyes could reach. As they traveled, Elric asked the giant turtle with several questions regarding the mysterious land and its creatures. With five giant different colored moons as his background, Elric felt like he was in a fantasy world which he could only imagine in his dreams. "The black-water-covered land we came from is the border wasteland to the Human realm." The giant turtle explained. "If you happen to go fall deep into the edge of the black waterfall, you should be able to reach the human realm, albeit it the small chance of surviving the fall. The real problem is that the black water is guarded by the Dark Snakes which you have seen a while ago." "Dark Snakes..." "The one we fought was a youngster. Probably only three thousand years old. We were lucky we did not meet the bigger ones." "There are even bigger ones?!" Elric''s mouth gaped at the realization. Just how absurd can this world be? First, a giant turtle that can talk, then a giant black snake, and there is an even bigger than that?! "We elementals live in our moons according to our elements. The five moons you see around the sky are the Five palaces of the Elementals. Each moon represented a dominant element. The dark blue one is called Tugbi, the land of the Water elementals. the bright green moon you see is the Land of the Forest Elementals called, Nasgal; the dark yellow moon is the land of the Earth and Rock Elementals called Tayu. The pure white one is called Nhgani, and the Red one is the fire elemental''s Kyayu which we are heading." Elric''s eyes surveyed the five moons around him and continued. "If I am not mistaken, are you a water elemental?" Elric asked. "I am a rare elemental fusion result of water, earth and wind element." "Water, Earth and Wind?" Elric''s face warped in surprise. "My family has a long history of inter-elemental fusion which leads to my different abilities." "I see so the Elementals are capable of elemental fusion, is that how you guys procreate? By Elemental Fusion?" "Yes." Elric''s imagination tried hard to understand how their procreation works but he could not make up his mind at all. Certainly, this world is completely different from what he knows and the usual logic of the human realm must be rendered useless in this world. "And you mentioned of a certain Seer Mata, may I know who is she?" "I am not to mention too much about her but one thing you must know is that she is an elemental respected by everyone in this world. So you better behave well and don''t do anything stupid in her presence!" "I understood." Elric''s curiosity just got more intense the more he learned about the Elemental world. It took quite a few hours but finally, the distant red moon from a while ago is now all over Elric''s view. The land of the fire elementals was about the size of the whole china molded into a single globe. The whole place was covered in red rocks and sand while the atmosphere was extremely hot. The air was heavy and Elric felt like he was in hell with the random flame spouting out everywhere. After a few more minutes, they have finally arrived at a giant circle gate with its edges decorated in gold. Beside this gate are two massive Lava covered golems over twenty meters in height. Each of the lava Golem''s body is covered in black solid rocks with occasional red hot liquid magma spurting out all over their edifices, They both command an imposing aura that threatens to destroy anything that approaches the golden gate. If one walks behind these golden gates, they would only end up at the same barren land as before; therefore, to reach their destination, Elric and the turtle has to go through inside the Golden gate. "This golden gate serves as a portal. The real world of the Fire Elementals are actually inside this planet, not outside and the only to get there is through this golden gate." The giant turtle explained. Elric nodded in response but was still a little nervous at the towering presence of the lava golems. "Relax Hugon kid. They won''t dare touch you for they have already expected your arrival." Assured the giant turtle. And as expected, Elric and the giant turtle went inside the golden gate and a whole new world appeared in Elric''s horizon. The world of the Fire Elementals is completely out of his expectation. The fire elemental world was opposite to the Earth that he knew as the fire elementals'' gravity is reversed with the pressure pulling him upwards instead of downward. Because of these, the Fire elemental world is upside down. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. There is also a mini version of the sun floating in the middle of the planet the serves as the light that shines all over the small planet. The fire elementals called this small sun in the middle as the Mother Fire that gave birth to every fire elementals. The citizens of the Fire Elementals are all made up of Fire with varying colors depending on their age. There are blue ones, red, yellow and even green. Their age is defined by their color and temperature where the Orange one is the old fire elementals and the Blue ones are the younger fires. They have no other distinct organs aside from two black dots in their faces and a human-like form. The fire elementals live by devouring other fires elementals and use their energy as their own. This way, the younger blue fires has total dominance until they slowly lose their heat and became part of the devouring cycle. Suddenly Elric realized the small meteor-like stones the size of a thumb that is piled like mountains everywhere. Noticing Elric''s curiosity, the giant turtle explained. "Those small stones are the eyes of the devoured fire elementals. Once, their fire energy is overwhelmed by another more powerful fire, they surrender their fire to their devourer and become part of them, that includes their consciousness as well." An Average fire elemental has only a year to live and only by devouring another fire elemental thru forceful fusion could they extend their lives even further. As Elric and the giant turtle flew towards a towering land, the fire elementals would look at them with an excited reaction. "FIRE!" "FIREE!" "FIRE!" A fire elemental''s life was focused on finding more sources of heat to become a stronger fire. Without any organs, their only purpose of life was to find more fire and become stronger, because of these, any objects that can be used to produce more fire is like a treasure to them. Upon seeing a turtle and a human, their nature started to take action started flying towards that non-fire-elemental beings. "SCRAM!" Suddenly the Giant turtle''s body started to emit a dark fog that quickly became heavy rain-clouds. The ability to become a rain cloud is also a skill inherent to those elementals who are mixed with water and wind element. In the next instant, rain threatened to eliminate the incoming fire elementals causing them to flee in panic like a scared dog screaming for life. "RUN!" "RUN!!!" "WATER! RUN!" With the threat of the fire elementals gone, Elric and the giant turtle continued towards the towering land where the Greet Seer Mata was located. It did not take long for them to arrive and Elric was greeted by a giant burning Phoenix with deep red gems as her eyes! "I have been waiting for your arrival, Elric. Welcome to my land." The flaming Phoenix greeted Elric with literal warmness and shine. 47 The Trouble Begins Days after Elric dissapeared out of nowhere, right after the disaster he has caused; the human realm was in utter chaos. The Guardians had been busy themselves covering up the disastrous events by wiping and altering human memories to show only the necessary information and keep the secret of the Dragon''s existence out from the normal people. Not even the expert detectives and savvy media personnel were able to avoid the memory altering abilities of the Guardians. In the end, Elric''s rampage was blamed for natural disasters like earthquakes and sudden tornadoes. A few more days later, The Guardians made a more determined hunt against The Arkhans which lead to more blood spilled in both races. In the end, the Arkhans managed to flee again by mercilessly sacrificing their men, a classic strategy of the Arkhan Race. Meanwhile, with the sudden death of Arthur, the Dragon King of the West, the Dragon race ended up with more racial conflict between the four regions. After a thorough investigation, members of the Western Dragon race have traced Arthur''s head is hidden not far from the Southern Dragon Region''s area. To make matters worse, the clean-cut on Arthur''s neck was a signature attack very similar to Southern Dragon''s attack and could have been possibly done by one the Southern Dragons. And all their clues lead up to their most feasible suspect - Fargor, who also happens to be missing right after the great flash of the God-Reckoning Tribulation. This suspension sparked the attack of the Western Region Dragons against the Southern Region Dragons in a brutal battle of Race! The Western Region Dragons Elders demanded the South surrender Fargor in exchange for Arthur''s life but the Southern Dragons decided to fight back calling the Western Region Dragons instead as liars and schemers considering that Fargor was the strongest and deadliest Dragon that currently existed. With his extraordinary body alone, it should be considered as the most expensive treasure that can be used for a Draconic Fusion to evolve another Dragon''s Power! The Western and Southern Dragon Wars happened frequently in the Pacific Ocean, causing unusually strong typhoons and unexpected weather events as a side effect of the destruction. But despite the southern Dragon''s deadly abilities, they are greatly disadvantaged with the armored Dragons of the Western Regions who boasted their impenetrable defense against the assassin type Dragons of South. Learning about the disadvantageous war of the Southern Region Dragons against the Western, Leah of the Northern Region who was the lone survivor from Elric''s rampage decided to send help only to create an even bigger battle against the rich and proud Western Region Dragons. Leah''s help for the Southern Dragon ended up like a wood making the fire burn stronger! On the other side, the suspicious intention of Lang''s fire that ended up empowering the Mad Dragon Elric which ultimately resulted in countless humans, guardians, and assistant Dragon lives also made the Eastern Dragon Regions an enemy of the other three Regions. Despite being the King Dragon, Lang and his whole family were decidedly executed by the Elder Dragons of the East followed by the sudden disappearance of the whole Eastern Dragon Race in fear of being hunted by the other three Dragons Regions for retribution. Lesse and Lou managed to escape at the nick of time and tried their best to live while being disguised as normal humans with the help of a disguise relics. They both lived as ordinary students while at the same time, observing the events of the current wars between the Guardians and the Dragon Race. Lesse, on the other hand, had thousands of questions in her mind on how everything ended up as it is. She never expected her second attempt for the Tribulation of Light would cause an unexpected ripple effect that leads to their current situation. Her father and whole family line except her and Lou have been executed and they have to cover their Dragon Essence and live like ordinary humans to stay alive. Her anger, hate, confusion, and madness all focused on a certain face she could never forget her whole life. It all started on that fateful night. There is one person that she wanted to meet the most and that is the human who took the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence before her- Elric. "Are you thinking of that human again sister?" Lou suddenly asked Lesse who has been cooking at the kitchen. Lou was wearing his school uniform and he was in the form of a young elementary student from the same school where Elric went before. Lou''s main purpose was to investigate Elric''s background deeper and get a better understanding of his life and perhaps, a clue to where he is now. His only dream is to bring justice to his family by finding Elric and taking him down himself. Despite Lou''s calm and smiling face, he hides a scary and deadly desire to hunt Elric mercilessly. "No. I am not." Lesse tried to hide her desire to find Elric before her brother. She does not want Lou to be included in any more troubles after what she did. She knew the power of the Ancestral Dragon which was beyond her imagination. Her previous glory and pride for being an Elder-Level dragon were like an ant in front of Elric''s Ancestral power. She would rather have her little brother live a normal human life than losing it helplessly against that monster. "I know you, sister. You wanted to find that man and ask him more questions right?" Lou asked her with a subtle but mysterious smile. Everything he has been talking so far would always hit Lesse on spot. But lesse could see, the hostile glint between Lou''s words. She started to raise her voice. "I know what you are thinking as well, Lou! Whatever you are planning, please don''t do it. Our father has made enough sacrifices to spare our lives. Have some respect for his last wishes and just live normally!" And after those words, Lesse slowly recomposed herself and ate with elegance. Her smooth and silky white skin made quite a contrast to her long black hairs. She looked at her brother only to see him keeping up with that creepy smile. "I am afraid that I will still find him." with a confident tone and smile, Lou added. "And I will kill him myself and present his sorry-twisted body before the Dragon God''s altar in revenge for our family." "Lou! We talked about this! We are not even sure if he is still alive; even with that kind of power, The God Reckoning Tribulation must have dissipated his body into dust. So stop wasting your time!" Lesse finally lost it as she was about to stand up only to feel a powerful pressure that quickly restrained her from moving. "Wait....this is.. Bloodline Dominance??!" Lesse''s eyes had a mixed feeling of fear, shock, and amazement towards her brother. Bloodline dominance represented an even purer level o ancestral Dragon blood which gives a dragon more chance to break through for the third level of Tribulation of Light! Bloodline dominance can only occur once a Dragon faces a life and death experience and has gone through forceful mental evolution. Tribulations of Light also serves as one way to purify a Dragon''s blood to challenge the God-Reckoning Light and breakthrough for the Divine Realm just like that Ancestral Dragon. This dominating force was the same restraining effect made by the Ancestral Dragon against her before she could fight against the Arkans. But now, her brother is showing a glimpse of this certain power. Despite Lou''s age, with his purer bloodline, he was actually as powerful as a dragon that has gone through the second tribulation or the Primal Vehemence Dissension stage which is one more step to reach the divine Ancestral realm! However, Lesse could not help but worry as well. As a Dragon, knowing that he also possessed the Bloodline Dominance could bring a tremendous amount of pride that could sometimes put him to a situation he might fail to control. It was the same situation that happened to her as she let her unreasonable pride as an Elder level Dragon that looked down at the measly humans. Lesse does not want the same thing to happen to her brother! Suddenly Lou stood up with an imposing aura that continued to suppress Lesse''s body. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "My instinct never fails me, sister. That man is still alive somewhere. I am sure of it. For the sake of our family line and for father''s sacrifice, I will find him and kill that hybrid myself who stained our blood.That is my oath that I promised before father died." Lou''s eye showed nothing but unwavering determination and spirit fuelled by his desire for retribution. 48 Power Of The Great Seer Mhata Elric''s could not believe his eyes. He never expected the so-called Great Seer Mhata is a Phoenix! The humongous red burning bird has a wingspan of more than 50 meters but despite its fiery aura, Elric felt a healing warm all over his body. Being at the presence of this majestic looking bird brought him eternal warmth and peace. Elric felt like he was in a healing embrace of his mother. The two red gems that serve as eyes of this majestic Phonex reflected Elric''s faces. Staring at this magnificent eyes, Elric felt like no secret can ever hide from this being. It was an eye, full of wisdom and knowledge. The eye that can see through the future. Communicating telepathically, the huge burning phoenix sounded like a warm and caring mother''s voice. "You have seen and experience too much little child." The warm voice of the Phoenix resounded inside Elric''s mind. Hearing these words, Elric remembered everything that happened to him. The pain he went through and the agonizing feeling of losing his only family was indeed too much for him and he could not help but cry again. It was tough, but he had learned to accept them as part of his destiny. And it was all thanks to the guiding voice from the light that time. "Rest in my presence and I will explain everything to you." With these words, Elric''s eyes forcefully closed and his body limped lifelessly as if his soul left his body. The next instant, his vision wandered in blurry lights and revealed a familiar place in his memory. There he was, in the kitchen of his home. The familiar scene of facing his grandmother''s back while cooking and hearing the long whistle seeping out of the boiling pot brought him a surge of complex emotion. The morning light rays passing through the windows made a warm and comforting scenery bringing Elric a relaxing sensation. He could even smell the fresh air of the morning and see the faint smoke of burnt leaves from the outside. "Is this a dream?" Elric muttered as he was about to hug his grandmother. Elric had a strong urge to stand and hug his grandma but after recollecting everything that happened, he knew that this is all just an illusion. "No this is not a dream Elric. What you are seeing right now is the true desire of your heart." Suddenly a beautiful young woman appeared out of nowhere sitting at the opposite table. She wore a white simple dress reminiscent of a simple town girl but her hair glowed in bright deep red. Her red eyes were full of inexplicable wisdom and her red lips smiled with a mystifying curve. This mysterious young woman is the Great Seer Mhata. Confirming his doubts, Elric calmed himself down and decided to enjoy the scene instead. Hearing the boiling pot, the warm touch of the morning sun straight from the slightly open windows, the smell of the burnt leaves and the slow but enchanting hum of his grandma brought a slow but peaceful smile on his face. Elric''s mood and aura brightened. He has accepted his fate and reality. Everything might appear to be an illusion but this experience was like a dream come true to him. When was the last time he felt this way? A clear and bright tear slowly crept out of his closed eyes. He immersed himself fully at the experience knowing that these too, shall pass. After a while, his eyes have finally dried and he started to gradually open them. Before him, he saw the mysterious woman smiling graciously before him with her hands propped up in her face like a little girl watching a beautiful movie. Elric finally stood her intention and his heart was truly at ease now. He smiled gently and inhaled deeply before he started talking. "Thank you for this experience Great Seer Mhata..." Elric''s voice was stocked with gratefulness. The mysterious woman kept her mystifying smile and started pouring herself a cup of tea. With Elric''s grandma managing the kitchen as a backdraft, Elric quietly observed as the reputable hands of Mhata moved gracefully. Her long lashes are beautifully bent that accentuated her elegant Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. and a bright face. She poured a steaming hot tea for both of them and started talking. "The reason I called you in our Elemental realm is mainly because of three purposes." After filling the cup with hot teas, she passed one towards Elric and continued. "One is to save you from the furious revenge of the Dragons - and that is the past" She slowly raised her cup and sipped with utmost elegance. Elric perceived the moment like a queen casually having a tea with her people before her. Elric did not dare to talk at the moment and waited. After three more sips, Great Seer Mhata continued: "The future is that you are bound for even more responsibility, and I want you to be prepared for what is to come." Elric listened intently while keeping a calm composure. He barely has any idea with what the respectable being before him was talking about but he is keen to hear more for clues. On the other side, the elegant woman took her time sipping the tea and continued. "As for the present, you must learn to control the Ancestral Dragon''s power inside you." And with a long sip, she added. "That is if you choose to accept your future." "My future?" Elric''s brow curved in curiosity. "What I am seeing are two possibilities depending on your next decision." Finally, her elegant eyes became serious as a glint of burning red fire appeared deep inside her gem-like eyes. Suddenly Elric''s surrounding contorted into another blurry line as he was devoured by this blinding light. It took a while before his surroundings changed and what he saw next, left him with unspeakable horror and fear. 49 Authority Of Fire Elric found himself in the middle of a desolate wasteland full of bones and burning black fires. These bones are scattered everywhere that came from a variety of species. There are bizarre animals of different shapes with seldom dragon and human bones are piled everywhere. The gray and hopeless atmosphere covered his sight while augmenting the dark red skies full of flying crows. The world was destroyed with tall broken abandoned buildings everywhere; all are decorated with scorched marks and shattered walls. A sign of a chaotic battle that resulted in such unfortunate desolation. Not a single living tree can be seen anywhere and certainly, no one is alive. From a distance, Elric could see a silhouette of a familiar Black Dragon. It was huge and mighty that brought a terrifying presence that would cause anyone to lay their eyes on to crawl in fear. RAOOOR!~ With a single roar, the world shook under its feet. Its mighty presence alone caused the wind to run amok and the sky darkened even further. Its red fiery eyes were hungry for destruction. With every sweep of its massive black body, cracks would follow and everything that the black fire it spews would burn endlessly and dissipate into nothing. Elric knew that it was him. The pitch-black dragon smothered in utter darkness and corruption was the same Dragon that he became. But this time, its power was indescribable, the Ancestral level of power that is meant to stay in the heavenly realm was unleashed in the human world in an unfathomable form. Upon realizing that the power that he showed was nothing compared to what he is seeing, Elric just realized how difficult his the situation is. He was in the middle of the light between life and destruction while horror and fear were reflected in Elric''s eyes. "Is this the..." "The possible future, if you failed to control your power, Elric." The Great Seer Matha abruptly added. "I am aware of how much you wanted to go back to the human realm." Elric was surprised that she was able to point out what he wanted. "But If I sent you back now, the Dragon race will immediately find you with your scent alone. It won''t take long before you end up dead, worst, you may fail to control your power and unleash the Entirety of the Corrupted Black Ancestral Dragon to the human realm and repeat the same disaster you did. What you see right now is the most possible ending for that choice." Suddenly, Elric recalled the scene of the battle and the moment when he uncontrollably killed his own remaining family. A glint of determination slowly popped out in his face. "I am not letting that happen again." Elric''s voice was covered with resolution. He looked at the woman beside him and ask. "How about the other possible future?" "The other possibility is something I cannot reveal to you for now." She replied with an authoritative voice. Knowing he does not have the right to demand more answers, Elric decided to keep his curiosity behind and calmed himself down. "At present, right after you dissapeared from the human realm, the world was fell into another chaos." "What do you mean?" Elric looked at her nervously. He could not help but become guilty for the events that he has caused. And now, the footprints of his madness caused another catastrophe. "I will keep this as short as short as possible so listen closely." Suddenly, her hands draw a circle fire and a moving image suddenly rippled inside this burning circle. With a slight inhale, the Great Seer''s mouth started to talk. " The Four Dragon Regions are at war against each other after losing their Dragon kings. The Eastern Dragon Race dissapeared out of nowhere while the Western Dragons threatened to control the Global Region after losing their trust towards the other Dragon Races. Meanwhile, The Guardians and Arkhans are currently against each other''s throat after revealing traces of their Mother Ship. On the Spiritual Plane, a Spiritual Ripple is currently evolving, threatening to break the border between the Material and Etherial world. While a certain group of beings is attempting to dominate the entire Elemental Realm." Elric could only listen quietly with his mind struggling to keep up with all those events being unfolded before him. "Now, isn''t this fun?" She added. Four Dragon Regions? Dragon Kings? War? Arkhans? Guardians? Spiritual Ripple? Elric has no idea for all of this. What does he have to do with him? Etherial world? What''s that? Questions after questions flooded Elric''s mind and understanding Elric''s questions confused look, the Great Seer Mhata lightly tapped her fingers at Elric''s forehead. WAAAAAAAAANNNGG~ And like a ripple of unstoppable vision, Elric''s mind was loaded with knowledge and information about the world. Everything from the secret existence of the Dragons, the world protecting Guardians, the Spiritual and Material world, the Elementals, everything. Like a light bulb that suddenly lights up, Elric immediately understood the whole situation. It took him quite a few hours to assimilate himself with the current understanding of the world. Right now, Elric is not an ordinary human or hybrid anymore. With his newfound knowledge, he is now a legit member of the otherworldly secret society. "Help me." Elric suddenly said. He turned towards her and bowed before the Great Seer. "Please help me tame the sealed power of the Ancestral Dragon inside me." Elric''s voice was full of resolution. He knew he has made enough damage and it is only just for him to make up for his mistakes. With a gentle smile, the Great Seer Mhata snapped her fingers and the terrifying vision of the future changed. This time Elric found himself in the middle of the purple sky hovering over the pitch the Black Sea. Behind him is the Great Seer in her original form - the giant burning Phoenix. Before Elric, is the magnificent view of the Elemental Realm. The five moons glowing in varying colors covered his whole view. The magnificent Phoenix flapped her wings gracefully behind him. Elric looked like an ant compared to the humongous body of the mystical phoenix. Reflected in her gem-like eyes, is the silhouette of Elric facing the 5 colorful moons in the purple sky of Elemental Realm. "Only death currently awaits you in the human realm. If you wanted to go back, you must learn to control the sealed Ancestral Power inside you." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "How do I learn to control it?" Elric''s eyes exuded his burning determination. After seeing that bleak future, he has steeled his heart and mind to do whatever it takes to avoid that from happening. After a while, the Phoenix looked straight at his eyes. Suddenly, Elric''s body flared brightly like a torch in the night. Elric was about to prepare himself from the incoming pain, but the burning sensation did not come. Rather, the fire felt like a comfortable cloth all over his body. And with just a simple taught, the fire moved according to his will. Although not perfectly, Elric still managed to control the fire however he wanted. "What''s happening?... Why is this fire.." Elric asked. "I am not just the Great Seer, but also the Authority of Fire." The Phoenix eyes revealed a powerful aura that commands utmost authority. Every fire elementals in the said planet suddenly bowed down in her direction. Their burning body suddenly grew wildly with respect to her presence. 51 Elemental-Human-Dragon Elric However, the curse of the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence also brought him an uncontrollable urge of anger and hate. Elric realized that the feeling of corruption is slowly creeping in his mind trying to take control of him again. Immediately, he stopped attempting to muster his wings and calmed himself down as fast as he can. The urge of hate and anger slowly dissipated while Elric inhaled and exhaled deeply. As expected, the Ancestral Dragon''s power has indeed been sealed, but the main source and trigger of the Dragon''s Power at the moment is negativity, hate, and anger that can easily dominate one''s mind. Unlike a natural-born Dragon where the Dragon''s essence is naturally compatible with their body and soul, Elric, as a human has to overcome the Draconic corruption to fully evolve into a real dragon. Therefore, summoning the power of the Dragon inside him would also bring forth the side effects of Mental Corruption which, in his case, poses a high risk of accidentally unleashing the power of the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon again. One thing that Elric vowed to stop from happening again. But with his current situation, how is he going to escape the mad fire elementals after him? "Fire..." Elric suddenly had an idea and focused his mind to the maximum. "Wings of fire..wings of fire. Visualize, control, execute..." Elric applied the theoretical knowledge given to him by the Phoenix. Using the Authority to control fire, he planned to create Wings made up of Fire to escape his situation. "Focus.. focus Elric... focus..." While running, he desperately evoked the authority of fire to slowly form the wings but he failed immediately. With the fire elemental catching up to him, Elric is currently on his mental limit to multitask. Just when he was about to complete a set of fire wings, Elric has also reached a dead end and the only way to reach the other end was to fly over it which is separated by a mile-wide lava river. Elric knew that he now has the authority of fire but with his current control ability, swimming in a pool of lava is something his half human-half dragon could not take on - yet. "This is bad..." Elric''s mind raced to calculate the distance, but his current power was not enough to bridge the gap with his jump alone. He looked back to see any opening from the chasing fire elementals only to see them covering his exit path. Jump! WOOOOSH~ Without hesitation, Elric jumped over the cliff hoping to reach the other end by raw strength of his jump alone. With his current superhuman strength and power, he would rather try his limit to reach the other end rather than pit himself with the hungry fire elementals. Elric''s jump was ridiculously long and high. Compared to Olympic athletes, he was more like a flying rather than jumping. However, it didn''t take long for him to realize that his jump was not enough. Slowly, he dropped towards the molten hot lava river. "Now this is bad." He quickly composed himself and switched to visualizing and materializing the wings of fire. As the gravity finally taking its toll on him, Elric''s mind raced in hope of creating his only chance of survival. Blaming that turtle for not saving him would not help him in any way. After all, this was a test. "I see..." a realization dawned on him and his eyes shone with enlightenment. Elric closed his eyes with peace and relaxation. His body continued to drop towards the burning lava but his eyes remained closed. He appeared to be giving up when he was focused on something. RHAAAAAAAHH!~ Unexpectedly, another massive serpent covered in red hot lava wooshed out of the molten river. This monstrous serpent was along as a train and its mouth can stretch wide enough to devour a whole house! It jumped straight towards Elric together with its wide steaming mouth craving to devour him. Despite having no eyes, this Fire Elemental Serpent can see using heat and had been hiding in ambush as Elric came closer to the edge of the land. Now that the opportunity has presented itself for the serpent, it did not hesitate to jump for it. A half-human and the half dragon would give him enough fuel to become an even stronger fire elemental and possibly extend its life for more years! Realizing the unforeseen threat, Elric''s eyes opened and suddenly summoned his blue flame which is far more powerful than the red flame covering the body of this serpent. "Let''s see who devours who!" Elric''s body was covered in magnificent blue fire by evoking the power of Authority of Fire. Promptly , after seeing that his supposed-to-be-victim wielded a much more powerful fire than him, the serpent immediately knew that this seemingly powerless human could end up devouring him instead! The humungous serpent quickly closed its mouth and swayed its body to retreat towards the lava river. Elric, on the other side, took this opportunity land on its body and use it as a landing spot to vault again towards the safer side of the planet. UWHRRAAAAAAGHH~~~~ Upon touching the red serpent with his blue fire-covered-body, the serpent wailed in agony with fear covered in its eyes. The smaller fire elementals could only look in pity at the giant serpent as they felt lucky for not devouring the human; or else, it could have been them who would end up as dust. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric reached the other side safely which is devoid of any fire elementals. It turns out that running across the map lured every fire elementals to chase him which gave him the temporary rest that he has now. Little did he knew, the fire elements don''t dare to approach him anymore after realizing his capability to wield the ultimate blue fire. "Sorry little red snake, I do not mean to hurt you. I am grateful for your kindness to let me jump ahead." Elric bowed to apologize for the red serpent while the latter retreated at the other side of the edge, far away from the bowing Elric. Fear is adamant in its eyes. Upon losing interest to him, the fire elementals at the opposite land slowly left one after another to mind their own lives. Elric, on the other side, sat down to focus on his newfound enlightenment. "Fire is light but fire also creates darkness. To rid of the corruption, one must be fire from within." With his newfound insight, Elric''s control of the Authority of Fire was refined and strengthened and techniques that apply the authority of fire slowly gathered in his consciousness. "Fire can push and fire can pull. Like a river, fire is also a boat that floats in serenity.." Wisdom after wisdom, Elric immersed himself to this powerful gush of realization. Like a cultivator, his mind and comprehension have significantly broadened concerning the Authority of Fire. Suddenly, a pair of elegant wings made of blue fire grew from his back. Slowly he stood up and looked at the distant blue moon where the Water Elemental lived. A smile slowly crept in his face while he started moving his magnificent blue wings of fire that can stretch as far as twenty meters. Elric''s eyes were full of burning radiance and wisdom. For some reason, his aura has also undergone a more refined presence and his face glowed in a reddish hue. Compared to his pale and heavily stressed face before, his current look is like that of a gentle God of fire. He was handsome and burning-hot! And with a single flap of his elegant burning wings, he left nothing but dust in the red ground of the Fire Elementals'' land. Now Elric, with his new wings of fire, flew at the speed of sound towards the land of the Water Elementals. Little did he knew, that he is the first human who has access to Authority of Fire and the first and only Human-Dragon-Elemental being that currently exist. 55 The Water Guardians The turtle suddenly said. OMG Dash has taken his cute little turtle form and landed in Elric''s head this time. His small size was quite a contrast to his giant form and he was very cute with a colorful shell that reminded Elric of Squirt, one of his favorite animated movie characters from Finding Nemo. Despite his cuteness, his eyes remained serious upon staring at the huge holes that greeted them from a distance. There are more than ten holes in total and each of them has size as big as twenty meters in circumference. "Water Guardians?" Elric squinted his eyes towards the mysterious holes and could feel a powerful aura from within. Whatever is inside, judging from the giant holes, could only mean that the so-called Water Guardians should be enormous. "We simply need to get inside that giant circle in the middle and we should be able to reach the kingdom of the Water Elementals. Right now, we are actually in the Outer water zone which is only an entrance just like the Outer Red Land of the Fire Elementals." The little turtle explained in a cute voice. If only not for his older version, Elric could have been fooled by its cuteness a long time ago and kept it as a pet. "I remember that the entrance to the Fire Elemental''s world was much, how do you call this, warmer? Those giant magma rocks did not even move a bit when we entered. Shouldn''t we get insides safely as well this time?" "That''s because the Great Seer Mhata has already sent a command to let us in! The current Lord of the Water Elemental is not as friendly as the Great Seer you know. Just to let you know, Lord Aghus doesn''t like humans and the fact that you are one only adds to his hostility against you. So it is only normal that you have to get through this small test before you enter his kingdom." "I see. So I have to pass this small test huh. But why does he hate me or us, humans, though?" Elric asked. "Don''t ask me like you don''t know men. You guys polluted the Earth''s water with whatever trash you guys do. Plastics, poisonous chemicals, overfishing, dynamites and coral bleaching caused by deteriorating ozone layer thanks to your countless factories are just to name a few." Elric was stupified at this answer. It seems like this turtle yapping atop his head is pretty concerned for the Human realm. After all, the earth is 71% water and humans have pretty much done too much damage in terms of waste pollution alone. "The Lord Aghus does not like humans not just because of that. He should also know that you are here to get the Authority of water as well and handling such power to a human is never heard of before." Dash added. With Elric and OMG Dash getting closer to the big holes, a rumbling sound that came from within started to greet them. GRRRRRRRRRUGGH~~~~ "I don''t like this." feeling the huge vibration, Elric knew something big is coming out from those holes. "What do we do now? Is this the only entrance towards the world of the water elementals?" "I am afraid yes. This is the only way into the kingdom of the Water Elementals. These guardians are just a small test and is meant to keep the outsiders away after all." The turtle warily said. SIIIIIP~ Out from one of the giant holes came a tiny green Eel. It was as small as the size of a small pen and cutely wobbled its way towards Elric. Seeing something coming out, Elric prepared himself for a fight only to be greeted by a small and cute looking Eel. "What''s this?" Elric was about to touch the small Eel when he heard a shout beside him, "Stay back!" Shouted the small turtle. Suddenly, Elric''s instinct kicked full speed and he was able to dodge the bite of the small Eel that transformed into a giant one! SIIIIP~ SIIIP~ SIIIIIIP~ Swiftly from all directions, other small Eels transformed into giant versions and have surrounded them from every angle! Swiftly, the elongated bodies of these green giant Eels crossed each other creating a giant ball of the net with Elric and the turtle in the center! "They want to trap us." Elric immediately understood and quickly swam to one of the wide openings. Reacting to Elric''s move, the giant ball of net composed of the Eel''s body readjusted and tightened the gaps while their heads stretched to gnaw on Elric! "Careful!" The turtle shouted as Elric desperately executed his best evasive maneuver in this deep blue sea. Thanks to the black pearl the OMG Dash gave, he was able to dodge the hungry mouths of these giant Eels albeit with close calls. CHUB~CHUB~CHUB~ The opening and closing of the giant Eel''s mouth created a loud chubbing sounds while underwater. "This is weird, the openings were pretty big but they suddenly tightened and I almost fell to their jaws." With each time passing by, Elric realized that the openings presented by the giant Eels are traps that were trying to lure him. This long green monsters moved swiftly and flexibly in the water with utmost accuracy and timing! Thank''s to Elric''s extraordinary fish-man body and a Dragon''s stamina, he managed to dodge all of the giant Eel''s attack. However, the space Elric currently occupied is slowly shrinking while the Giant Eels tightened their gaps. With each passing seconds, their body is getting closer and their attacks had become even more relentless. Elric slowly accumulated some wounds from the scrapes but thanks to his Dragonic healing ability, these small wounds closed almost immediately. But time is not on his side and he is in an even more dangerous situation the smaller the ball of the net becomes. "This is not good. The more the battle lasts, the smaller space inside becomes. I must make my exit! OMG Dash can you lend me any help?" Elric surveyed his surroundings and true enough, the gaps are now gone and he has to create his exit. In contrast to Elric''s rushing mood, the turtle in his head remained nonchalant. It acted like it did not hear anything at all and kept humming in peace. With its harder than steel body and transformation ability, it was confident enough to escape from the belly of this giant Eels. Realizing that the turtle is back to its usual cocky side and remembering its traitor attitude before he left the Fire Elementals world, Elric could not help but woefully shake his head in resignation. With the Eel''s attacks getting fiercer, Elric did not have any time to scold an unmindful turtle. Think Elric, think! How do you get out of this? Suddenly Elric remembered a scene a long time ago. It was the time when he caught an Eel from the ocean and his grandmother cooked it for dinner. It was delicious and a warm moment. From this inspiration, a smile crept from Elric''s face. He hastily grabbed the humming turtle and threw it towards the Big hole entrance. "GOOO SHOOOT!" "Why youuuuuuu--" The Turtle shouted with the unexpected act. Elric threw him hard while spinning him like a Beyblade! His small body managed to escape through the small gaps and dissapeared to the dark giant hole leaving Elric behind inside the tight death net of the giant Green Eels. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Fire... I wonder If I can use it here. Elric thought of an idea and quickly closed his eyes to focus. A confident smiled also crept in his lips. 56 Evolving Eels Just when the giant Eel was about to devour Elric, a blue fire abruptly covered his entire body. WOOOOOOOOSH~ The powerful blue fire brought in an unexpected heat for the Eels and their attacks failed to continue. Using the Authority of Fire underwater was something Elric never taught would work but it still did. The fire he commanded was not dependent on any oxygen at all. It was a fire naturally produced by his will! By refocusing himself, Elric closed his eyes and talked gently. "My friend Eels, I do not wish to harm you, but if still insist on stopping me..." Elric''s fire suddenly expanded. It was a threat to warn against the aggressive Eels. The bright blue fire lit the deep blue sea like the only star in a pitch dark sky. With the threat of the blue fire, the giant Eel''s formation slowly loosened but their eyes remained hungry, staring at Elric. The brightly burning Elric reflected in the huge dark circle eyes of the giant Eels. Unbeknownst to Elric, the Lord of the Water Elemental has been remotely watching him through the eyes of these giant Eels. *** Deeper into the world of the water Elementals, the land is covered by a far-reaching mountain of colorful coral shaped rocks. Water creatures of different sizes and species such as fishes, whales, sharks, and even shells can be found everywhere living in harmony. The world of the water elemental is made up of giant corals higher than hundred-floored buildings. Every gigantic coral is covered in varying colors that glowed in shimmering brightness which also served as the main source of light. It looked like a city of enormous colorful corals with countless species of marine fauna and flora. It was colorful, beautiful and harmonious. There are even white massive whales that were as big as cruise ships and they swam slowly above the towering building-like corals. The city like scene stretched far and wide covering the whole world of the Water Elemental. Just like the set up of the fire elemental''s domain, the water elemental''s world is also upside down with a majestic looking golden castle as the center. This golden castle shone in golden light that also served as a sun throughout the inner globe of the Water Elemental realm. Inside this golden castle lives the lord and king of the Water Elementals - Aghus. "Amazing, despite the threats of my guardian Eels, you still had the mercy to warn them of your dangerous power. It seems like firebird did well in choosing you..." A bluish merman talked while facing a giant bubble suspended before him that reflected the scene at the Outer Sea. he sat leisurely atop a giant turtle''s head. This man brought a majestic aura just like the Great Seer Mhata. "Unfortunately, that is no enough to please me human...," He added while eating delicious grape-like fruits in his scaly hands. His bluish skin is covered in elegant scales with a golden royal pattern all over his body. His ears are nowhere to be found and his head is the same sized as an ordinary human. His wide eyes are pitch black but have no iris nor pupil. His nose is just two small dots while his mouth smiled creepily filled with small sharp teeth. Both his hands and feet appeared to be just like that of humans except for the transparent fins that extended out from the sides. Surrounding him are thousands of beautiful merman and mermaids with colorful hairs. Their bluish body is covered in beautifully patterned scales and their long tails can stretch as wide as two meters. Everyone wore a haughty smile as if enjoying the show in the giant bubble. "You should all know how much I don''t like thrashes in my kingdom." With a smirk in his face he had sent a command for the Eels to do which Elric never expected. *** The Eels had backed away and stood guard at the giant hole that leads to the Kingdom of the Water Elementals. They are showing no signs of backing off despite Elric''s warning. Elric frowned at the giant Eel''s decision. As much as he doesn''t want to hurt them, but it seems that they are not afraid of his fire anymore. Elric''s hair moved smoothly with the fire''s restless tugging. His eyes are calm but resolute. He has entered a serious mood. Suddenly the guarding Eel''s body glowed and sparks suddenly appeared randomly in their skin. Their black eyes glowed brightly like a God and their body exuded a terrifying aura. BZZT-ZZZZST-BSST~ Elric was stupified at their sudden evolution. Not only are their sizes are ridiculous, but they are also even capable of wielding lightning in their body! Backed by their reassessed power, their huge body suddenly lunged back at Elric. Their mouth opened wide with electricity hopping between the gaps sparking all over their huge jaws. It only shows how powerful the lightning is. But before they could even reach Elric, the electricity is spreading throughout the water and Elric felt the powerful pulses striking him! And just like how electric Eels eat, the shock was not meant to kill him but to paralyze Elric and give them a chance to devour him in one go. CHUB!~ Noticing their movement, Elric immediately distanced himself further away from the Eels, avoiding their electrifying jaws just in time. "That was close... I never knew these Eels are capable of electricity." Elric continued to distance away from the chasing Eels that continued to spark. Their relentless chase continued while Elric struggled to resist their shocking pulses. With all of the hungry electric giant Eels chasing after him showing no signs of giving up, Elric has no choice but to fight back. "You asked for this." Elric abruptly stopped and decided to face the incoming horde of sparking Eels. Their hungry faces were reflected in his serious eyes. An Idea had immersed in his mind and he quickly summoned his Authority of fire. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Spear of Fire," Elric murmured as his hand summoned a huge burst of fire that slowly transformed and compressed into a radiant Spear of Fire. "I have warned you guys but you just won''t listen. Now, I will have to barbecue for you." 57 Piercing Fire Elric held the burning blue spear in his right hand while standing unafraid at the charging evolved Eels. His eyes are firm and not a hint of fear can be seen. The Eel''s body sparked in furious charges of lightning as they swiveled their way towards Elric with hostile intention. *** "I see, you managed to learn how to use the Authority of Fire...", through the giant bubble, Aghus watched Elric''s battle with a mocking smile. He is fully aware of how powerful his guardian Eels which kept his Kingdom safe from any unauthorized outsiders especially the non-water elementals. Knowing that Elric has made a move out of his expectations, his curiosity only grew and with a sinister gaze, he added. "Let''s see if you have what it takes to enter my kingdom., nevertheless, how long was it that we have tasted human meat?" "Hehehe..." Every other mermen and mermaid surrounding him giggled merrily. Human meat is considered as one of their most favorite delicacies. Adding the fact that Elric is not just an ordinary human but a half dragon as well means that he should taste extraordinarily delicious in addition to the potential benefits of Dragon''s blood and meat! "I can''t wait anymore, my King! Why can''t we just let him get inside already, I will be more than enough to handle him and serve him in silver platter before you." A salivating merman with dark green scales, yellow eyes, shark-like teeth and menacing look offered. His name is Shuk, one of Aghu''s most powerful merman. Shug''s huge scaly body had been itching all this time to have a taste of Elric, he heard that human meat is the most delicious kind of meat that exist after the Dragon meat. however, he never expected that Elric is half dragon or he could have just went by himself and get Elric all for him alone. "No, allow me instead Lord Aghus. You can''t trust Shuk''s appetite. He lacks control and respect. By the time he comes back with the human, I expect that we can have nothing but bones left." Another merman with the head of a sea lion immediately reacted. He is Aghu''s most trusted merman named Dugong. He is smart and cunning that can quickly read minds. "Are you doubting me Dogong!?" Shuk bellowed angrily. "Based on your past works, yes. Do you have any problem with me Shuk? Or do you want to-" "Silence you two!" With a single wave of Aghu''s hand, both Shuk and Dogong were slammed down to the floor with a forceful impact. Both their bodies were hammered forcefully that it left a huge depression on the rocky floor. The rest of the merfolks just giggled at Shuk and Dogongs trouble. The water elementals merfolks are unlike the ordinary water elemental animals, they are known to be very social, smart, and cunning creatures. They spent most of their time eating, having fun and yes, eating. Their favorite meat is human meat that they are more than willing to die for a taste of it. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. A moment later, both Dogong and Shuk managed to recover quickly and bowed with respect towards Aghus. "Forgive us Lord Aghus!" Recomposing himself, Aghus harrumphed and turned around to gaze at the huge bubble. A long slithery tongue came out from his huge grinning mouth. "He is mine. And mine alone." His eyes grew wider with excitement. "Guess, I will have to thank that firebird for sending me this delicious snack." Aghus murmured. *** Six evolved Eels charged wildly towards Elric. All of them immersed a powerful electric charge ready to paralyze or if possible, kill Elric on the spot. Wooooshkk~ Woooosk~ WOooshK~ Their swimming speed left blurry images of them and remnants of lightning in the water scattered wherever they go. Elric waited for the perfect timing before throwing his Spear of Fire. And just when one of them reached just a few meters away from him, Elric whisked the Spear of Fire and it went straight to the head and immediately penetrated its body until it came out of the other side! "KYAAAAAA~" The Spear of Fire went through the body of the front Eel like a hot knife cutting through the cheese and went straight to the next target that followed the first one. Luckily, the second one managed to dodge the attack and continued to charge towards Elric but right before it could continue, another Spear of Fire flew from a different angle and successfully got the second Eel in its lower body. Elric''s flame is unlike ordinary flame that needs the presence of oxygen and combustible materials, Elric''s flame is summoned through his own will. He can do whatever he wants with fire as long as he willed it, thanks to the overpowered benefits of the Authority of Fire. Feeling the power of flame searing through its flesh, the two pierced Eels wiggled their body in pain trying to stop the flame wit the help of water but the fire continued to burn flawlessly. "What is this" The Eels were caught in surprise as they realized that the being before them is no ordinary one at all. The evolved Eels did not just become stronger, but faster and smarter as well. They knew pretty well that Elric is gonna threw that Spear of fire so they immediately stopped their direct charge and adapted a more evasive maneuver. This time they all charged towards him in a spiral. 58 An Unexpected Power Facing the spiraling charge of the Eels with renewed vigor, Elric racked his head on how to end this fight as soon as possible. But before he could think more, the spiraling Eels suddenly opened their mouth at the same time and shot electricity towards the middle of their formation. Together, it formed like waiving electricity in the middle of spiraling Eels. Elric knew that it was not a good sign and decisively swam away further from their formation only to realize that the spiraling formation was sucking him up towards the merging electric strikes that brought a powerful might with it. Realizing that the pulling force is only getting stronger and stronger, Elric decided to stop them by shooting the spiraling Eels. However, before the Spear of Fire could reach them, the sucking force caused the Spear of Fire to miss and redirect into bits as it hit the giant ball of electricity in the middle of the spiraling Eels. "Not good..." Elric decided to focus on escaping away from them but the pulling force continued to intensify, giving Elric an even harder time to move. With him inside the water, the tornado-like force is like the undeniable gravity that keeps everything down. *** Back at the wide courtyard of the Lord of the Water Elementals, Aghus was laughing maniacally as he waved his hands while controlling the Eels from afar. Elric had no idea that what he is facing at the moment is not just ordinary guarding creatures but the power of the Water Elemental Lord itself. Aghus''s shining hand swiftly moved while he controlled his remaining Guardian Eels from afar. "How dare you killed one of my babies. Now taste the wrath of my power!" "Yaaaah! Get that human!" "bring him and toast him!" "Raaah!~" The merfolks surrounding Aghus cheered merrily as the watched Elric through the giant bubble struggled for his life. Both men, women, and children are rejoicing in Elric''s current state. After all, the water Elementals hated the human in the first place. *** As time goes on, the ball of Lightning continued to expand with terrifying voltage while the sucking force is slowly dragging Elric towards the deadly ball of lightning. The deep blue sea was now blanketed by a brilliant light caused by the lightning while furious waves started to rampage the outer sea of the water Elemental world. "Is this where it ends?" Elric felt helpless as he gets closer and closer to the giant ball of lightning that continued to create frenzied sparks in its surroundings. "No, this is not the end," Elric recalled the struggles he went through just to seal the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence inside in him and had an idea. "Lightning..." Elric had an epiphany and suddenly summoned his Wings of Fire. With a glint of determination in his face, Elric rushed straight at the giant ball of lightning. This action caused the watching merfolk and the Eels themselves to be dumbfounded at his unexpected decision. This is the giant ball of lightning cast by the Lord of the Sea After all. Elric is not just currently fighting ordinary Eels, but creatures specially modified by the Water Elemental Lord himself. After feeding them precious Cloud stones when they''re young, these Eels managed to develop an extra ability to produce Electricity from their body and with hundreds of years of cultivation, they became more compatible with this lightning that they were able to create this powerful formation with the help of the Water Elemental Lord himself. Seeing Elric charging foolishly to the Orb of lightning, the lord of the Water Elemental, Argus, smirked in pride. Countless of intruders have tried to invade his territory only to end up either eaten by his Guardian Eels or shocked to death by the Orb of lightning. No one has ever survived this formation, but now, a weak-looking human dares to charge towards it without hesitation. "Perhaps he has given up for his life that he resorted to such action. Very well, you wanted a quick death? I shall give it to you. But in the end, your meat is still mine." Argus smiled wickedly as he watches Elric charging towards the huge ball of electricity. *** Elric braced himself with each passing moments, he continued to swim faster with the help of the pulling force. With the spiraling Eels working like a vacuum, he went straight towards the center where the huge ball of lightning waits. While Aghus and the rest of his people watched the show through the giant bubble, their faces have mixed emotions of excitement and hate towards the human who dares to trespass to their territory. With a glint of light in his eyes, Elric''s Wings of Fire suddenly dissapeared while Elric switched on activating the sealed power of the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence inside him. "HAAAAH!" WOOOOOM~ With the power seeping out of him, it created a powerful aura that sent out shockwaves to his surroundings. The sudden release of the Ancestral Dragon''s power which brings forth their innate fear of this apical species caused the spinning Eels to lose their control and their formation to disappear at the same time. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The sudden release of a terrifying power brought a powerful dominant shock wave that immediately paralyzed the giant Electric Eels, while some of them were unable to resist and were knocked unconsciously on the spot. Meanwhile, Elric used the ball of lightning to temper his mind and used it as an impetus to fight back against the mental pressure of the corrupting dragon essence. With the backing of his experience, Elric was able to maintain his sanity as he quickly scaled back the power of the Ancestral Dragon inside him. Using the momentum of the sucking force, Elric managed to go straight towards the gate to the Water Elemental kingdom while leaving the unconscious Electric Eels floating and the mouth of the merfolks wide open. "What was that power?" The Lord of the Elemental Realm was unable to hold himself back as he stood in surprise. Witnessing such power, just who is this human actually and why did he possess the aura of an Ancestral Dragon? "That firebird has a lot of explaining to do..." Facing his people, Aghus shouted an unexpected command. "Send me our strongest Elemental Warriors, let''s dissect that human into pieces." 59 Reflecting Rock Elric entered the huge dark circle gate to the land of the Water Elemental. The guardians this time was not as welcoming as before compared to the guardians of the Fire Elemental world. This only goes to show that the lord of the Water Elemental has a hostile treatment of Elric. It took Elric quite a few hours traveling across the huge hole. Despite going through at an incredible speed, the coral-decorated tunnel felt like an endless journey when he finally stumbled to a dead end. Looking from afar, Elric could see a little turtle facing him with an angry look on his small face. "You hugon! How dare are you to throw me away like that and, what''s taking you so long? If not for Great Seer Matha''s command, I would have just left you alone long ago." OMG Dash bellowed. "I am sorry OMG Dash, I just don''t want you to get hurt from that battle." Elric decided to throw Dash away from him because he doesn''t want the little turtle to get hurt with his fire nor getting electrocuted by those Eels. Knowing that the little turtle is only there to help him, he would do his best to keep Dash safe as long as he can. While the little turtle continued to complain of how he was treated, Elric continued moving closer and halted before the dead end. Turns out, the end of the long tunnel entrance was a hard shining blue rock. And with a frown on his face, Elric asked the mumbling little turtle. "This is weird, the rock blocking it doesn''t have the same texture as the rocks in the wall. Could it be.." "Yes, you are right. Someone blocked our path with this huge stone. The last time I passed through this passage, this blockage was nowhere to be seen. It seems like this is freshly installed here." OMG Dash confirmed Elric''s suspension. It seems that the Water Elemental Lord despised him to the point that they went as far as blocking the only entrance to his kingdom. "How about we break it by force?" Elric asked. "No can do." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "And why is that?" "Go ahead and try." The turtle replied with a nonchalant look and added, "Do you think I am that dumb? With my extra-super-extra-mighty-powerful strength do you think I have to wait for you to break that stone? I grew up in this place, therefore, I know what kind of rock is that" With hopeful eyes, Elric stooped down closer to the little turtle and asked, "Do you live here? Then what is it?" "try punching it and know it for yourself." The turtle replied with a mocking tone. Elric did not mind the little turtle''s attitude and was curious about the mysterious rock. Without hesitation, he sent a powerful punch towards the shining blue rock blocking his way. BWAAANG!~ Like a rubber, the power of Elric''s punch was reflected him several folds and he was sent flying a good distance caused by the rebounding force. He shook his dizzy head in surprise and with a troubled look, asked the little turtle, "Isn''t there no other way?" "There is," smugly replied the little turtle. "really? How?" "By transforming into a dragon. With your current form, not even two percent of your power can be utilized, how about you borrow some of your dragon power just like what you did back there in the gate?" "You mean you want me to open the seal?" Elric asked with uncertainty in his eyes. "It all up to you. You can just go back if you don''t want to." The turtle looked at Elric with a daring look. 60 The Black Door KYAAAAH~ KYAAAAH~ KYAAH~ Elric could hear the resounding echo of the guardian Eels chasing after them. After quite a while, they seem to have finally awakened from being stunned and are now madly charging towards Elric''s location. If he wanted, Elric could have just ended the lives of those guardian Eels with his Spear of fire. However, Elric wanted to enter this world with the least killing as much as possible. Ever since the power of the Ancestral Dragon was sealed with the God Reckoning Tribulation, Elric has found himself in this peaceful enlightenment and his hostile and killing nature seems to have disappeared as well. Despite this, it doesn''t mean he wasn''t capable of killing anymore, It just happens that Elric would rather learn to control himself and back away from troubles or risk forcing himself to get hurt or lose control of the sealed Ancestral Dragon''s Essence again. As much as possible, Elric would rather use the power of Authority of Fire than using the power of the Dragon inside him. He knew that every time he transforms into a Dragon, the power of the sealed corrupted Ancestral Essence would slowly seep out as well, bringing forth not just unspeakable power, but an unwanted corruption of soul as well. As much as possible, Elric would want to live in peace. The memory of such destruction was not something anyone can handle, not even him despite his newfound disposition. Elric owed his current state to the God Reckoning tribulation and that mysterious voice that helped him regain back his consciousness. If it did not come just at the right time, the world could have gone to great danger because of him. "They''re getting closer..." OMG Dash reminded Elric while tapping his head with his little flippers. "I know. I need time to concentrate. Is there any way you can hold them for some time?" "How do you expect me to fight them? With my current form, they could just swallow me like a fly!" "But you can transform right?" "You know how big my actual size right? How am I supposed to move? And don''t forget, it is you they are after not me! My cute little shell is not something they fancy a lot yah know." "Sigh, all right then." Under the shaking walls of the coral tunnel, Elric closed his eyes and immersed himself in the utmost concentration. Slowly, his mind drifted in darkness until he reached a door. This door was pitch black smoking with a terrible aura of corruption. This is the representation of the sealed power inside him. Using the purifying technique he learned from the shared knowledge of Great Seer Mhata, Elric started to touch the pitch-black door. WOooOOOm~ A pulling force suddenly engulfed Elric. He felt like his consciousness is being absorbed by the black door reminiscent of a powerful black hole. Not just his mind, but his sanity as well is being sucked forcefully. Elric was reminded by this powerful force and he stelled his heart to maintain his ground. Slowly, the corrupting smoke crawled out of the cracks from the door and crept slowly at Elric''s body. Realizing the corruption is starting to get a hold of him again, Elric''s eyes glared with unyielding determination. Casting the Authority of Fire with his will, he covered his whole essence with white purifying fire! SHUT! The door was pushed forcefully and the crawling smoke of corruption dissipated in instant. "I own this mind, you shall follow me. Only light shall bind me." With this small chant, Elric''s hand shone in blinding light of the white fire and the pitch-black door was instantly lit. Elric''s body in his mind shone brightly as the black door''s power was suppressed. The door slowly opened but not a single smoke of corruption came out. Like shadow meeting light, the corruption behaved like a little dog. Courage was not enough to face this darkness but confidence in your mind. With nothing to lose, Elric has every bit of courage he needed and the cleansing light brought by the God Reckoning Tribulation circulated in his body. Elric went inside this door while covered in blinding light like a shining heavenly being in a small room of darkness. The door immediately shut, and its pitch black color turns to white. *** Back in his physical body, Elric''s eyes opened slowly. After a few rounds of deep breathing, he stood up to face the reflecting rock before him not minding the distant screech of the Eels. Elric clenched his fist and his hand instantly transformed that resembles a Dragon''s arm. The harder he clenched this dragon arm, the more power he was accumulating. Thanks to his newfound enlightenment and only using a small part of the dragon essence''s power, the corruption of his mind did not come out. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The small turtle looked at Elric''s arm with a gaping mouth. Elric has slowly started to control the power of the Ancestral Dragon! BOOOOM!~ With the resounding shock and power, Elric smashed the reflecting rock that blocked his way with a single blow. The power of his punch reverberated all over the tunnel and the shock eventually reached the incoming Eels and scared them away as well. Elric stood proudly as the dust settled, revealing a beautiful horizon of colorful grass seaweeds and aquatic flora and fauna, he has never seen before. Focusing his eyes in a distance, Elric could see a city made of corals and a giant coral-like-palace that was as big as the mountains! Just as Elric was about to step out, his instincts kicked in and he immediately jumped forward and avoided an unexpected attack! Fwooosh-BOOOOM!~ Elric managed to grab the little turtle with him before the tunnel exit was further destroyed by an unseen power. Quickly, Elric scanned his surroundings and finally saw the culprit of the deadly attack. The destructive attempt came from a gigantic Octopus who was guarding the exit. Thank''s to Elric''s sensitiveness to temperature brought to him by Dragon''s eyes, he finally saw the well-camouflaged giant octopus staring back at him with hostility. "Giant snakes, giant turtles, giant eels and now giant octopus? Why am I always seeing giants this past few days? What''s next? Giant Mermaid?" Elric complained. 61 Water Prison Elric glared back at the hostile giant octopus when his instincts kicked again for the second time. "From the left..." Elric rolled down to his right side just right before a silver narwhale with five meter-long front tusk swished by aiming at his upper body. "now from right..." Elric moved back at his left just as a black narwhale passed barely avoiding being skewered by two deadly narwhales. Elric thought the charge attacks were finally over when he felt the white sand he was standing at moved. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Jump! Two huge claws reached out to clip Elric but he managed to leap upwards just avoiding the attack. Right after missing its first sneak attack, the red giant crab continued to chase after Elric by flapping its legs! Wooosh! Woosh! Woosh! Elric narrowly dodged every clip of the giant crab''s claw while the silver and black narwhale would also contribute by whizzing in from time to time at an unexpected angle. As much as he wanted to fight back, Elric knew that it could only bring on more wrath from the water Elementals instead knowing that these exit guardians are creatures appointed by the Lord of Water Realm; and the favor he would ask for in the future might just be as good as impossible. Thanks to Elric''s extraordinary agility, sharp eyes and, almost unlimited stamina; he managed to escape from his attackers and kept a safe distance away. Quickly, he found himself in a wide area with a better view of the location. But just when he thought he was finally safe, - FWOOOSH~ A thick cloud of black ink has covered his entire view! That darn octopus! Elric forgot that there is still that giant octopus sneaking in his back with its camouflage. Elric squeezed his eyes to enhance his vision but the black ink was too concentrated that even his dragon eyes were unable to discern his surroundings. "This is bad." since he wasn''t able to use his vision currently, Elric closed his eyes and switched to maximizing his senses of touch, smell, and hearing instead. But for some reason, this black ink was also capable of making him lose his sense of direction. "Huh? Why are they distancing away from me?" Elric was able to feel his attackers using heat and vibration in the water. He was surprised to realize that instead of attacking while he was visually impaired, they chose to back out instead. Knowing that moving recklessly was too dangerous, Elric decided to keep a defensive stance and prepared himself for any sneak attack just like before. Time passed by while Elric was still inside the thick fog of black ink when he realized something. "Huh?!" Elric could not help but standstill to his next revelation. The black ink has finally dissapeared and his vision laid down to thousands of sea creatures, mermaids and mermen, sea serpents and even a sea dragon has surrounded him from every direction. They all kept a hundred meters distance from him but each of them had a hostile glare towards Elric. Elric knew that escaping is now futile so he decided not to move and face them all instead. "I am impressed you managed to stay alive despite the numbers of my Gate Guardians..." Elric''s eyes traced the sound coming from a noble-looking merman with bluish skin. He stood tall atop a giant turtle that looked just like OMG Dash, however, this turtle is almost thrice the size of OMG Dash himself. "I am Aghus, the Lord of the Water Elemental Realm and..." Aghus looked at Elric with a creepy smile in his face. "you are under arrest for trespassing in my domain." Elric did not expected a warm welcome much be he never knew he will be arrested right away upon meeting the lord of the water elemental himself. With unfaced determination, EIric bowed down. "I apologized for trespassing into your domain and killing some of your precious guardians, however, I only came here because of a mission I must complete and me killing one of your Eels was only due to self-defense. What''s more I-" "Silence!" With an authoritative gaze, Aghus added, "Get him and throw him into the prison. If he resists, just cut his head off and bring him to me for dinner." 62 Heart Warming Welcome Eat me? What the heck! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric stood on guard as two bulky mermen walked closer towards him. The two of them emitted a dangerous aura paired with their sinister looks. It was Shuk and Kuys. The two most powerful mermen of the Water Realm. While Kuys appeared to have composure, Shuk, on the other hand, could not help but smile wickedly with obvious killing intentions in his greedy eyes. "Don''t you dare take a single bite to that human Shuk. We must wait for the Lord''s command first before we make any move. Right now, we are only here to capture that man, not eat it." Kuys calmly reminded Shuk. "I know right. I just can''t help this delicious scent I am smelling from such delicious meat! My mouth is aching to take even a small bite off him. I am sure it would be the most delightful experience of my life!" Shuk excitedly replied. Little did they knew that despite their distance, Elric could hear every single word they were babbling and he could not help but gulp down quiet a mouthful of saliva facing these savage mermen. Judging from their scars and heavy-bulky bodies, it is obvious that these creatures are warriors that he could not underestimate. As much as he would love to run away, unfortunately, the exit route back to the Outer Ocean has been blocked thanks to the Octupos''s attack. Elric could either fight his way out of here by releasing the seals or watch how things unfold for now. If it comes to worst, he can just force his way out with everything he got, but he might disappoint the Great Seer Mhata. As much as possible, Elric wants to try and talk to the lord of the Water Elementals, and he knew that fighting is not the only way to communicate. "I will come with you if that''s what it takes for me to prove my intent. But please, do not eat me. I still have a mission I need to finish." Elric resolutely declared towards Aghus and the latter just smiled back at him. "That is something that I decide and you have no right to make any form of request while in my realm. You are a human, a destroyer of the natural world. You ate our kind for your daily consumption, therefore it should also be normal for us to feast in your pathetic bones!" Aghus said with obvious indignation in his tone. It seems like Aghus hated Elric not just because he trespassed but also of his humanity. Raising his head higher with a condescending stare, Aghus continued. "You litter the ocean with your dirty thrash, you poison us to death including the small ones and destroy the homes of my kind. And now, you dare to come to the domain of the Water Elemental? I don''t care if that stupid bird sent you here. You are not welcome!" As much as Elric would like to defend his humanity, he was afraid that talking back with anger would only worsen the current situation. He decided to bow down and humble himself. "On behalf of our human race, I would like to ask for your forgiveness, Lord of the Water Elementals." Raising his head, he added: " While it is true that we, as humans, have done a considerable amount of damage to your kind; I would like to assure you that we also have people who are aware of this and are doing their best in protecting the ocean and your kind. That is why we made laws that protect the oceans and several species of your kind to maintain or at least bring back the balance in the world. It might not be much, but if you give us more time, we should be able to restore how the ocean used to be and-" "Silence! The damage you humans have done is irreversible. You are here to pay for the sins of your kind! Take him!" Elric was unable to continue explaining when Kuys threw away a small white rock before Elric which suddenly transformed into a giant clam straight out from the sand. "What the-" Elric was surprised at the sudden appearance of the white giant Clam, and it suddenly lunged forward and devoured him like a fish caught in the mouth of a gigantic whale. This giant clam was big enough like a small room and Elric was devoured inside for their custody. Elric knew that he must be patient for now and see where they are taking him. For at least, the Lord of the Water Elemental doesn''t seem to plan to kill him - or yet. Rather, they have plans to punish him and Elric was mentally preparing himself for such. 63 Auctioned Elric Elric remained calm despite being held as a prisoner in the world of the water elementals. Despite the trouble he has been thru, being a prisoner was a hundred times much better than losing control over your physical body. He was not able to see the view outside because of the inclosed clamshell, not to mention, it was too tight, dark and smelly inside this shell prison. Knowing that he can''t do anything, for now, he decided to use this time to meditate instead. After a couple of breaths, Elric was able to fall into deep meditation and he was back at the black door again. This black door is the mental representation of the sealed power of the corrupted Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. Elric has finally figured out how to resist the power of corruption by invoking the power of Authority of Fire and engulfing his spiritual essence with it. However, the longer he stayed inside this black door, the more powerful the pressure from the corruption and he was forced to leave away. If he wants to use the power of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence, he needs to enter that Black Door through his mind. But the risk is obvious, the longer he stayed in that room, the more danger he might get stuck in there with a great possibility of losing his sanity that could eventually spill up into the same catastrophe that he did back on the Physical Realm. "The Authority of Fire is my light in that room, but the essence of corruption was like a floor of ink that crawls to my spirit and gets absorbed. Once I get hold of the Authority of Water, I should be able to use it as a purifying essence that could help me battle the mental corruption." Elric opened his eyes after such a realization. His eyes reflected a peaceful and mindful state. All of a sudden, he felt that the shell has stopped moving. Elric knew from the vibration and momentum that the giant Prison Clam was being carried by those two mermen. THUD! The huge prison clam was put down to the ground with incredible weight. Quickly it opened its shell and Elric finally was allowed to step out. Slowly, he stepped out of the slimy mouth of the clam and he found himself standing in the middle of a vast royal courtyard. Casting his look all over him, he realized he was surrounded by noble-looking merfolks that stood with elegance and coldness. Some have curious looks while others are laughing back at him. Every single one of these merfolks, may it be male or female has outstanding beauty that matches those of the Miss Universe candidate''s appearance. Aside from the obvious sharp fangs in their mouths, their looks were something one can behold of. Hehehe... Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. So that is human. Wow, it did resemble us! except for the lower side which was a pair of feet instead. I can smell delicious meat from that creature. I think that is not an ordinary human. I have seen one before but this one did not have the same meat os the other ordinary human. what do you mean? I don''t know. I just think that this human is much more special. He should taste incredibly delicious! I am getting curious! Now you are talking! I hope the Lord could let us bite even for just one finger. Elric could see the sinister gazes of the merfolks around him and hear their hostile intention towards him. Judging from their actions, Elric realized that these merfolks are the same with humans who act as the apex predator on top of the food chain. It doesn''t matter if what kind of animal it is, may it be endangered species of turtle, tiger, sharks or whales, as long as they have meat, humans would always find ways to have a taste of it. Even if it means, risking the total number of such species. Elric looked back at these taste-curious merfolks. Despite their resemblance, they don''t see Elric as a just a human prisoner but a rare commodity as well. The two bulky merfolks whos stood guard behind him finally left together with the giant clam. Elric was left behind in the middle of the huge royal courtyard full of golds and colorful gems. Aghus was sitting idly in his golden throne made of beautiful pearls. His eyes were locked at Elric when he clapped to get everyone''s attention. Clap! clap! Immediately, everyone''s focused at Aghus as he stood from his golden throne. His blue skin reflected the light with beautiful refraction that decorated his whole body. "My children, this human has trespassed into our territory without respect to us. He killed two of our Guardian Eels and even destroyed the precious reflecting rock that keeps us safe from outside intruders." Aghus proclaimed with boldness and authority. "I was-" WHAAM! Elric wanted to reason but Aghus did not give him the opportunity as he simply waved his hand slightly and sent a water wave that slammed Elric to the ground with brutal force. With such an impact, Elric felt like a thousand-pound anchor had fallen from his head and it left terrible wounds at his upper body. Thank''s to his Dragon blood, his injuries quickly recovered on the spot, leaving the merfolks in utter surprise. Slowly, Elric stood back up and faced Aghus with serious looks. "Wow, how did he recovered that fast?" "Is that a natural human healing ability?!" "I don''t think so..." "I want that human so I can torture him as much as I want!" Seeing the reaction of his people, Aghus nodded in satisfaction and continued. "As you can see, this human is special." Aghus specifically emphasized the word ''special'' to further gather the merfolks curiosity. Special? How so? Now, everyone was really curious. "As you can see, these men are not just an ordinary human otherwise he would never make it past the gate guardians; but this one, flowing in his pathetic veins is the blood of a Royal Dragon Race!" "A Human with a Dragon Blood!?" "I want him!" "Finally a worthy creature!" "Fantastic. Now I am looking forward to this!" "If it is a human with the dragon blood, that means it is a rare commodity that can make us even more powerful!" "It''s about time that we step up our body quality!" Everyone lost their mind after realizing Elric has a Royal Dragon''s blood in his veins. However, only Aghus knew of the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon Essence inside him. "Now let us start the bidding. First up, right eye! The minimum bid is 10 golden pearls!" 64 Princes Diana With the first offer finally revealed, everyone reacted with excitement and anticipation. Elric, on the other hand, was dumbstruck at the sudden shift of the situation. It wasn''t that long when they captured him for being an intruder, but now, these people are betting on his left eye! "I bet 12 golden pearls for his right eye!" "Don''t spew crap, I can afford him with 20 golden pearls!" "Shut up peasants! I''ll take 50 for that eye and another 50 for the other eye!" "huek!~" This greedy merfolks, they are even fighting just for Elric''s body parts. As it appears, golden pearls are like a sort of currency in the Wate Realm. Unlike in the fire elemental realm where every fire elementals spent their time devouring each other like savage creatures, the Water Elemental beings are like nobles on a royal court. They act with pride and elegance while keeping their savage intention in their smiles which is in one way or another, the same with the natures of the fire elementals. The water realm revolves around the trading of golden pearls which is produced by rare golden clams. Each golden clams can produce 1 or 2 golden pearls every year and can is an essential material in creating various foods and components for powerfull enhancing elixer. Despite its shiny metallic sheen, the golden pearl is soft and delicious just like a regular-sized grape. As such, it is no mystery that every one of the noble merfolks currently in his royal courtyard owned their farms of golden clams. It is one of the most precious commodities in the water realm, especially for the noble merfolks, as it helps in improving their overall quality. If eaten raw, it gives tremendous temporary strength and defense boost that allows them to become twice as stronger as they are. The more golden pearl they ate, the power they become as its effects stacks with each golden pearl they consume. Of course, there is a drawback. The more golden pearl they eat, the slower and heavier they become. This is due to the heavy elements that are accumulated as the golden pearl grew inside the clam. Victims of overeating the golden pearls would greatly slowdown in their movements and traces of excess rocks would form on their body like unwanted craggy shells. "100 golden pearls for the right eye! Going once!" being a bored lord, Aghus took delight in his authority not just as the lord of the water elemental realm but as the auction host as well. With his people crazily betting to get hold even for a small part from this human, Aghus could not help but smile in satisfaction. You lay our kinds in your so-called market and you humans with pay for us as well. Now, how does it feel being sold like a fish? With, a victorious smile, he continued... "Going twice! Anyone?... " Aghus scanned the facing and he could see the greed in their eyes shone in anticipation. Perhaps, their fish folks are reserving their money for the best parts. Knowing this, he was about to end the bet when suddenly, a loud voice from a mermaid resounded across the room. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I am betting a hundred thousand golden pearls for the whole human body.", Elric may not understand how much that means, but judging from the initial price of his right eye, he could tell that a hundred thousand amount of golden pearl is such an unexpected amount. He traced where the sound came from only to see a beautiful mermaid proudly standing in the entrance of the court. With the tired look in her eyes, Elric could tell that she rushed herself to come here just to make a bet. In anger, everyone responded with resentment from the proud claim. "Is this mermaid crazy?" "A hundred thousand? I could barely make fifty in just one year!" "Even if we all combine the amount of everyone''s golden pearl, we could not even reach fifty thousand! Just where did she get that amount of golden pearls?" "Wait, isn''t that?!" "huh!?" Aghus''s joyful eyes suddenly warped into seriousness. The moment he laid his eyes at this mermaid, his mouth could not help but show a fang or two. Quickly, he hid his deep resentment and took on a fake smiling facade. "Oh, look what do we have here! It''s the traitor''s daughter!" Aghus quickly moved from his throne and went closer towards the newly arrived mermaid. With an arrogant tone, he leaned forward with a creepy smile, "And what brings you to my royal court? Ex-princess Diana, Daughter of the traitor King Mahar? May I remind you that every member of your family is not welcome in my kingdom?" "I come in peace with nothing but intention to purchase that human." Diana''s sparkling blue eyes glowed with resolution. She stood firmly at the door without being intimidated at Aghu''s smirk. She has golden hair, a small face with a very slim waist and beautiful tail decorated with sparkling red scales, which also resembles royalty in her blood. The merfolk''s social status can be defined through the colors of their scales. The lowest class has blue and indigo scales in their tails, the middle class has yellow or green, while noble ones have orange and those with royal blood have red tails. The deeper the red color, the purer their blood to royalty. It is a fact that Diana, is one of the daughters of the late king Mahar who was killed in a suspicious accident after he was suspected of opening a forbidden portal that could have risk the entire water elemental realm. With the conflict of interest in the water elemental realm and following the power hierarchy, Aghus successfully claimed the Lordship of the water elemental realm and took control of the entire kingdom -kicking the last of Lord Mahar''s family right after when they refused to take his offer to become his slaves. Diana, the youngest daughter of the late Lord Mahar did not back down at Aghus''s threat. With a determined look, she talked back: "Just tell me if you are willing to sell me that human. I don''t want to waste my time staying in a court stained with betrayal and corruption." "Oh, what a brave words!" Aghus smiled wickedly upon hearing Diana''s reply. He gave Shuk and Kuys a gaze and both of them responded with a nod. 65 Saved By The Mermaid Princess Everyone listening to them listened with great interest. After all, Diana is once one of the most influential figures before the death of her father and Aghus came into power. At the least, half of the crowd is still actually in her side, especially with the questionable cause of death of the late king Mahar. Moving across the court for a few rounds, pretending like he was deeply thinking, Aghus finally came to a halt and smiled greedily. "I am afraid I cannot sell to you this human my dear little princess.." "And the reason?" Diana frowned from his answers and anger slowly swell up in her. She expected much that she won''t be getting her hands of such a rare commodity. She hesitantly came here to purchase that human following her father''s command and knowing Aghus''s scheming nature, she knew it was not an easy task to complete. "Well you see, the truth is, considering that this human has Royal Dragon''s blood flowing in his veins, I figured that the price has just doubled by his powerful benefits to us." "Doubled the price?!" Diana could not help but clench her fist in anger. This hateful lord! "Take it or leave it," Aghus replied nonchalantly. "I will take it." Diana immediately decided. "Oh? You will?" Aghus smiled wickedly as he signaled Shuk and Kuys to go around and capture her when Diana suddenly raised her head to face him. "Yes. By force." A face full of determination flashed in her eyes as she swiftly slammed her huge red-tails at the royal ground. BAAAM! Diana''s powerful tail sent a powerful shock wave that pushed every one surrounding her with a terrifying force except Aghus. "Hah! You need to do better than that brave little princes!" Aghus stood proudly after successfully defending himself from Diana''s sudden attack and just when he was about to cast his skill against her - MOOOOOOOOOONNNNGH~ CRASH!~ "Aaaaah!" "We are under attack!" "To your formation!" "My Lord" Everyone was in disarray when a great blue whale the size of a cruise ship covered in golden armor slammed at the floating golden palace! This blue whale is Diana''s pet and just responded to protect its master by hitting the grand golden palace with its massive body, shaking everyone inside it. The golden armor of the great blue whale managed to absorbed the damage of the impact and continued to ram against it for other rounds. The powerful impacts caused tremors all over the palace, fortunately, this floating golden palace was made of gold and was not that easy to destroy, much less a scratch. However, this attack did manage to catch the nobles and royal soldiers off guard causing them to respond with utter chaos. While some royal soldiers attacked with golden spears and arrows, the golden armor kept the giant whale from vital-threatening attacks. With such a huge threat, the whole royal army was dispatched and engaged into a furious battle with a loose whale covered in golden armor! Right after the impact, a strong tornado of water suddenly gushed out of nowhere and hit Aghus from his back, sending him quite a distance away. That powerful current was water forcefully expelled from the giant whale''s blowhole. "How dare you play water with me! Raaah!" With veins bulging in his head, Aghus forcefully dissipated the powerful current by his bare willpower. His eyes burned with rage and anger. Recomposing himself from the impact, Aghus''s long bluish hair was all around his face as he scanned the surroundings with his red angry eyes looking for traces of Diana. "The human!" A realization dawned on him and immediately panned the messed up courtyard with with his vision and quickly saw Diana rushing towards Elric. "I see you were after that human after all.." Aghus quickly made haste to chase after Diana. "What is going on here..." Elric was unable to understand the situation as he looked at the beautiful mermaid rushing towards him. He was able to brace for the impact of the whale''s attack thanks to his extraordinary instinct that always warns him from incoming danger. Seeing the troubles coming closer to him, Elric wanted had an urge to run away. But for some reason, he could feel that the mermaid swimming close to him did not harbor any ill intentions or else, his dragon-senses could have warned him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hide here!" swiftly, Diana threw a white piece of shell that instantly transformed into a giant red clamshell. It flew towards Elric with an open mouth seemingly inviting him to get inside. Trusting his instinct, Elric was about to jump in when he sensed danger coming from behind him and immediately dodged to the sides. WHAAM! "UGH!" With his own greedy intentions of having a taste of the human meat, Shuk sneaked behind Elric aiming to devour him whole when the latter suddenly slide to the side and a giant red Clam front-faced smacked him down instead! "No.." Failing to get Elric into her clam container, Diana continued and reached to grab Elric instead when Kuy suddenly appeared from behind and grabbed her tail before she could reach her goal. "Got you! Hahaha! Where do you think you are going you princess trouble?" Kuys, who also happened to recover from the impact, laughed maniacally as he slowly pulled back Diana with his scaly hands. 66 Aghuss Power "Let go! I command you!" "Ohhh, I am so scared. Muwhahahaa! Lord Aghus! Hurry!" "Hand''s off my sister! "Huh?" Unexpectedly coming in from the ceiling, holding on in a speeding red dolphin covered in golden armor, is another beautiful mermaid with royal-red scales. She is Donna, the second princess of the late Lord Mahar. Her face resembled that of Diana only a little bit more mature. With a flick of a small conch shell from her hand, a bluish wave of ink rushed out and instantly covered Kuys body. "Freeze!" The newly arrived mermaid chanted as the bluish ink suddenly hardened into ice that slowly crippled along Kuy''s body. This conch shell is a magical relic gifted to her by her father Lord Mahar. It can release blue ink that and turns into ice with her will. "Hah! This is not enough to stop me!" Seeing that the princess continued to seriously pour out the blue ink from a tiny conch shell, Kuy immediately reacted by moving furiously that disables the ice to completely freeze him. With this, Donna was able to succesfully delayed Kuy''s plan. Meanwhile, seeing that Kuy has released his grip from her, Diana did not waste any more time and grabbed Elric by his hand. Elric on the other hand went along with her right after he heard a little voice hiding from his clothes. He quckly made a light nod and hurried along the beautiful mermaid princess. "Thank you sister." Diana swam hurriedly towards Elric after a quick gratitude while Donna responded with a quick nod. "No one is going anywhere!" Seeing that Diana was about to escape with the human, Aghus summoned his water elemental authority in his palm and with a forceful heavy slam, a powerful sucking vortex formed before him in an instant. "Hmp!" controlling the vortex Aghus aimed the sucking force at Diana, Donna, and Elric which immediately caused them to slowly fall back towards the pulling force of the vortex. "You dare to mess with the Lord of the Water Elemental in his courtyard!?" With rage, Aghus raised his other arm and summoned a bluish water blade that can cut through any forms of rocks, not even the golden interior of the courtyard was spared from its brandishing sharpness! "Now Die!" With burning hate, Aghus aimed to slash the three of them into pieces when a giant turtle just suddenly popped out from Elric''s clothes blocking the water blade with its indestructible shell. CLAAANG! The sound of the water blade ramming into OMG Dash''s shell reminded Elric of the sound of a sword hitting a flat steel shield! Feeling the powerful pulling force sucking the two princes and the hugon kid, Dash spat out a huge dark pearl towards Aghus at blinding speed! "Do you think you will scare me with that ball you ugly turtle?" Aghus mocked the giant turtle''s attack as he created a compressed water shield to protect himself, however - BOOOM! Contrary to his expectation, this huge black pearl was not an ordinary ball as it exploded with such unexpected might and Aghus was sent flying out of his courtyard and straight into the outer wall of the golden palace. "Who you calling ugly? You dare to call yourself as the Lord of the water Elemental realm when you are that weak?! You don''t even possess half of Lord Mahar''s might!" the little turtle who transformed into a giant version of himself had an unexpected coolness and loyalty in him. The seemingly beautiful pearl acted like a detonating cannonball that immediately exploded upon impact! "My Lord!" Shuk was still stuck under the big-red clamshell and he recklessly moved himself to get out of the situation and help his lord. STOMP! In his giant form, Dash did not hesitate the squash down this arrogant and greedy army of Aghus. "Dash!" "little Dash!" With gladness and surprise, the two little princesses hugged OMG Dash''s big body like a little girl seeing their beloved pet after losing it for a long time. Elric on the other side was a little surprised that the arrogant little turtle would save him this time. Now he is not sure if this is still part of the test in obtaining the Authority of Water or it just happens that there is a current power struggle in the water elemental realm. Seeing the confused look in Elric, Dash quickly said, "I will explain later hugon kid. Right now, we must leave the palace and go with these girls." Knowing that time is of the essence and that Aghus must not be underestimated, they immediately rushed out of the golden palace. Seeing the fleeing enemies, the royal army of Aghus switched their attention from the giant whale to the fleeing suspects. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Right when they were getting closer to intercept them, a stinging feeling of shock and poison assaulted their bodies that greatly incapacitated them. Immediately the culprit revealed from an almost invisible web of a deadly giant jellyfish. "Not on my watch!" Another mermaid with bright red scales that greatly resembled Diana and Donna suddenly appeared a top of a red humongous Jellyfish the size of a small house. It was Danna, the oldest of the three. Her pet is the giant red jellyfish that was responsible for stunning hundreds of soldiers and dangerous fishes that threaten her sisters. It''s stinging transparent tentacles are scattered all around the kingdom, keeping everyone inside it in check. Aghus on the other hand had his eyes closed tightly. His mouths chanting nonstop with mysterious words while waiving his hands high. Suddenly every fish and residents of the whole Water Realm stopped moving. And like a robot with their power switched on, they all moved together at the same time - rushing towards the fleeing mermaids and human to stop them. Like a hoard of zombies trampling each other, the merfolks under the control spell of Aghus, rampaged their way just to stop Elric and the crew from leaving. 67 Aghuss madness The great whale immediately reacted unhesitatingly and slammed against the crowd of zombified merfolks and water creatures. With its massive body, it was able to shove away the relentless attacks of the merfolks and various sea creatures thanks to its golden armor. The scene reminded Elric of a single giant beetle shoving its way forcefully against the crown of thousand tiny ants. "Sister Danna, Thank you! you were right just on time! huhu, " Diana hugged her eldest sister tightly with gladness and she could not help but cry a few tears. "No big deal, it is my responsibility to make sure that we leave this cursed place safe." Donna followed up while patting Diana''s head and added: "You were so brave back there. Father would have been very proud of you." A hint of sadness, longing, and tears slowly crept in the atmosphere of the three comforting beautiful sisters. While moving away from the City of Aghus, the giant whale forced its way out from Aghus''s zombie army while being backed up by a speeding dolphin, a stinging jellyfish and a giant turtle that relentlessly spewed destruction wherever his black pearl hits. "I still don''t understand. Why do we have to risk our lives saving a weak human?" Donna, the second princess suddenly complained. "It was the father''s dying wish that we must save his, sister." Diana reminded. "I know. But just look at him! He may look a little handsome but he is still a weakling!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I heard he has dragon blood in him." Danna inquired. "Is that it? We can just sneak into the human realm and catch a few ones if that is the case. I still don''t understand why we have to go through all the trouble! Our family is down to the last three of us and we still have to come back to this godforsaken place just to save a mere human!" "sister..." Diana was not able to answer her anymore. Danna, the eldest and the quite one of all three remained on guard at the front. She may have questions herself but she has better control over her emotions and choose to trust her father''s dying wish. After all, Lord Mahar, their father, is a wise and respectable Lord of the Water Elemental Realm for thousands of years. If it wasn''t for that sudden unexpected accident in the Dark Trench, they should have still enjoyed a rich and peaceful life as princes of the Water Realms. Donna vented out all her anger and complains as she could not help but be discouraged at the human before her. For her, Elric is just an ordinary human aside from the dragon blood flowing in him. Seeing Elric''s eyes that lacks power and fury, she could not help but prejudice him with weakness and unreliability. Perhaps, their father made a mistake? Or should we just risk it all for this man? Donna could still remember her father''s last words clearly in her mind. "A time will come that a human with dragon''s blood will arrive in our kingdom. Treat him well and protect him with everything we''ve got, for that human, will be the last hope of our realm." And with these last words, her father''s body dissipated into clear white sand that scattered into the dark coldness of the water realm. Following the power hierarchy, it was Aghus, despite his vile nature, that came to possess the power closest to Lord Mahar and was automatically hailed as the next Lord to dominate the Water Elemental Realm, however, he soon turned the world of the Water Realm into his unruly control and greed. Changing priorities from moral integrity to power and golden pearls! Not minding the thoughts of the princess behind him, Elric is now standing safe at the back of the great whale, He observed everything with his sharp eyes and soon found the crux of the trouble. "Sigh..." Shifting his facial emotion from curiosity to one with a resolute face, his body started to conjure fire in his hands. Immediately, the three princess mermaids noticed Elric''s blazing hand and stepped hurriedly stepped back with caution and surprise in their eyes. They have not a pinch of the idea that Elric, just like the Great Seer Mhata of the fire elemental realm, possesses the power of absolute control of fire element - the Authority of Fire! Seeing that his zombie merfolks are not working to stop the fleeing intruders, Aghus hastily stopped his chants and changed his form. This time, he is planning to move the entire geographical state of the whole city and use it to crush Elric and his saviors. Touching the ground with his bluish scaly hands, a magical formation started to flow across the entire coral city to flex the beautiful coral land and use it to bury them down - all without minding the number of casualties of his people! Aghus''s mouth moved rapidly as he was about to finish his ritual and a savage smile covered his entire face. His eyes grew with insanity and his bulging veins twitched in magical pressure! "That human is mine! Huwahahahahaha!" Aghus laughed maniacally as he summoned every bit of his power and released it all at once! And with a sudden upward swipe of his hands, the coral city lunged upwards, creating massive quakes and destruction along the way like a sheet of paper being lunged in the air! The coral city rose from the ground like a mountain-sized wave aiming to stop and bury the fleeing whale covered in gold! All while not minding the damage it can incur to his people! For Aghus, Elric''s blood and meat are just a commodity worth more than the value of thousand mere folks, buildings, and water creatures and he truly believes that such sacrifice is necessary. All along, he made an announcement declaring a certain human with special dragon blood will be available for nobles of his kingdom as a chance for a breakthrough. Therefore, he pretended to host an auction also to get as much as many golden pearls as a supplemental aid in his breakthrough after consuming Elric! The body parts being auctioned was just his trap to force the nobles to squeeze every ounce of their golden pearls from their respective golden pearl farms and kill them all on the spot. Once he breakthrough his next level, his words shall be the absolute law and no one of the creatures of the water elemental realm could stand against him! At the same time, the legacy of Lord Mahar will be erased from his record alone! For Aghus, Elric was the blessing sent by heaven that he has been waiting for thousands of years! A drop of royal dragon blood could induce miraculous effects for ordinary humans turning them into extraordinary people with otherworldly strength and vitality! Imagine its effects on consuming the whole blood and body? 68 Coral Mountain "What is happening in our city?" "Kwaaaa!~" "Please stop me! Why can''t I control my body!?" "Help me I am stuck in this rocks!" "Why is the city moving?" "Uwaaa..." "Isn''t this an ability of the Lord? Why is he destroying his city and people? "My home! My family!" "I knew it. That Lord Aghus does not care about us at all. The princesses were right before they left this kingdom!" The merfolks and creatures of the coral city panicked and were in utter chaos as they hurriedly searched for an escape route only to end up crashing against one another while death and destruction were everywhere. Some are angry while others are gravely disappointed. Not only did Aghus has resorted to using the people of his kingdom as his tools and, he even has the guts to flip the whole city just to catch a bunch of mermaids and human. Do we mean nothing to you? As much as they wanted to stop and escape, the controlling spell still got a hold of the majority of the merfolks and the sea creatures. They continued their assault against Elric''s crew against their own will. It doesn''t matter how many are getting killed, Argus doesn''t seem to have any plans to stop soon. "By the Authority as the Lord of the Water Realm, hear thy command! Rise Mountain Giant! Devour anything and become bigger! Don''t let that whale escape! Higher! Rise!" Aghus commanded the rapidly growing monster with madness as he pointed at the fleeing whale. "Behold! My ultimate summon! Coral mountain!" With the ground slowly lifting, the coral city was slowly tilted into becoming part of an accumulating rubble mountain. Aghus was creating a mountain size monster to chase after Elric and the crew! With its sheer overall size that reaches hundreds of kilometers and unimaginable power, burring the fleeing whale is already guaranteed. This monster mountain used the surrounding creatures, rocks, and buildings as its body. Against this oversized monster made of coral buildings and sea creatures, the whale that Elric and the 3 princesses were riding was like a little mouse compared to an oversized adult human. While channeling the summing spell, Aghus could not help but struggle in pain and exhaustion. After all, this is not an ordinary spell that can be used easily. As the formal Lord of the Water Elemental, it was only normal for him to have authority to control everyone under his jurisdiction except those royal mermaids who have red tails. One must know that Aghus is a oranged tailed creature which means, he is unable to put that royalty with red tails under his control. Unless he gains their trust, he has no other means to stop them but to use his power! This summoning spell uses the lives of the creatures and coral structures as a source of its energy, Aghus is only responsible for summoning it, give the command, and maintain the channeling spell to allow it to continue building up its body as much as it wants. "Noo! Why am I losing my energy? I can''t move!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Help! The ground is eating me! Somebody pull me!" "Kyaaaaah~: "Ahhh!~" "Mother! Father! Where are you!?" "Mooooooaaaang~" "Why is the Lord doing this? Why is destroying everything just to summon that creature?" "Stop him! Anybody! We big you!" "It is too late..." "My body... it''s quickly getting old!" "Ack!~" The people and the creatures of the water realm are unable to move away from the growing coral monster. The hard ground suddenly felt like mud that holds them to the ground - draining their vitality at the same time. In just a couple of minutes, the total number of merfolks made a quick dive down as hundreds of them dying from having their vitality sucked dry by the coral monster. Those who managed to resist the wide control power tried their best to hammer and stop the ever-massive coral giant to no avail. While those who figured out that it was Aghus who holds the key to stop it also made an attempt only to be sucked by the ground and used as extra energy. Watching all of the death and destruction happening before Elric reminded him of that time when he lost control of himself and had fallen to the corruption of the Ancestral Dragon essence. His eyes reddened at the sight and sound of people begging for mercy. And the lifeless body of those who were sucked dry of their lives because of this summoning. While they fleed to get away from Aghus''s domain, lives are being lost, houses being destroyed, dreams and hopes dissipate before his very eyes. "All of this because of me..." Elric suddenly realized. "this is enough." Knowing that everything will only get worse the more they run further. Elric has resolved to finally fight back. The coral mountain beast has finally completed its form. It has no eyes nor any hands. It was just a giant conscious wave made of hard stones, corals, sea creatures and so on. And as commanded, it swiftly chased after Elric and the crew, reaching them in just a few breathes. Without hesitation, this giant coral mountain beast opened its humongous mouth to devour the fleeing whale. Its sheer size alone brought unfathomable pressure that would make any normal people or merfolks to stood in shock. 69 Fighting Back! CRAAASH! The giant coral mountain beast''s attempt to devour them failed as the whale suddenly sprinted with all its strength. It has finally let go of its heavy golden armor which had been dragging it slowly all this time. With this speed boost, they manage to gain an extra distance away from the giant monster. However, the more time passes, the giant monster''s body continued to expand and became faster, brining unprecedented damage to the kingdom itself. "Stop the whale." Elric suddenly said. The three mermaid princess was surprised at his command and Donna quickly rebutted. "Why do you think should we listen to you? Can''t you see we are getting chased by that giant mountain monster? Where is your brain human? Was it too polluted too?" "Donna..." Diana was about to talk to Donna when Danna suddenly made a command to the giant whale. "Moo-moo stop." "Huh? Are you crazy!? Sister will be dead if we stop now! Look! It is gaining on us! Moomoo don''t stop!" Donna immediately runs to Danna with a frightened look. With the sister fighting, Moomoo, the giant whale chooses to continue running. After all, it also doesn''t want to get devoured by the giant coral mountain monster. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Contrary to Donna''s panicked tone, Danna asked Elric in a very calm manner. "So what is your plan human?" "I am going to end this fight here. After all, what''s gonna happen to this place? Aren''t you girls princesses? Aren''t you going to help your dying people?" Elric asked with curiosity. Donna smiled walked closer towards Elric with elegance. Her small lips and white beautiful face, reminiscent of a water goddess. "Just to correct you human, we ''were once'' princesses of this land. But, ever since we lost our father, Lord Mahar, we lost our footing in the kingdom as it was Aghus who has power closest to our father." Now facing the vast world of the water Elemental realm, she continued: " The power and authority of the realm lordship automatically transfer to those who possess the strongest power in a certain realm no matter how many suitable blood-related successors he has. The lordship power only acknowledges the power and not the royalty of blood despite its social status. Hence, it was only normal that Aghus succeeded to the throne instead of us." Looking at Elric she smiled, "Our father Lord Mahar was loved and respected by everyone compared to Aghus. Father was gentle, kind and wise and he was the most friendly of all Elemental Lords." With teary eyes, she continued, "Father was too friendly that he even became friends with lords of all Elemental realms." "Do you mean including the Great Seer Matha?" "Yes." "I see." Elric pondered for a moment before he continued. "Then, If that is the case, we are allies and not enemies." "What do you mean-" Danna was about to ask further when she realized that Elric has already jumped out of the great whale towards the chasing giant coral mountain beast. "Are you crazy!? You will be sucked by that beast! We did not risk our lives just to let you die a pathetic death!" Donna bellowed angrily while Diana was stared at the falling Elric. "Father, is it really alright to trust this human?" Danna murmured to herself. They all watched Elric falling to the ground with unexplained mixed feelings. Donna was madly shouting, Diana was worried about her hands clasped together while Danna was calm and continued to focus on driving away from the whale. She does not fully trust Elric''s abilities yet even if he has the Dragon''s blood. Nevertheless, she could use the time Elric would by for them to escape. After all, they did their part. It was just that the human was too foolish to think he can take on the giant coral mountain beast alone. She believes as the eldest of the three sisters, she has the right to prioritize her sister''s lives before an unknown human with little to nothing abilities. Right before Elric was about to land to the ground, he summoned the wings of fire and immediately rose back up towards the face of the giant monster. With the fluidity of the water, his body managed to adapt to this new environment and adjust to it like air itself. He adjusted his wings to appear more flowing and soft like fish fins. "What!?" "Fire!?" "Impossible! Is this the power of a dragon?" The three sister mermaids immediately stupified at the sudden burst of brilliant burning wings at the back of Elric. They could not connect how the fire was able to burn in the water realm when it was its elemental nemesis. What they did not know is Elric''s Wings of Fire is not made up of normal chemical composition primarily made of carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen, and nitrogen-oxygen to maintain its burning state, it was made from his own spiritual will given by the Great Seer Matha. In a sense, his power of Authority of Fire fully depends on his own will. The more powerful his will power is, the stronger the Authority of Fire becomes! Spear of fire! FWOOOOSH~ An orange-brilliant spear made of fire suddenly appeared in Elric''s hands. With a serious look, a started throwing them towards the giant monster. KYANG! KYANG! BOOM! BOOM!~ Elric summoned spears after spears while mercilessly bombing the giant coral mountain beast. With each strike comes a powerful impact and explosion that sends a huge chunk of rubles everywhere. Shockwaves, strong enough to send one a hundred meters away continued to wave with each impactful burning spear and the giant coral mountain beast could not help but finally slow down. 70 Borrowing The Power Of The Ancestral Dragon "Hmp!" Seeing that his summoned creature is taking huge damage at Elric''s attack, Aghus could not help but frown in seriousness. He did not expect that the spear of fire Elric wielded against his guardian Eels was this powerful. It appears that he could have wiped all his guardian Eels out if he had taken the fight seriously. Perhaps, it was because he was lacking the will to kill that those guardian Eels are still happily breathing right now. "Well, let''s see who drains their power first! I have a whole realm to replenish my summon''s body after all!" With such a powerful spear it''s slowly pecking away its mountainous body, Aghus swiftly focused his spell control on recovering its damaged body instead of advancing. After all, his target is right now standing before him wielding his fire toys against his bad boy beast. The way Aghus sees it, Elric is already as good as served in a silver platter, it just happens that he was just steaming hot at the moment and it burns his tongue before he could move to take a bite. The best solution is to wait until all its heat is gone! It was all thanks to the natural gift of the Dragon''s blood that Elric managed to recover his stamina at an incredible rate. However, the more he struck the giant coral mountain beast with his spear, the faster it continued to recover its body. What''s worst is that the land of the water realm is being used as its spare body, dragging everything from rocks to fishes and creatures to become patch tools and repair its blown body. With renewed energy in his eyes, Aghus braced himself up and focused all his energy on fixing the damaged body of the giant coral mountain beast. The moment Elric lost his energy, he would be too tired to run away and until then, he is just as good as dead! Watching this scene, the previous soldiers and the three mermaid princess was struck in mixed feelings of astonishment, regret, and fear. Donna, the one who had been wrecking her mouth all this time calling Elric weak was unable to speak a word while her eyes are eagerly glued at Elric''s glorious back, beautifully decorated by brilliantly burning wings of fire! She is now unable to understand her feelings. Diana and Danna, on the other hand, were happily cheering. They never expected that someone could stand against the mighty power of the Lord of the Water realm! And to add it all, the one fighting the most powerful being currently in the water realm is the same human they considered the weakest of them all. " Hahahaha! Is that all you got human!?" Aghus still had the energy to taunt Elric with a crazed laugh. With these taunts, he wanted Elric to continue attacking until his energy finally depletes. Despite its incredible impact, Elric''s spear of fire only managed to get inside the body for a short while before it dissipated. It lacked power in stopping the giant beast. As more time passes by, Elric could feel his vision starting to blur and his strength slowly leaving his body. Yes, he still had the stamina and he could breathe just fine. The problem lays in his depleting spiritual power and his seemingly futile attacks causing his will to stoop down. The impact of his spear has gradually declined from thunderous blows into merely damaging spears. Elric still has the will but he lacks the strength to summon the power blows. Slowly, the giant coral mountain beast crept its way towards Elric''s direction with an astonishing recovery rate! "Is this all that I can do?" With one more attack, Elric finally lost his balance as he reached his spiritual limit. His will is down and his spiritual energy depleted, Elric''s body quickly stiffed and slowly fell towards the ground. "Finally! Dragon blood is mine! Hahahaha!", seeing Elric''s body suddenly stiffened due to spiritual energy depletion, Aghus could not help but laugh maniacally. With a waving point of his hand, the giant coral mountain beast hastily slinked its way towards the unconscious Elric. This is exactly the chance that Aghus has been waiting for. Once he got his hands on that human''s body, the dragon blood inside him should allow him to push through his power bottleneck and his dream of dominating the entire Elemental realm should be as easy as a walk in the park! The damage to the water realm is nothing of his concern. For Aghus, everyone is just a tool. Despite his unwillingness, he has been faking his way through the ranks all this time, please the people of the water realm and the previous Lord Mahar until he got an opportunity to cheat him that causes his death without his own hands getting dirty. But now, the realization of his dreams is finally in his hands! He has secured the golden pearls as his rice and the dragon blood and meat inside Elric will be his main dish for a breakthrough fiesta! No one can stop me! A few seconds later, he started laughing even more as Elric brandished his Spear of fire against his coral-mountain-beast nonstop but with a pale face! The damage the latter caused could not even amount to any value! It was like punching against the solid rock using a needle! "Whahahaha! See!? You can''t defeat me." Aghus''s smiled creepily as it widened to his ears with excitement and agitation. His sharp ugly teeth and gums fully in preview. The giant coral mountain beast is just a hundred meters away from Elric but for Aghus, it felt like it was the longest minute in his life! Elric''s mind raced thinking of a solution. He knew that fighting against this giant monster would only cast more dead merfolks. For some reason, he was angry, not because of the enemy but of himself. The damage is only getting worse and more innocent people of the water realm are dying. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. This is the same scene that happened before! The dead people, the burning town and the last smile of his grandma. All of these came back and an unexpected bright burning fire flared up inside him. "I need more power." With his body dropping towards the ground, Elric''s mind came back to the black door with desperation. WHOOOOHM~ With a determined look, his feet started to move and he entered the room while covered in bright burning fire. Facing the dark room full of Ancestral Dragon''s essence, Elric grabbed the shadowy energy lingering in the room with his brightly burning hands. "Let me borrow the power of the Ancestral Dragon." 71 Aghus Water Blades Slowly, with his approval and unfazed determination, Elric forced his fire to burn against the invasive smoke of corruption. And with a crisp steaming sound, the essence of the Ancestral Dragon slowly made its way out of his soul and immediately absorbed back to his physical body through the pores. "Just, ten percent should be enough or I would not be able to control it." Elric opened his eyes and slowly stood up from the ground. He faced the pursuing giant coral mountain beast with an unfazed calmness. Aghus was still safely standing in his spot at the gates of the Golden castle a few miles away from his current location - laughing and greedily salivating in his early celebration. With the giant coral mountain beast inching closer and closer, Elric suddenly kneeled with his eyes closed. "He has finally given up! Whahahaha!" Aghus''s howled in joyful laughter after seeing Elric kneeling to his giant summoned beast. This is the best scene he could ever imagine! Seeing his praying bowing down before him was just too satisfying as it only shows how dominant his overall power was! See this Mahar? Not even this powerful warrior with dragon blood and destructive spear can stand against my might! You should just watch in vain of my glory wherever you are right now! WAAANG!~ The next moment, Aghu''s maniac hollering stopped as his eyes almost popped out of its socket. A brilliant beam of light had just flashed over his view and the next moment a deafening collapse of the giant beast of him reverberated across the water realm. His proud creation - the giant coral mountain beast was vertically sliced apart into two leaving a deep burning deep cleave at the center! Standing at the far end of the scorching ground is a man with bright burning wings of fire and a sword the emitted a blue fiery blaze. This is the exact sword that cut the gigantic summon he just made which he was so proud of just a few seconds ago. Elric''s eyes were glaring with unholy authority. Watching at the dominating power of Elric, Aghus could not help but choke on his saliva. "Hurry! We are saved!" "That was too close! Hurry! Let''s run away from here." "Our Lord has gone mad!" "Oooong~" Every merfolks and creatures who managed to survive from the damage caused by the giant coral mountain beast heaved a deep sigh of relief. However, they knew that anything could still happen and with hurried looks, everyone continued to dash away from the battlefield. Aghus stood in shock. Elric''s revitalized presence alone sent shivers down his spine and his instinct was in full alarm sending him no fight or flee signals but RUN and NEVER RETURN instead! The blazing fiery sword brought along sharpness and destruction that tends to slice anything and everything in its path! With Elric wielding it around with unexplainable power, it was bound to be a massacre! RUN! It was the only thing in the mind of Aghus but his heart and pride glued on him on the spot. It was just a moment ago when the chicken was readily served in a plater, how come it suddenly came back to life and even transformed into a phoenix? No! I refuse to back down! Gritting his teeth, Aghus decided to fight back despite his instinct telling him to flee. Desperation and madness clouded his eyes to see the vast difference in their power. "I am the Lord of the Water realm! No one is higher than me in this world! All the water beings are mine to control and use! I call thee, Unholy Sacrifice!" with his last remaining strength, Aghus suddenly raised his hands and a black aura channeled out of his body and scattered towards the remaining creatures of the water realm. Every living thing from beautiful water plants, giant octopus, giant crabs, mountain-sized whales, and merfolks, everyone who was hit by the channeled dark aura suddenly dropped down as their strength and vitality left them and merged with Aghus thru the dark aura. Even the summoned gigantic coral mountain beast stopped moving as the life it was given was being sucked back to its owner. In an instant, Aghus''s power rose to an unprecedented level. Desperate times call for desperate measures. He was more than willing to sacrifice every single creature of the water realm just to heed his call of desperate power. With Elric as an impetus for this change, Aghus gladly received the power from an unholy sacrifice with open arms. This time, Aghus has lost himself in greed for power. The dark aura of the Unholy Sacrifice darted straight towards Elric wanting to take his life as well but with a simple flick from the latter, the dark aura dissipated like tiny bubbles. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Seeing the horrible effect on the creatures of the water realm by the dark aura from Aghus, Elric made no further hesitation as he suddenly turned into a blur. Elric dashed around brandishing his sword of fire with unimaginable speed, saving the last remaining creatures of the water realm from the dark aura while leaving multiple afterimages behind. Whooosh!~Wooosh!~ Whoosh~ "What!" Seeing Elric cutting and stopping his branching dark aura, Aghus hurried to absorb the power and digested them right away. "Stop him!" Aghus commanded his soldiers to stop the incoming Elric but he soon realized that every single army that he had are now nothing but armor and bones scattered everywhere. "I guess this power should be enough to take care of this fire bat, perhaps its time I show some real lord-level power!" With overwhelming power gushing inside his now-massively mutated body, Aghus waved his hands madly towards Elric like a crazed psychopath sending massive compressed water blades that cut thru everything in its path! BAANG! BAAANG! BAAANG! Seeing the incoming water blades that span a hundred meters coming at him, Elric decided to face this incoming attack with his power and speed. BANG-SLASH! BANG -SLASH! SLASH! Despite his extraordinary speed, Elric was hit by one the hundreds of darting water blades and huge explosions of dust and rocks decorated the land of the water realm. "Hahahaha! How does it feel being cut by me fire bat? You should feel honored that you were able to witness me in my best form!" Flaunting his over-muscular body, Aghus waved his hands with fierce movements sending more water blades more than a hundred meters of width. With each attack, the rocks and land formation of the water realm are undergoing massive configuration with nothing to see at the moment but grounded dust from the conflicting power! 72 Race Against Time Just when Aghus was about to step forward, Elric dashed out of the thick cloud of dust unscathed. His clothes are ripped apart showing his perfectly toned shining muscles with nothing but lower jeans remaining. He might have been hit by the sharp water blades but his outstanding dragon skin defense and regeneration allowed him to get back on track in no time. "Impossible!" seeing that his opponent remained unscathed from his relentless attacks, Aghus decided to focus his power with one final blow. "Let''s see you withstand this!" Despite the hundred miles of distance from each other, Aghus did not remain complacent as he summoned his ultimate killing blow. His hands reached and pulled back and forth as if trying to compress water at its hardest form! If one could look outside the blue planet, you could immediately see that the water of the water elemental realm is slowly shrinking! The power that Aghus is preparing against Elric, harnesses the total mass of 30% of the water in the entire water realm. It was millions of tons of water compressed into a single water blade! "Hehehehe. Come closer bat. Come closer..." Aghus could not help but laugh in agitation. The truth is that while his water blades are incredibly deadly, its power can decrease the further it travels. But the more compressed water he gathers to form the blade, the more powerful it gets. Seeing Elric willingly came closer to him, a huge creepy smile sliced across his crazy looking face. Aghus''s body could not help but shake at the overflowing pressure from the compressed water blade. Elric on the other side was unaware of the compressed water before him and continued rushing to give Aghus a good slash. Suddenly, Elric felt his danger instinct warning him of an incoming attack and he already knew where it should come from. "It''s a charge attack. I must hurry!" Elric forced out another set of burning wings to give him another speed burst in exchange for more spiritual energy being spent. He knew that everything could end with this single attack. Either he survives or lives, this speed will dictate it the result! With the even more powerful sword of fire in his right hand, Elric pushed himself at his maximum speed causing his surrounding background to blur in his sight. He only has one thing fixed at this sight at the moment and that is Aghus who is also rapidly grasping the water in his center! On the other side, Aghus was surprised at the sudden appearance of the other set of Wings of fire at the back of Elric. He had already calculated that he should be able to complete this water blade by the time he steps foot before him. Unfortunately for him, Elric''s sudden burst of speed created a little divergence to his calculation and now he must double time! "So its a battle who comes first huh.." SWOOSHK~ SWOSSSHK~ SWOOSHK~ SWOSSSHK~ Aghus''s eyes grew redder as he also forced two other sets of hands to aid him in creating the most powerful water blade ever. As the lord of the water Elemental realm, summoning another pair of hands caused Aghus was just one of his given skills despite its considerable amount of vitality being drained together with unexplainable pain it brings when pushing it out of his muscles... Both Elric and Aghus are on chase against time who reaches the other first. Is it the flaming sword or the compressed water blade? The survivor the entire water realm and the last 3 princesses watched this battle as it unfolds before them. Their eyes and mouth gaping as they witness the power and destruction of two creatures before them. They had been in the lowest point of their existence as they finally realized the true evil nature of their Lord Aghus. However, it seems that the seemingly unexpected arrival of the prisoner human would bring them hope. That is if he successfully defeats Aghus who right now, possess unimaginable power after absorbing thousands of lives from his people. After all, the result of this battle would dictate the future direction of their entire realm. If Elric wins, the Authority of Lordship should leave Aghus and choose a different being, it could be perhaps one of the princesses. But if Aghus ends up as the victor, with his vicious and ungrateful nature that doesn''t care about the welfare of its being, the water elemental realm is bound to go the darkest part of their history. Right now, whether they approve of Elric or not, no one could argue that he is the only hope of the whole water elemental realm. Diana, Donna, Danna and all the creatures of the water elemental realm had their hands held together in hopes of the best possible result. "Please let that human win. I know I don''t like him but please..." Donna prayed with her eyes wide open and an obvious glow of admiration and blush were drawn in her face. "Father, is this the revelation of your promise? Could it be?" Danna, on the other hand, had her eyes closed tightly, trying to communicate to her dead father''s spirit. "So strong..." Diana could only muster what she has in her mind. Her eyes could hardly keep up at Elric''s sonic speed! The turtle, the whale, the dolphin and the last survivors of the water realm had also their hopes in Elric''s shoulder. ~Woooosh~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric''s speed continued to build up as he left after images after images in his wake. He got the burning sword held from his back for the much easier swing when he reaches his target. His eyes were full of unyielding fierceness while his hair madly waved around in his jet-like speed. Judging from the direction of attack, Elric had made a small detour to avoid the people of the water realm to be hit by the incoming massive attack from Aghus who doesn''t have the slightest empathy for his people. 2 kilometers! 1kilometers! Badum~Badum~Badum~ Elric could feel his heart pumping wildly with each blurring seconds. He must reach Aghus before he could unleash that overwhelming power as the expected damage based on its powerful pressure could totally create a major catastrophy to the water realm. This is a do or die situation! 500 meters! 100 meters! 50 meters- "Hahahaha! you are too late!" Elric was still roughly 50 meters when Aghus has finally reached the perfect state of his water blade. Without wasting a breath, he fully unleashed the power of his compressed water blade that has a force strong enough to disintegrate everything in its path or even cut the whole water elemental realm in half! WATER REALM CUTTER! WOOOOOHM~ Suddenly, Elric''s vision changed that from the light bluish atmosphere to rampaging deep blue scene. The Water Realm Cutter was like a gigantic chainsaw, piercing everything in its path like a hot knife slicing a soft butter. Elric was unable to reach Aghus despite his overwhelming speed. He had managed to travel thousands of miles in less than 20 seconds but he was still too late. It was really unfortunate, however, Elric had already expected this much and was prepared all along. ANCESTRAL DRAGON FORM - Ten Percent! 73 The Water Realms Hope Is Gone Elric''s body suddenly unleashed blinding light and his physical body was instantly covered in glimmering scales of red and green. His eyes mutated to a red and green sharp slit and his body doubled in size. Two red sharp horns protruded out of the side of his head and a long flexible looking tail also came out. Elric''s design was just too majestic and cool that the eyes of the female merfolks including the three princesses grew at an unimaginable size from sheer admiration. Unlike his previous dragon forms, this time, Elric is fully in control of his mind and body albeit not able to use his full power. Elric believes that 10 percent of the actual power of the Ancestral Elemental Dragon should be enough to deal with this despicable Lord of the water realm. WHAAAAMM!-BAAM! Just as the Water Realm Cutter was released, Elric''s ancestral Dragon level body tanked the whole attack and the whole water elemental realm rattled from the sheer impact of the blow! Sheeeesh~ It took quite a long time before the mountain-sized dust from the explosion has settled and Aghus remained standing unscathed. His face was pale from overusing his power but an obvious smile is sculpted in his face. "haah...HAHA!..ha.. HAHA!..haha-" despite his tired body gasping to breathe, Aghus could not help but laugh in victory. Seeing the now extraordinarily huge pit from Aghu''s attack, he could not help but have pride swell in from his stomach. The falling dust of the powdered ground of the water realm smelled like perfume for his overwhelming victory. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. There is no sign of Elric, except the five kilometer-wide crater before him. He might have lost the only remaining chance to breakthrough but the battle was sure to remain as proof of his unchallenged power! Aghus is still alive and he is still the lord of the water elemental realm. "HAHAHAHA! I am Aghus! Lord of the Water Elemental Realm! Bow down or turn to dust just like the bat who dared to stand against me!" Aghus shouted with an ever imposing voice. The immense sight of the wide destruction was sure to bring fear to every remaining citizen of the water realm and they could not help but kneel in submission to the undisputed lord of the water realm. Even the three princesses have lost their pride and hope. The giant turtle Dash was too injured and has transformed back into its smaller version. However, seeing that Elric, the hugon that he has taken cared of from the past few days turning into dust, he could not help but shake its body trying to transform back into a bigger version and take on the maniacally laughing Aghus. But no matter how he tries, Dash was too injured and princess Danna who was holding him does not want to let him go. Tears slowly crawled out of Dash''s small bubbly eyes while he tried to shake himself off from princess Danna''s hands. "Let me fight him! Let me go, princess! How dare he kill my hugon!" "Dash..stop. please." "No! Let me go! Let me go!" Hearing the commotion from the little turtle from the distance and the attractive presence of the three princesses, Aghus licked his lips with a lusty stare as he moved towards them with renewed vigor. Seeing that Aghus was moving closer to them with lewd glare, the three princesses knew what he has in his mind. The giant injured whale, the blooded dolphin and now stinger-less giant jellyfish immediately moved to protect the princesses with their lives only to be slammed down to the ground by a simple gesture of Aghus''s hand. Fear and helplessness have fully incapacitated the three princesses and they felt like their bodies are covered in ice. They are frozen in fright in front of the dominating Aghus. "My little princesses hehehe..." despite Danna''s eager rejection, Aghus smiled wickedly as he was about to touch Danna''s smooth and beautiful face when a small spear of fire the size of a small dagger suddenly slit out from the ground and proceeded to cut his right hand that was about to touch Danna. SLAASH!-- AAAAH! The spear of fire came out too suddenly from below that Aghus was not able to notice it coming. Wiggle~Wiggle Aghus, bluish-freakish hands wriggled at the ground as fresh blue blood spurted out of the other end and Aghus could not help but cry in agony. Just as when he shifted his direction from the source of the small dagger, Elric suddenly bursted out of the ground where Aghus stood and grabbed Aghus by his neck - taking him up higher and higher at an unexpected speed! Aghus was still high in his ecstatic emotion a while ago but his face right now was that of an arrogant child''s face who has seen a ghost for the first time. Impossible! How did he survive that attack?! How!? It was the most powerful technique that I have! Questions continued to fill Aghus''s mind as Elric suddenly moved his head closer to him and whispered to him calmly but resolutely. "Your reign ends here." Elric suddenly stretched his arm far back and - WHAAM! All of Aghus''s uniformed-freakish teeth spilled out of his mouth towards different directions together with his bluish blood; while his body launched higher and higher to the sky like a rocket ship in the response to Elric''s overpowered uppercut. 74 Sword Of New Beginning Elric decided to confront the entire Water Realm Cutter with his own bare body as he was fully aware of its full potential once it was released with its full glory. Without hesitation, he hardened his dragon body as much as possible and took the power at point-blank range! WHAAAAM!~ Aaack! Elric bellowed in pain as the Realm Cutter nearly ripped his body apart, causing him to almost lose his life. It sent shock waves that turn everything into dust like a tornado mashing the ground. It was indeed an attack that could have killed even a King or Queen Dragon, much less an ordinary one. However, Aghus did not know he was fighting against a human with an Ancestral Dragon Essence inside him and not just a royal one. He had failed to identify the power of the Ancestral Dragon in Elric because it was a secret guarded by the Great Seer Mhata. All he knew is that a human with Dragon blood would come to ask to acquire the power of the Elemental Authority and it was up to him to test him. It was supposed to be an easy journey for Elric if the Lord of the water realm was still Lord Mahar. It was because of an unprecedented ''accident'' that was set up by Aghus that everything has come into this ending. Thanks to the divine power of the Ancestral Dragon in his blood, Elric had managed to reconnect his body parts back to its normal state. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Although it took him more than five minutes to recover back to his normal state, for an ordinary dragon, it could have taken them a thousand years. WHOOOOM~ Just when Aghus was starting to regain his consciousness from being stunned, he was about to fight back against Elric when he realized that he was floating in the sky of the water realm. In confusion, he looked down below only to see Elric seemingly waiting for him to come back down. Raging with humiliation and hate, he dashed straight down in retaliation only to stop in the middle of his rush. Elric had been compressing the power of fire in his hands. Just like what Aghus did, he decided to follow the same technique of charging his attack through compression of fire. The technique is like compressing the heart and essence of fire to create an extra-ordinary fire. From orange, his spear swiftly changed to green then to blue and after reaching a certain point, Elric shot his charged spear toward''s the incoming Aghus. Seeing the incoming spear, Aghus came to a halt to safely avoid the attack when the spear suddenly split into hundreds, no- thousands of smaller blue spear of fire. "What!?" Aghus wanted to dodge the incoming volley of spears but the sheer number that covers his entire view made any of his dodging attempts meaningless. His eyes reflected the star-like spears as fear and regret overwhelmed his entire consciousness. Every single fire of the incoming spear reminded Aghus of the thousands of lives he chooses to sacrifice in his pursuit of power. SHUK! SHUK! SHUK! SHUK! AAAGH!~ Feet, arms, upper body, and even his face had been hit. Hundreds of dagger-like spears of fire pierced Aghus''s body without a single resistance. For some reason, he could see the crying faces of the victim of his massacre and each of the piercing dagger-like spear signified their unyielding revenge from the afterlife. Aghus''s hole-rattled body gushed out blue drops of blood everywhere as his body continued to fall towards Elric. It seems that his overwhelming vitality from the stolen power allowed him to stay alive despite his countless injuries, however, it was causing him to delay a quick death he''d rather have right now. "Ugh.. no, how come I can''t stop this fire from burning!? No.. No! AGHHH!" His body continued to burn from the wounds as the power of absolute fire started to gain its tool on him. One must know, that death by burning is one of the most painful ways of dying and as a creature of the water element, fire is the absolute enemy of every cell causing conflicting destruction inside his body which is the same as adding salt to a wide-open wound! AAAGGGRH!! How Aghus wish to die immediately, but his tempered body refused to give up and desperately tried to recover. Unfortunately, the fire made from the Authority of Fire is a kind of fire that does not extinguish until its target is gone or if willed by Elric himself. "Please, Kill me! I beg you!" giving up his pride for his comfort, Aghus finally begged Elric for a quick death. "Don''t worry I know how it feels to wish of dying." Elric''s eyes remained resolute and firm. He suddenly summoned the sword of fire and stared at the falling Aghus with serious eyes. This sword of fire continued to expand to more than five meters and swelled in power as well according to its ever-changing color. Seizing the perfect timing, Elric surged upward with the brilliant Sword of Fire leaving behind a brilliant streak of majestic fire. Before the massive golden palace of the water realm, under the beautiful bluish sky, the eyes of the thousand remaining creatures and citizen of the watery realm and the three princesses had come to witness the dawn of the new beginning. Elric twisted his body mid-air and swung his five-meter-burning sword mightly as he delivered the killing blow to the Lord of the Water Elemental - with a vertical slash from the head down to his torso. "This is for the late Lord Mahar." Elric suddenly muttered those words just before the enormous Sword of fire cut Aghus into two and the latter immediately disintegrated into dust with his face still marked with agony and deep regret. Another bright beam of light flashed across the sky of the water realm as the life of the vicious Lord of the Water Elemental - the reign of Aghus has finally ended. 75 Mysterious Death Of Mahar Standing before the golden castle, Elric''s sight panned over the chaotic horizon of the water elemental realm. Despite the good news of Aghus death, not a single mouth had embraced a joyful cheer as the suffocating taste of destruction of their land has robbed them of their celebration. Aghus might be gone but so are the ones they loved. Elric''s eyes reflected a pained expression as he witnessed the innumerable amount of lifeless body scattered everywhere. The dried corpse of the supposedly gigantic creatures of the water realm waved around by the current in utter coldness. Broken homes, families and dreams had shut down everyone''s mood to celebrate their liberation from Aghus''s ruthless ruling. Elric could only blame himself for all of these. The once glorious and colorful curved landscape of this realm had undergone an unexpected dark change in just a short time of his visit. The cry and agony of those who have lost their loved once wailed over the atmosphere and Elric''s sensitive ears could not help but notice their unfortunate lament. The same catastrophic scene has been repeated before him as he watched the survivors manically searched for their missing loved once. The once-proud soldiers of Aghus who survived the energy suction attack of the giant coral mountain beast have unhesitantly abandoned their post and roles as soldiers and hurriedly searched for remaining survivors who need help. Nobles, workers, children and even wild creatures are not spared from such ruthless sacrifice. Without their Lord giving a selfish command, everyone decided to do the best they can to salvage their possible future. "Why..." feeling worst with the destruction he has brought again, the sword of fire in Elric''s hand slowly dissipated together with his Dragon form revealing his normal wounded body. The three princesses behind him stare at the bleeding wounds all over his body and the long cut from his belly created a fascinating belt-like scar. His black hair with strips of green and red lines obtained from accepting the dragon blood flowed marvelously. As much as they wanted to blame Elric, no one has the right to do so as the latter was taken in this realm by force as a prisoner and he had no evil intentions in the first place. The whole disaster started when they executed their plan to rescue Elric and the unexpected reaction of Aghus surely created the domino effect on the current disaster. They could not help but feel guilty for the destruction that they have started. If only they knew that Aghus would not hesitate to sacrifice so many lives just to get his hands on Elric, they would have changed their plans and possibly choose to forego their father''s dying command. However, what''s done is done. With all of this finally ending, the best they can do right now is to continue moving forward and start from scratch. With everything starting to settle down, the three princesses and the other survivors bowed toward''s Elric as a sign of their respect. They fully believe that the power of the Lordship belongs to him. With Aghus, the most powerful being in the water realm gone, the only possible candidate to become the Lord of the water realm should be Elric which the latter has no idea whatsoever. However, either he was eligible or not, they have to wait for the divine providence to choose the next lordship. "Uhm, if you don''t mind, can you tell us your name human?" while blushing, Donna was the first one to make her move and asked Elric. Elric on the other side did not have the willingness to answer her question as his mind was remained fixed on observing the damage he has done. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Despite achieving enlightenment during the God Reckoning tribulation, his emotions and compassion remained intact and he could not escape the glaring wound of guilt from the innocent victims of his battle. "I know you are currently blaming yourself for all of this mess." Danna''s soft and calming mature voice suddenly got Elric''s attention and he turned around to face the beautiful eldest princess. Seeing Elric still unable to express himself, Danna added, "Rest assured, you are not the only one at fault here..." With elegance, she moved beside Elric and watched the messy horizon of the water realm. With her beside him, Elric felt like the accumulated guilt that brought him a considerable amount of burden suddenly lightens. Reflected in her bright golden eyes, are the citizen of the water realm struggling their way to assist those who require help. She saw the citizens caring for and encouraging each other to get up and aid those who are wounded and bury those who have fallen. What she saw was not the catastrophic end of destruction but the beginning of a bright future. "It was only ten years ago when the former Lord Mahar, our father, died before my very eyes. And, his last words were something I struggled to understand and believe." Slowly, tears crawled out of her eyes as she recounted what happened that during her father''s last hours. Danna already had Elric''s full attention as his once sorrowful face is now covered in curiosity. "We were on our way back to the water realm after father had visited the Lord of the Fire Elemental Realm. I do not know exactly what message the Great Seer Mhata told him but for some reason, father was sorrowful as we traveled back all the time. Especially when I realized that his guardian turtle, Dash, choose to remain at the Great Seer Mhata''s hands for some reason." Hearing about the arrogant turtle''s name, Elric suddenly butted in. "What do you mean with Dash? Are you trying to say that he was the personal guardian of the late water realm''s Lord Mahar?" Danna nodded in confirmation and continued: "We were still at the Elemental realm''s space when an unfortunate dimensional space void suddenly appeared near us. Father identified that space void like the one that could transport us to the Abyss of Darkness which means it was up for no good." Recalling this scene, Danna''s thin and soft hands clenched tightly in rage. "We tried our best to escape the suction force of the space void but to no avail. With everyone in our family together with our personal guardians and armies in that journey, the water Elemental realm could lose its lord and best warriors to an unexpected disaster. To save us all, father burned his life essence to obtain an unholy strength just and dragged as away from the dimensional force." Facing Elric with tears in her eyes including her sisters, she concluded her story. "And just like that, Aghus received the holy provision of Lordship while we lost the most respected lord of the water realm and our only father." 76 Choosing The New Lord *** After a few days of rescuing and mild rehabilitation efforts, the remaining citizens of the water elemental realm have gathered in preparation for the next chosen lord of the said realm. Right now, what they need the most is a responsible lord that will guide them to their next revival. With the social balance and chaos everywhere, a strong leader with justice and will are what they needed the most. Thus, they must choose the lord as soon as possible and hope for the best. Despite the massive destruction caused by the previous battle, everyone''s hope is anchored to the selection of the new Lord, whom they hope, will bring them back to their former glory and splendor. With everyone gathered at the vast outer courtyard of the golden palace, their eyes are glued to Elric whom they believe currently possess the strongest power in the entire water realm. "It should be given that the human will be the next Lord right?" "I don''t think so. He is human and not a native of our land. I think the holy providence will choose someone between the three royal daughters of the late Lord Mahar." "If it''s not the human, then I bet the next lord should be the oldest one of the three princesses." "You mean Danna? I think she does make a good Lord with her calm and responsible attitude." "I agree too." Every one of the water realms talked about the possible candidate for the Lord of the water realm while they wait for the Divine Providence. Despite their prejudices of Elric''s humanity, none of them could refute his dominating performance against Aghus. However, it is exactly because of his humanity that none can confirm if it was really going to be Elric as the new chosen lord. Everyone gathered at the center square of the grand golden palace. This center square is where they held their lord selection where a three-kilometer-wide magical formation encompasses everyone inside. With every citizen and colorful creatures of the water elemental realm inside the vast magical circle, only then will the Holy Providence of light comes out and enters a body and be hailed as the new lord of the water realm. The survivor merfolks and creatures of the water realm awaited for the divine provision to choose for the next lord of the water realm with their utmost excitement. After a constant bickering from the three princesses, Elric was also forced to attend the gathering and witness the ascension of the new lordship. He never had a single thought of becoming the new lord of the water realm as it would only impede his mission on acquiring the Four Elemental Authority. As of now, he could only wield not more than ten percent of the Ancestral Dragon''s power or risk himself on falling again at the overwhelming takeover of the mental and spiritual corruption. And according to the Great Seer Mhata, only by acquiring all Elemental Authorities would he be able to resist and control the massive pressure from unleashing the power of the Ancestral Dragon. As more citizens had gathered at the center square of the grand golden palace, the formation on the floor that decides the new lord of the water realm started to release a faint blue light. Inscriptions of the water realm language can also be seen glowing from the ground. With every passing second, Elric saw the light only continued to shine brightly. "It is here!" "The holy providence!" gasp!~ "Could it be me who will become the new lord? Did my consumption of the golden pearls had finally paid off?" "In your dreams you green tailed fish. Don''t forget that there are still three royal princesses. Their overall constitution is way too powerful over your weak little green tails." "I know, I know. But who knows? I must be destined for greatness." "Greatness your tail." Wham!~ The light that has covered everyone suddenly compressed into a single ball of light the size of an apple. Like a little fairy, this little ball of light moved across the vast magical circle aimlessly and passed through everyone''s body like a childish spirit. Despite the flimsy possibility of becoming the new lord of the water realm, a lot of the normal tiered citizens could still not help but wish and hope they would be chosen. After all, the little ball of light might be a little different this time and grant them powers they never expect to get their hands on. It was like a free shot for a multi-million sweepstakes. The chance could be nigh almost to impossible, but at least it was not a complete zero. "Princesses if you do not mind me asking. May I know what is that ball of light? And what is it doing?" Elric could not hold on his curiosity anymore and asked the princesses beside him. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You see Mr. Elric, that ball of light is the so-called Holy Providence. It is the accumulated light that hold''s the spiritual essence of the water realm, its creatures and, its people." Looking at the nodding Elric, she felt warm in her tummy as she continued explaining: "In other words, our will and desire are connected by the water realm as a whole and this small ball of light serves as its physical manifestation with its own will. Ultimately, it contains our combined essence as well and only those who have the strongest power and constitution can absorb and wield such concentrated power. " Donna willingly answered Elric''s question with a completely different tone as compared to the first time they have met. Donna used to look down at Elric because of his human status until the latter ended up saving her land and eventually defeating Aghus, the crazed lord of the water realm, in the most stylish fashion. Remembering Elric''s well toned-muscular body and the fresh deep wounds designing his back after the life and death battle against Aghus, Donna and the rest of her sisters could not help but gulp a mouthful of saliva in admiration. The other two princesses, Diana and Danna, pretty much knew their sister''s motive in trying to get close to Elric and choose to let her be with a helpless smile. Unbeknownst to the princess''s affection, Elric observed the ball of light going thru creature after creature as if a little firefly passing through. 77 Dianas Tes "By the way, have you seen Dash?", Diana suddenly whispered to Danna. "I know you are worried about Dash but that proudful turtle doesn''t want to be seen injured so rest assured, he is probably recovering his serious wounds somewhere. Let''s give Dash time for himself since he had done so much trying to protect us from the wave attack. He had probably exhausted himself and is sleeping soundly at the palace." Danna calmly replied while Diana nodded in agreement. Despite the cover provided by Diana''s whale, Donna''s dolphin and Danna''s giant Jellyfish, the wave-like attack of the water realm creatures was enough to drown them with their mad attacks. If it wasn''t for Dash''s sudden help, the three princesses could have been killed together with Elric when the citizens were under Aghus''s control to form a relentless zombified wave attack against them. For that, they could not help but be grateful at Dash''s extraordinary bravery that led to their survival. Everyone whom the small ball of light passed thru only means that they were not qualified to hold the power of the lordship. It didn''t take long when finally, the little ball of light arrived before the three little princesses. Dianna, Donna, and Danna whose names were based on their late mother, Denna, had their hearts beating wildly to these moments of truth. Their eyes reflected the small wisp before him with anticipation and nervousness. With the three of them as the last remaining princess with the royal bloodline based on their radiant-crimson scales and tails, everyone is almost sure that the next lordship would be passed on to anyone of three princesses. Slowly, the little ball approached the girls and swiftly dived into their bodies to confirm their physical constitutions, spiritual and mental aptitude and, their overall power. The first princess to be tested was the youngest of the three - Diana. Before their very eyes, the playful little ball of light dived straight into Diana''s stomach and the latter immediately felt an overwhelming warm surging into her body and her mind. Her life memories flashed in her vision while her body exuded an overwhelming aura. Tears slowly flowed out of her eyes as she kneeled in pain. Gasp~ "Could it be? The youngest of the three?" "Princess Diana is the new Lord?" "Wow! I never expected that!" The crowd exploded in utter surprise while watching Diana struggling in pain as the Holy Providence stayed inside her body. "Aaaahk~ " suddenly, Diana cried in pain as she was not able to take it anymore. She did not expect that the test was that hard since everyone whom the ball of light passed through did not suffer any terrible pain during their turn. However, when it was her turn, the test suddenly changed and painful memories of losing her parents and overwhelming scorching feeling assaulted her from the inside like rock-sized molten hot lava was placed right inside her intestine. It was a pain too unbearable for a young little princess like her but she decided to fight it and braced herself. Her two sisters right away held their youngest sibling in warm care trying to comfort Diana but the pain was just too unbearable and she continued to clench her hands and bite her lips in utter agony. As much as they wanted to help their sister, the best thing they can do right now is to hold her and send it healing spell to soothe her miserable state. Donna, the middle child who also happens to be the most protective of the three could not bare seeing Diana in utter pain and continued to hug her in comfort while Danna remained calm and chanted a healing spell to alleviate Diana''s struggle. Considering that this is a test that could dictate the future of the water realm; and as a daughter of the late Lord Mahar, Diana must resist the pain and accept the power to recover their lost heritage. Surprisingly, the ball of light stayed at Diana''s body for more than five seconds before it suddenly left her, leaving an unconscious little princess behind. Diana has failed the test and the seemingly proud ball of light continued to wobble gracefully toward''s Donna who happens to be holding Diana. Without giving her time to react, the Holy Providence entered Donna''s body via her forehead and it didn''t take long for the latter to scream in another agonizing tone. It was probably because of their advance mental and physical constitution inherited from their parents that the three beautiful princesses were being taken seriously by the Holy Providence. Among everyone present, no one could even push Aghus back except the three princesses despite not being experts in fighting themselves. Even without proper training, just their mere strength and natural magical talents alone were enough to challenge the best of the warriors in the water realm. In other words, each of the princesses was possessing power capable of taking on hundreds of elite water realm warrior alone despite their soft skin, elegant demeanor and, slender looking bodies. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. It was worth to note that Diana was able to throw Aghus a good distance with her tail swipe despite the disparity in their positions and power. The other was a lord with the divine providence, while Diana was just a princess fully dependent on her physical strength as a royal blooded mermaid. This is all thanks to their naturally inherited gift from their parents symbolized by the colors of their scales. As much as Elric wanted to help, he knew very well that there was nothing he can do since this is a test of their capacity and that they took this test with their own will. 78 Suspicious Elric Furthermore, the result of their struggle could lay on the best possible foundation for the new direction of the water realm. While Diana slowly regained her consciousness after recovering from the painful shock of the Holy Providence''s compatibility appraisal, it was Donna''s turn to be tortured while Danna did her best to aid her sister''s suffering. It took quite longer compared to Diana''s result but Donna also ended up collapsing in sheer pain alone. "Oh my~" "The two princesses have collapsed!" "Just how powerful was the test? When the Holy Providence came to me, I wasn''t even able to feel any pain. Am I that incompatible?" "I remember when Lord Aghus accepted the power of lordship, he did struggle for quite a while but unlike the current situation of the princesses who were knocked unconscious, that bastard of Aghus was creepily smiling all the time back then as if he was just having a relaxing body massage!" The whole merfolks crowd gasped and whispered at the result of the princesses'' test. They have never actually expected that choosing the new lord would end up in such a knocking-out ending. With this, two of the three princesses have failed the lordship test and they have only one last hope and that is Danna. The most composed and elegant of the three princesses. Unlike Diana and Donna who were still young and unprepared, Danna''s eyes were full of undivided determination. Not the slightest sign of wavering can be seen in her stance as she faced the proud ball of light fearlessly. Ever since she last her father and mother in that unfortunate event by the space of elemental realms, she has steeled herself to take on her father''s step as the next Lord of the water realm. Thus, she had taken all the responsibility as the eldest of the three and made decisions based on how her father would have acted. King Mahar was a wise, calm and loving lord of the water realm. Whatever troubles reached his table, he would gladly receive them and provide a solution with the most positive and peaceful attitude. But behind those warm and calming smiles was a firm and serious man that never backs down on his words. He was fearless in times of danger and made decisions based on the best possible outcome. Choosing to burn his life essence to save his family became Danna''s moral vision of what a true Lord of the water realm is all about. "Selfless love backed with power and courage is the best aptitude a candidate must have before receiving the power of the lordship." with a peaceful heart, Danna received the Holy Providence test into her and she closed her eyes in preparation of the pain. *** It took more than an hour later as Danna has finally lost her consciousness. She weakly collapsed on the floor with her face covered in blood and sweat. She did her best resisting the overwhelming pain in her body while her mind suffered in terrifying pressure as if her head was being squeezed hard by two solid rocks. Flying above her feeble body is the proud ball of light that seemingly shone brighter. The way it hovered above the air seems like it was looking for an even more challenging candidate. "This is crazy! Not even the most suitable princess managed to qualify for the Holy Providence?" "What will happen to the water realm now? It''s just the human left!" "Is it possible for a human to reign as the lord of the water realm?" "This is absurd!" "What will happen to us then?" "I cannot accept this!" The crowd expressed their dissatisfaction with just the mere thought of Elric receiving the Lordship. While it is true that Elric did liberate them from Aghus''s ruthless dominance, having him take control of the entire water realm is a completely different matter. Not to mention, they barely knew the human himself aside from the fact that he wields irrefutable strength above all in the water realm. What if everything he was doing was just a ploy to make them believe that he was the only hope and suddenly abuse the power of lordship. Perhaps, he could be aiming for their precious golden pearls and was planning to rob all of them by force using the authority as the lord. After all, humans are famous for having a destructive and abusive nature. The elementals knew, how humans treated the natural resources of the physical world. How the ocean became the biggest dumping sites, how the thousand-year-old trees being cut off for their agenda, how they burned the atmosphere itself with their pollutions and their never-ending greed of precious resources in exchange for money. It doesn''t matter who he was, as long as he was a human, the creatures and people of the water elemental realm had already branded him with the stigma of destruction, abuse, and greed. Not paying heed to their obvious complaints, Elric faced the hovering ball of light. Elric pretty much knew that their hate was not unfounded. While he was not that abusive to nature himself, the fact that he did benefit in some products that use precious natural resources makes him somewhat guilty as well. Although he never had the slightest intention of becoming the lord of the water realm he was still surprised that the ball of light seems to be aiming for him as well. After all, Elric is not a native of the water Elemental realm. Before the grumpy faces of the citizens of the water elemental realm, Elric suddenly spoke. "People of the water realm, I understand your plight of having me as a possible contender of lordship..." With these words, the citizens of the water realm glanced at him with doubtful disposition. Realizing that he had all their attention, Elric continued with an even more serious tone, "While it is true that becoming the lord of the water realm is such a noble honor, I would like to inform you that I am not here to become your lord and am greatly unwilling to become one." "What? Is he crazy? Doesn''t he know how much becoming a lord of the water realm means?" "I guess he doesn''t need that power after all. He is pretty strong himself even without the power of the lordship." "But still! Even the mindless crustaceans probably have a dream of becoming a lord, much less a greedy and deceitful human." "Who is he trying to fool? He might be denying it now, but deep inside, he is probably sweating in excitement." "Let''s hear him more for now..." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "If he happens to have evil plans, let''s all just work together and attack him. Its a do or die situation after all!" 79 The Little New Lord Of The Water Realm Hearing their suspicions stand, Elric paid them no heed and continued to explain. "I came to your realm because of a certain mission given to me by the Lord of the Fire Elemental Realm. If I get to complete my mission, I will be more than willing to live this realm as soon as possible and so, I want to assure you, people of the water realm that I have no plans to stay long. I came in peace and shall leave in peace." "Then explain to us, what is it that you wanted here?" one of the distrustful mermen wobbled forward with a demanding tone. "Hey, careful the way you talk!" another merwoman came to calm down the aggressive merman. "Who cares?! He doesn''t belong here and he certainly does not deserve to become the lord. He can kill me if he wants but I am not bowing down before a human! I swear that to every scales in my body!" "True! We won''t be bowing down before you!" "Hey, brothers calm down!" "That human just saved our entire race! We owe our lives to him!" "That is true. But it was also because of him that all of this started. Did you forget that?" "It was bound to happen! The lord Aghus was a wolf in a sheep''s clothing. He had mercilessly summoned an unholy spell that cost hundreds of thousands of lives just to catch a single human. He cared for us not at all!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "No! We will not bow down to a human!" With the way the merman talked, it was obvious that the latter had unfavorable views against Elric. The citizens of the water realm are not united in their thoughts when it comes to their racial view of Elric. The latter might have been their savior but not everyone is willing to call him their lord. As such, a commotion immediately sparked, clearly dividing the people into two groups. If only Elric had an incredibly short temperament, he could have whipped this merman to death without raising a finger but he chooses to forgive them. He pretty much knew where they are coming from and he respected all their opinion. Right now, what bothered him is the ball of light that is floating before him. While the citizens of the water realm bickered against each other, the Holy Provision suddenly whooshed and aimed at Elric''s stomach. Whoooosh~ Knowing that he could be hailed as the new lord if the ball of light came hit him, Elric unhesitantly stepped back to evade the incoming ball of light. "Huh!? He is avoiding it?" "He was really serious?" Woosh~miss Woosh~ miss Woosh ~ miss The mermen who doubted Elric a few seconds ago was shocked to see Elric dodging the blurring speed of the Holy Providence. Their surprise did not just come from Elric''s decision to flee away from the ball of light but with his extraordinary agility to avoid the Holy Providence. "Holy sh*t!? What''s with that speed?" "All I can see is a blur!" Like a pro soccer player playing against five-year-olds, Elric appeared to be toying against the Holy Providence''s relentless charge. His movements were smooth but quick, leaving just a few millimeters of the distance between his skin and the ball of light. With his dragon''s eyes, the ball of light was too slow for him. Elric was not making too much movement, but he seems to read the ball of light''s intention and only choose to move the part of his body being a charge on. Elric seriously dodged each charge when suddenly it dissapeared right before it came close to his right leg. Only then that Elric realized something. "Huh?" "Did it get inside him?" "I thought he dodged the Holy Providence? How come it suddenly dissapeared?" "I think it did get him." "I see." "In the end, he was still tested huh.." The citizen of the water realm nervously waited at Elric''s reaction now that the Holy Providence is inside him. They were expecting that it won''t take long before the latter would collapse to the ground while screaming in agony but after a good thirty minutes, Elric stood safe and sound while holding his right leg where the Holy Providence suddenly dissapeared. "What is happening?" "How come he is not suffering?" "Every lord candidate I knew who went through the test of the Holy Providence cried in pain. This is the first time I am witnessing someone just stood still without flinching!" "Perhaps, he is the chosen one." "It seems that way..." Everyone was about to bow down before Elric when the latter''s hand suddenly reached out inside his side pocket. Curious, everyone''s eyes followed after his moving hand. Is he itchy? What is he trying to pull? Before their very eyes, Elric''s hand pulled out a cute little turtle from his side pocket. There are obvious scratches all over its body from its previous battle and a familiar proud smirk was itched in its small round face. Dash was in deep sleep inside its comfy shell who happens to have sneaked inside Elric''s pocket when the latter was not paying attention. A small bubble from its nose would slowly grow and shrink repeatedly as this cute little bastard reposition its head inside his little shell. Whaa?! Seriously? Is it possible? Everyone''s eyes almost popped out of their socket. The ball of light did not enter Elric''s body but at Dash''s! And it seems that the oblivious little turtle had accepted the Holy Providence without any flinch of resistance while sleeping. "Hugon! Those fishes are mine! Eat them and I will throw you back at your world!" Said the sleeptalking-little-lord-bastard-turtle. 80 The Stubborn Lord It has been a chaotic day at the world of the water realm with the appointment of the new lord. Not only the result ended up away from everyone''s expectation, but the new lord also doesn''t even seem to care about his new role. Inside the golden royal palace, two loud voices can be heard nagging against each other. "I told you I am not the new lord!" "Yes, you are. I saw it myself." Elric and Dash were bickering with each other as the little turtle woke up and came to realize that he became the new Lord of the water realm. Much to the turtle''s surprise, it felt an incredible surge of power coursing through its body and a great urge to run away from the responsibilities kept it from having a calm head. "You must be kidding me. Do I look like a lord to you?" "I know right? but that is the truth!" "Huhhhh~" The unwilling turtle slumped on the floor. "Why is this happening to me?" The three beautiful princesses with almost identical faces stood on the side. Their royal red scales glittered in light that perfectly complimented their curved bodies and bluish smooth skin. Their small yet elegant blue eyes followed Elric''s movement wherever he goes, especially for Donna. With Dash''s haughty nonchalant attitude, becoming a Lord would also mean a heavy responsibility for managing the whole realm. Keeping the peace and balance and issuing the command for the benefit of its people just to name a few. "Actually we were surprised too..." Danna, the eldest of the three suddenly talked. Elric and Dash''s quarrel immediately stopped and looked at Danna''s direction who stood up with an elegant demeanor together with her sisters. "The last time, I saw Dash was when before we left from the Fire Elemental Realm just before we got attacked by the Space Void-" "He was with you?" Elric suddenly interjected, his eyes revealed a hint of surprise and curiosity towards the little turtle. The princess gave a nod as a reply. Suddenly she closed her eyes and sent a telepathic message somewhere. A few seconds later, the red dolphin covered in golden armor and a cup-size jelly swam in and stopped just beside their elegant bodies. The red dolphin rubbed its side at Donna''s arm, asking for a rub while the tea-cup-sized jellyfish landed in Danna''s hand like a little blob. "UUUUUUMMMM~~" A loud sound of the giant whale caused some reverberations across the golden palace. It was greeting Diana as its owner. "As you can see, these creatures are given to us by our father as our guardians and they are no ordinary ones," Danna continued talking while she gently rubbed the transparent little blob in her hands that is the jellyfish. "This little jellyfish in my hands can instantly grow more than twenty meters while its tentacles can reach more than a thousand meters and shock anyone. Diana''s Whale, possessed extraordinary defense that can withstand even the most powerful impact while Donna''s red dolphin is considered as the fastest creature in the water realm. " Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric nodded in approval. It was indeed because of the incredible teamwork of these creatures that he was saved from being sold in the auction - or so it was supposed to be. Following her previous words, Danna added: "You see, Dash is my father''s guardian." "He was?" Elric''s face warped to that of surprise and confusion. Just how did a respected King of the water realm''s guardian end up saving him from the human realm? Wait... Could it be because of the Great Seer Mhata''s vision? "It has been a long time since Dash dissapeared. But he was actually with our father when we went to visit the Great Seer Mhata. Just when we left that certain planet, Dash, our father''s guardian did not came back with us. All we knew is that father left Dash at the Great Seer Mhata''s care and he refused to take it back for some important reason." Pausing for a while, she took a deep breath and continued. "Now I know, it was probably something to do with Dash''s newfound ability to spit those fireballs." "I see." Elric stared at the little turtle''s grumpy face with a new image. No wonder it was haughty and arrogant, he was living with the Lord of the water realm all along! "Alright..." Resigning to their deduction, Dash choose to reveal his side. "The late Lord Mahar knew of the impending disaster to come thanks to the great Seer Mhata''s vision. He told me that I should stay behind to protect his daughters in the future. I thought I was just going to change boss but I ended up being locked up at the Great Seer Mhata''s place and undergone an evolution that allows me to wield the Authority of Fire in the form of the fireball." Looking at the window, it added: "Turns out, it was to prepare of this exact day." Everyone looked at the small back of the turtle. They knew that behind these cute little shells are explosive powers that can incenerate almost anything into dust. Therefore no one dared to underestimate Dash. "However I still, do not accept to become the new lord of the water realm; but, I do have a proposition." The little turtle turned around and faced Elric who stood before the three princesses. A hint of determination and authority can be seen in its small round face. 81 Time Difference Elric and the three princesses looked at the proud turtle in curiosity. With the little turtle''s cocky smile, Elric had an urge to smack it good. However, the little bastard is now a Lord of the water realm and he has to respect the latter''s new authority. "I will be honest." Dash tottered in between Elric and the three mermaid princesses. "Becoming the new Lord of the water realm is a great honor, but, I do not know what to do. I don''t even know where to start..." the little turtle said in a weak, hesitant voice and added: "And I also have a mission to accompany Elric on his journey to obtaining all the Elemental Authorities across the Elemental Realm. As much as I want to-" "Dash." Elric suddenly intervened kneeling closer to the little turtle. Dash looked up at Elric in resignation. Its small black beady eyes shouting for help. Seeing the helpless stare of the turtle, Elric sighed. "I know how much you wanted to accompany me for this journey. It was because of you that I manage to became where I am right now and I owe you a lot." Elric''s gentle smile and words washed over the little turtle''s face like a freshwater clearing out the sand of burden. A little glimmer of light and tear came out of its beady eyes. The three little princesses listened intently with warmth surging out in their hearts as they looked at the intimate bond shared by Elric and the little turtle. Elric gently knocked the little turtle''s scaly head and continued. "Don''t forget, it was you who saved me back in the human realm. Without you, I must be dead right now. You see-" Elric proceeded to gently lift the little turtle who is currently in the size of a newly hatched turtle. He slowly placed Dash on the wide palace window to face the wide expanse of the water realm beholding the beautiful scene of the water realm. From their view at one of the windows in the Golden palace, they could see the vibrant colors of the water realm despite its current messy state. Before them, they could see the hopeful faces of the water realm beings trying to recover from the catastrophe that had destroyed them. They could see the determined eyes of those who are digging for their buried friends or families and the unstoppable efforts of the survivors to rebuild themselves. Some people are mourning but there are more who are working to survive and save what they can. "As you see, the water realm may have been destroyed but not the hope of its people. And right now," Elric slowly faced Dash''s teary face. "They need the power of the most powerful being called the Mr. Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash..." "..." The three beautiful princesses were lost in words at Dash''s unexpected title. Dash, on the other hand, felt incredibly proud of his self-made title as it felt it that way. "The water realm is currently at the chaos and as the most powerful being in the whole realm, it is the time when they need your help and presence the most," Elric added. "But I was assigned to guide you to the different Elemental realms by the great Seer Mhata herself! How are you going to survive without me?" "If I survive or not is up to me. I have this power now to protect myself and don''t forget that you once tossed me back at the Fire realm where I almost died, guess what? I am stronger than you thought." Elric said as he summoned a small ball of fire to convince the little turtle. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "after all, I can always come back here to ask for your help right?" Dash looked at Elric''s summoned fire and a glint of relief calmed him down. "Yeah, you are right.." Now facing the wide world of the water realm, Dash added, "I am now indeed the Lord. Since the holy providence has chosen me, then, I should probably step up and take hold of my responsibility. As for you." Dash scanned Elric''s tall and handsome body, "Don''t you ever die on your journey. When everything here in the water realm is fixed, I will probably catch after you just to make sure I don''t renegade on my promise to the Great Seer Mhata. We are short on time after all." "Yeah." Elric smiled back with a contented smile. And with that, Elric is set to journey alone towards his next destination in a different Elemental realm. Dash was about to say his farewell to Elric when suddenly, his eyes jumped in a realization and immediately looked at Elric with a guilty tone. "By...the way... Elric." said the turtle in a child-like tone. "Yeah?" "Do you know how long have you been here in the Elemental Realm?" "Hmmm" Elric, pondered for a moment. Knowing that there is no day and night cycle in the Elemenal Realm since the five different planets remained still in the hazy violet sky, thus he was unable to exactly tell how long has it been. "I don''t have a watch with me but ever since you brought me here in this realm, I felt like it has been more than a week ever since I came. Why do you ask though?" "You see. I forgot to tell you that..." The little turtle has an unexpected guilty tone in his voice. "That what?~" Elric had an unpleasant suspicion. "You see, if we compare it to an earth''s perspective, a day in the Elemental Realm is one month in the Human Realm." 82 Slimy Authority Of Water "Wait..." Elric felt an unpleasant surprise from Dash''s revelation and held his head after it ache a bit. Although he was not quite sure how long he had been in this realm, he still had a pretty good sense of time. The whole room that they were on was decorated in colorful shells,golden walls and soft brilliant lights from illuminating pearls. It took quite a while before Elric had finally recomposed himself and started talking. "Let''s just put it this way. If I were ever to come back to the human realm right now, it would be ten months has already pass ever since I left although I was actually gone for just 10 days right?" Elric gave the turtle a good hostile glare as it nodded in confirmation of his answer. Although it was indeed bizarre, Elric actually had an a little glimpse of idea now. It was known that in the mysterious lands of the Philippines, there are those young children who happen to mysteriously went missing for how many hours and sometimes days; only to be found under some big trees looking very fresh as if they have never went missing at all. Later on, these children would reveal to their parents or guardians that some mysterious "friends" played with them in the forest and that they have seen weird insects, gigantic mushrooms, giant trees that can reach the sky. These creatures that they called their friends well take them to their so called "kingdoms" and play with them with any games like hide and seek or dancing. These children even claimed that they flew around like fairies and have seen some beautiful planets covering the mysterious worlds that they have been. There are also cases that beautiful women would be abducted by so called "Prince" and offer them riches beyond compare in exchange of their love. All of this victims had one thing in common and that they all claimed that they only played for a few minutes or hours before they found themselves waking up under a tall tree. Upon realizing this Elric was slowly connecting the dots. It seems that those kids or women were actually taken to the Elemental realm without them knowing and their parents or guardians would just brush away their claims considering that they are just children or they could be just dreaming. Right now, Elric knew pretty much that their claims are not unbiased as he had witnessed these mysterious worlds first hand. Calming himself down, he had come to a conclusion that time is of the essence at the moment. Knowing the time ratio in this realm is incredibly skewed, Elric must make the most of his time. As much as he wanted to help the people of the water realm recover, the fact that the world he was originally from is changing at an alarming state could spill out uncertainties in the future. "I need to go now." Elric spoke in determination. Donna, Diana and Danna all had a hesitant look in their faces. As much as they want to stop Elric, the savior of their realm, they don''t have the guts to do so since the latter had his own mission backed with a very limited time. I need to get back to the human realm as soon as possible and know what happened after I left. But until then, I need to get stronger than now. Now that I know the real status of the human realm and its secret wars happening, I must be able to fully control my power in order to protect myself. Elric reassessed himself. Knowing that the presence of the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence is like a ticking time bomb that could spill blood and chaos in case he lost control of it, he could not afford to go back to the human world yet. Not until he completes all the Elemental Authority and fight the spiritual corruption. "Dash, tell me. How do I acquire the Authority of Water?" Elric asked. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. It was all thanks to the knowledge transfer done by the great Mhata herself that Elric knew what to do in order to fully control the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. The Authority of Fire gives him light in the spiritual room, however,it doesn''t stop the corruption from penetrating his mind. The corruption was like a stain that needs to be cleansed in order for Elric to absorb the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. The Authority of water would allow him to cleanse his spirituality to absorb cleansed Draconic Essence into his own essence while the Authority of Earth would signify fortitude that will allow him to resist the overwhelming pressure that would try to take over him. The Authority of Wind, on the other hand, would signify Freedom and will allow him to wield the power to its maximum potential. "If you need the Authority of Water, you may consider it done!- KAAAAA~PWHE~" With Dash as the new lord of the water realm, the little turtle smiled confidently as he unhesitatingly spat a brilliant blue pearl to the floor. "Swallow it." With a devilish smile Dash invited Elric as it pointed its small turtle foot towards the blue pearl covered in turtle saliva and some unknown mushy pellets. Elric could not help but shudder at this scene. 83 Corruption against Authority Of Water *** Far from the recovering city of the water realm, Elric stood atop the giant whale''s head. On his left side are the three princess standing in silent admiration of the one who took down the chaotic rule of Aghus, while the new Lord of the water realm, Dash, floated on the other side of Elric like a tiny stuffed toy. The three princesses had respect reflected on their eyes as they gaze at Elric''s wide back. The bluish hue of the light radiated on his skin while Elric scanned the wide expanse of the water realm. It has been a few days ever since the fight against Aghus has ended and Elric is currently adjusting himself with his newly received Authority of Water after consuming the given to him by the new Lord of the Water realm. Closing his eyes in concentration, Elric now found himself in the darkroom in his mind. Quickly, the slithering mist of the corrupted essence moved towards him like granules of metal attracted to a powerful magnet. Light! WOOOSH~ Elric was suddenly surrounded by a bright flame that seems to deter the corrupted mist. Like shadows in the dark, he could feel the powerful pressure of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence weighing down on him. The longer he stood in the room, the heavier he felt and his mental fortitude slowly dissipating. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Lines of corruption started to appear in his body taking the shape of small patches of dark spots all over his body. A sign of the corruption in his soul that is slowly taking over. Quickly, Elric rummages through the transferred knowledge from the Great Seer Mhata in his memory. With the "world Knowledge," the Great Seer has given him, he should be able to find the formula in resisting the corruption with the Authority of Water. "I need to learn how to use the Authority of Water or I would be stuck in using only ten percent of my power and it won''t be long before I lose my control again..." And immediately, Elric found the method to summon and use the power of the Authority of Water. Refocusing himself, Elric drove hi-energy across his body and projected droplets of water quizzing out of his body. These droplets continued to cover his whole body like a water cover. The moment this water crawled across his body seemingly trying to wash him up, Elric also noticed that the corruption seems to realize his intentions and hasten its effects against him. Wooom~ Woom~ The small patches of dark corruption quickly expanded all over his body trying to seep deeper into his soul in an attempt to take him over again. Aagh! Elric''s physical body felt the brunt attack of corruption again. With the sudden surge of the darkness, his aura shifted from day to night and the people surrounding him could not help but stand back in guard. "Hugon kid, what happened to you?" The little turtle asked anxiously. "Princesses stay back!" some royal guards assigned to protect the princesses also felt the sudden change in Elric''s aura and hastily came forward to protect the last remaining children of the late King Mahar. Their golden spear all pointed to the kneeling Elric who is gasping for air with his eyes closed. Their eyes are locked at him with hostile glares. However, they also felt conflicted knowing that the human before them is not someone you can just pierce like a normal person. This man just single-handedly defeated their previous lord. What good could their golden spears do? Elric''s physical body shook at the sheer pressure by the sudden burst of corruption''s resistance upon meeting the Authority of water in his soul space. His brows tightly knitted together and his hand clasped tightly with bulging veins all over. He is fighting back the sudden power of the corruption. Cleanse! Driving his will with the flow of the cleansing water, Elric controlled the Authority of water to wash the expanding dark stains in his body. Ksssss~ Like acid, the dark corruption reacted against the cleansing water and slowly dissipated into clear white mist, evaporating away from him. "It''s working! I can feel the burden slowly lifting!" Elric felt ecstatic as he had managed to stop the expansion of the dark spots and he slowly regained his mental awareness again. With greater vigor, he controlled the cleansing water to wash over his mental body and the dark creepy spots reacted like sticky dirt finally meeting its cleaning match. Ksss~ Ksss~ Ksssss~ Elric has managed to wipe clean almost 90% of the dark spots. However, there are parts that are also quickly recovering just as they had been removed. Like a speck of black dust the blows to his body right after he just wiped it clean. It was a persistent one. Realizing that he can''t remove the corruption completely, Elric decided to settle for what he is capable of now. With the addition of the authority of water to cleanse his mental body, Elric felt good knowing that he should be able to use 20% of the power of the Ancestral Dragon. Stepping out of his immersion, Elric opened his eyes slowly and he saw the beautiful land of the Water Elemental realm greeting his view again. "Two elements down, three to go." Elric smiled with satisfaction and looked at the people behind him. "Huh?"Why are you guys looking at me like that?" Elric could not help but become curious from their gaping mouth. The princesses, the guards, and even the little turtle looked at Elric with shock itched in their funny faces. The little turtle could not hold himself anymore and asked Elric, "Tell me honestly. Who are you?" 84 The Great King Mahar Everyone looked at Elric as if he was a different person. Their shocked looks added to his curiosity. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Elric''s shadow started to grow and a blurry ethereal image immersed from him. "What do you mean? It''s me, Elric-" "Everybody, bow down!" The little turtle suddenly declared in an imposing manner and everyone followed thru without further delay. His voice echoed across the land of the water realm and every single creature that heard the command did as the new Lord ordered. They all bowed towards Elric with utmost respect printed in their eyes. Some are even crying as if seeing a long lost family before them. "Huh? What''s happening? Are they thanking me for what I have done? I am pretty much sure I brought plenty of troubles and destruction to them. I don''t think I deserve their acknowledgment at all." Elric''s mind was full of questions about the sudden changes with their reaction. Little did he know, an etherial image of the late King Mahar is currently manifesting behind him like a growing shadow. A silhouette of the giant merman figure slowly growing. "You have my gratitude human." A warm and comforting sound of a great man jolted Elric out of his thinking. He instinctively turned around to look behind only to see a towering ethereal figure of a red-tailed merman. The scales in his gigantic body shone with royal red just like those of the three princesses. Bulging muscles full of power formed his glorious aura and his waving royal red hair accentuated his bright eyes that are filled with wisdom. The legendary merman who commands respect and awe with his presence alone. One who brought peace and harmony throughout the land of the water realm for more than a thousand years until his unprecedented destiny that started the long and slow collapse of the Royal families of the water realm. "Father!" "Father!" "Father!" The three beautiful princesses could not stop their overflowing emotions. Seeing their father again after losing him from the sudden space attack brought back thousands of their beautiful memories together. The man was full of compassion and respect and they could not help but mourn for years after losing him. However, realizing that the image before them is not a real body but of an ethereal state only further confirms that he was indeed dead. "Paying respect to the Lord!" The armies in golden armor, the fish folks, the creatures of different sizes and even the moving corals turned to face the image of King Mahar and declared their unwavering respect. The moment Elric laid his eyes on the towering figure behind him, he felt chills running throughout his spine. His breath rapidly increased as reflected by the small gills in his neck while his eyes dilated in utter surprise. The man before him is the late Great King Mahar. He took on an etherial state which further confirmed that the latter is indeed dead. Elric repositioned himself with some distance from the ethereal being. He slowly nods his head in acknowledgment of the late King. "Is that how you pay respect to the late King?! Hurry! Kneel and face the ground!" Dash''s head almost exploded in anger after seeing Elric casually nodding to his respective King as if he was just greeted by a friend! "This bastard is crazy! Doesn''t he already know who the heck is before him?! It''s the late King Mahar! He is even more legendary than I am! That is the Legendaryrer Lord of the Water Realm!" Dash had a complicated emotion swelling inside. As much as he wants to evolve into his giant version and stamp the ignorant hugon before him, he is afraid of disrespecting the very etherial presence of the late King Mahar. Contrary to everyone''s emotional outburst, Elric quickly recomposed himself and faced the ethereal being with a relaxed tone. "I am sorry if I am not bowing down to you Great King Mahar. You see, I am also a half dragon and that also means that I bow to no one." Elric calmly explained himself. However, right after hearing his answer, the loyal soldiers of the Great King Mahar could not stand anymore Elric''s complacent attitude towards their King. "How dare you-" "STOP!" ~WOOOOM~ The loyal soldiers were just about to stand and berate Elric when a dominating aura struggled them down, causing them paralyzed and unable to utter a single word. "On behalf of my people, I would like to apologize for my people." After unleashing a sliver of his power to stop his people from their hostile intentions against Elric, the late King Mahar''s image slowly fainted. "I don''t mind. I understood them. It''s just the way of the Dragons to not bow to anyone." Elric casually replied with a gentle smile. The way he talked before the great King was as casual as if he was just talking to a friend. There is no hint of awe or fear despite the King''s legendary title. This is the clear state of mind brought to him by a voice from the God Reckoning Tribulation. Compared to the old version of himself who would easily panic and lacks firm decision, the current Elric exuded a character full of confidence, wisdom, and positivity. Added with the renewed energy brought to him by the Authority of water, Elric can use its cleansing power to wash away to corruption to give himself a clearer view and control of his mind. Hearing Elric''s honest and direct answer, the late King Mahar nodded in satisfaction and continued. "As much as I want to show you the colorful land of the water realm, I am afraid I do not have the time to waste for such. I am but a sliver of my last remaining energy that I planted in the Authority of Water knowing that you would come to get this power someday." "So you were expecting me?" Elric asked surprise. For some reason, he felt that all of these has been predetermined. "I have already known my fate ever since the visit to the realm of the Great Seer Mhata. And all of this had been under her guidance." Scanning the messy world of the water realm, the Great King Mahar cast a sigh and continued. "The liberation of my realm will come from a Human with dragon blood." He moved his head to face Elric and scanned him with focused eyes. "However you have also brought destruction on my land. Killing hundreds of thousands perhaps, of my peace-loving people. How do you think will you fix these?" Elric felt the hostile glare of the etherial being before him and for some reason, he felt that he should probably prepare for another round of trouble. 85 Last Reward "I am just kidding. Hahaha!" seeing that Elric was preparing himself to fight, the great King Mahar exploded in laughter, revealing his teasing side. "Father is still the same." "True. hehe" "I thought he was gonna punish the human!" The three princesses sighed after remembering their father''s habit of teasing. "Aghus was a good and powerful merman, perhaps, he was blessed with the best potential to become the new Lord. However, his heart was corrupted with greed and power. He has oppressed my people and even destroyed the peace we had been living for a generations. I know the battle that was to happen will be disastrous and that is why I have come prepared with my last power to serve my people." Inhaling deeply, he started glowing in blue light. Suddenly, the great King waved his hands and wave of comforting blue light washed all over across the land of the water realm. "What is this?" "My injuries are healing?" "Long live the great King Mahar!" "Long live his royal line!" Everything the blue light touches heals. Even those who have been killed are slowly recomposing their bodies and healed in a visible state. "Mother! Father!" "Our baby!" "Commander! You are alive!?? Hahahaha! "This is a miracle!" "I am alive! I am aliiiiive!" "I am pretty sure I had been dead from the giant coral monster''s mouth. What exactly happened?." "Pwe! There is too much sand in my mouth! Well, it doesn''t matter! I am alive!" "We owe our life to the great King Mahar!" "Looking at the vast world of the water realm, I have long predicted that sacrifices will be done against his rule. He was so desperate to obtain the Authority from me that he chooses to side with The Outside." Long after casting his healing wave, King Mahar''s appearance greatly fainted. He became so transparent that people could not almost see him. "The Outside?" Elric asked in clarification about the certain group whom the last ruler conspired with. "They are an elusive group of powerful corrupted elementals, humans or other creatures that had pledged to the destruction of their races." "Sound''s like a classic villain. Couldn''t get any more cliche?" Elric replied with a confident smile. "This may sound like a joke to you but the threat they bring is real. Perhaps, you have forgotten what The Great Seer Mhata had shown you; or could it be you have forgotten who is your true enemy?" With these words, Elric''s memories suddenly remembered the hideous sight the Great Seer Mhata revealed to him back at the Fire Elemental Realm. The destroyed world filled with scattered bones everywhere. Ever-burning-fire scorching the entire lands and pitch dark clouds blanketing the entire sky. The cries of despair, torture, and agony echoed across from the distance. A sound that could only be described as hell. Peace and justice had not a single trace in that world. And behold that, the culprit flies freely in the sky, blending its body with total darkness of the clouds. In the sky, Elric saw himself. In his corrupted Black Dragon Form, wreaking havoc, spewing fire that leaves not a single soul alive. His peaceful and relaxed mood suddenly gone. Little did he know, his hands are bleeding from his intense emotion. Elric realized that his real enemy is himself. The real threat to the world was him and the balance itself dances in the palm of his hands. With a serious tone, he faced the Great King again. He kneeled intently before the great King Mahar and the latter shot a surprised look including the royal guards, the beautiful princesses, and Dash. "I thought you Dragon''s don''t bow down to anyone?" Great King Mahar asked with a smile. "I bow to you not as a Dragon but as a human." Elric faced the ground with utmost humility. "The Great Seer Mhata guided me to you. Surely, there is something you can do to help me as the Wisest Lord of all Elementals." "You flatter me too much human, but very well. I did have something for you." Great King Mahar proceeded to look at the new Lord of the water realm - Dash. "Come here, my boy." With a wave of his hand, Dash immediately rose from the ground and stopped its small turtle body at the massive palm of the late Great King Mahar like an obedient little pet. Despite his ethereal form, the Great King Mahar and the little turtle are such in sync that they knew their intentions very well. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "This will be my gift and as a form of my gratitude for liberating the water realm." With a tap of his big fingers at the turtle''s shell, a bright light covered the little turtle blanketing their view with sheer brightness. WIING~ It took quite a while before the brightness faded and together with it is the mighty presence of the late Great King Mahar. Elric scanned the surroundings but not a single trace of the gigantic figure can be found. What he saw was the little turtle still floating on the spot unconsciously and a bright little pearl rolled down out of his opened little mouth. Instinctively, Elric caught the shining pearl and the little turtle at the same time. Dash remained unconscious for quite some time and Elric looked at the white shining pearl. "Why is it so heavy?" Despite its small marble-size, the small little white pearl weights more than a hundred kilos. Its mere presence allowed caused his surroundings to vibrate in power and a powerful urge to swallow it was commanding Elric''s mind. 86 Soul Cleansing Pearl The warm voice of the unseen Great King Mahar sounded in Elric''s mind. "This is the Soul Refining Pearl that I have hidden in my little turtle''s soul. Take it as it is my reward for your help in saving my people. Swallow it and you will earn the absolute body perfectly in tune with your mind. I know that you are under the curse of a powerful energy inside you." Elric''s eyes dilated in gladness. This is just the thing he needs right now as the pressure of the corruption inside him is slowly growing. Despite him gaining a powerful body and mind, the mere pressure of the Dark Room inside him is strong enough to turn even an Angel into a demon. Once it grabs hold of your senses, the only thing that will occupy your mind will be chaos. You will hate life, you will hate everybody and you will crave blood. After all, the Ancestral Dragon''s essence was an accumulation of a thousand years old Dragon''s rage. Pure dominant and wild nature has grown embued with it. Unless your body is fully constituted to its formula does one gets more control over it. At the very least, only Dragon King or Queens has the foundation good enough for slight chances of controlling such a powerful essence. Still, the danger of corruption is there. But for some unexplained turn of events, Elric - a human, survived the God Reckoning Tribulation and even learned to control the power of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence, albeit not in its full might. The only explanation he could muster at the moment is that he was fated to have it. For whatever reason, Elric firmly believed that his acquiring such power is not a coincidence. Truly, the God''s in heaven must have plans for him. With this in his thought, Elric learned to tackle each struggle with a positive attitude. However, consuming a Dragon''s essence is also considered a cheat by the heavens, hence, its corruptive nature. The more powerful the essence, the more powerful its corruptive force. With great power comes great corruption indeed. Elric learned to accept the truth that the power he posses is something he should truly respect and he must not underestimate it or risk falling to another deadly Black Dragon rampage. Simply speaking, Elric is incompatible with the Ancestral Dragon''s essence since he was only half Dragon when he absorbed it. Despite having a full body of a Dragon, his soul will always be of a human. Elric scanned through his Knowledge of the world which is like a mental Library to him. Quickly, he found the information about the Soul Refining Pearl. "A legendary pearl made from an accumulated water essence over five hundred years inside the shell of a rare golden clam. Only the lord of the Water Realm has the authority to get or transfer this certain pearl out from the shell or else, it dissipates into dust. Consuming one will help in cleansing one''s soul and body; giving one a more refined control over his mind and body." Elric read the description in his mind and murmured in satisfaction. "Not bad. I guess this is just perfect for my current affliction." He nodded for a while as he continued. "The body will undergo a water tribulation that will test one''s resilience, purity, and intention. Pass the tribulation and you will acquire complete water compatibility and possibly evolve into a higher being." "It helps one to evolve?!" Elric could finally not contain his excitement. An opportunity to give him another evolution form with a bonus of cleansing his body and soul is currently resting in his palm. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With this legendary pearl, it is indeed wise to keep it inside the Elemental Realm or else, the Dragon Tribes back at the human realm would not hesitate to raise war against the water realm just to acquire this pearl. "It is one of the rarest treasure and the reason it is not allowed to be brought out the human realm as Dragon''s and Powerful Ancient Humans are more than willing to kill just to get their hands on one. hmmm, just as I expected." "Now I have one more favor to ask before I finally go." King Mahar''s voice resounded again in Elric''s mind. "Dash is the new lord of the water realm but he still needs time to learn on becoming more accustomed to his new power and responsibility." Elric gave the sleeping little turtle who is currently comfortably pulled in his shell. The voice continued, "I do not know the possible danger that lies ahead of your journey but one thing I know, you are bound for greatness. Until then, I hope that I can count on your help in protecting the water realm and the water in the human world." "You can count on me. " Elric gave a quick reply in his mind. "And also..." "what?" "You see... Ummm... Do you mind marrying my daughters?" "What do you mean marrying your daughters?!" "So it''s a no then?" "I already have a girlfriend!" Elric lied. He is already in the late ''20s but failed to find a girl that he likes. He got no time for romance as he is too busy working and playing Dota during his free time. "not in the water realm though." The king insisted. "Just rest in peace old man. Let the girls decide for themselves." Elric sighed a good relief. No matter how legendary this late King is, he is still, after all, a father. Looking after his daughter is still one of his priorities. " And besides, I am not completely in control of my power," Elric added. "As much as possible, I avoid people or risk another rampage. Who knows, I might lose it again." "All right, I understand. But just in case you change your mind. You are always welcome in the water realm." "Thank you for your kind gestures." "Thank you too human. May the elements be with you." With these parting words, the voice of the late King Mahar has finally left and Elric is now left with a bright little pearl in his hand a sleeping little turtle on his shoulders. Just when Elric was about to leave and find a place to consume the pearl and do the water tribulation, another insisted voice came back. "Annnd don''t forget to marry my daughters or I will hunt you." "Go to sleep old man." *** 87 Water Tribulation Elric bade farewell to the princesses and left to find a quiet and safe place to do the tribulation. After finding himself at the most secluded side of the planet, far away in the south, Elric scanned the gigantic mountains of corals. Instead of green mountains made of trees, what Elric could see in the water realm are various gigantic corals the size of a mountain. Considering that they live inside the hollow world of the water realm, Elric could also see the towering Coral mountains above thanks to his dragon eyes. There are giant corals with yellow giant thorny tentacles branching away from its body. Pointing towards the sky are the Tower Corals that stood like heavenly pillars, table coral mountains that are as wide as a five-kilometer plateau and Brain-like coral mountains that looked like a human brain from afar due to its grooved surface and spheroid shape, these are just to name a few. Along with these giant coral mountains are its native dwellers ranging from Black Eels, colorful fish species including those weird ones that Elric has never seen before in the human world. One thing Elric realized is that these Coral mountains had covered almost seventy percent of the water realm. The only place with the most concentrated population is the kingdom of the water Lord where the Golden Palace can be found surrounded by the Coral City. He stood alone in a wide expanse of lush colorful seagrass and calmly took in a meditative position. In his semi-Fishman form thanks to Dash''s magical transformation pearl, Elric blended well at the center like a native creature. Elric has confirmed from the Knowledge of the World regarding the test of the water tribulation. In the process of absorbing its essence, Elric''s mind and body will undergo absolute water refinement aside from the Absolute Water control. However, together with its incredible benefits comes the deadly risk. Just like how bleaching works, removing stains or germs is easy with a powerful bleach solution. The only problem is that overexposure to such chemicals could lead to fatal corrosive danger. The Soul Cleansing Pearl is like a highly concentrated bleach solution that removes stain from one''s mind and body. The problem is that it could also corrude one''s energy and identity the more it works on your body. For normal people, a touch from the Soul Cleansing Pearl could lead to instant memory and personality wipeout as its mere presence alone could harm anyone who touches it. But for Dragons, Ancient humans, Elementals and other creatures with a powerful constitution have a higher chance of surviving the Soul Cleansing Pearl''s effect. The Golden Clam that made it was a rare magical creature of the water realm that can only produce one Soul Cleansing Pearl every five hundred years. However, due to its toxicity and danger, it poses to anyone, the late King Mahar made sure to keep such information hidden from the public. The previous Lords of the water realm from thousands of years ago all died from the Soul Cleansing Pearl except for the late King Mahar. As a result, he was gifted with incredible knowledge and wisdom. He was also considered as the most powerful Lord of the water realm during his peak. The reason it was able to produce such is that it was the only creature of the water realm that has no personality nor memory, hence its ability to create the ultimate form of cleansing pearl. Despite all of the danger, Elric now has the confidence to resist such power. For some reason, the constant pressure from the Ancestral Dragon''s essence has also served as a way for him to fight against mental and physical corruption, giving him more confidence in facing the water tribulation. Elric inhaled a mouthful of breaths as he calmed himself down. Clearing his mind before taking in the Soul Cleansing Pearl. He took his time knowing that he only got one chance for this. Elric knew, that taking this pearl should help him in increasing his mind and body control, thus, giving him a significant boost in increasing his resistance against corruption. By the time he finished, he should be able to control the Ancestral Dragon''s Power up to forty percent of its actual power. GIving him more confidence and closer to his goal in reaching the hundred percent. As much as he wanted to leave the water realm, his instincts tell him to do the tribulation in the water realm as he did not know the possible danger that waits for him outside. Without any more hesitations, Elric swallowed the small bright pearl despite its ridiculous weight. It was only thanks to his current superior body that he could casually lift it like a normal candy. Gulp. The little bright pearl slid in his throat with a burning sensation scattering all over his body. Elric felt like eating dynamite with the appearance of a white bright pearl. Bwooosh~ Aghhhk! An intense burning sensation from the white pearl bursted inside his body towards his every little cell. Like an electrical current moving inside him at a rapid pace. Quickly, Elric succumbed to the ground like a disabled person. Aaaah! Elric''s body twitched uncontrollably. Like hit by a thousand volts from a stun gun, every cell of his body cried in agony to the point that he lost his sense of control and is unable to utter a single word. The cleansing started in an instant and Elric felt like he was undergoing another God Reckoning Tribulation! Every liquid state inside his body feels like a magma. His Dragon blood and body undergoes constant destroy and repair cycle. He felt like a tidal wave of magma flowed all over his body and clashing inside of him bringing forth an unfathomable burst of pain in every part of his body. Inside his physical body, an incredible scene of evolution has emerged. With each, destroyed cells, a better cell emerges! Finally, the burning sensation has reached his head and the real fight has begun. It is the battle of mental resilience. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I am not losing myself again!" Elric clasped his hands as he forced himself to stand up despite the constant barrage of the raging energy inside him. His draconic eyes struggled to open from his unstable body control like an intense gravity pulling him down to the ground. Gulugulu~ He drove his Dragon body''s natural healing ability to the maximum fighting off the corrosive power of the Soul Cleaning Pearl. ROAR!~ *** 88 Intruders While Elric transformed, the merfolks and the princesses scrambled to find their late King Mahar only to confirm that it was the last time they will see him with the remaining energy spent to summoning the Soul Cleansing Pearl. *** Far away back at the entrance to the water realm, Five Dragons that emanated with dark auras have arrived. They have an eastern Dragon body shape bulging with power and energy. Magnus called them as Northern Elemental Thagda. These are the five elemental Dragons dispatched by the Northern Queen Dragon to the Elemental realm in search of Elric. A result of a thousand years of experimentation led by Magnus. A mixture of Dragon and Elemental that surpasses their expectation. (See Chapter 53) One must know that the reason Dragons are unable to enter the Elemental realm is because of their incompatibility itself. The atmosphere and pressure of the Elemental realm is something that was designed so that Dragons would not be able to endure. Their body would rapidly deteriorate once they happen to enter the elemental realm and in just mere minutes, their body would collapse in dissipating into nothing. Only the elementals, who are designed to their every cell, are capable of living in the elemental realm, and chosen humans who are permitted by the Elemental Lords, thus Elric, despite having a Dragon blood, is an exception. Before the five dominant Elemental Dragons are the Giant Guardian Eels that protect the Water Elemental Realm from outside intruders. baring their sharp fangs and sparks of electricity bursts around them from time to time threatening the three dragons trying to get in. "Khyaaaaa~" The heads of the Giant Eels shrieked with a deafening voice to warn the Thagda''s but the latter quickly reacted with their scream in an even louder frequency. "KYHEEIIIIIIK!!!~" Right after the resounding scream, the five elemental Dragons charged towards the Guardian Eels at an unbelievable speed. "Khyaaa!" Bzzt- Bzzt! BZZZZZZT! The Gigantic Eels quickly reacted to the charging intruders with their powerful lightning bolts. Wooom~ The five elemental Dragons suddenly blended in the water as their body took on a sudden color transformation. With their innate blood from the native water elemental that was harvested from their host, they have also gained the transforming ability that allows them to blend in water, making them invisible on the water! The lightning attacks of the gigantic Eels missed the five dragons despite its wide range. Followed after are the bone-cracking sound of their heads falling out one after another. Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash! Like a farmer cutting weeds with an incredibly sharp scythe, all the heads of the Gigantic Eels had been sliced into two in an instant. Despite their powerful jaws and ability, it was nothing compared to the Elemental Dragons specially designed to hunt its prays. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The Thagdas are breeds that closely resembled the eastern Dragon''s body but shorter in length and have long sharp tails inspired by Southern Dragons. The Gigantic Eels tried to recover their body with their crazy regeneration ability but the cut wounds left behind by the Thagdas seem to bring in poison that slowly corrodes their body, melting them until nothing is left! KHYAAAAHKKKKK~~~~~~~~ The agonizing cries of the Gigantic Eels echoed across the ocean of the water realm. Slowly, their cries faded as their body completely disintegrated into muddy pulps due to the poison from the Elemental Dragons. And with that, the guardians of the water realm had been disintegrated and the five elemental Dragons continued on their journey to the long tunnel. The scent of Elric still lingered around the tunnel which they used as a guide in finding him. Their eyes remained sharp and emotionless. The battle against the Water Elemental Realm guardians did not even cost them too many efforts. "He is close." The biggest but the youngest one of the five Thagdas spoke via Dragon language, in a way, only dragons can hear their conversation as well as communicate in a certain sound frequency. He was the last to have been successfully born and was the most perfect of all of them. While he was the last to be created, all the imperfections of the first four born had been fixed in his creation leading him to be the perfect Thagda. As a result, he had dominated all the other older Thagdas thus claiming the spot of being the leader of the five. "Finally." The fourth one replied in excitement. "I am getting hungry from all of those travels. The water snakes of this realm don''t taste good compared to the human sacrifices of our creator. "Indeed. Humans are delicious. They are like delicious mini snacks. And their cries as I plunged my fangs into their soft squishy bodies and as they slid towards my acid-filled throat ... Ooooh, the sensation! The spilling of their delicious blood. So satisfying. Too bad, they have very small bodies." The firstborn added with ecstasy coming out of its eyes. Growing up in a hidden place in the north, their creator had given them human sacrifices as foods since giving them another Dragon for their development could lead to possible complications to their foundation and they might be rejected by the Elemental realm instead. "I heard that the half-breed taste beyond wonderful considering that he is half human and half dragon with a smear of royalty as well." "A human with royal Dragon blood?! He must be incredibly delicious!" "Guess it doesn''t hurt to get a little bite off him right?" "A bite or two should not hurt." "Make it five." "I hear he has insane recovery too. Do you get what I mean?" "Unlimited... human with royal dragon blood! This is a jackpot!" "Hahahaaha!" "Brothers I see water elemental soldiers ahead...." "How about this, the most number of soldiers he kills, he gets the first bite off the half breed!" "That''s a deal!" "Whahahahaha! Let''s turn this stupid realm into worthless ruins!" "Leave no one alive! except that half-breed!" The five eager Thagda''s raced towards the incoming group of the water elemental soldiers. Little did they know, a different "Half-breed" is waiting for them. 89 Defense Of The Turtle The last deafening cries of the Water Elemental Guardian Eels brought attention to the inner guard soldiers of the said realm. It was also a warning cry to remind them of the terrifying power of the incoming intruders. "Everyone in position! We have a powerful opponent ahead. I don''t have any idea what they did to the Guardians that made them into such horrifying screams. Therefore, we must not underestimate this new enemy!", a commanding soldier that held a bigger golden spear shouted to his comrades. Despite their last battle, their morale had been spiking lately especially after seeing the image of their beloved late Great Lord Mahar. Even though the current Lord of the water realm is unconscious, they still hoped that Dash could wake up on time. Not to mention, there is a powerful human with power strong enough to take down an elemental Lord himself. The only problem is that they have no idea where he left. Intelligence report stated that the human has gone far to the south in order to escape responsibilities of the damages he had done. Other more pessimistic gossiping creatures claimed that the human had already left the water realm after given a good punishment by the late King Mahar. While there are also those who are hopeful and optimistic ones that Elric had only gone to rest and will surely come to their aid. Whichever is the truth, one thing the commander is for sure, and that is they can only count on themselves for this time. Whether a help will come or not is up to the almighty Fate. "We must stand our ground and not let this foolish intruder come even a single inch-" SLAM! WHAAAM! SLAASH! WHAAM! BAASH! Just before the commander could finish his words five long distorted images of eastern Dragons charged in their post with a terrifying force. The guard armies did not even see them coming as the intruding Thagdas used their water camouflage to hide their bodies. Only a faint water distortion could reveal a hint of their presence but with overwhelming speed, they looked as if nothing but a passing current. "Ughh..." "My body... I can''t feel it." "What happened...- aaaghhh!" Thanks to their golden armors, the guardian armies had managed to survive the forceful charges of the Thagdas, however, the sheer impact force left them stunned and terrified. Right before the guard armies could recover from their state, the Thagdas revealed themselves while munching on their feeble bodies. CRUNCH! MUNCH! MUNCH! Aaaaagkkkkkg! Like dogs biting their favorite bones, the five Thagdas munched on the disarray soldiers with furious greed. "This water elemental soldiers taste a bit salty compared to humans." "Food is still food!" "Pueh! I hate this gold armors, they get stuck in between my fangs!" "Just slosh it in. Our bottomless stomach will do the trick." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I am excited to eat the half-breed. Where is he?" While the four are busily munching the collapsed soldiers, their youngest who also happens to be their leader had been busily sniffing the surroundings which are vast and colorful land of the water realm and his dragonic eyes panned across the view, scanning for Elric''s clue. SNIFF-SNIFF- "That''s weird, his scent disappeared here. There is too much-distracting blood and dust everywhere and my senses can easily get lost." The leader mumbled. "What do you mean you can''t?" We have been tracking that half-breed for quite some time and no matter how faint the trace was, you always managed to find it. How come you can''t do it now?" The fourth born asked with an arrogant tone. "Why don''t you trace it yourself then?" "You are just getting lazy. Do your job properly." "I said why don''t you sniff it yourself?" "I am tired." "And you can''t sniff like me. You are imperfect that''s why you are useless." "It was because of me that you have been gifted with such a good body. If it wasn''t for them experimenting on me first, they would have never created you!" "What a lame excuse that is." ROOOAR! ROOOOOOAR!~ The fourth born and the fifth one fought each other like mad beasts. Each of them had hated each other since the fourth born was always jealous of the Fifth born''s perfect body. And the two of the strongest Thagdas started on a furious wrestle. Meanwhile, back at the Golden Palace floating at the center of the water realm, the agonizing cries of the Water Guardian had finally reached the sleeping Dash. With his innate connection to the water realm, the little turtle woke up in his deep slumber. With the images of the five Thagda''s mercilessly devouring his native guards and the decapitation of the heads of the gigantic Guardian Eels, Dash''s eyes went bloodshot with anger. The cries of his men whose bodies were crushed in their greedy fangs and the last second call for help reached his soul. He had failed to protect the people of his own realm. An unstoppable burst of anger sent him in utter rage. ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAR! Dash''s body engulfed in blazing blue fire. The final gift of the late King Mahar in full revelation. Thus, the Legend of Dash, the Blue Fire Gifted Lord of the Water Realm, is born. Before his attending guardians and princess could react to stop him though, only traces of a bluish streak of scorching blue fire were left behind in the last location. 90 Desperate Defence Magnus worked together with the smartest Northern Dragons and with a genius experimental help from some mysterious group called The Outsiders, they had managed to succeed in creating the first-ever Half Dragon- Half Elemental creatures. The other three Thagdas heed no attention to the two biting each other. Their imperfections allowed them to become gluttons who let their stomach guide their attentions and motive. Knowing that following the last born would eventually lead to bountiful rewards, they cared nothing else, despite the danger while the last two are gifted with higher intelligence. Their body is capable of using poison to melt their enemies. Not even the proud defense of the Western Dragons could withstand their powerful corrosive abilities. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Adding their powerful Dragon-Elemental bodies and water melding skills, they posed a great threat that if known, could lead to the wrath of the Elemental Lords and could start more wars from the Elemental Realm against the other innocent Dragon Clans. With the Northern Dragons using native Elemental beings to create a new creature, it was the same as declaring that the Elementals are nothing but test subjects for the Dragon''s hostile ambitions. Knowing the attitude of the Elemental Lords, Magnus made sure to keep the matter regarding the experimental Elemental Dragons a secret for hundreds of years. But now that a better test subject has appeared in the form of Elric, the greed in Magnu''s heart has reached its peak state and sent his secret weapon for the mission. Confident that it won''t take long to have Elric dancing in his hands, a possibility in creating the ultimate Dragon and dominating the human realm kept him motivated. While the three glutton Thagdas enjoyed their time feasting on the powerless soldiers of the water realm, the other two continued their furious slamming and biting. BAAM! SLAAM! "You useless leader!" "Imperfect useless bastard!" Just when the two reached the peak of their battle, a streaking ball of blue fire exploded in their faces. BOOOOOOOOM!! Despite its small size, the ball of blue fire created an unbelievable explosion upon impact. It sent the two younger Thagda''s rolling a few meters before slamming on the entrance wall with utmost force. "How dare you to trespass on my kingdom and killing my people without mercy!" The silhouette of a giant turtle materialized amidst the floating dust. Dash, revealed himself with a powerful aura. His shell had streaks of blue lights that pulsated with blazing blue fire. A blue fire that was activated as a parting gift of King Mahar to his special pet and the next Lord of the water realm. This is the essence of the Blue fire. Seeing the arrival of a new challenger who also happens to be the Lord of the water realm, the five Thagdas immediately came into their senses. The damage on their reddish bodies suddenly recovered like it was never there in the first place. "ROOOOAR!~ You will make a good turtle snack!" The third-born Thagda exclaimed with excitement in his eyes. "It''s a spicy hot one as well." The first one licked his mouth as a droll came out. "Careful brothers, I smell fire Elemental Essence in this water elemental creature. This is weird." The leader warned the others. "I already know that." The fourth one added, not wanting to be outshined by the Fifth born. Dash scanned the surroundings of the intruding Thagdas. Half-eaten bodies of the guarding soldiers scattered across the floor. His heart ached at the bloody sight of his people who sacrificed their lives for their duties. These soldiers, despite their unfavorable condition, maintained their duty and did not hesitate to stand their ground in spite of their fear of the unknown enemy. Burning determination flashed across the eyes of the new Lord of the water realm. Wooom~ "None of you will be leaving my kingdom," Dash said as blue fire essence suddenly burst in his body. His hard turtle shell turned into a giant blue fire torch. A dominating force exploded and sent the five Thagdas back with sheer presence alone. With every step closer to the intruders, the five Thagdas could feel an overwhelming heat that seems to melt the hostile Dragons. SLAM! The leading Thagda slammed his in reply. Representing his companions, this Elemental Dragon stood proudly that did not seems to be afraid of Dash''s overwhelming presence. While the first three glutton brothers of him stood back intimidated, a different furious glare could be seen on this one. The fourth born Thagda also showed his resistance. "ROOOAR!~ Are you threatening me?" The leader taunted. Long and sharp spines suddenly sprouted in a different part of its body. Revealing the true shape of a Thagda, a mixed-race made from Northern Dragons and Native Water Elemental. Suddenly, the leading Thagda swiped its thorn-filled tails and sent a deadly dark thorn-covered in their signature corroding poison straight towards the incoming giant turtle with a blazing blue fire covering its shell. SWOOOOSH-FOOOM! WIth another blue fireball, Dash incinerated the poison dart within contact. Not even ashes remained of its traces. The five Thagda''s were dumbstruck at the incredible incinerating ability of the blue fire that now expanded in front of them, completely blocking their way at the same time. The blue fire kept them at bay while Dash continued to expel more fire from his mouth creating an impassable wall flame. The only problem is that his energy might deplete soon. Dash must hurry and do what he must! 91 One Last Blow The five Thagda''s slowly stepped back as the temperature caused by the blue fire before they continued to rise. They never expected to see a fire in the first place since they are deep in the Water Realm and as its name implies, they are indeed underwater! But seeing a water elemental creature engulfed in a blazing blue fire was just completely out of their expectation. Not to mention, water elementals are incompatible with the fire element. How the hell did this one obtained its fire affinity? While the five of the intruders stood guard against the gigantic turtle who also looked like a walking turtle torch of blue fire, the armies of the water realm are also coming from behind. "DONT COME!" A resounding voice filled with authority echoed across the Water realm. Dash''s voice was like a thunder that struck the incoming water elemental soldiers on the spot, the command itself carried the will of the Water Elemental Lord. "But our Lord, we must help you-" "SILENCE! Keep the people safe and evacuate them farther. This fight could lead to more casualties if we don''t contain it fast. Make sure everyone is safe! That is my command!" With full authority, Dash commanded his men. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The unwilling soldiers had a conflicted look on their face but after a while, the commander made up his mind. Summoning his people back, they went full throttle on evacuating the natives of the water realm to a safer place. The princesses also came with them intending to organize the crowd with their princess authorities. "Diana," Dash called and the former quickly responded with a halt and facing Dash''s direction. A mental message connected between them. "Find Elric somewhere on the south. I need his help." He went straight to his request and the little princesses knew the urgency of the matter. The enemies were able to destroy the Water Elemental Guardians with ease, and these only confirm the enemy''s domineering strength. Without hesitation, she summoned her flashy Dolphin covered in golden armors. And rushed towards the southern direction, leaving her other sisters behind. Despite not knowing Elric''s exact location, she has to trust in her instinct and her Dolphin''s spectacular speed. "Donna, call for the elders and set up the Magic Coral Barriers. Make sure to keep to people inside. and don''t go out unless I say so. Danna leads the soldiers and keeps standing at the entrance of the barrier. You will lead the second defense force in case the barrier gives up." The two other princesses quickly nodded and went on their respective roles. While they did, Dash made sure to keep up his Blue firewall. The five Thagda''s on the other sides are like waiting for hungry vipers. Once the cage finally gives up, another catastrophe could fall again and this time, in a more merciless way. Dash never expected to see the half Dragons - half Elementals come in the water realm. One thing in his mind that gives him a clue is that they are after Elric. The Dragon tribes back at the water realm must have breached their moral codes and experimented on their captured Elementals and managed to create a new creature out from them. However, such a method was never proven to be successful in the first place and was also considered a taboo between the Dragon races. With their overwhelming pride that proudly declares they are at the top of the existence, he never expected that they would dare to continue on such experiments. But knowing Elric''s potential benefits on the hands of the Dragon clans, he could understand their intentions a little bit. But to go as far as send the half Dragons to the elemental realm is as clear as declaring war to the Elemental realm from the Dragon tribes. Knowing all these, Dash knew that he needs to destroy these Thagdas as fast as he can before more words come out on the other Elemental realms and insue another race war that they had been trying to avoid at all cost. Dash could not help but think of Elric. Everything started because of this human. Whatever fate have in store for him, Dash could only shake his head in utter confusion. "At least help me with these lizards, hugon kid." Dash murmured. With a scan of his Lord''s perception of the entire kingdom, Dash heaved a sigh of relief. Now that everything is on place and his people are finally on safe hideouts. Dash''s blazing body calmed down. His gaze scanned the towering flames as it slowly faded together with his energy. Seeing that the burning wall of pure blue fire finally settled down, the five Thagdas did not hesitate anymore as they charged with furious roars on their way. But before they could advance further, the torch in Dash''s back completely shone in blue lights blinding the incoming Thagdas. "Light! It''s blinding me!" "I hate light!" ROOOAR!~ "Everyone dodged to the left!" The leading Thagda suddenly commanded and the rest synchronically did as he commended without any questions. BOOOOM!~ From the place they were charging from, another towering patch of blue fire burned with terrifying heat. They would have been a Thagda barbecue if not for their incredible reflex and trust of their leading brother. They never expected their opponent to trick them and almost succeeding at that. Dash used the blinding light as a cover for his flame attack, but the leader was fast enough to react on his plan and warned his companions, foiling his plan on wiping them in one go. Gasping in his breath, Dash recomposed himself with a serious look on his turtle face. Deep behind his appearance is a worried heart. With the last fire he shot that missed, he barely has any more fire left in him and it would take him more time to recover his energy again. Not even the water skills he knew will be effective against these mutated creatures. The fire was the perfect counter for their corrosive nature and he had just spent it on a desperate plan. "You messed with the wrong turtle, lizards." and like an explosion, Dash''s body was completely covered in blue fire. He is prepared for another attempt to wipe them out in one last go. "Bring it on torch turtle." The leading lizard bared his fangs with menacing eyes and a greedy smile appeared on the faces of his Thagda brothers. Their bodies releasing pitch dark mist that quickly expanded on the surroundings, hiding their dark red bodies on the spot. An interesting intro for the next round. 92 Attack From The Dark Mists "I need to make sure to get them all properly this time.", knowing his disadvantaged position, Dash moved back a few meters not allowing the dark mist to reach him. With each passing meters the dark mist has covered, everything just melted into black murky state. From the small colorful water elementals plants, to the beautiful corals, they all slowly melted at the poison mist''s potency. Seeing it expanding further and further, Dash finally stopped and inhaled a large mouthful of water. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. WATER BLAST!~ Preserving his fire attacks for killing blow, Dash decided to use a water-based offense just to drive away from the creeping dark mist. WOOOSSH~ Straight from the turtle''s mouth is a powerful torrent of heavily compressed water. The mist that it hit was instantly washed away, stopping it from advancing further. Slowly, Dash maneuvered the powerful water torrent to wipe clean the scattering dark mist revealing the fleeing Thagdas hiding beneath. With the powerful water torrent destroying everything in its path, they made sure to avoid the turtle''s attack, not daring to underestimate its power. Shuk! Shuk! WOOOSH~ The five Thagda''s took their turns whipping their poison darts towards the turtle intending to pierce his head and other vulnerable parts but the latter''s reflex was just extraordinary! Dash would use the water blast to shoot them from afar, anyone who manages to get close and tried to do melee against him is met by his tail wipe and would also use his hard shells for defense. WOOOSH~ Shuk~ BLAAAST~ WHAAM! The three greedy Thagda''s would sometimes lose their control in the middle of their attack and would instinctively bite on Dash''s scaly body instead, in return, he gave them a good stomp but the other brothers would not allow him to finish the stomped ones. Using their numbers and with their coordinated attacks, Dash found it impossible to do a clean wipe on them. With every opening the Thagdas presented, a deadly opening is also being exposed in Dash''s attack. Unless he was willing to get piereced by the poison, he had to make sure to really clean them in one go. CRAAASH~ BAANG! WHAAAM!~ Slowly, Dash tried to corner them all in direction to finish them all in one go. But they all refused to be led into such an obvious plan. The five Thagda coordinated perfectly while keeping a safe distance against each other. Carefully, they tested the turtle, waiting for the giant creature to reveal even the slightest clear opening. "Follow my lead and shoot with me." The leader quickly commanded and the rest unhesitantly followed him. They retreated in the dark mist scattered across the surroundings, hiding their presence at the same time. While Dash, used his water blast to clear the area, the five Thagda''s simply reacted by releasing more dark mist and the surroundings became pitch black again. "ARGH! This is going on forever! Show yourself, cowards!" Dash confidently taunted his enemies who shamelessly hid in their dark mist. Suddenly, five two-meters-long-poison darts flashed out from the dark mist. An obvious retaliation of the five Thagdas. Shuk~ Shuk~ Shuk~ Shuk~ Shuk~ From all directions, five poison dart that carried deadly poison converged in one single spot - Dash''s head. CLANK! CLANK! CLANK! Despite Dash''s big head and gigantic scaly body, his incredible reflex allowed him to hide under his shell just before he got hit by the poison darts while the other three hit his outer shell. KSSK~ As the darts touched his ultra-tough shells, the poison it brought quickly did its job by slowly melting the hard shells. Noticing this, Dash reacted by covering his entire body by the blue fire - effectively erasing any traces of the poison. "I hate that blue fire!" "GRAA!~" "I want to eat that turtle so bad!" The first three glutton Thagdas shouted in irritation. They have greatly underestimated the creatures of the water realm and they have never expected to find a water elemental creature that perfectly counters their poison advantage. With their overwhelming appetite, getting delayed for their snack is something that can easily make them go mad. "Calm down brothers. Unlike the red fire, the blue one is indeed very effective against our poison because of its purifying properties. The red fire is only good for destruction, but the blue fire has purification ability that perfectly counters our corrosive poison. I just really wonder how did that turtle manage to obtain such rare fire despite being a water elemental." The leading one explained. "I already know that." The fourth one added in obvious antagonistic attitude. "Whatever. Let''s work together and attack this turtle from different directions. Let''s use our number advantage against him. His fire essence should not last long enough to survive our combined attack. Just follow my lead and we will get to dine in his hard shell in no time." The leading Thagda confidently declared. "That''s more I like it!" "I want his tail and heart!" "Can we eat the shell too?" The gluttons quickly agreed while the fourth one remained serious. "I will do what I want." It proudly said in arrogance, not wanting to follow the leader. "Suit yourself." The leader replied nonchalantly. Dash finally came out of his shell after he wiped clean the poison darts corroding his shell using a simple burst of his blue fire. Right now, he had just expended too much fire leaving him with a little bit of blue fire essence. One more instance of using a powerful blue fire and he will easily lose his trump card against the Thagdas. "Just where are you at the moment hugon kid. I need your help here." Dash whispered to himself with an old and tired voice brought by his gigantic form. His black beady eyes followed the sneaky movements of the five Thagda''s that seems to surround him from all directions. Their sneaky movement and coordinated attacks tell a lot about their battle capacity. Unlike a normal Dragon that chooses to fight mano-a-mano, these bastards incorporate sneaking and faking their attacks just to make him reveal his openings. "This is not good." Dash murmured. 93 Final Stand Their sharp dark eyes are locked on to him while emanating a dark mist, slowly hiding their bodies again. Like lions blocking their prays exit path, they all blended in their dark mist as it continued to expand towards the surroundings and Dash. He could also not help but notice the three remarkably restless Thagdas with overflowing droll on their bloody mouths. A hint of greed flashed in their eyes, seemingly imagining him as a cooked chicken and sent shivers down from his gigantic shell. It was these three that ate his soldiers like they were crispy snacks. WOOOOOM~ Their body started to release another round of dark mist and it quickly expanded to the surroundings reaching almost a kilometer in just a few seconds... And just like before, more rocks and plants are being destroyed by the poisonous mist. Seeing the poison mist doing its damage to the beautiful world of the water realm, Dash had the urges to spit the remaining blue fire right away but that would most likely cost him his life and his last remaining trump card. Right now, he must think wisely. He could not count for the help of his people or they would just die in vain and become food sacrifices to these dangerous intruders. Only Elric, who is gifted with the Authority of fire, could give the best beating on these bastards. The Blue Fire essence planted to him by the Great Seer Mhata is something that allows him to use the said element but with limited capacity. Once he completely used his stack of fire essence, it would take him around a day or two to completely restore the Fire essence since it was not a native essence naturally produced by his body as a water elemental. But right now, he must think quickly to delay the enemies as long as he can and hope that the little Diana could pitch Elric as fast as possible and help his melting shell. While Dash was contemplating his next move, the five Thagdas have completely hidden with the help of the dark poison mist covering the giant turtle''s view in every direction. "CALL MY HEED! SAND SHELL!" WOOOM!~ Dash''s turtle shell vibrated from his power. The sand under him floated and quickly compressed to an incredibly solidity and form another defensive layer in Dash''s body and shells. It didn''t take long for the sand to completely hide his body under the sand defense. With the help of this sand shell, his defense ability almost tripled! However, together with this improved defense is the burden in his mobility Dash''s already gigantic body expanded further almost doubling his original size but his speed has also greatly diminished, completely stopping him from moving further. Now he is nothing but a sitting turtle-duck hiding under the sand! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Dash prepared himself. Knowing that he would not be able to use the Blue Fire at the moment unless he gets a sure-kill shot, he decided to bet his last hope on his defense. WOOOSH~ WOOSH~ WOOSH~ WOOSH~ WOOSH~ Five poison darts had successfully struck Dash''s sand body due to its immobile state. "Finally!" "It''s a dead turtle!" "Head is mine!" Seeing that their attack had finally hit the target, the three gluttons exclaimed in excitement. But the two other brothers knew that it was not as easy as they think. Their eyes remained glued at the unmoving turtle in the middle of their dark mist. SHHH~ The poison darts and the poisoned sand shells slowly fell from the turtle''s thick body and another layer of sand from the surroundings floated, recompressed, and repaired the damaged part as if undressing himself with the new sand shell. Like a statue, Dash just stood in the middle, not even the dark mist managed to penetrate his sand defense. "I see." The leading Thagda had a creepy smile on its Dragonic face after observing Dash for a while. With an excited tone, he messaged the others with his findings. "It seems he had run out of his blue fire essence. It was probably because he had spent too much of trying to buy time for his people to escape. Now he has nothing to defend himself! Hahahaha. No wonder he chooses to hide in his pathetic shell!" "Really? Do you mean that bastard can''t spew fire anymore?" "So we can just attack him down with whatever?" "I want the head. And the tail and the flaps." The three gluttons immediately reacted while the fourth one remained silent. "Let''s do it closer this time boys." The leader declared. His claws glinted a powerful pressure and poison. "Let''s dig this turtle up and see how tough his shells are!" 94 Surrounded SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!~ The five Thagda''s unsheathed their most powerful claws and gave Dash the deadliest barrage of his life. BASH!~SSSH~ BASH~ Thanks to the Sand Shell that covered him with highly compressed sand which also serves as another layer of defense, Dash managed to resist the impact of their claws and heavy tail slams. Despite the corrosive effects of their poison imbued attacks, the sand''s ability to reconstruct allowed Dash to retain his defensive layer in no time. BASH!!~ BASH!~ BASH!~ "Faster brothers! His defense should give up soon!" The leading Thagda excitedly said. "I am hungry! Can I eat the shell later?" The third one murmured. "Keep hitting harder, this turtle should taste good!" The second one added. "Focus brothers! Continue hitting the same spot! That turtle should come out soon." The impact of their attacks created furious waves of poison mist scattering everywhere. With each impact of their heavy slams, an echo of a vibrating shell and an explosion of sand would splatter in all directions. "Uggggh~ I can''t use my powers yet. One single opening and I might die." With Dash inside the impregnable sand shell, it also goes to say that his attack options are currently unavailable. With the relentless attacks of the Thagdas that desperately trying to wear his defense down, it might not take long enough for them to succeed in their motive. Until then, Dash is prepared to release that last blow of the blue fire inside him. "Elric, where are you!" Dash thought in desperation. *** ~WOOOSH~ Somewhere in the southern area of the water realm, a speeding mermaid holding on to a dolphin covered in golden armor left a long streak of bluish line brought off by the extraordinary speed. Her colorful surroundings blurred on her vision as she passes them at an overwhelming speed. Her eyes, panning the area non-stop hoping to get a glimpse of the only human in the water realm. Ekkkekekeh~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Diana used her pet dolphin''s echo-location senses to track Elric and until now, however, she had never found a single traces of the latter. "Ouch! Sheesss. Can we slow down a little bit Dolphy?" Diana commanded her pet dolphin as she tried to stretch her reddish scally fingers that had been hanging tightly on the golden armor for quite some time now. Because of their incredible speed, she had to hold on tightly or she could end up being left behind. Little did she knew, her hands are now full of deep reddish bruises. "We can rest for a while princess." The dolphin suggested in worry as he slowly decreased his speed. "No, we must still hurry. These bruises are nothing. I do not know how long that fire barrier will last and the lives of our people are currently at stake. We need Elric''s help as soon as possible before its too late." Diana said with determination emanated in her eyes. A human on a dragon form, capable of wielding the mighty power of blue fire. The scene on how he cut the gigantic Coral Mountain Beast into two, left the greatest impression on her. With such power, those intruding dragons should not stand a chance against him. The only problem is that he is just nowhere to be found. "Princess, I think I found him!" Suddenly, The dolphin gave her the most awaited news after a while. Her eyes quickly lighten up upon hearing the news. "Good job Dolphy!" "Eeehkekeke~" She praised the dolphin with a rub on the head and the latter gladly accepted the warm touch from the little princess mermaid. Without hesitation, they changed direction towards southeast where a faint trace of Elric''s energy has been detected by the Dolphin. WOOOOOOOOSH~ They left a long white streak of bubbles with their renewed energy as they rushed their way towards Elric''s possible location. As they travel, Diana could not help but recall Elric''s magnificent power as he took down Aghus. A man covered in a magnificent fire in his Dragon form. She looked at the human in a dragon''s body. The blinding silhouette of the salvation of her race. *** "Uhmp!~" While Diana is busy reminiscing Elric''s epic performance on the last battle, the speeding dolphin suddenly stopped on its track, almost causing Diana to bump her head on the golden armor of her pet. "Princess we have a problem." The dolphin said with a cautious tone. "What is it, Dolphy?" "It is my fault. I thought I felt a powerful essence of a creature deeper towards the south, I tried to follow it but I never realized that we have trespassed to the Deep Blue boundary." Hearing the news, Diana could not help but shake in fright. Her eyes scanned the surroundings in wary while her hands held tightly at the Dolpy''s golden armor. "Can we go back? I think we really should." She quickly commanded. "It is too late my princesses. They got us surrounded. We only have one choice to survive." "What do you mean?" The Deep Blue is a wide restricted area found in the southern part of the water realm. It was called deep blue because of the dark-blue atmosphere in the said area primarily caused by dark energy emission from a so-called Unholy Lord of the Water Realm. However, no one has seen what the Unholy Lord of the Water Realm looks like aside from the Late King Mahar who warned his people never to go near the Deep Blue area where the so-called Unholy Lord of the Water Realm lives. In the deep blue area, the plants are dead and the supposed to be colorful corals are lying dead covered in plane dark dust. Once there, you could not help but feel a suffocating atmosphere. Like a creepy and dark haunted place, devoid of color and life. The dark-gray sand spanned across towards the dark-blue horizon, littered by bones and corpses from dead whales, fishes of different species, and even fishmen armors can be found half-buried in the area. There are also creepy shadows of unknown creatures, flashing from the distance. Bringing a terrifying sense of danger to any passerby. A faint creepy and echoing sound can be heard as well sending shivers to anyone hearing it. Not even the courageous soldiers of the Water Kingdom are bold enough to come close in this place. But now, because of their reckless driving, they ended up in the cursed place. While Diana and her pet Dolphy stood in the middle of a creepy area, a huge shadow of an unknown creature kept on circling them from a distance. Seemingly scouting them from afar. The dolphin had long known this and kept on guard as well. "What do you mean we only have one choice?" Diana asked the dolphin. "I have used my echolocation and just realized that we had been being followed for quite a while now. I was too focus searching ahead that they took advantage of my blindspot. Now, there are more than ten wild sharks following us and another nine on each side, covering our other exit route." The dolphin whispered slowly as he tried to remain calm as much as possible. 95 Three Gluttons If it is just the wild sharks following them, he might have a chance to outpace them, but the problem comes when the Unholy Lord steps in. As much as possible, Dolphy must remain calm since with him is the third princess of the water realm. A red-tailed royal one at that. He does not want to let the so-called Unholy Lord of the Water Realm realize his presence yet or it could lead to further troubles aside from their death. Knowing that it was his fault that they ended up in this mess, Dolphy wanted to kill himself so badly. But right now, the safety of the princess is much more important than his life. "Our choice is to go straight to the powerful essence up to the southeast. Problem is that we might face a bunch of hungry wild sharks on the way." Dolphy calmy relayed his plan. "How many do we expect to face on the way?" "I am detecting only three on that side." "How about we go back while we are not that deep yet?" "There are a total of ten wild sharks blocking all angles in the back. I am afraid our chance of survival is zero if we choose to go back now." "Are you sure about the powerful essence on the southeast?" "I have scanned that half human-half dragon before and it is the exact energy I have just detected. Although there is a slight change in his aura, I am pretty sure it is the same creature." Gripping her bruised hands on the golden armor, Diana glanced at the southern direction with mixed emotions. There is excitement to see the only human she admires but an unstoppable feeling of worry kept on disturbing her. "I hope Dash and everyone are still safe back there," Diana whispered to herself as she prepared herself for another dangerous drive. *** Far from them, ten great white sharks with varying species and sizes slowly sneaked their way at the back of the dolphin and the princess. Their red beady eyes locked on their two pray while their mouth displayed their horrifying razor-sharp teeth the size of a single ruler each. Their gills slowly moved, as if preserving their energy for an intense chase. The leading great white shark with a length over fifteen meters calmly followed their scent. Slowly, its head scanned the other directions where the other group of wild sharks is on standby. A hint of bloodlust emanated in their beady red eyes. and again, This nose pointed straight at the dolphin carrying a princess. The other sharks of various kinds behind him seem to be waiting for his signal. *** "Let''s do this Dolphy," Diana said with an overflowing determination. Knowing that the slower they move, the better positions their ambushers could set up and their chance of survival could dwindle into nothing. Their death could also ultimately spell the end of their race once they failed to find Elric. "Hold on tight Princess. The wild sharks are closing ahead." SZOOOOOOSH~ And with his maximum speed, Dolphy dashed straight towards the southeast direction, leaving nothing but a white streak of bubbles. Noticing their sudden burst of speed. The sneaking wild sharks immediately reacted. SHHHU~ SHHU~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. SHUUU~ With their menacing gray bodies, they made their way after the dolphin and the mermaid, with an obvious intention of snacking on them. *** SLAM! SLAM! SLAAM! The five Thagda''s had been hitting the turtle hidden under the sand shell for quite some time now. Unfortunately, the absurd defense of the turtle made all their attacks useless despite the latter not moving an inch. It was a defense worthy of praise! "I am really hungry!"The firstborn complained. "This is not working. That turtle is a coward! He doesn''t want to face us! I just want to get a bite on his tail! ROOAR!~" The second-born roared in impatience. "Can I eat sand?" said the third one with each of his redeyes looking in two different directions. The three gluttons blabbered in irritation. Failing to force the turtle out despite their relentless attacks. "Everyone comes to me. I think I know what to do." The leading Thagda finally stopping his attack He distanced himself away from the sand shell of the turtle and glanced at the direction of the beautiful coral city of the water realm. "What is it? Spit it out." The first one urged and the other three stare at the last born with tired looks as they dragged themselves in utter impatience. The fifth one sighed in hopeless stupidity of his brothers and calmly said: "This turtle seems to be too weird to become a normal water elemental. He must be something that protects the water folks. The reason he is not coming out could simply mean that he is stalling us for time. Either he is hoping that help will come or just giving time for his people to hide and escape. It can be either those two-" "I am not a brainer like you. We are born to devour anything. Just spit it out already." The second-born interjected and the other two gluttons nodded in agreement. GRRR~ The fifth born was about to explode in anger but quickly calmed himself down. Getting frustrated because of his idiot brothers is the same as losing against them. His pride does not allow him to stoop so low to get on another brawl with his stupid brothers. "What he is saying is we could just ignore this turtle and feast on those fisherfolks." The fourth one finally spoke his mind as if trying to predict the fifth born''s plan. "That is not a bad idea!" "Fishes all you can eat! Now we are talking!" "Can I eat that golden castle from afar?" "Idiots." The fifth born cursed in his mind. He rolled his eyes in sheer stupidity of his glutton brothers and calmly added. "We need someone who can make the turtle stay here while the rest go on binge eating the water folks." The leader calmly said his plans and an enlightened look brightened the faces of the three gluttons. The fourth one doesn''t look impressed though. "That is a perfect idea! I am not staying here though." The first one cried excitedly. "I am not staying here too. I want to go fiesta on their salty meat!" added by the second born. "Can I eat those coral buildings? The third one finished with both his eyes still staring at two different directions. It was the perfect presentation of a block-headed-glutton dragon. 96 The Last Hatchling The fifth born can''t help but shake his head at the three. Glad that he was spared from becoming born together with them. He signaled for them to follow and they did. Finally, the five Thagda''s surrounded the Dash who is currently hiding under the impregnable Sand Shell. With a loud voice, the fifth born starting expressing their plan. Speaking in a language that the water elemental can understand. Deep beneath the fortified Sand Shell, Dash is currently hiding in his shell with fear and anxiety drawn on his beady eyes. With blue blood tricking down on his face, he remained motionless as he focused his concentration on maintaining his defense even though the attacks had stopped a few minutes later ago. Judging from the vibrations, the five Thagdas are not far from his location. It seems that they are just distancing themselves biding for time, probably waiting for him to go out of his hiding and use that opportunity to strike him quickly. "Unfortunately, for them, I am not that dumb! You can wait if you want and just wait until hugon kid comes. You will be running toasted with your lizard tails in between your legs!" Dash smugly smiled in anticipation. But despite the incredible defense his Sand Shell had made, the reckless slamming of the Thagdas had taken their toll on him for a while now. With the forceful impact and piercing shots slowly reaching his body before he could repair the shield, an accumulation of internal damage had made their way on him. While he remained unmoving, the agonizing feeling he was feeling all over his body reminded him of his time before. His mind could not help but recollect his memories when he was just a hatchling. Back when he was still a young turtle in the human realm... ********** It was a hot summer day the sun soared high on the blue sky at a certain beach in the middle of an island. The breeze was that of perfect summer with a tinge of ocean smell and swaying coconut trees stood proudly at the background. SHHHHHH~ SHHHHHHHH~ The sound of the cascading waves can be heard from the background as a certain spot in the fine white sand started moving on its own. A few moments later, a cute little green sea turtle hatchling crawled out of the sand. With its crescent beady eyes, small fore and hind flippers protruding out of the edgy little shells covering its back. Slowly, it crawled its way out from being buried with its little effort. Without looking back, it flapped its way towards the ocean like a programmed robot. Letting the ocean devour it with stumbling gladness. A few seconds later, another little green sea turtle made its way out of the sand. And then another, and another and another one made it out. It was a feast of small little green dots on pristine white sand making its way towards the clear turquoise ocean. It didn''t take long for them all to come out and just like before, they arrogantly flapped their way towards the ocean and left in a stumbling manner inside the waves. The little turtles are now on their way to their journey. On what fate has in store for them, only the world knows. They all had finally made it out from their tiny eggs, or so we thought. Another day later, the sand started moving albeit with a small splash this time. With great effort, a significantly smaller green sea turtle had finally made it out of the heavy sand. The smallest of them all so far. It was because of its malnourished body that it was not able to quickly made it out of its shell. Unlike his other green sea turtle brothers and sisters, this little turtle is one of a kind. Not because it excels, but because he was always the last one. Not even traces of his siblings can be found. Their shells are long gone, and he was there, alone and hungry. The sheer weight of the sand against its small body also made it almost impossible for the little turtle to surface. But the little turtle knew he is not meant to stay buried forever. He is still alive. He knew it, and the heavy sand covering his entire view, seemingly telling him that there is no hope, is not enough to make it give up its life without fighting. With its small body and gigantic determination, it finally made it out. Although a whole day late, but still; our little turtle made it. Its small black beady eyes looked at the sun as it reflected brightly and then faced the ocean as he is meant to. The wide ocean is finally in his view. An adventure is about to begin. The little beak made a little curve, revealing a cute little smile. And just like that, he made its way towards the waves with sheer excitement and gladness. WOOF WOOF! "Bruno! Wait!~" Suddenly, quick thudding can be heard not far from the little turtle. From the reflection of his eyes, an image of a human and a dog came to him. It was a brown little boy about seven years old, was chasing after his dog that came rushing; just right before the little turtle could finally go into the ocean. His brown eyes and dark brown hair was a good uniform to his dark brown body. It was from being overexposed from the sun and ocean. "Wow! A turtle! Bruno look!" WOOF! WOOF! Instinctively, the dog sniffed at the shell of the little turtle, barely two inches long. "Don''t eat it, Bruno!" The little boy quickly grabbed the little turtle before the dog could do anything further. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 97 Shattered Boa As he raised the little turtle closer to his face, the dog looked at the hatchling and to its owner, seemingly waiting for something fun to happen, its tongue dangling at the side of his mouth. As the kid observed the little turtle with cheerfulness in his brown eyes, he suddenly frowned upon noticing something peculiar at this little creature. "I have seen plenty of little turtles but this one. It is just incredibly small! At this rate, he will not survive long in the ocean! What do you think Bruno? Should we take care of him first?" The kid sincerely asked his brown furry dog that looked at the kid with never-ending excitement. WOOOF! It replied. "It is settled then! I will take care of this turtle until he is big enough to survive the ocean!" The kid gladly declared, easily assuming the dog''s answer as a yes. And together with his new pet, the kid left for home... Fast forward a few months later, the little turtle has grown a little bit. Albeit not as big as the normal sea turtles, but he is getting there. The human kid has indeed taken care of him. Feeding him and cleaning his little pool. Despite being poor, the little kid gave plenty of his time and food shares making sure his pets are fed. He is a son of a divorced fisherman who spent most of his time fishing aside from drinking, smoking. PSSH!~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Stop playing with the turtle! That thing is just food, Including the dog! The reason I am letting you take care of them is so that we have something to eat in case of terrible storms and emergencies! But that turtle is not growing despite how you feed it. Throw it away and buy me cigarettes and alcohol at the store now!" The sound of a pissed father can be heard inside the house as the little kid left hurriedly with an inflamed cheek. A little streak of blood slowly crept out the side of his mouth with the little turtle held in his chest. Ever since his father lost his mother through an accident in the sea two years ago, he became an angry man. The devastation of losing his loved wife turned him into a miserable man he is now. Without the gentle care of her and the guilt of not being able to take care of his wife brought him a devastating guild that completely demolished his personality. Hopeless and undetermined, his life revolves around nothing but fishing, making his son sell the catch, smoke tobacco and get drunk until the next day when he leaves for fishing again. In rare cases that he catches a turtle, stingray and even reef sharks, he would unhesitantly slaughter and dine on them, throwing their corpse when he got enough. Not a scent of fear and guilt in his eyes as he chooses to blame the sea for the death of his wife. Despite being reprimanded by the authorities, he still would unhesitantly go and catch some and harvest their meats alone and leave their bodies floating in the sea. He is a man who cares nothing but his benefits, selfish and arrogant. His neighbors who happen to live a little further from them would even come to reprimand him but his father always ends up winning the argument through brute force - especially when he takes out his sharp long knife; No neighbors would dare to touch him nor mind his business. Despite the physical and verbal abuse, the little kid had suffered, his love for his father had never faded a single bit. With the help of the ocean and his pets that calms him down during painful sufferings, this child had managed to survive his harsh life together with his brutish father. Facing the sunset with brave eyes, the boy would wipe the tears in his eyes while he slowly caresses the little turtle in his hands; Bruno on the other side would put his feet in his lap, desperately trying to ease the pain his master is going thru. The beady eyes of the turtle would look up to him, helping him smile from the sheer cuteness. "Thank you Dash and Bruno for making me smile." Thanks to the kind and gentle heart he had inherited from his mother, this little kid chooses to understand the pain his father is going thru and decided to let God do the rest for him. He was willing to wait for it; until a certain day when everything changed. It was almost getting dark and they are still in the middle of the sea. Together with his father on the boat, the boy held the other side of the fishnet and slowly pulled in to harvest their catch. "F*ck! Where did the F*cking fishes go?" The father cursed. Lately, his catches had been dwindling to almost nothing. Each day, he''s getting fewer and fewer harvests, but today, he has finally reached the end of the net and still not a single fish has been caught. SLAM! SLAM! SLAM! "Stupid! F*cking! Ocean!" Using the long paddle, the angry father slammed the long wooden pole against the body of the water together with his boiling rage. Without any fish to bring back, how would he eat? Much worst, how can he smoke tobacco and drink to sleep? The boy took the little turtle, which has finally grown up a bit, out from his pocket. With a careful massage on its head, he started to talk gently. "Calm down dad. I am sure God would bless us as long as we don''t give up. We can do another round if you wan- Ahh!" Using the same long wooden paddle, the father forcefully hit the boy with a good swing, causing the latter to twitch in agony. A faint crack of the young boy''s bone can be heard snapping. If not for the boy''s reflex, the turtle could have been crushed by the wooden pole as well. "What f*cking God are you talking about? What? God is Love? God is Generous? I dare you to call him now!" WOOOOOOOSH! SLAAM! Out of nowhere, a huge wave grew like a mountain with an unexplainable reason not far from them and slamming down on their boat relentlessly. The man, the boy, and the turtle were instantly engulfed with the massive body of the water leaving their boat dismantled into pieces in the middle of the dark ocean. 98 Death From Behind The father''s eyes grew wide as he felt like God has finally heard his insults. That devouring wave was like a wakeup call to him as he struggled to swim back to the surface because of the fishnet rumbled across his body. "F*ck!", the father cursed in his heart as he felt his blood pumping to its peak with each second his oxygen is thinning down. The waves are getting more erratic while the clouds had completely dimmed. The wind quickly dropped down the temperature and a terrifying storm is brewing instantly. SHIING~ The father pulled his knife from his waist and started to cut the restraining net all over his body with reckless movement. Panic is building in his face. Ouch! With his sharp knife, which he used to scare his neighbors away, he could not help but get cut by himself due to his uncomfortable position. Slowly, blood started to spew out of his small wounds due to his desperate movements. Nevertheless, he continued to recklessly cut all the net and finally managed to free himself of the restrains. Gasp! Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The boy managed to survive the impact as well. Thanks to his swimming skills, he struggled his way back to the surface despite the injured right arm because of the previous hit from his father. Gasping for more air, he swung his head to each side looking for signs of his father. "Father! Father!~" His eyes are full of worry, trying to find his father. Suddenly, caught a glimpse of a small round turtle and his eyes immediately grew with gladness as he saw the little sea turtle he has been taking care of, slowly swim its way back to him. "Dash! Haha! I am glad you are alive!" The boy immediately caught the little turtle and slowly rested it in his small head. The way it reacted, the little turtle seems to hate the water as well despite being a natural water creature. "I need to find father Dash. I hope he is okay." The boy squinted his eyes to look father but still failed to get any glimpse of his father. Despite the latter''s attitude towards him, he is still, after all, his father. Love should be unconditional no matter how people treated you. It was the only life lesson that his mother would tell him every single time. ''Even when one can''t love back, everyone still deserves respect'' is what she would always insist. Seeing that his father still hasn''t come back to the surface, the boy decided to dive back to look for him. Slowly putting his little turtle in the ocean surface, the kid reassured it. "I will be back Dash. Stay here okay?!" HAAAAAP~ Splash! With his greatest inhale of oxygen and courage in his life, the boy dived down to search for his father. The ocean was already dark and cold due to the time and the condition that brought an unexplainable fear to anyone who looks at the unknown blue abys, but the boy''s determination is stronger than his fear. With his natural swimming skills as a benefit for constantly playing in the shore, the kid skillfully swam through some sharp boat debris until he saw his father who is frantically swimming back to the surface. He has had a knife in his mouth, right under him was their fishing net now torn into pieces. "FATHER! " The kid shouted in his mind with great gladness seeing his father still alive and kicking. Knowing that he doesn''t have time, he was about to go back when he saw a dark gray silhouette of a big fish. Judging from its length alone, it was bigger than their boat. Reaching almost six meters, this fish is a great white shark that was attracted to the blood from the boy''s father. Seeing this horrifying scene, the boy''s eye grew to the biggest size possible. He crazily waved his body trying to grab his father''s attention but the latter seems not aware of the scary scene of the shark behind him. Seeing his son waving above him, he Instead swam in the opposite direction! "Father! Shark! Behind you!" the little boy frantically waved his body desperately trying to send his message as possible, but his father seems to choose to ignore him instead. The truth is, the father already knew about the sharks. It was common sense for him that it was a shark-infested ocean since he had been fishing there for countless years already. "Stupid kid stop moving or it will go for you!" The father knew that the shark is after him. After all, it was his blood that lured them here. "I need air. I can''t face it without air. I hope it won''t reach me yet or I will make sure to take its eyeball with me to hell!" The father scurried his way up to the surface with crazy determination on his face. One could see the bulges in his muscles as he tried his best to get a taste of the air. Meanwhile, the kid was also about to run out of the air, so he quickly made his way up to the surface. GASP! Without even checking for the turtle, the little boy hurriedly dived back to see his father''s situation. The sharks are going after him, with the obvious streak of his father''s blood guiding their noses. "Oh no! God please, help my father!" While the kid was looking at his father while chanting a prayer in his mind, little did he know that another shark, far bigger than the one before him is closing in towards his back. With its big dark eyes and huge razor-sharp fangs, it moved sneakily towards the boy who seems to be just a perfect fit in its mouth. 99 Regret And Love Just when the shark was about to reach the kid and get a bite of the young human, five dashing dolphins suddenly attacked the huge shark with incredible speed from a different direction. Using their long front snout, they rammed to the huge body of the great white shark with incredible force. Eeeeekekekekeh~ Eeekekeke~ The sound of the dolphin echoed across the ocean as the sneaking shark choose to chase after the annoying dolphins instead, leaving the young man behind. Its huge body slammed through the boat debris as it forcefully made a quick turn trying to catch the flashy dolphins. It did not take long for them to lure the bigger shark away from the unknowing boy. GAASP! The father had finally managed to reach the surface with great satisfaction. However, knowing that danger is just tailing him behind, made it into a very slight celebration. "Let''s see what you got you f*cking fish!" He cursed in his mind as he quickly inhaled a mouthful of air and dived back to face the incoming danger, also hoping that he had managed to lure the shark to him alone and not his child. He knew he has been a bad father. He knew that he has been hurting the child despite a very stupid reason. He knew he had been a bastard since he can''t handle the guilt of losing his wife in a storm accident. He can''t handle the pain of losing the only person who mattered in his life. Every time he sees their child, he sees her. His pride ate his conscience as the boy''s image also shouts pain in his heart. His broken and empty heart. But seeing his son still waving for him to warm him about the incoming danger. A boy that respected him despite how shitty a father he had become. It was a son, born from a woman and love; he never deserved. It was just unconditional love that he never asked. The everlasting love his wife had thought the boy brought him back to his senses. Fueled by his anger against the ocean, the boy''s father faced the incoming shark. His eyes turned red at the overwhelming feeling of warmth, longing, and regret. He held the knife tightly in his right hand as the world slowed down in his mind. The freighting mouth of the shark is just meters away from him. Its eyes locked on his torso, its intention clear in its dark eyes. "How I wish I could turn back time and make it up to my son and her." The last thoughts that crossed his mind before he began with an underwater rampage. GAAAH! SSSSK!~ GRRR~ The ferocious shark quickly made a side turn as the knife successfully created a small wound on its big gray body. "That''s it! Run!" The father had an exhilarating feeling as he saw the shark fleeing away from him. "Did you see that son? I defeated it! Don''t worry, father will protect you. I am going to make it up to you!" The father waved towards his son with pride and celebration on his face. However, as he tried to interpret his son''s reaction from his message, he realized that the young boy was pointing at his back, seemingly warning him of something from behind. The father instinctively turned back, only to realize it was too late. Three other sharks were just inches from him before he could react on their charge. OOOMP!~ His big body managed to stop the sharp to eat him whole, but the piercing jaws that crunched in his sides was a pain that he never could imagine. Their razor-sharp teeth together with the monstrous grip caused him to almost lose in utter shock. The two other sharks followed behind, wanting a piece of the bigger human. As the father''s body keeps getting dragged away, his eyes could not help but instinctively look for his son. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "He is there! Swim son! Swim away now!" The father desperately tried to send him a message but the agonizing bite on his side and furious swing were making him lose consciousness. The pain was terrible and unexplainable but something else was more painful to him. Seeing his son, willingly swam towards the sharks just to fight for him. His heart broke. It was just too much for a sinful father like him. He tried to raise his powerless arm to tell his son to go back before its too late, but they just won''t move. "STUPID SON STOP! GO BACK! WHY ARE YOU COMING!? ARE YOU F*CKING STUPID!?" His bloodshot eyes desperately tried to send the young man a message but he was just too stubborn. His son was crying, his eyes and desperate swim said so. UHO~UHO~ Bubbles had finally started to spew out from the young boy''s mouth. A sign that he was quickly drowning. The father had a mixed feeling of guilt and helplessness. "STUPID SON! JUST GO BACK AND LEAVE MY USELESS BODY HERE!" He shouted in his thoughts. His right arm gripped the knife and desperately tried to pierce the shark''s side but it was futile. The strength has long left his body. He is barely being sustained by his own will. "SON! PLEASE STOP! LISTEN TO ME NOW!" Hoping to send the message to his son as his view quickly faded into the dark. "So this is how I die? With the things I used to kill?" His mind went on a sudden realization. "The water, the sharks, the world. I hated everything. So I played unfairly. Killing them mercilessly, knowing that I am on top. But now I realized that the world is indeed fair. Now that I am at the bottom, I now have a clearer view of what matters." In his fading consciousness, the view of his son still trying to catch up on to him despite the coldness and deepness of the water was a sight that hurts him the most. Regret. What a simple word, yet powerful enough to curse you even in death. It will wake you up and will destroy you. Love. It was a short but beautiful world. Powerful enough to conquer the curse of death and regret. "God, if you are there. Please save my son." It was his dying wish before his eyes closed, his body was taken deeper and deeper to the ocean on the mouth of the species he used to kill for fun. As his image completely devoured by the cold and dark ocean, the young boy has also lost consciousness. As his body was about to completely succumb to the embrace of death, five sihuote of flashy dolphins shrouded the young man. The young man was saved. But his father was never to be found again. *** 100 Leaving Memories Behind "Thank you for saving the young human, my lord." A little turtle floated beside a red-tailed merman. His eyes emanated with wisdom. It was the same turtle that the young boy had been taking care of. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I am afraid I cannot save the bigger human. His retribution was fated already." The red-tailed merman told the young turtle in a gentle but authoritative manner. His voice seems to vibrate with grandness, and his aura brought unexplainable holiness. The little turtle nodded in response. "Now, as we have discussed, you promise to serve me to the rest of your life if I save that human is that correct?" The red-tailed merman said. "Yes my lord. It is my great honor for me to serve you." The little turtle agreed with the utmost respect in its young voice. "I have spared the young man and he has been taken back to the land of the humans. Now we should go." "Yes, my lord. Just when they were about to move, the red-tailed merman suddenly asked the little turtle. "By the way, what is your name?" The red-tailed merman asked. "You can name me as you want my Lord." The young turtle humbly replied. "Uhhhm. I don''t like naming things since I hate thinking too much. If you are given a chance, how would you like me to name you?" the merman insisted. "Uhhhm." The little turtle took some time and a small light of happiness flashed in his beady eyes. "Dash. You can call me Dash my lord." The little turtle answered with a hint of happiness. "Dash... hmm, don''t you think that is too... human-like?" The red-tailed merman inquired. "May I know what makes it bad?" "Because it''s a human name. Heartless creatures who abuse the sea, the other lower lives, basically, the world. You probably have seen how that adult human have treated the young one." The red-tailed merman tried to change the little turtle''s mind. "I know that my lord. But not all humans are the same. With all due respect, I truly believe that there are also those humans who really care for the world, especially to the sea. It is just we tend to focus on the harsh ones since they are easily noticed compared to those who do the good deeds." The little turtle tried to defend the humans. Not because he was in favor of them, but rather because he has seen with his own eyes how the young human and some few neighboring people come and feed the fishes, clean their trashes and even protect endangered species just like him. Not all humans are heartless. Some are just really desperate to live, others are ignorant while most are just plain bad people. "Hmm... For a young turtle, you sound like a thousand year old one." The red-tailed merman said in clear awe. "Thank you for the compliment, my lord. And if you don''t really mind, I would like to be called Dash." the little turtle added. It took a little moment before the red-tailed merman finally approved of his pleading. "For a small turtle, I must say that you are indeed one of a kind. Your courage and loyalty are remarkable. Which makes me like you very much to become my servant. What do you think?" "I am honored to serve you, my lord." "All right then, I shall call you Dash in honor of your wish. I''m telling you, If not because of your plead to the Lord of the water realm to save that human, I would have never spare that little child. Now that everything is settled, you shall serve me and follow me wherever to the world of the water realm." "Water realm?" the little turtle asked in confusion. "Is it far north? Or south?" The red-tailed merman smiled, "It is everywhere and somewhere. Kind of difficult to explain. But trust me, young turtle, if you follow me, it won''t be long until your name becomes a legend across the water realm. Unlike in this human world where you would probably end up dead by tomorrow because of the bigger fishes or the big birds that feed on you, not to mention some stupid humans; if you come with me, you will become big, powerful, and fast like the wind!" "Really? Will I be fast? And strong like Bruno?" The little turtle gave the red-tailed merman an exciting look. Scenes of him becoming bigger and stronger and faster than he is currently is just a dream he could only go. "You will. Trust my little turtle." The merman assured. "However..." After a little hesitation, the merman added. "However?" the little turtle waited patiently. "You see, once you come with me, you will have to leave all your memories behind." The merman slowly murmured. "Leave memories behind?" confused, the little turtle asked. "Sigh. Simply speaking my young turtle, you will forget any memories from this world." He glanced at the sleeping child and added. "Including your memories of that little child..." "I will forget everything?" "Yes. Everything that happened here, pop. gone." the red-tailed merman flicked a little bubble floating in the water and popped it with his finger. "This is in exchange for you coming with me to the water realm, getting stronger and also, if you come with me, I can assure you that my loyal dolphins will take care of that child until he reaches the shore and gets rescued. Since he is still young, it should be long before he forgets about you as well. What do you say? It''s just all a win-win for both of you right?" "Forget him..." The little turtle struggled to make a quick decision for this. He was just too used to being with the young man. He slept just beside his bed. Hed fed him, saved him from an early death, and protected him from danger. Now he is being challenged to forget everything in exchange for the young man''s life and his own secured future. Those precious memories that made him who he is right now. A bond that made his shells stronger by love every single day. The turtle knew, how important the human to him. But now that he has grown a little matured and has a complete idea about how the world works. He must be wise in making the right decision. He must not be selfish. He knows he must do what is right. For the sake of the young man and the sake of his future. Brothers they are, and forever in the spirit, they will be. It took the little turtle a while before he finally managed to voice a faint answer. "...Okay." The little turtle gave a little nod and quickly turned into the boy''s direction. A look of longing and sadness sprouted in his little heart. "How about him? How will he be saved?" the little turtle asked. He was referring to the boy who is unconsciously lying on top of floating wooden debris. "Rest assured he will be safe. The sea and the dolphins will take care of him. Until he reaches the human shore, no other creatures can harm him." "That is good to hear." the eyes of the little turtle still glued on the sleeping face of the boy. His long eyelashes and the brown skin hid very well at the setting sun. guzuzuzuzuzu~ "Good. Now let''s go." The red-tailed merman energetically said as he created a vortex that seems to be a portal to a different dimension. Just when he was about to step in, he looked back and saw the turtle still on the spot. Eyes looking straight at the small body of his now former-master. Seeing the little turtle still hesitating despite his generous offer to take accompany him in the water realm, the red-tailed merman stepped back and decided to give him a little more space. The sun has already sunked in the west, but the orange light of the sun still reflected on the surface, creating an orange and dark view layering the entire sea. SSSSH~ The wind blew with an even colder touch as the clouds quickly drained their orange bright to that of purple and dark. "Do you know?" Suddenly the little turtle asked. The merman just stared at the turtle in response. Seemingly enjoying the unexplainable beauty in the eyes of the young sea creature. "When I hatched from the egg, I was very very very small." The little turtle said in a soft and low voice. "I struggled to push my self out of the sand, and just when I have managed to go out to venture on the sea; that boy came picked me." A slight frown appeared on the face of the red-tailed merman but he let the little turtle continue his story. "I am not sure it was fate, but with my small and weak body; surviving long in the ocean should have been impossible for me." The frown dissapeared in the face of the merman as he continued to listen. "That young human saved my life. He fed me, took care of me and even protected me when I was about to be hit by his father." With yearning in his eyes, little turtle slowly swam his way towards the unconscious child. The dolphins surrounding the little child for protection gave way to the turtle as well. Softly, the little turtle bumped his head the soft hands of the child. He slowly moved his head to rub the little hands and closed his eyes tightly in deep longing. Small drops of tears slid out of his beady black eyes. In the little turtle''s heart, he made up his mind. That his love for his master will never be forgotten wherever he goes and no matter how old he would get. A little turtle almost the size of a small palm, remained still in the hands of the unconscious boy. It was a scene that brought tears even to the red-tailed merman. The sky had almost completely turned to dark brought by the setting sun when the little turtle finally let go. "Goodbye and take care. My Friend." And with these parting words, the little turtle slowly made its way into the dimensional vortex created by the red-tailed merman. Their shadows were immediately devoured by the water dimensional vortex and their bodies twirled in a blurring manner until they completely vanished. Not a single ripple of their traces left. *** Back on the present, Dash was still covered under his sand shell fortress. Blue blood kept on trecking on his body as he desperately stalls the enemies for a time. He opened his weary eyes with glints of longing for someone who was there for him. But for some reason, he was unable to recall that specific someone. What he could only bring back are blurred sihuote of a certain kid. It was memories from a thousand years ago in the human realm. If that kid is still alive by today, he should be more than 3000 years old now depending on the time fluctuation during his absence. And the way he could figure it out is if he could ask King Mahar itself. Unfortunately, the old man is already gone. Heaving a deep sigh, Dash still hoped for Elric to arrive. His injuries are getting worse and the internal injuries inside him are quickly draining him of his remaining strength. Little did he know, that he is losing his hope as time goes by. "Hugon kid... help me." He muttered weakly. 101 Poisoned Turtle "This turtle is just a waste of time! Let''s all go and have fun devouring those hiding fish folks instead, what do you guys think? We can eat as many fish folks as we can. Don''t forget to ask them too for any information regarding the half-breed. If they refused to say a word, just gulp them in one go and find others that might talk. Do you understand?" "That''s a good idea. Let''s leave this peace of rock behind and feast on those gentle meat instead!" "More meat than this stupid turtle. Now we are talking!" "Can I eat coral houses too?" The voices of the Thagdas can be heard from the outside. With Dash''s extraordinary hearing, their excited and greedy intentions were heard loud and clear. "This is bad!" Dash was not completely alarmed. The purpose of him taunting them is to waste their time as much as possible and recover his blue fire essence as quickly as he can. However, it seems time is not on his side. Not even a single sign of Elric can be found everywhere! Just where the heck did that hugon go? "Let''s go!" The sound of the moving Thagdas vibrated under the sand, setting Dash in a tight situation? "Should I go and stop them? Or is this a trap?" Knowing that time is of the essence, Dash knew that he needs to move fast. Every single second of hesitation could be potent in the lives of his people. BAAANG!~ BAANG!~ "Stupid Barrier!" BAANG!~ BAANG!~ "You are too weak, let me do it." BAANG! BAANG!~ Crrrackh~ Crracckh~ "Darn! What are you doing?" "Eating this?" "That is a barrier, you moron! It is made of magic made to stop us from going further!" "-So I can''t eat this?" BANNG! "Ouch." The loud commotion from the distant by the Thagdas caught Dash on an even tighter position "That sound. They are trying to break the water barrier!" panic quickly swarm Dash''s face. But his instinct is also warning him of far greater danger. The fear of ambush when he reveals an opening is still itching on his head. BAAANG! "Finally! It is breaking down! keep hitting." BAANG!~ BAAANG!~ BAAAAAANG~ BASSSH! With the last loud vibrations from the distance, Dash has confirmed that the barrier that is stopping the Thagdas from reaching the Coral City has finally collapsed. "Darn it!" Without hesitation, Dash finally made his move. Sand Impact! Using all the compact sand layers in his body, Dash released a powerful force that sent the covering sand shells away to all directions. The powerful wave cleared even the remaining poison mist scattered in the area. Dash gave a quick scan to the surroundings, looking for his enemies only to realize that they have left him alone. "Darn it! Darn it!" BOOOOOM!~ The huge explosion thudded from Dash''s location as he madly drove his gigantic body towards the location of the shattered barrier. Slowly, he compressed his body into a smaller version to run faster. FWOOOOOM~ Dash left a long streak of sand dust as he paddled his hind legs towards the direction of the Thagdas. "Look the turtle is coming!" The third-born noticed the incoming Dash. The Thagdas were about to advance over the shattered magic barrier when they felt a tingling sensation of an incoming danger brought by the mad turtle. However, instead of retreating, they repositioned themselves to face the incoming defender. Revealing their long black thorns covering their bodies. The real form of Thagdas is like a red dragon with overlapping blackthorns scattered across their bodies. GROOOOAAA!~ WOOOOOOM~ The turtle saw the enemies repositioning themselves, seemingly prepared to face him again. Therefore, he quickly reacted by expanding his body again from a mere one-meter green sea turtle, back to his usual gigantic version. WATER BLAST!~ ZWOOOOOM~ Rage, filling his eyes. He shot the first offense against the standing Thagdas using a powerful water current. SHUUG! Just when the powerful attack was about to reach them, a five-meter long Poison-coated thorn suddenly sprouted from the sand just under Dash''s belly. Hmp!~ KSSK~ With his greatest reaction ever, Dash still managed to dodge the ambush attack with a sudden tilt of his body to the right side. Gssss~ He flipped mid-air and landed with a deep streak of drifting line. He remained on guard as he looked at the deep wound at his hind flippers. "Darn it!" The fourth born Thagda revealed himself out from his almost perfect camouflage of the sand. If not for his quick reaction, that huge poison-coated thorn could have pierced his heart through the belly - ultimately killing him on the spot. Shuk~ Shuk~ Shuk~ Just when Dash was about to give a thorough check of his wound, another barrage of poisonous darts suddenly sprouted from his behind. Its aim was his to pierce straight to his tail, his head and to his front flippers. Kssk~Clank! Clank~ Thank''s to his supernatural speed as the Lord of the water realm, Dash still managed to minimize the damage by using his hard shell to deflect the incoming darts, save for the one that had successfully created another small wound on his tail. "What? The turtle dodged the leader''s sneak attack too?!" The third born was astonished at the big turtle''s extraordinary speed. It was just simply amazing, how a species known for their sluggish nature is capable of unleashing incredible speed and reflex that comparable to light and flexible creatures like them. Dash stood still despite the two horrifying wounds all over his body. His eyes continued to emanate his spirit. Not letting this end. "I must secure the Golden Coral Cave entrance before they find it. Everyone is probably there. I must hurry up." Dash thought to himself while he disregards the scattering poison in his body brought by the wounds from the dark thorns. His eyes scanned the area, creating his next plan to reach a certain place where everyone is hiding. The Golden Corral Cave is a huge cave made entirely of gold hidden behind the golden Castle. It was a wide cave capable of protecting every single citizen from invading enemies. The only problem is that once found, they have no other choice but to fall under the hands of the Thagdas since the only way out, is the only way in. "Or I should lure them away?" The turtle thought. However, just as he was about to rush in the opposite direction, the three gluttons suddenly noticed something as they sniffed the area with their long snouts. "Hey! Do you smell what I am smelling?" The firstborn inquired. "Yes! Smells like fishes and merfolks. Sniff. There are children too!" The third-born added. "It''s coming from that direction!" The second excitedly said. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Finally! Let''s leave this ugly turtle behind!" With greedy eyes, the three of them started sprinting towards the golden palace. 102 Wrong Name "This is bad. Really bad." Dash''s eyes looked at the rushing backs of the three gluttons. Without even inviting the other two Thagdas, they just left on their own, sprinting towards the location of the Golden Palace eager to find what''s behind the delicious smell. "I can''t use the last remaining blue fire in me to dissolve the poison or I end up nothing for my last stand. Or At least, I should bring some even in my death. But right now, with the outstanding speed of these two, I doubt I can get them with my current state." Without any doubt, Dash knew that they are after the fishmen hiding deep in the Golden Cave just behind the Golden Palace. With his suspicions going stronger, Dash decided to ignore the two Thagdas facing him and sprinted towards the Golden Palace all while injuring the poison slowly eating in his system. "Where do you think you are going?" The fourth-born Thagda was the first to react at Dash''s action. In a flash, he managed to block the giant turtle''s way and sent a barrage of sizable poison darts from his tail spikes which also grows almost instantly. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. SHUK~ SHUK~ SHUK~ CLANG~ CLANG~ CLANG~ Dash unhesitantly used his shells to block the poison darts and continued charging forward without a single delay. "You think it is easy to avoid me?" The fourth-born exclaimed in hatred. It is one for the turtle to defend against him, but to completely ignore him, especially in front of his fifth brother, as if he doesn''t exist greatly pierced to his overwhelming pride. After all, he is still half a dragon. I am a Thagda! I am an Elemental and as well as a Dragon. My poison is capable of destroying every single cell of any Dragon tribe! And you want to ignore my mere presence? I have enough! "Dodge this!" SHUUUUUU~ Just as Dash was about to cross against the fourth-born, the latter suddenly exploded in pure black mist. A kind of mist that was incredibly black as if a squid taint. Strong enough to absorb light, not letting him see what''s behind. It was the most potent poison mist that a Thagda can produce, and the fourth-born is preparing to give his all against the turtle. "Darn it! Not this mist again!" Dash came to a quick stop trying to avoid the sudden release of the poisonous mist. With its pitch dark color alone, it represented the immeasurable amount of poison it contains. Not to mention the poison he has contacted from his wounds that caused his sight to blur slightly and his speed to drop slowly. If not for his Lord of the water realm essence, he would have been dead ever since the first contact with the poison. Dash must find a way to get out of here fast before his body finally collapse! No matter what, he must save his people! Although they have no idea that they are actually facing the current Lord of the water realm, they have to admit that the turtle is indeed one of a kind. With its transforming ability and various elemental skills, it is more than enough for them to give their respect. But the Thagdas are here to hunt the half-breed. Anyone on their way is bound for nothing but utter destruction. ROOOOOOAR! WATER BLAST! In retaliation, Dash inhaled deeply before releasing another terrifying water blast the shoots a powerful water torrent. However, just as before, he felt another tingling sensation and Dash immediately stopped his attack just to evade on the other side. SHUKK! A large dark thorn sprouted at the place where Dash was standing just a few seconds ago. If not for his extraordinary senses and reflex, he would have been barbecued just now. "Not bad. Not bad for a turtle. I think you really did deserve the name of Flash Turtle. You run like a flash despite your huge size. I think I should call you that in respect of your capability" The Fifth born revealed himself from hiding under the sand. His sneak attack has missed despite the containment of the black mist so there was no more reason for him to continue hiding. "What did you say?" Dash suddenly spoke in unexplainable seriousness. "I said, you deserve to be called Flash turtle." The fifth born spoke as he stood in the center of the dark mist. The fourth born is nowhere to be found. It seems he has hidden as well preparing for another sneak attack. "What did you call me again?" Dash asked again. This time, his eyes are hidden in dark seriousness. "Are you deaf? I said you are a stupid flash turtle! You should be proud that I acknowledge your strength unlike the other stupid fishes in this stupid la-" Just before the fifth born could finish his words, a huge water blast suddenly assaulted him out of nowhere, sending him flying to the distance. Consecutively, Dash spun like crazy while spewing water blasts from every corner. In an instant, the pitch dark mist was cleared, revealing a flying and injured fourth born who just was about to jump in for a sneak attack. The sudden spin of Dash''s water blast got him off-guard and he was sent quite a distance. SWOOOOOOOONG~ Thank''s to their overwhelming defense as a Dragon, both the fifth and fourth born managed to survive the sudden blow of the water blast. Just as the fifth born was about to land after being sent away by the powerful torrent, the image of the small turtle just appeared above his face. It was as small as a little child''s palm. It''s little beak opened up to speak some cute words. Time slowed down between them as the little turtle''s eyes revealed an unexpected fury. "They call me... Overwhelming. Mighty. Grand. DASH!" ~SWOOOOM! Suddenly, the little turtle transformed back to its gigantic form and gave the fifth born the heaviest and strongest stomp of his life while incorporating the natural power of the Lord of the water realm. SLAMMM!~~ The overwhelming weight and might of Dash''s stomp sent massive dust waves and vibrations everywhere, eventually creating a small mushroom cloud made of grounded rocks and dust. It created a massive crater that would become a future testament for Dash''s overwhelming power. 103 Counter It took quite a while before the enormous dust cloud has subsided. suddenly, a small turtle wooshed away from the ground, sprinting madly towards the grand golden palace in the far distance. "I knew it! There is still hope!" Dash sprinted with incredible vigor inside him. He had figured out something that would give him another trump card against the Thagdas. "I can absorb their water essence! I am the Lord of the Water Realm after all! hahaha! Just you wait for you scumbag fake elemental Dragons. I will suck your water essence dry until you are nothing but a useless pile of dragon meat!" Dash recalled how he had managed to figure out this natural Lord powers. It was when he had stomped at the Thagdas and his authority naturally connected to the Dragons triggered by physical contact. With more experience in using such powers, he should be able to execute the same power even without contact. Being a Lord of the water realm is indeed cool! One thing that Dash also found out is that the enemy he was facing is not pure Dragons, but half water elementals as well. Considering that he had the Divine Water Authority, he summoned the water essence out from its body and it left the Thagda into nothing but a pile of crumpled meat. With half of its natural body composition gone, the proud leader of the Thagdas was just lying there without any spark of resistance. As much as he wanted to finish it off, Dash knew that his time is running out with the three gluttons on their way to the Golden Palace. His only hope lays in the strength of the magical barrier he asked the red-tailed princesses before sending them off. "I must hurry! Now that I have this power, all I need to do is made direct contact on those creatures and suck their water essence dry! I will wipe the poison in my body in one go after I finished them all." Dash made up his plan as he transformed himself into a one-meter long sea turtle and swam his way towards his next destination where other fights await. After a few more minutes, another creature arrived from the location where Dash had left. thud~thud~thud~ The fourth-born came scrambling at the location of the massive crater trying to find the leader of the pack. And just as he expected, he found the leader lying in agony in the middle of the cracks. Apparently, no traces of Dash can be seen so far. Judging from his motive, he must have gone towards the Golden Palace where the three gluttons are. With worry in his eyes, the fourth born hurried to his dying brother and stood before him. "Brother!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. The fourth born looked at the youngest but smartest member of the pack. Despite having the most perfect body of all of them, the sheer might of the gargantuan turtle amplified by his Lord essence brought unimaginable damage to the supposed to be the indestructible body of a Dragon. "I.... am not... gonna make it." The leader weakly whispered. Its big mouth barely moving and its body completely crumpled like a piece of paper. "I think he found our weakness." "What do you mean?! Stop talking and focus on recovery!" The fourth-born reminded him. "It is useless." "Why? We have Dragon blood with us. We have the craziest recovery ability from all beings that existed! We are bound to be immortal in the future!" The fourth born tried his best to spark hope to his crippled brother. Despite his hate for it, he was still after all his brother. They are born with the same place and the same reason although with clearly different builds. One of the reasons that the fourth born strives for the best is because he also looks up to the fifth-born. "I told you its useless." The leader added. "He figured out our weaknesses. It seems that the turtle wasn''t just an ordinary one. He sucked the water elemental essence out of my body! As if he was the Lord of this realm!" "That turtle?! A Lord of this realm? Then why is it so weak?" "I.... do not know. But the way I observed him, it seems that he is still trying to figure out his powers as well. I would really love to have got a taste of that rare turtle but now, it seems I am done for." "You can still recover! We still have the Dragon blood!" "Don''t forget we are half dragon and half water elementals. Now that I have no water essence in me, I am nothing but an unstable body of dragon meat with an imbalanced essence." The leader explained. Seeing that the fourth born was still confused, he added: "In other words, my recovery is useless because I am not what I used to be. I am just a pile of powerful meat with no means to move. I am not gonna-" Seeing his brother dying slowly the more he spoke, the fourth born quickly interjected. "Then I will bring that turtleback here and demand your water essence back that way you can-!" "eat me." "what?!" "Eat my remains. So that you can use the remaining Dragon meat and essence to purify your body and possibly evolve." The fifth born added. "What are you talking about!? I know our Dragon meat is a powerful elixer but we do not give up that easy! We will bite them back until there is nothing left for us but dust!-" "LISTEN TO ME!" The leader said with a commanding growl. The fourth born quickly attended. "With the turtle now able to claim our water essence, we don''t stand a chance against him. But I have a better plan. Our bodies are most compatible with each other. If we get to merge everyone into one, just imagine our overall power. What I mean is fusion. And it''s a success will be up to you." The fifth born confidently declared. Knowing that he doesn''t have time, the fourth born gave a serious look to his drying brother and said. "Tell me what to do." With a creepy dying smile, the fifth born replied. "Eat me... and the others. After then, you will have the unstoppable power that you need to wipe this place off. Not even our maker can stop us and that Turtle? It will be a piece of cake for you!" Seeing his resolute brother, the fourth-born finally gave up to his command. His mouth suddenly expanded with an oversized stretch covering the whole body of the fifth-born. "That''s it! Eat me! Eat m-" CRUNCH! 104 Test Of Water *** "Help me! My son! Help!" A blurry image of a man drowning in a deep blue sea was screaming his words to Elric. "Father! I am coming!" Elric chased after his drowning father. He is currently in his present human form. He swam recklessly just to save his drowning father who seems to sink fast to the bottom of the ocean like a solid piece of rock. "Help! I am drowning!" His father pleads. "I am coming! Father don''t go!", Elric cried as he felt the distance getting farther and farther. "No. I can''t breathe! This water. I am sinking fast. I can''t make it. I am dying" "No. Wait!" "Goodbye, my son." The father bade. "Father no! Wait don''t go! Wait!" Elric panicked. He swam even faster and deeper, desperate to save his father who is dropping real quick to the dark unknown abyss. "Go back son. It is too late for me. But you; you can still make it." The father cried back. Elric knew that they are underwater, judging from the cold sensation of the water itself. How they managed to communicate while underwater was something that Elric paid no heed since he got used to his times in the water realm. For him, a human talking in the water was just a normal thing. "I will get you Dad. Just swim closer to me." He tried reaching his hands while he used his feet to push himself deeper. His finders desperately bent to reach for his family. "Go back son. You still have much to do." The father calmed down and reminded him. "I am coming, Dad. I am getting closer." Elric insisted. His whole body shone with soft lights as he dived deeper in this dark abyss while his father slowly faded in the darkness. His figure completely dissolved in the deep shadows of the unknown sea. "I am proud of you son. Goodbye." the father''s last words can be heard. Elric''s eyes teared in regret. He was just not strong enough to save his father. While it is true he was not the best father the world presented for him, he was still after all his father. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Father, nooo!" Elric shouted as his consciousness went back to reality. "Bwaah!~" A face of a human with slight gills on his neck suddenly appeared on the surface of fine sand. His eyes are red from crying and his hair unkempt from being buried in the sand. He was gasping for more air while his heartbeat wildly. Half of his body is still buried in the sand. "Father..." Elric muttered the words as he slowly calmed himself down. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled with patience. He repeated his breathing exercise for more than five times before he finally pushed himself up from the sand. He cleared himself of the sand and scanned his surroundings. What he saw next brought a surprise in his eyes. "What happened here?" He said as he turned around to see his whole surroundings. The whole area he is standing from has been wrecked to unimaginable state. The once beautiful coral forest and colorful plants are gone, even the nearby coral mountains are turned into fine sand of various colors. It appears they are made of different objects from coral rocks to even the sea trees. "Did I transferred while I fell asleep? As far as I can remember, I was in the middle of the grassy field surrounded by coral mountains. I never knew that the water realm has its desert. But how come this dessert doesn''t look natural?" Elric bent down and touched the colorful fine sand surrounding him. The moment he touched the sand, Elric remembered the reason he was here. He remembered the water tribulation summoned by the Spirit Cleansing Pearl. The first wave tested his mental resilience where it tried to erase even his memories because of the pearl''s purity and potency. Elric managed to guard himself against the mental cleanse because of his newfound calmness and fortitude brought by the God Reckoning Tribulation. With his fate-tested life, Elric''s mind has seen and experienced far more challenging mental attacks for him to lose to a mere pearl''s test. No matter what, Elric was still challenged and has experienced another form of enlightenment. He could now think even clearer and the world seems to become slower in his eyes. He could control his thoughts even better and think in advance before making any moves. The second and final wave tested his physical resilience by summoning a ravaging water tornado and drilled its tail at Elric''s main body itself. Its power was something that Elric never expected as it tried to crush him down into bits and pieces. Truly the Spirit Cleansing Pearl was like a double-edged sword that is capable of transforming you to new heights but risks losing your life on the process as well. The test was just simply to survive and let the water tornado drill their powerful tails on him. Thanks to his Dragon body, the water tornado only managed to rip the surroundings but not his ever recovering body. Wherever the tornado hits, his body was being purified of its hidden impurities. From Elric''s sharp dragon eyes, he could see small dark patches of unpurified essences leaving his body where the tail of the water tornado hits. While the rampage of the water tornado hit him, its sheer presence lifted everything the surrounded Elric, from small rocks to coral to trees and even the colorful mountains where slowly shattered into dust from the sheer might alone. It did not take long for everything to be crushed into fine dust, leaving Elric to be the last one standing in the middle of the water tribulation. Elric felt like a car covered in black sticky mud, while the water tornado was like a powerful gush from a water jet, hitting his metal body with its sheer force and effectively painfully removing the unwanted dirt. With each time, the force of the water tornado became stronger and stronger and Elric is now kneeling in agony. 105 Danger Ahead! Slowly, his body absorbed the purest form of water essence from the pearl inside him and he had experienced another form of euphoria. A liberating feeling that seems to bring him unstoppable calmness, joy, and confidence. With a clear mind and body, Elric could feel that the future is in his hands. His eyes gleamed with clarity, his body even perfectly toned. His now pure-black hair waved with grace and shone in vibrancy. His normal power has almost doubled compared before even without using his Dragon strength. He felt his spirit releasing its wings on its back and he could fly any moment. Wherever his sight landed, the details were as clear as to the point of the magnified level. Even the dust from the small rocks one kilometer away was finely detailed in his perception. Noticing the changes in his body, Elric felt his senses reaching a deeper level of sensitivity. His nose could decern more scent and trace them. His ears could hear and pick specific sounds without being distracted from the other noises. His skin jumped in electrifying power that traveled across every cell making his body. With his eyes close, the senses even peaked in sharpness, clearly revealing the sound, smell and even intentions of different creatures nearby. He could almost hear and smell their thoughts. With such power, Elric knew he is now ready for bigger challenges. With such capacity, reaching full potential in using the Ancestral Dragon would not be impossible in the future. Elric knew his body needed these kinds of things. Those that would help him push forward in spiritual resistance is the key in unlocking his full power and defeat the bomb ticking inside him in the form of the Ancestral Dragon Essence. With this power, Elric can now go forward. He felt unstoppable. "The water tribulation..." Elric scanned the whole area again and assessed the damage he did in the area. From the place he was standing, the fine sand reached as far as two kilometers. "I guess the God of Destruction is my past life best friend." Elric sighed. It seems wherever he goes, destruction follows. Even taking a small pearl caused such destruction. He realizes that he must avoid sticking with people as long as he can. With the curse of destruction he brings, he is not sure how he could maintain to have normal friends anymore. Deep inside, Elric decided he will avoid to have a more intimate relationship or contact anyone as much as possible. He must finish what he needs to do fast and leave as quietly as possible. Watching the massive scale of the water tribulation, Elric finally made up his mind. With the authority of water in him and as well as the wisdom from the "World Knowledge" given to him by the Great Seer Matha, Elric clasped his hands as his body released a brilliant glow. "With the Authority of water, I command thee heal thy land." Elric channeled as he released his aura of the Authority of Water. A wave of healing power just as King Mahar did to save and revive his people also flowed across the area, covering the entire now-desert field in just mere seconds. With each passing seconds, the sand hardened to become its former rock state. Colors started to appear and beautiful flowers and corals sprouted from here and there. With Elric''s renewed wisdom and power, the whole area recovered in just a few minutes. Although not looking exactly as before, but the recovered land is slowly making new adjustments towards its former glory. "Done!" Elric smiled as he watched the land recover its color and life in no time. His clear eyes reflected the new life it has received and he could not help but laugh in happiness. The healing wave took some significant energy from him and he felt a little dizzy. Despite such a draining spell, Elric still did what he must to fix the damage he has done. Truly, the gift of the Great Seer Mhata was something that he never knew would help him a lot in his future endeavors. But despite of the sheer knowledge himself, there are still pieces of wisdom that Elric needs to find out. A good example is the Healing Wave ability. Without the spiritual breakthrough, the Authority of Water in him and physical cleansing, using such power is near to impossible. So far, only those who have survived the water Tribulation summoned by the Spirit Cleansing Pearl is capable of using the Healing Wave. Thus, in the history of the water realm, only the late King Mahar and Elric had managed to use such an incredible spell. The previous lord Aghus could only blow his head trying to do it without the Spiritual Cleansing Pearl. Even Dash is not capable of doing such until he survives the Water Tribulation as well. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Despite the extraordinary benefit brought by the "World Knowledge", without the required tools and bases, Elric would still not able to apply that knowledge. Basically speaking, the majority of the knowledge Elric found at the World Knowlege is just like textbooks of an unknown language. Unless he found the proper way of understanding their letters and purpose, Elric still has a long way to go. Right now, he still has the Authority of Earth, Wind, and Lightning to collect and be able to conjure more skills revealed to him by the World Knowledge. Thinking of future potential, Elric could not help but shudder in excitement. Just as he was about to leave to go back at the Golden Palace to bade his farewell, Elric''s face suddenly frowned with his senses noticing a familiar aura. Quickly, he looked towards a certain direction and said: "What isn''t this Diana and her pet''s aura?" Elric''s face suddenly frowned. "Wait... How come there is another Lord aura nearby?" Elric closed his eyes to focus on his senses. With his renewed spiritual ability, his mental senses were like a modern war radar capable of scanning the area hundreds of kilometers in just a few seconds. He continued to observe the aura of the creatures nearby especially on a certain powerful aura comparable to a Lord''s. He followed it and suddenly realized a dangerous motive. "...It is aiming for Diana?!" BOOOOM!~ And just like that, Elric left the area leaving towering dust of his sudden burst of speed. 106 Overwhelming Pride Swooosh~ CRAAAASH! BAAAAM!~ "Hold on tight princess!" "aah!~" CRAAASH! "Where do you think you are going!? You can''t leave my territory just like that, the blood of Mahar will finally be mine! Whahahaha~" CRAASH! Dolphy and Diana are currently trying to escape the massive rampage of the chasing Unholy Lord of the Water realm. It wasn''t long since they have accidentally barged in the unholy Lord''s territory laying deep in the southern region of the water realm, and it did not take long for them to meet the dangerous creature. The Unholy Lord of the Water realm is famously known as Boang the Mad. He has the head of the killer whale with oversized fangs even sharper than a shark''s, his upper body and lower body is that of a human except for his nine tentacle arms with glaring suckers made of sharp teeth ready to tear any flesh apart in a bleeding carnage, his stomach and lower are bulging in muscles, covered in signature black killer whale skin and a three-meter long tail that stretches far with a scorpion-like tail ready to puncture his victim with a deadly venom. He is a cursed being who was once looked just a normal merman. He happens to almost reach the pinnacle of power in the water realm if not for his overbearing pride and greed. His position was only capped to become the strongest commander but insisted that he deserved the power of the Lord''s Divine Providence instead of the Late King Mahar. "It''s because of that stupid red tails! The world is unfair! I will not accept this! The new lord should be me!" With his power and authority, he tried to forcefully consume the Divine Providence of the Lordship only to receive a deadly backlash and almost destroying his body. With the help of King Mahar who was successfully selected as the new Lord, he was given another chance to redeem himself but immediately declined without hesitation. "I am the Lord. If the heavens will not acknowledge me, then I shall make them!" He decided to turn into dark elemental magic with the help of a certain individual who introduced himself as a member of The Others. With the latter''s help, they put himself back with modified parts of creatures that he experimented with. As a result, he ended up with a mixed body of a merman, an octopus, a whale shark, and even a stingray. With each prey he consumed, his strength grew incredibly stronger and it didn''t long for him to dominate the deepest part of the southern realm. He made plans to forcefully take over the ruling in the water realm by creating a dangerous army of hungry predators and marched through the watery realm with sheer savagery and destruction on their wake. Raising his fangs and devouring those who tried to resist him. Unleashing his unholy taint that seems to color the water realm black with his suffocating presence. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. However, his reign lasted only for a while as King Mahar finally stood up and showed him the true meaning of Lordship. In a one-sided battle, he was battered like a piece of practice doll while his followers escaped back to the southern waters, never to swim close to the beautiful kingdom of the water realm. As his reputation went down together with his miserable state and obvious threat to the people of the water realm, he was banished by King Mahar deep to the southern waters, never to return and cursed for his life to only breath dark tainted water and never step in the kingdom again, else he would risk suffocating to the clean atmosphere of the water realm. His world would remain dark and no one could last being with him. As a result, he lived alone on his own trying to compete for any source of food with the other banished predators in the southern part of the water realm. However, despite his overwhelming power, the clean water of the rest of the water realm limited him of the spaces he could move from and to. With desperation, he asked for guidance from the representative of The Others and found out a solution for his curse. But the latter just simply refused to do his bidding but offered another way instead. "A cursed blood that was tainted can only be cleaned by the untainted blood of the host''s magic." The mysterious being covered in darkness replied. Basically speaking, to lift the curse, all he needs to do is get a hold of the blood of King Mahar; moreover, the mysterious being added that the blood of King Mahar''s direct descendants is also enough to undo the curse. Just a taste of their blood should be enough to dissolve his poisonous presence and will be able to walk the lands freely without the dark taint and attack of the suffocating clean water of the kingdom. Until then, he waited for an opportunity to strike. Years and years of waiting for more than a thousand years, the youngest daughter of King Mahar had finally revealed herself in the vicinity of his land. It is safe to say, that the time has come. All he needs to do is get a bite out from that red-tailed mermaid and he will be free to lay waste on the land that banished him. With greed and excitement, Boang rammed anything that tried to stop him from realizing his sweet cold revenge. And with incredible fury, he destroyed everything from corals, trees and even hard rocks blocking his way are crushed into bits. Determined to not let his most precious prey this time. GROOOOOOOAR!~ 107 False Hope Boang''s tentacle arms swiftly paddled himself with unnatural speed. His eyes are locked at the speeding tail of the golden armored Dolphin carry the princess. With each passing seconds, their distance is getting closer as the Dolphin seems to struggle breathing in the tainted water of the area. His sharp fangs are already screeching with saliva dripping with dirt and blood. "That soft looking skin! That ugly sparkling red-tails and the suffocating smell of King Mahar is in that mermaid! I can''t wait to feast on you!" Boang''s mind was driven mad as his name implies. SLOOSH! SPLAK! SLOOOSH!~ SPLAAK! He would sometimes shoot a dark sticky liquid that seems to stick and corrode anything it touches. However, the Dolphin was also extraordinary fast enough to react against his attack despite the obvious disadvantage in their strength. SLAAM! SWooosh!~ From time to time, the crazy looking mutant would use his long tentacle arms to try and reach his targets but that latter was just incredibly agile. However, with each misses, a small creepy smile would glint in Boang''s creepy mouth. "Hold on princess! We will get out of this area soon! I can see the exit now and that creature shouldn''t be able to chase us after then!" Dolphy assured while gasping badly from the suffocating air of the area. The princess nodded weakly. It seems that the water in the area was incredibly bad for her as she started losing her strength and had been feeling incredibly dizzy ever since they entered the area. She had heard from her father about a certain cursed creature living far away in the deep Southern lands of the water realm. A once-powerful soldier of the water realm, who refused to acknowledge his father''s Lordship and also tried to ensure a massive rule change by force. Of course, the great King Mahar on his prime single-handedly took care of him and his men. Sending them running towards the southern lands with their tails between their legs. The one who remained persistent was the strongest army they had before. Despite the kindness King Mahar has given, the former blatantly threatened to return stronger and with even more forces so the late King Mahar had no other choice but to curse him once and for all. Perhaps, her father was just too kind. That he chooses to curse the latter instead of killing him in one go. He was probably giving the rebel a chance to reflect on himself and come back and serve the water realm with his utmost loyalty. She clearly remembered the warning was given to her and the two other princesses never to come to close to the Dark lands deep in the southern area. Especially with their royal blood, not a single drop of them is allowed to be extracted or risk the imminent destruction of the whole water realm from a dangerous entity. However, as things go now, she is not sure if what her father did was a good decision. With the rebel turned to a dangerous mutant, it was the same as letting a ticking time bomb lay around in your bed while sleeping, just waiting to release his wrath to explode in the water real. Especially now that their state is currently not in its best shape. Her eyes had finally started to dim. A sign that she is greatly affected by the dark taint covering the whole area. It was only thanks to her sheer determination to find Elric that she managed to hold on this long. SLOOSH! With just a small spin, the Dolphin managed to avoid all the sticky liquid. Dolphy scanned his back with his echolocation ability and realized that the enemy is just 10 meters behind them. It was dangerously close, considering the abnormal speed the enemy is capable of. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Faster! I need to go faster!" Dolphy forced himself to release his last remaining strength. He can already see the beautiful light that borders the Kingdom''s land and the Dark lands of the Southern Realm. SWOOOOOSH!~ Dash lift blurring images as he passed through every patch of the dark land. With all his might, he paddled himself forward trying to escape the grasp of the chasing mutant. "Hehehe.. just a little bit more..." Boang had a creepy smile on his face as he watched the Dolphin desperately speeding up towards the so-called "safe land". "You are mine." His eyes glared with pure greed and a maniac expression covered his entire face. Just as when the Dolphin with a princess on its back was about to reach the bright and colorful border of the kingdom, twenty massive sharks of various species suddenly emerged from the sides and completely blocked their way. Their eyes glowed with deep red, bloodlust completely painted in their faces. "NO!" Dolphy came forced himself to a sudden halt. The craving eyes of the banished sharks are locked on him and he instinctively diverted his momentum in hope to evade their large mouths but to no avail. The princess has been thrown away from his back as the sudden stop sent her flying forward - closer to the mouth of the hungry sharks! "PRINCES DIANA NO!" Dolphy bellowed. SMACK! THUD! And the next instant, Dolphy saw himself planted on the dark sand, with huge and powerful tentacles of Boang holding him down and completely sealing his movements, while the princess in the other end of his other creepy tentacles lying unconsciously. Its big rounded suckers surrounded by sharp fangs immediately plunged in Dolphy''s body, not even the golden armor was spared from its overwhelming sharpness! "It''s too late! I failed! The water realm is doomed!" Dolphy hopelessly closed his eyes as his powerless body layed down in complete surrender. 108 Super Elric WHAHAHAHA~ An echoing laugh of celebration reverberated all over the southern land of the water realm. Boang had finally got his long desire for revenge. The balance of the realm is now in danger. His eyes were full of greed as his tentacle arms held the red-tailed princess. He scanned her delicate body and a wicked smile flashed in his face. "Let go of me! Do you know who I am?!" Diana struggled as she spoke towards the mutant creature holding her. Diana was shaking in fear as she finally got a clear look at the mutant before here. His eyes glowed with reddish hue with gray scales covering his body. His killer whale head is filled with countless battle scars and has extraordinary sharp fangs. His arms are made of tentacles that surround his entire body while being covered in with numerous suckers. What makes him even more dangerous is the dangling scorpion tail in his back that is oozing with unexplainable power and poison. As Diana remained shocked at the hideous appearance of her prey, she noticed that the later''s body is also excreting black taint that scatters throughout the surroundings. As it appears, it was because of this dark excretion that made the whole place dark and lifeless. A suffocating feeling continued to assault the little princess. "Whahaha. Princess..princes... let me ask that question for you in return." Boang said as he lifted the princesss towards his face and added: "Do YOU? Know who I am?" Diana summoned all her strength to hide her fear and said with a resolute face, "Yes. You are the traitor of the water realm. Cursed by my father for trying to force the Divine Providence to pick you as the lord and killing countless people for the sake of your desire." The confident smile of Boang suddenly dissapeared and was replaced by a frown. It seems the words of the little princess struck a sensitive part of his past. "What did you say? I dare you to repeat that." Boang said with flashes of his sharp fangs. "I said..." she took a deep breath before continuing, "You are the biggest loser of the water realm." ROOOAR!~ In a rage, Boang smashed the little princess to the ground with incredible force, or at least he tried. The next thing Boang realized is that his tentacle arms are gone. He could only feel a searing heat from his damaged parts as a fire started to blaze out from his wounds. Confused and angry, Boang scanned his surroundings in search of the culprit. The mermaid princess is gone, the dolphin is gone, and he is left with blazing wounds. "What!? How-" "That is not the right way to treat the princess of the water realm sir." Following the source of the sound, Boang looked up before him only to find a human. Boang''s eyes moved to confirm that his supposed-to-be victims are now safe despite being unconscious, in the hands of the human. "A human?!" quickly, Boang decided to calm himself down. Knowing that his new enemy is just a human. It wouldn''t hurt to have a taste of human meat after all! "You sure are extraordinarily fast for a human. You must be a visitor from the human realm with the special privilege given by the Lord of the Water realm." Boang concluded quickly as he turned around to face the newcomer. "Give me one good reason why I should spare you." Elric coldly said. Knowing that the latter was capable of slicing his arms without even him fighting back, got him quite a shock. However, after realizing that it was just a human, Boang''s confidence surged right away. "hahaha! Why this is indeed a good surprise! A human is threatening me?! Well, I have never tasted a human before. They said it was the most delicious meat next to a dragon''s. Today must be my lucky day." With saliva overflowing in his mouth, Boang suddenly released his power not paying heed to Elric''s question. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. BOOOM! Boang''s body released a powerful aura that commanded a terrifying presence. His body almost tripled in size while his eyes glowed with an even more terrifying glare. His blazing wounds suddenly dissapeared as a new set of fresh long tentacle arms bulging with flexibility and power. His other shark followers moved back with fear in their eyes. Knowing Boang''s temperament, he would never hesitate to kill anyone who stands in his way. Not even his subordinate is spared in his merciless attitude. "Now..." Boang said with a hostile glint in his eyes towards Elric. "Give me back my fish!" SWOOOSH!~ Boang left a blurry trail as he suddenly spurted towards Elric. His big mouth is large open while his octopus arms suddenly charged to grab the human. "You are mine as well!" MISSED! MISSED! MISSED! "This...slippery human!" Despite Boang''s overwhelming speed and numerous arms, he was still unable to match up against Elric''s unbelievable reaction. MISSED! MISSED! MISSED! ROOOOAR! "Huh...Huh.. you are fast." Boang said, gasping for his breath. "Let''s see how you deal with this!" Boang suddenly released a pitch dark taint to mess with Elric''s surroundings. Just like the Thagdas, he can spew pitch dark liquid that hinders anyone''s vision while also making it hard to breathe. On the other side, Boang could still maintain his clear vision thanks to his mutant eyes and echolocation ability. With this advantage, he believes that Elric would never stand a chance anymore! While the black taint scattered in their surroundings, Elric remained calmed and looked at Diana. The little princess is covered in small wounds and looked incredibly tired. Not to mention, her pale look from losing too much blood. Suddenly, Elric''s body gave up off a warm heat that quickly covered the little princess and the dolphin he is holding in his other arm. Like magic, their wounds healed with a visible rate. SWOOSH! Out of the thick black mist, Boang suddenly surged out with blazing speed and power. He was aiming at Elric''s head with his sharp teeth ready to devour the human whole. But just before he could do his thing, Elric''s foot suddenly bent upward and gave Boang a good ax kick. BOOOM!~ It was an attack out of nowhere and Boang still had a dumb expression while planted deep down on the ground. 109 Death By Blue Fire ROOAR! Quickly, Boang recomposed himself and charged at Elric with an even more furious look. Seeing that the ugly creature keeps coming to him while he is busy healing the princess, Elric decided to give the octopus man with a good slap. PAAACK! BOOOM!~ Boang was sent diving again to the sand, but even deeper this time. It was thanks to his overwhelming power and extraordinary body, he would have been dead after that slap. The other shark subordinates of his did not even dare to step into the battle to help him. Knowing that they could only die a meaningless death under their leader''s abnormal temper and the human''s weird power. Slowly, they backed farther and farther, making sure they are safe from the two mad creatures. Despite them being the apex predator of the ocean, under the mutant octopus and the weird human, they look like ants just waiting to be stomped accidentally. ROOOOAR! "You. Human! How dare are you humiliate me!" Boang bellowed with his veins almost popping out of his head. "Do you know who I am!? I will be the next Lord of this realm! Do you know what that means?" He said with utmost confidence. Seeing that the human is still doing his thing in the middle of the dark mist, he added: "Hand me that mermaid and I will spare your stupid life!" "I know you are hungry, knowing that there is not a single fish in this place. But you should know that the creature you are trying to eat is the princess of the water realm. What are you going to do with her?" Elric asked. A little curious. "She has the blood for the cure of my curse!" Boang shouted with increased agitation. "Cure for your curse?" Elric replied. "King Mahar cursed me to be locked in this side of the land. It is a long story, human. You will never understand. You are too inferior to ask about our affairs." "I am willing to listen," Elric added. "Why do you care!? The only thing you will listen to is the cries of the merfolks when I finally get my revenge! And you- you can still save yourself from my rampage if you hand over that mermaid to me!" Boang shouted with a condescending tone. "I don''t want to fight you without knowing you and giving you a chance," Elric said in a calm and steady voice. It was thanks to his new updated capacity that he can remain calm in the face of this otherworldly creature. "Huh?! Are you trying to sympathize with me!? I don''t need a human''s stupid sympathy. Just hand that fish over and we are done here!" "I told you, explain to me and I will listen." Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I see. You are a kind one. Just like that King Mahar. " with a scoff, Boang added..." "You are just like him indeed. The kind and pathetic king who failed the water realm." "I guess there is no way of talking to you then. We are leaving." Elric dismissed as he prepared to go. The enemy''s words mean nothing to him, knowing that the late King Mahar did what he must do. Trying to talk and justify King Mahar before a senseless creature is just a good waste of time. "Where do you think you are going!?" Boang dashed forward with another hostile attack but barely before even hitting Elric, the Spear of Fire suddenly appeared from the young man''s hand. It burned in the blue fire that emanated unexplainable might. SLOOSH~ AAAAAAHHH! Boang''s body was immediately covered in agonizing blue fire. The Spear of Fire Elric used pierced through Boang''s chest and sent him crashing down while screaming in pain. "No! No! No! My body! My Powerfull body! Aaaah! What did you do to me!?" Boang screamed in agony as he glared at Elric''s leaving parting body. Quickly, the blue fire incinerated parts of his body and his massive size returned to its normal state while slowly dissipating into dust. "Noo! Don''t go! My body! It''s Aaaah! Burning!" And just like that. The legend of the unholy Lord of the Water Realm died in the most anti-climactic way. As Elric was about to leave the area, he reached into the pack of sharks as if they were waiting for an ambush. However, right after seeing the state of the supposed to be the strongest creature of the southern region of the water realm, they all backed down in surrender and respect. Elric, on the other hand, paid no heed to them. With the princess on his left arm and Dolphy on the other still unconscious, he quickly made his way towards the Golden Castle, quite a long-distance away. 110 Desperate World BOOOOOOM! A loud explosion just rang at the front of the golden palace. It was so powerful that it sends powerful shockwaves all over the area. "You have to get over my dead body first!" Donna stood in front of the Golden Palace gates. She was covered in wounds and her complexion is slowly dark. A sign of poison slowly corroding her body. Her beautiful scales are also covered in wounds while her huge red-tails emanated a powerful vibe. She is currently facing one of the three glutton Thagdas who have come with hostile intentions against her people. ROOOAR! "Stop resisting little fish! Your life is already decided the moment you got hit by my poisoned thorns!" The firstborn Thagda bellowed in return as he slowly raised himself back from being splat on the ground with the mermaid princess''s tail slam. Thanks to his extraordinary healing ability brought by the Dragon blood, he was able to tank most of Donna''s attack no matter how powerful they were. Ziiiing~ Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Even larger blackthorns spurted out from the first-born''s body. His eyes glaring with greedy intent ready to rip the little princess into pieces. "Very well. I shall enjoy every single bite from your little fish body." And like a flash, the Thagda''s thorn moved forward, ready to skew Donna in her stomach. SWOOOSH!~ SMASH! Fortunately, Donna still managed to dodge the charge attack of the Thagda and she even managed to follow a quick attack with her now-massive red tail that sent the Thagda a good distance away -planting him real deep in the white sand. "Well done princess!" "We can do this! Go, Princess Donna!" "Send that ugly creature out of our kingdom!" The merfolks hiding inside the Golden Cave cheered for the princesses as they could see the battle unfolding outside using a huge magical transparent pearl called Pawa. It was a magical artifact created by the late King Mahar for survailance purposes to keep the whole Kingdom safe as well. As long as there is water, the magical transparent pearl will be able to show the scene as clear as a day. It''s the only downside is its limited distance that is only capable of surveying areas within ten kilometers from the Golden palace. However, with distance, it was still enough to give them enough time to prepare for anything to come. The only way that the Pawa''s distance coverage can be increased is that if a Lord of the Water realm will use his power to embue the magical artifact. With such a boost, watching all over the world of the water realm is as easy as a piece of cake. If only Dash was there, finding Elric should have been done in no time, however, if it was not for Dash''s quick intervention at the entrance of the water realm, more soldiers and innocent merfolks could have died from the intruder''s merciless slaughter. Wuhu-uhu-uhu! Black blood started to spew out of her small mouth of Donna as the overexertion of her power caused the poison to accelerate its effects against her body. "I can do this! I will risk my life if I have to!" Determined to defend her kingdom, Donna charged straight to the knocked Thagda. Determination burned her eyes as she braced herself on dying any moments now. Her pet whale is currently unconscious from sustaining too much damage earlier as it tried to protect her a while ago. The poison has also gone to its system and the big fish is now incapacitated. Right now, Donna could only stand for herself. She is determined to hold the abomination before her with everything she got. Or else, countless lives of the innocent merfolks would be mercilessly ground in this hideous creature''s mouth. "Father. Help us. Human, where are you?" She murmured with pleading in her mind. *** On the other side of the Golden Palace, just two kilometers away from the Golden Cave, another battle is currently happening. Danna, the oldest of the three royal mermaid princess is having the duel of her life fighting the third-born Thagda. "Yeah!" SLAAM! ROOOAR! BAANG! Unlike Donna who happens to be covered in wounds, Danna on the other side seems to fare better against her enemy. Although it was not to the point that she held the advantage, she was still at least managed to make her enemy eat the sand bottom for how many times. Not to mention, their enemy is not a natural-born of the water and she, as a mermaid princess held the better ground in terms of agility and terrain advantage. "You..." The second-born Thagda stood up from being knocked multiple times. his eyes emanated incredible hatred against the beautiful mermaid above him. The mermaid princess had been flailing him around with her supernatural water attacks and the disparity of their speed has greatly put him in a constant defensive position. Not to mention, her mermaid''s gigantic had been distracting him with its almost invisible stinging tentacles that are strong enough to temporarily stun him, giving the mermaid princess to struck him with full force. ROOOOAR! SLAAM! With another tail attack from Danna that left countless craters on the surface, the second-born was forced to back quite a good distance just to recover himself. Swoosh!~ BOOOOM! Suddenly, a powerful shock wave can be heard from the direction of the Golden Cave. He scanned the area only to find the third-born who is also currently trying its best to fight against the thousands of golden armored soldiers of the water realm. Unlike the first and second-born Thagdas, the third one managed to slip between the mermaid princesses and was just about to barge into the golden cave where the scent of thousands of merfolks came from. However, he was stopped midway by a magical water barrier that seems to knock him away, ultimately stunning him for a while. The impact of his charge was the reason for the defeaning shock wave just seconds ago. Unfortunately, the Thagda''s charge was just too powerful that it caused the magical barrier to shatter and prompted the last force of defense composed of golden armored soldiers to launch their decisive attack. Just as the third born was about to recover and force his way again, thousands of golden armored soldiers appeared out of nowhere and landed an assault to the stunned glutton Thagda. "AAhhhh!" "For the kingdom of the water realm!" "For King Mahar!" Soldiers wielding golden tri-tipped spears, swords, and shields charged their way towards the third-born Thagda, and the latter hurriedly pushed its recovery ability and fought back against the soldiers by releasing its poisonous mist. This resulted in another bloody mess as the soldiers desperately searched for their target. Quickly, their numbers dwindled as they succumb to the power of the most poison. ROOOAR! "You think you can stop me!? Foolish fishes!" The Thagda roared as he sent his thorns piercing towards the group of incoming soldiers. Shuk!~ Shuk!~ Shuk!~ "Stop the thorns!" AAAH! "It''s no use, the black mist is melting my skin!" AAH! "Raise your shields!" "It''s not working! The thorn and mist were strong enough to melt even the golden shields!" "Let''s use the opening when he throws another attack. Spear bearer get ready!" "Fight! Even if every bit of our bones melts, defend till we all drop!" "Fight back! Fight Back!" *** 111 Super Stomping The Golden Palace situated in the middle of the water realm has been slowly dyed with bluish blood of the water folks as the soldiers and creatures of the water realm fought against the uninvited Thagdas. Much to their disappointment, the enemies are just too much for them as they have never anticipated the half-dragon''s healing ability. Every time the soldiers managed to land critical attacks, it has an equivalent cost of their comrade''s lives. Not to mention, the damage done by their magic and physical spells was not enough to deal a finishing blow. AAAAAH!~ ROOOOAR!~ The loud bellow of the three Thagdas could be heard together with the desperate charges of the golden armored soldiers of the water realm. It''s been hours since the fight began and the two princesses, Donna and Danna are also slowly reaching their limits as the Thagda managed to last longer as they expected. Despite Danna''s early advantage, the firstborn-Thagda managed to survive all her powerfull attacks just by pure insane regeneration. Her face has finally started to grow pale while she gasped for her breath. "haa.... ha... ha...", But despite her draining powers, Danna still stood with elegance and resilience in front of the Thagda. She could not help but worry at her other sister''s condition. Donna is currently being assisted by some soldiers as her body is about to give up from overstressing. Their magical pets are also injured badly and are now unable to assist in their battles. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hahaha! Is that all you got little princess?" The firstborn-Thagda taunted. Despite his body being crumpled like a piece of paper from the sheer power of Danna''s tail swipe, he still managed to pose a sinister smile. He is confident that the mermaid princess is nearing death due to exhaustion. "You can''t kill me. You are just a fish with red scales and knows how to use a little bit of magic. Compared to us who are the ultimate form of Dragon and Elementals, you do not stand a chance!" Within just a few seconds, he had managed to recover his body to its normal state. The broken bones aligned, wounds healed without a trace, and an even more sinister smile emerged from its dark face surrounded by blackthorns. Its fangs curved to a menacing intention. "I wonder how your small beautiful body tastes like mwahaha!" The firstborn Thagda laughed maniacally. "Hmp!", the princess frowned and decisively sent another barrage of tail swipes that sent water sonic waves towards the laughing Thagda. BAAANG! BABABABANNNG! The ground continued to shook for a while after Danna''s attack. However, before her very eyes, the Thagda seems to stand without any injuries. SLAAAM!! HAHAHA HAHA! THAT TICKLES LITTLE PRINCESS! "haha.haaa." Danna frowned tiredly as she looked at the receiving end of her attack. The Thagda managed to stand against her attack without even breaking any more bones. "It seems like you have finally reached your limit..." The Thagda stood up proudly after tanking the full brunt of the attack with its sheer body. His eyes glinted with utter greed and added, "little fish." "no..." Danna said weakly as her vision finally dimmed. Her body giving up to intense exhaustion after hours of a relentless barrage, trying to stop the hungry abomination before her. "father..." Slowly, her body tilted as she started falling to the ground. Her consciousness fading into the darkness of helplessness. "Father... It''s over..." Until the end, Danna stood for her promise to protect the water realm. "I failed you father. Forgive me." As Danna slowly fell, the mouth of the first-born Thagda was also wide open. Stretching for more than seven meters, spilling murky saliva trails as well, as its huge dark-thorny body came in towards to scoop her with his hungry mouth. "Finally! A delicious royal fish!" The Thagda cried in excitement as he was about to reach the falling princess mermaid with his mouth. Suddenly, from the distance, he could hear an energetic shout. SUUUUUUPEEEEER STOOOOOOOMPPUUUUUH!~ WHAM! The next thing as he woke up, the confused Thagda found itself planted again on the ground, under the foot of a giant turtle. Its body is crumpled to an unexpected degree, almost switching his face to his butt. His blackthorns are crushed and so are his innards. His dragon body now resembling a crumpled can of coke, just waiting to be thrown to the trash bin, Not to mention, the Thagdas eyes are close to popping out from the sheer weight of the giant turtle. Its eyes glowed in shock as it finally recognized the mountain-like figure before him. It was the same turtle whom they played with a while ago. It was wounded badly before, not even daring to come out of its sand shell defense. Unlike before, the turtle before him doesn''t carry the same weak-assed aura. His eyes are glowing with confidence despite not using the Blue Fire. Its shell gleamed with renewed vigor and although the wounds have not yet healed, the turtle acted as if he they were nothing. Its blood-covered face showed quite a contrast to its lively and confident energy. Like a brawl champion, fully confident of winning despite his bloody condition. "Impossible! Why is this turtle here? The leader and fourth-born should have taken him down. With all the poison accumulation within his body, he should have been dead less than an hour ago!" Questions started to roll in his mind, while he tried to gather his strength to fight back against the turtle. Just what happened to his other brother by the way? What about the second and the third born? Just where is everybody?! "You wan''t to stand up? Here, let me help you." Dash lifted its foot stepping on the Thagda and as he did, the latter quickly tried to escape with the help of its crimpling body. SLAM!~ "Just kidding!" The giant turtle smiled with a naughty face. With a calm and confident voice, he added: "Now, time to show you my serious series..." 113 Standing Guard The first born''s condition was a freakish show. Not to mention its dry and powerless body. "Shut up and share with me your food! I should be able to recover in no time!" The firstborn replied weakly via telepathic communication. "You wan''t my food? Why don''t you die instead?" The second-born shouted while holding some soldier corpse in his hand. They all talked as if they were not in the middle of a fight. Knowing their capacity, their pride also made them confident that they can squash anyone who dares to disturb them. "I will share to you some of my catch later." The firstborn helplessly replied telepathically. "How many?" The second-born asked. "Five." "No." "Five and a leg?" "Six and two legs! That''s a deal. And you also that redtail you were hunting should also be mine." "You can have the salty soldiers but that red-tailed is mine. And that turtle''s head, I will make sure to turn its skull as a trophy back on the human realm." The firstborn quickly negotiated with his brothers. despite losing its water essence, as long as he gets to eat some water elemental natives, he should be able to recover some of his strength and probably live to give his revenge against that cocky turtle. The secondborn thought for a while before he decided to lend some soldier corpse to their weakened brother. *** SWOOOSH~ Arriving at the entrance of the Golden Cave, Dash quickly gave the unconscious Danna to the assisting healing merfolks. He scanned the surrounding area only to see more wounded or even dead soldiers being carried towards the safe rooms of the Golden Cave. He watched as the weary soldiers brought in their comrades and other innocent victims of the Chagas. In their eyes, reflected are tge the sadness and hopelessness of the current plight of the water realm. It was not long ago since the battle of Elric and the late Lord Aghus has ended, which took countless lives and even paralyzing their army forces. The sound of the merfolks, crying over their dead loved ones echoed across the area. The painful grunting of the wounded and the spilling blood of the innocents painted the whole atmosphere of the entrance. Now another disaster has struck them hard and it broke Dash''s heart, even more, to see his people dying before him. "This is all my fault..." he muttered to himself. He could not help but blame himself for being an inexperienced Lord. If only he had more time to figure out more of his powers as the Lord of the water realm, perhaps he might stand a chance to irradicate the Thagdas in one go. But he had just awakened up recently and it was not even a whole day since he got the power of the Lord. The once beautiful and lively land of the water realm is now a messy kingdom with collapsed houses, dead bodies of native water elementals and even the majestic Golden Palace is being tainted with the innocent blood of its people. Everything seems too dark in Dash''s eyes as he felt the hopelessness and discouragement creep in his heart. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Elric." One person comes out of his mind. The main reason all of this is happening. "If only I did not save you from the human realm..." Dash weakly muttered. "Maybe... all of this could have been avoided." No... "Blaming won''t answer the problem. The damage has been done. I must stand up and be a man!" Dash took a deep breath and concentrated. "No..not a man. I am a Turtle! The Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash!" Suddenly, Dash sent a telepathic message to every citizen of the water realm Using his Lord authority, "Everyone hide to the Golden Cave.Now." Dash''s voice echoed across every water creature''s mind and they all quickly recognized him with the power of his authority. Quickly everyone stopped what they were doing and listened intently at Dash''s next words. "Soldiers, fortify the entrance. Mages, build another layer of entrance barrier. Keep everyone in! Men and women, fishlings and even eggs! Soldiers or healers! Don''t let anyone out until I say so." Dash added. "But what about you Dash?" Danna, with a weak voice, replied telepathically. "I will stand to guard the entrance. Don''t worry, I will make sure no creepy dragon creature can get inside." Dash replied resolutely. "But you will end up facing them alo-" "That''s an order as the Lord of the water realm!" Dash did not let the princess finish her words. "HAH!" Dash summoned a powerful current of water and pushed everyone in the area towards the Golden Cave. This Golden Cave is their haven against any outside attack. It is in the shape of a cone shell and is made entirely of gold. However, its hardness is not the same as that of Gold. Rather, it was made of a diamond-like substance, harder than any rock, and only took a golden hue color as its adaptive effect after being hidden behind the Golden Castle for thousand of years. Like a powerful wind, the soldiers, merfolks and even the various water species are being sucked towards the Golden Cave, leaving no one behind except Dash - the Lord of the water realm and the only guard remaining. The merfolks and creature inside the Golden Cave all hurriedly gathered towards the White Pearl that shows the current event outside. The eyes of the citizens are weary and barely have any hope left as they glanced at the figure of a giant turtle, standing like an unmovable rock before the wide entrance. All hoping that all of this nightmare will end soon. Dash''s eyes remained on guard, scanning for any clues of the enemy''s position, all while trying to recover his strength and preparing for another round of battle. The atmosphere had become tense. Dash knows that the real fight is about to start. *** 114 Preying The Prey Back at the three Thagdas, the firstborn is currently looking much better compared to before. With the nourishing effect of the native elemental soldiers and the abundant water essence, each of them contains, the firstborn is now almost back on its feet. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "Hurry up! I can smell the thousands of fishes from the area where the turtle runoff." The secondborn grumbled. "Nom... give me one more nom...minute. I am currently focusing my strength to nom....recover. Some of my bones are still cracked nomm... and should not take long for me to nom.." the firstborn replied while munching on the lifeless body of the soldier. "Stop talking and focus on eating! I am getting tired of that dead fishes. I want those red-tailed!" "Those...are mine." "We made a deal firstborn! You owe me your life!" "What deal?" Grrrr~ Grrrrr~ And the first and second-born ended up on another brawl. The third born, on the other hand, was just minding its own business as he continued munching on a piece of hard coral- still trying to figure out why it''s not delicious like the other fish folks. Its dumb face looking to a distant black object, trying to figure out what it was. "Hey! Brothers look it the leader!" The third-born shouted gleefully. The secondborn stopped fighting the firstborn and quickly glanced over; he squinted his draconic eyes to focus on the incoming black dragon-like creature. "What do you mean its the leader? Are your eyes blur? Can''t you see its the forthborn?", the secondborn retorted. "No! Its the leader! Just look at his movements. Stupid." "Who''s stupid? You glutton! Did you eat your eyes too? That is the fourth-born!" "What are you guys fighting about?" The firstborn asked, standing up after recuperating from his injuries. They all looked at an incoming creature. It looked just like a Thagda but has a much bulkier build. Its thorns are twice bigger and longer compared to others and it has two long black tails sprouting from its back. It''s huge body looked just like that of a western dragon, saved for its blade-like black wings fluttering like a long stripe of black silk. Its face resembled that of the fourth and fifth born Thagda. Together with it is a terrifying aura of death. With each step, it leaves behind a black mist that kills any living things on contact. May it be grasses or corals, wherever this creature goes, a thick black trail of poisonous mist follows. "That''s weird. That looks like the leader, but also resembles the fourth-born." The third-born mumbled. "You are right. It does look like a mixture of them." The second-born agreed. "Whatever, let''s just go meet him. It is probably the leader, just evolving to a higher form." The firstborn shouted as he sprinted his way towards the incoming mysterious Thagda. As it got closer, the second born suddenly realized that the incoming Thaga is much bigger than they expected. Aside from its mixed aura of the fourth-born and the leader, its terrifying presence also brought him with great uneasiness. "Hey! Firstborn wait!-" The secondborn felt that something was amiss and tried to stop the still-injured firstborn. But the latter was just reckless enough to reach the incoming Thagda in just a few seconds. With gladness in his movements, the firstborn greeted, "Hey leader! How are y-" MUNCH!~ The weird-looking Thagda suddenly lunged at the recuperating firstborn with incredible greed. Its mouth instantly stretched to swallow the firstborn in one go and proceeded to grind it in his mouth with loud cracking sounds. "Are you gone mad?! Why did you-" the thirdborn was about to move forward and help the firstborn but the secondborn quickly moved to stop him from advancing. "Don''t go. I have a bad feeling about this. That creature doesn''t seem to be a normal one of us." said the secondborn. Confused, the thirdborn looked at the terrified look of the secondborn and said. "What do you mean it''s not normal?" GGROOOOOAR!~ A loud and heavy roar from the weird Thagda suddenly assaulted the second and third born. Their eyes were flashing incredible fear from the sight they have beheld. The weird Thagda''s body suddenly started to bulge abnormally. Its muscles are twitching and the dark thorns all over its body are also expanding while vibrating with a weird ring. It''s an unusual presence even created a terrifying aura that sends a shiver down the spine of the two normal Thagdas. GRRRRR~ A few moments later, the weird Thagda''s abnormal growth spurt finally stopped. It is now twice as big as before and the deep pressure it puts in the ground signifies its sudden increase in weight as well. Its eyes gleamed with a reddish glare as its slit moved to focus at the image of the two staggering Thagdas. Its wide mouth, filled with abnormally large fangs, crept into a greedy smile while blood-filled-saliva dripped down on the sides. It is aiming to devour the other two. "Kekeke...Stop resisting and just be my food..." a cold, ghastly, and freaky voice came out from the mouth of the mutated Thagda. It was like a mixture of multiple voices from agonizing creatures. It''s every word sounded like crying spirits asking for help; just the sound alone was scary enough to scare even the brave soldiers of the water realm. Compared to the mutated Thagdas, the other two were like Corgi puppies standing before a mighty Tibetan Mastiff. "You think you can scare us? Who do you think are you?" The third dumb Thagda stood proudly, refusing to back down against the terrifying creature before him. Seeing the thirdborn refusing to stand back, the second born also decided to join. "No one tells us what to do. We are the ultimate Dragon Elementals! You are just a freak!" And right after finishing those words, the two remaining normal Thagda''s charged towards the mutated one at blinding speed. Their long dark thorns perked to its peak and ready to pierce the mutated one. Just as they were about to land their attacks, the two Thagdas suddenly changed their pattern and moved in the opposite direction, revealing blind spots at the same time. BAAM! The mutated Thagda stomped its long black tails to the sand and sent a massive amount of water wave while dust started flying everywhere as well. "Foolish..." A creepy smiled appeared on the mutated Thagdas face. SHUUK~ SHUKKK~ Just when the two normal ones were about to pierce him from both sides, bigger and even longer blackthorn suddenly sprouted out from the mutated one''s sides. "What!? ack!" "Huh-ack!" Because of their incredible speed, the two normal Thagdas were unable to dodge the sudden attack from the mutant and were immediately skewered like barbecues before they could react. 115 Hidden In Sigh Shocked gazes are still apparent in their eyes as their body immediately squirmed, trying to pull themselves away from the blackthorn. But just as they were about to pull themselves away, the bigger and longer arms of the mutated Thaga quickly grabbed both of them and unhesitantly stuffed them both to its ultra-wide mouth. Its long and sharp fangs piercing to their very bodies, munching on them like soft chewy meat. Crack...CrakkK~ gulp, gulp. Sounds of cracking bones and gulping quickly followed as the mutated Thagda has finally completed its collection. BOOOOOM! A powerful shockwave emerged as the mutated Thagda has finally reached its final form. Three pairs of big blackthorns sprouted behind its back. Four black fangs covering every corner of its serpent face while its body bulked even farther. Five blacktails are also left hanging on its back while its feet resembled that of a cat, only with two-long pitch-black claws extending to almost a meter. It has finally reached the very peak of its power. Wielding both the power and regenerating abilities of the Dragon, and the capabilities to enter the world of the elemental realm as long as it wanted. Not to mention, its impressive compatibility with the water element. From the distance, the mutated Thagda looked like a black thorny demon with five tails summoned from hell. "So this is what ultimate power feels like." The Thagda thought to himself as he started moving every part of its body. With every movement, he could feel an unexplainable force of energy that seems to spark all over his cells. He is heavy but at the same time, feeling extremely light. The poison he could excrete had become even more potent, strong enough to melt hard rocks in less than a few seconds. While his meter long claws gleamed with incredible sharpness probably even sharper to that of the claws of the Southern Dragon Tribes who excel in the assassination. With the power of all the five Thagda settling down in his system and merging in his cells, another catastrophe is about to ravage at the already battered world of the water realm. Sniff..sniff.. "Found you." Said by the evolved Thagda as it suddenly dissapeared from the spot like a bubble popping. BOOOOM! In the next instant, it arrived at the entrance of the Golden Cave where the Dash stood guard. The explosion was brought by the overwhelming impact from the Thagda''s terrifying speed that even Dash, with its humongous size, was sent back quite a good distance. Ghzzzz~ A huge crater was created under the cat-like feet of the evolved Thaga. The surroundings were still shrouded in dust due to the powerful impact. Dash, on the other side, quickly recomposed himself and unhesitantly shot a blue fireball towards the newly arrived enemy who is still currently hidden in the dust screen. Without even asking who it was, Dash had already figured out that it was an enemy judging from the hostile aura it emitted alone. "SUPER FIREBALL!" FWA!~ Dash''s mouth suddenly opened and a pearl-like object, covered in blue fire came out, flashing towards the enemy, leaving streaks of blue fire behind while also lighting the surroundings for a while. Of course, he did not forget to add the "super" in his skill name. Learning from previous battle experiences, Dash realized that he must not waste any single opportunity to strike. Any openings should be seized! Now that the enemy is still not visible due to the sand dust, the same thing should also be experienced by the other. BING! With a lightning-speed reflex, the blue-fireball of Dash was quickly flailed away by the black claws of the enemy. FWA!-FWA!-FWA!~ Dash, on the other side, did not rest as he followed up with another barrage of fireballs. This time, aiming at the small opening the Thagda revealed! He was using his Lord''s ability to see the enemy without relying upon his eyes but by the water vibrations alone. BI-BI-BING!~ "Weak!" The Thagda shouted arrogantly as he deflected all the incoming fireballs with just a single hand at a terrifying reaction speed. A creepy smiled also appeared in his face. "Hmp! Then take this!" Dash''s huge shell suddenly blazed in blue fire. With his recovered strength, he was confident he can eliminate this freakish monster with one good toast using his blue fire. "SUPER FLAME BURST!" Dash sent forth a huge torrent of blue fire, scorching in heat, towards the hidden enemy. BZZZZ~ The mere power of the blue fire quickly dissipated in its path including the dust and even the water in the area started to warm at an incredible rate. BOOOM! With a quick jump, the Thagda avoided the flame burst sent by the Dash. The Thagda knew that he should not underestimate the turtle before him. After all, this turtle is the so-called Lord of the water realm and he should possess some means to defeat him, especially that blue fire. Despite evolving to its final form, the mere nature of the blue fire was still, after all, focused on purifying. And the dark poison the Thagda based their powers from is completely disadvantaged against such fire. However, the Thagda knew also another thing, and that is the blue fire the turtle can spew is limited. BOOOM!~ BOOOM!~ BOOM!~ The Thagda jumped, ran, and slide just to avoid all of the incoming attacks while Dash desperately shot fire after fires. Thanks to the water realm''s natural resistance to fire, the flame that Dash spewed is quickly being dissipated. If only the battle happened at the land, the place should have long become a blue inferno. "Darn it, its too fast!" Dash gritted as he did his best trying to hit the agile Thagda before him. As the battle continued, the Thagda distanced himself farther and farther, giving him more time to dodge the incoming attack. As much as Dash wanted to chase, he could not do it as he is currently using himself as a gate of the Golden Cave. The moment he moves out of his place, the Thagda could use this opportunity to dive in and start another massacre. His only hope now lies in the sturdiness of the magical barrier in the entrance and Elric''s arrival. BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM! Explosions after explosions, The mutant Thagda was gleefully dodging each of Dash''s attack and it did not take long for him to start feeling the exhaustion. An obvious gasping for air could be seen in the face of the giant turtle. "kekeke..." The Thagda laughed maniacally from the distance. Seeing that his enemy is slowly reaching his limit. "Your blue fire is about to run out soon turtle! You see, I am starting to get hungry very much." Then why don''t we speed this up shall we? Suddenly, the body of the Thagda lost its opacity. Like a chameleon, he blended to his surroundings smoothly as if completely turning invisible. Only the slight fluctuations in the space could reveal a small hint of his location but until he comes closer to Dash, his presence is completely undetectable. "No... this is even super bad..." Dash mumbled while he squizzed his eyes, trying to find the enemy who suddenly vanished from the distance. "It''s showtime!" The Thagda smiled wickedly while stretching his sharp claws that are currently invisible. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. 116 Eyes Of Hope "The enemy dissapeared!" "What the?!" "Where did it go? The merfolks hiding inside the Golden Cave watched the battle intently. Their faces are full of mixed emotions from anger, fear, and disappointment. These merfolks had been experiencing trouble one after another ever since Elric came. With Elric''s situation not clear on their side, most of them had long agreed that the human had been eliminated. As such, they could only hope to their Lord Dash as their last form of defense that will bring the enemy down and restore the peace they used to live with. They tried their best to remain positive and strong after the disaster with Aghus but the sudden appearance of this unexpected Dragons was like a strong blow of wind to their barely lit hope. But with the awakening of Dash, they decided to trust one more time and let him do the rest. Or else, they are as good as dead, once that enemy succeeds. Dash braced himself for the worst. Now that the enemy has hidden from his sight, defending against its attack would only prove the battle even harder. Not to mention its crazy speed and agility while its attacks are filled with deadly poison and a corrosive effect just to make it worse. SCAN! Using the power of the Lord''s Authority, Dash scanned the surrounding area to feel and locate all the lives of the creatures inside its range. His turtle eyes glowed in divine light and seem emanate holy power that can reveal the truth. The only problem is that once Dash used this power, all of his energy and focus will be used to execute this power, causing him to become unable to move while using it. As such, Dash could not use the power to its fullest advantage considering the undeniable speed of his enemy. He might just lose his life before he could even spot the Thagda! Just as he was about to focus on the area, he quickly realized that a certain powerful energy signature was coming from his left side. "Got you!" Dash undid his eye powers and turned his face to the left. FLAME BURST! BWAAAck!~ Suddenly, Dash''s Flame Burst attack failed. The blue fire that is supposed to hit the enemy at front disintegrated in mid-air due to the quick depletion of his energy. Panic quickly surfaced in his weary eyes. "Finally." A smile crept into the Thagda''s sinister face. KSSK!~ KSSK!~ The mutated Thagda''s attack connected at Dash''s body and left two deep gaping wounds in the surface of his shell. Thank''s to its outstanding durability, Dash had managed to minimize the damage and jumped back as quickly as he can. If not, he could have been done already without his head intact. Although Dash managed to avoid getting his head sliced into two, the long gaping wounds in his back immediately brought him unimaginable pain. The poison, naturally embedded from the Thagda''s two-long-claws, immediately took effect and caused Dash to stagger and sharply slowed down. "Its over turtle." The mutant Thagda revealed himself before the staggering turtle. Its dark-red body covered in glistening scales of a dragon. Pitch blackthorn that is oozing with poison decorated almost every part of its body. Its long black tails moving sideways like a playing cat. GRRR~ Dash tried his best to stabilize himself, but the powerful poison, whom he thought he could just flush out easily before, has unexpectedly increased in its potency, making its effect deadly beyond compare. If it was just an ordinary Dragon, their body would not just become slice in half, but will also melt into a piece of lump due to its horrifying corrosive effect. Fortunately, Dash''s foundation has significantly improved ever since he became the new lord, giving him an incredible physical and magical boost. However, he is currently facing a creature strong enough to face even three Dragon King at the same time. Added with its stealth and poison ability, Dash realized that his chances of surviving this fight are close to impossible. Water Blast! CLANG!~ Suddenly, Dash shot another desperate attempt to push his enemy but the upgraded condition of the mutated Thagda allowed it to face even the full brunt of the attack. Dash''s attempt barely putting a scratch to its skin and a wide confident smile quickly itched in its scaly face. SSSSk~ "Today I will show you the difference between..." The Thagda walked steadily and confidently while talking. Its long black thorns sprouting even longer, out of every part of its body. "The difference between a turtle and a real Dragon." The Thagda mumbled. The eyes of the spectating merfolks felt a bone-chilling sensation just watching its terrifying stance alone and even the bravest soldiers had also lost their hope. "Huh! You are just a fake freak Dragon. You ain''t no original like me!" Dash smiled desperately and quickly opened its mouth. Water Blast! Clang!~ Water Blast! Clang!~ Water Blaaast! Clang!~ Dash desperately fought, releasing powerful water cannon one after another while he stepped back in retreat. However, before he could even move further, multiple blackthorns suddenly sprouted out of the sand, piercing his arms, legs and even his shell-covered body! "ACK!~" Dash suddenly shouted in pain, his barrage stopping at the same time. Blood spurted out of his mouth and other parts. "NOOO!" The princesses and the people of the water realm saw everything that happened. Their frightful gazes watched as the body of their new Lord got skewered by multiple blackthorns emerging out from the fine sand. Some could not help but cry while others held each other in disbelief. Before them, reflected in the big white pearl, is their dying Lord of the water realm. To be more specific, the shortest-lived as Lord of the water realm. Dash''s sight opened only to realize that the tail of the Thagda is currently half-buried in the sand, extending towards him to empale him with incredible agony with astonishing stealth. "Annoying and arrogant turtle. Watch as I devour your people." The Thagda raised his tail and with it, Dash was lifted as well. It''s unbelievably long-tail revealed the spiked end that had successfully connected to the turtle''s bleeding body. A guaranteed death as you can call. Dash grunted in pain as his weight pulled his wounds deeper to the blackthorns. He gritted his teeth and tried to focus on changing his body structure back to the smaller version but the poison and indescribable pain limited his focus, causing him to fail his transformation skill. "Not...yet...done... I.. can... still-" Dash gritted his teeth as his short arms desperately summoned its last remaining strength to pull himself away. Blood continued to ooze out of his mouth and body. BAAM! Dash was slammed to the hard sand and the latter quickly took this opportunity to walk towards the entrance of the cave and use his body as a cover. His half open-blood-covered eyes not willing to die right away without using his body as the last hindrance. "You...huh.. have to step over my dead shell..huh..huh.. before you can have my people..." Dash murmured weakly. "Huhuhu~ Let me out of here! I will kill that bastard!" "Let us out! We need to help the Lord!" "Stay back! We can''t open the barrier or the enemy would use it as an opportunity to dive in!" "Like that stupid barrier even works against that creature!" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You listen to us!" "I said let us out! We will die with the Lord!" The merfolks hidden safely inside cried in this sight while others came to a quick dispute as other soldiers wanted to go out and offer help at their dying Lord. Even those so-called brave soldiers cried at Dash''s dedication. His unwillingness to give up despite the looming death rekindled their determination. "Pathetic." With a quick strike, the Thagda sent his tail for another slam. His eyes are full of condescending gaze, seemingly mocking him for being an inferior being. Dash expected the attack and quickly hid inside his shell as his last protection. Summoning the Sand Shell at the same time for his last-ditch effort to protect the merfolks inside. "Useless! Very well. I will play with you first!" The Thagda said as he whipped his spike-covered tail. WHAAM!~ The tail of the Thagda ripped through Dash''s defense. Its overwhelming strength left behind another set of gaping holes in Dash''s shells. Sending him to another gulping grit. Poison, wounds, and desperation filled his body. "HAHAHAHAH! I will grind you into bits and turn you into an appetizer, turtle!" The Thagda laughed maniacally as he started his wild slaughter against the helpless turtle standing guard on the entrance. SLAM! SLAM! SLAAM!~ Like a hammer, the Thagda sent more and more attacks, chipping away Dash''s desperate defense. And like a weak eggshell, Dash''s bloody back slowly crumbled, revealing his bleeding innards. It did not take a long time for Dash to stop responding from his relentless attacks. Everything became numb and Dash closed his eyes, ready to accept death. "So this is it huh." Unexpectedly, images started pouring out of Dash''s mind. Like a jar full of memories suddenly filling his head to the brim. He suddenly remembered the day he was hatched from the egg. The scene of his struggle to come out of the surface because of his small body. He remembered the loneliness, finding out he was the last one that came out. He remembered the distant bark of the dog who first found him. "Bruno...the dog." His small bloody mouth crept into a faint smile. A surge of warmth and longing in his voice. And then came the image of a kid. With brown eyes that reflected innocence and kindness. He has dark brown hair that only complimented the radiant glow of the sun. He has a dark-tanned skin for playing under the sun for too long. A young and skinny boy, overflowing with energy and curiosity. He was running along the shoreline, wearing only pants and a pair of slippers chasing after Bruno, the dog who first found him. Dash remembered how the boy decided to took care of him after realizing that he was too small to survive the ocean. That same boy fed him. Sleep together with him on the side of his bed. Took care of him more than just a pet, and even protected him one time from an unexpected attack from his father. This surge of memories also came with an unstoppable flow of tears in Dash''s eyes. An overwhelming feeling he never knew actually existed. He longed for this young person. His careful touch and the kindness he showed gave him the warmth he needed at this painful time. Just seeing the smiling face and the innocent giggle of that young man calmed his currently bleeding heart. "I missed you, buddy." Dash mumbly said, letting himself drown on the shrouding darkness of death. Suddenly, a familiar sound came from his side and woke him up. "I missed you too buddy." His eyes quickly opened, only to see the same brown eyes of the young man. It was the calmest and warmest eyes he could ever imagine. And the tears from Dash''s eyes only came flowing more and more that Dash was incapacitated with a rekindled hope. 117 Coil Of Death The mutated Thagda was just about to finish the helpless turtle with a merciless blow. But just when his spiked tail was about to end the battle, a human with dark brown hair, wearing a plain white t-shirt, suddenly appeared before him. This human''s eyes were deep brown and shining full of unexpected calmness and wisdom. His hair waved gracefully in the liquid world of the water realm and the small gills in his neck revealed how this human can stay underwater without suffocating for lack of oxygen. What made the mutated Thagda surprised is the aura of the mysterious human. It was mystifying yet familiar at the same time. "You..." A low growling sound of the Thagda came out of its fang-filled mouth. His glaring eyes stuck to every detail of the calm human. As much as he wanted to slam his spike-filled tail to squash this interrupting insect, he just could not do so. It feels like a mysterious power is hindering him from doing what he liked. This human came in out of nowhere at an unseen speed. Unexpectedly, despite his flashing arrival, the explosive momentum did not even cause a huge unsettling of dust. The human came as if a gentle wind but flashed like a lightning. Just what kind of power control does he possess? Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. For some reason, his body and instinct are telling him to run away, but just like the King and Queen Dragons before, they refuse to let their instinct tell them to back away on a fight. His pride does not allow him so. How could he back down on his barrage of attacks just because a mere human interrupted him? Not to mention, it looked completely harmless. Compared to his oversized body, this human looked like a little ping pong ball compared to his humungous build. With a light flick of his finger, the human could probably lose half of its body without any resistance. But just why? Why can''t I do it? The Thagda remained motionlessly, having an internal struggle for himself. His muscles are twitching and the bones cracking. Its glaring eyes revealed a deep internal turmoil from an unexpected conflict. Little did he know, Elric is the half-breed they were hunting for all along. The only difference is that the scent that Elric now possess is completely different from before, a side effect of the Spirit Cleansing Pearl. With his physical and spiritual form cleansed and even fortified, he is like a newborn tree made of just pure sheen metal, devoid of rust and greases. His scent is comparable to that of a clean newborn child. His vibrant dark brown hair and smooth yet steel-like skin even more beautiful compared to those models seen on TV commercials. Elric''s presence alone commanded respect, power, and awe. And just like that, the brutal mutated Thagda is acting like a cute and obedient puppy, waiting for its master''s command. Elric ignored the dangerous creature behind him and touched the teary-eyed-oversized turtle with his small human hands. A gush of comforting warmth drove in from Elric''s palm and quickly filled the whole body of Dash. The gaping wounds slowly healed in a visible rate while the toxins brought by the poison are being flushed out through the wounds like black slimes being expelled out. Seeing this, the mutated Thagda was shocked. This human''s healing ability is crazy! That turtle should have been dead any seconds from now but with just a simple touch from his warm-glowing hands, all the wounds from the helpless turtle just healed like magic! Forcing himself out of his instinct, the Thagda swiftly drove his strength into his huge claws and swung it madly, aiming at Elric''s figure. SLAP! BANG! With a simple yet powerful slap from Elric''s hand, the Thagda was sent flying a good distance before finally skidding to stop - with its head digging deep on the ground and it''s the lower body facing upward. "My friend is recovering. Please do not disturb." Elric casually said, turning back to focus on healing his dear friend who has fallen completely unconscious. Unknowingly, a confident smile slowly crept in the huge mouth of the turtle as if dreaming a happy one. "..." The merfolks and other creatures of the water realm have gone dumbstruck from what they have just witnessed. The human came in out of nowhere and slapped the evil Thagda away like a fly being swatted. Does he know what he was facing? Or he is just too overwhelmingly powerful to bother facing the abomination? ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR! An angry roar of the Thagda filled with hatred and fury reverberated across the water realm. SWOOOSH~ It was followed by forcefull shock waves that seemed to push everything from its surroundings. GGRRRR~ The Thagda stood with all its piercing blackthorns popped out of its abnormal body. It''s serpent eyes are full on-bloodshot as madness crept into its very core. Its body breathed deep as if gathering its strength for an epic slam. The mere power building upon its muscles caused the surrounding air to vibrate wildly and even expelled the smoke of highly corrosive poison. The two dangling pitch-black claws clanged in irritation, eager to slice Elric into bits and pieces. Such a humiliating attack absolutely broke its fragile Dragon pride. "Whoever you are... DIE!" The furious Thagda left nothing but dust from where he was standing, in just a blink of an eye, he arrived at Elric''s back with the sharp claws weaving its way to cleave Elric into slices, not to mention, its long tail already coiled at Elric''s feet like a Boa preparing to devour its prey. With the world in slow motion in the eyes of Thagda, the figure of the weak looking human suddenly moved. Its head turned to face him - with a bored look on its face. The eyes themselves told him that he is just too weak and this battle seems to be over before it could even start. The eyes themselves declared that he was weak and was pathetic and was just not a threat. He couldn''t even bother to left his fingers anymore just to fight him. Just from the eyes alone, the Thagda became even more furious. He is being underestimated! "How dare you show me that face!" Do you know who I am? I am the ultimate form of the half-dragon and half elemental! I am- But the next thing the Thagda realized, he was covered in scorching blue flame. It''s searing flame covered his body, faster than he can let the human go. And like a domino effect, The cleansing blue-fire, which is the ultimate counter for their dark poison, disintegrated every cell in his huge body. From the huge tail to its sharp claws. Everything just melted like butter. Together with it was his consciousness fading like a bubble popping to nothingness. "I am dead?" It was the Thagda''s last words. A few minutes later, its black slimy meat was all that was left for its remains. Another threat has been irradicated and the peace was brought back to the land of the water realm. And just like that, Elric solved another great threat that could have changed the entire fate of the realm. Elric''s right hand moved, his pointing finger went straight to his nose hole and started doing his business. The other hand is still busy healing the turtle who has now transformed back into its palm-size version. "Hey, buddy hurry and wake up. We still have three more elemental realms to go men. We gonna catch ''em all E-authorities buddy." Elric excitedly said. "Dang, I missed playing Dota." He added with a helpless sigh. 118 Farewell Fast forward a few weeks after the disastrous events caused by the Thagdas, the world of the water realm is back to normal. The wounded merfolks had been healed to its perfect state, the coral buildings had been repaired and the Golden Castle is back to its prime glow. The land has undergone a renewed vigor. "Are you sure you don''t want to tell them you are leaving? You know we owe you this peace we are experiencing. Right Hugon kid?" Dash said calmly, facing Elric who stood at the exit tunnel towards the azure of the Elemental realm. "I told you, call me Elric. Eeeeel, Rick!" Elric complained. His back commanded a comforting presence, almost in the eyes of everyone, Elric is the most powerful hero that has ever existed. Except for those who have already lost their loved ones that Elric failed to revive, a hard and unforgiving feeling made them bitter when it comes to mentioning Elric''s heroism. Elric, on the other hand, understood them and did not bother to console. He had his reasons he refused to share nor explain. "And also, I am not a hero. I brought a calamity to your land so I deserve to leave as fast as I can." Elric calmly said. He rubbed his head in an apologetic gesture. "But you can at least tell the princesses you know." Dash insisted and added, "Those three are dead on having a crush on you. If you don''t mind though, you could leave them some of you-" "I gotta go." Elric did not finish listening to the small turtle. He released his Wings of Fire and leaped towards the vast purple sky of the azure. Romantic feelings are something he is not thinking at the moment. His mind is fixed on resolving the looming threat of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence in his body or risk witnessing the dark fate of the world as what the Great Seer Mhata revealed to him. "But you could at least take me with you!" Dash chased after him in his giant turtle form. "Are you crazy? You are the Lord of the water realm! You have responsibilities now! You punk turtle!" Elric scolded. "So what? Who''s gonna touch my realm? Those Dragons!? I dare them to do so! I have now completely comprehended my powers as the Lord of the Water realm. I am more than willing to accept some challenges! I want to see their ugly Dragon face getting super stomped by my super body!" Dash replied with a confident smirk. Elric shook his head in helplessness and stopped to face the chasing turtle. His Wings of fire blazing brilliantly behind him, creating a beautiful contrast compared to the deep-purple azure of the Elemental realm on his background. Seeing that Elric stopped from advancing, the turtle stopped himself as well. Like a dog, wary of its master''s gazes. "Listen to Dash." Elric calmly said. A gentle smile could be seen in his glowing handsome face and added, "The places I am going to is far more dangerous than before." Dash remained unmoving on his place, Elric''s words don''t scare him supposedly. "The Great Seer Mhata warned me to go alone to the Realm of the Earth, Air, and Lightning. There is a good chance that if you leave, the water realm could go on another disaster and they need a figure like you to remain united." "The princesses are already there, I am pretty sure they can handle it. After all, they have the royal blood flowing through there fins, capable of fighting back even those terrible Thagdas." Dash explained himself. "The Holy Providence doesn''t lie in choosing you, buddy." Elric smiled and added. "You have a good and faithful heart. You have been strong and have an unparalleled determination to save your people." Elric moved closer to the head of the giant turtle and rubbed his big scaly head. "You are the best and most powerful Lord of the Water realm and my best friend. Time may come that I may not be here to help and protect the water realm. Can you do me a favor to protect this beautiful kingdom the Great King Mahar made please?" Dash looked at Elric with a conflicted look on its face. As much as he wanted to join Elric''s adventure, his main duty now is not to accompany the latter but to serve as the Lord of the water realm. He could not turn down the expectation of the people, the Holy Providence and the wish of the late Great King Mahar. The only thing he would lose is missing the rest of the adventures of Elric in the other elemental realms. After careful thinking and gentle words of explanation of Elric, Dash finally nodded slowly- agreeing to stay at the water realm to do his bidding as the Lord. Elric smiled, as he hugged the giant turtle''s head. "That''s my boy." Elric praised the turtle with a comforting voice. Dash could not help but let lose some tears out its big beady eyes. Dash remembered the time when he was watching Elric through the realm border between the human and elemental realm. With the command from the great Seer Mhata to watch over Elric and save him from the human realm, he monitored Elric through the Viel of the Realm''s Border. It was the border only accessible by the Elementals to move from the elemental realm to the human realms and vice versa. The Viel of Realm''s Border is like a planet-like mirror that reflected everything that is happening in the human realm. This is an enchanted place full of mystery, hidden deep in the black water of the azure. Dash remembered seeing this place for the first time through the guidance of the Great Seer Mhata. He watched the images of the events happening in the human realm in a fast-forwarded scene. This is thanks to the time ratio difference between the two worlds. Dash''s mission was to fetch Elric right away to the Elemental Realm once he took the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence. How he knew about it was thanks to the prediction of the Great Seer Mhata. However, an unexpected scene happened when the Dragon King and Queens arrived together with the interference from a group of advanced humans and a bunch of unexpected add-ins. This caused Dash to hold himself or risk exposing himself to the Dragons and Ancient Humans who had been fervently hunting Elementals for their selfish intentions. Dash failed to grasp the timing and was forced to watch as Elric got into a battle to the death with the Dragon Kings and Queens of the human realm. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Fortunately, Elric managed to overpower them with mere trampling and uncontrolled madness which ultimately lead to the God Reckoning Tribulation. The power of the most powerful Dragon tribulation brought him Dash the space he needed to finally snatch Elric from the human realm and bring him swiftly to the world of the Elemental realm, and the rest was history. Now, before Dash is the same human that he saved. The only difference is Elric''s renewed mind, body, and power. This human has experienced life and death battles out of his stupid curious decision to come out of a rainy night, looking like an excited dumb nerd chasing after a falling Dragon from the sky. It all started from simple lighting, and it was a lightning that Dash and Elric will always remember. Thinking about it, Elric could not help but recall Leese. He wondered how she was going after that event. Never did he knew, the unexpected damage he had caused to her and her whole Dragon clan. Compared to the depressed and helpless Elric he once knew, Dash could not help but smile with gladness while looking at the magnificent figure of Elric. The blazing Wings of Fire decorated his back like a Radiant God waiting to dominate the entire realms. Every second count. Elric remembered that three days in this world is equivalent to one month in the human realm. He took a lot of time trying to heal the millions of injured merfolks back to their peak state. He helped in fixing all the destroyed places even when some of the water folks refused his help. Cursing him despite his earnest intention was a daily scene for him. The only difference is that they do not curse him in the open, or they would risk getting the bad side of this human or worst, the Lord of the Water realm would punish them for ungratefulness. After all, Elric and the new lord of the water realm are known to have known each other very well. Despite the constant bickering of the little turtle for Elric to stop helping, Elric insisted on giving back to helping the merfolks without reserving anything of his capacity. Elric did his best to fix and heal everyone and everything back that would eventually lead to him passing out from overusing his healing ability that would sometimes cause the mermaid princess to happily take care of him. Every time he passed out, he would take a whole week of sleeping before waking up and repeating the same fate as before. Elric has spent a total of four months staying in the Elemental realm, an equivalent of ten years has passed back in the human world considering its abnormal time ratio of one day in the elemental realm is equivalent of one month in the human realm. And finally, at this moment, the expected farewell has come. Elric has to go to the next elemental realms, to finish the mission he must do to save himself - and quite frankly, the world. Elric hugged the giant turtle again for quite sometime before letting go. With meaningful gazes, they stopped exchanging words but just calmly smiled with each other. Their contrasting silhouettes created a beautiful scene of a fire winged-human and a giant turtle floating in the middle of the azure. Their eyes connected with a mutual nod. An unbreakable brotherhood was born between a so-called "Hugon" and Lord of the water realm; an exciting future awaits between each of them. 119 God Of The Elemental Realm SWOOOOSH~ Elric left behind a long streak of burning orange fire across the purple azure. He was flying at an incredible speed causing his surroundings to blur from the sheer burst of his pace alone. Before him, is three brilliantly glowing planets of different sizes, colors, and textures. The closest to him at the moment is the yellowish planet of the Earth Elemental realm, peeking behind it is the white planet of the Wind Elemental Realm called Nhagani while the so-called fifth planet of the Lightning Elemental realm is nowhere to be found. Elric had been from the Fire Elemental realm which is called Kyayu by the local language of the Elementals, the water realm, on the other hand, was called Tugbi and the one Elric is heading to at the moment is the land of the earth elementals. Elric decided not to bother about the location of the lighting Elemental realm and just focused on the one before him - the yellow planet of earth and Rock called Tayu. "I got to hurry..." Elric knew time flows differently in this dimension. Knowing that the more he spent here, meant more changes in the human world, he has to do his best to collect all the Elemental Authority and get back to the human realm as soon as possible and fix the mess he has done there without worrying against the attack of the Dragon clans and the so-called Ancient Humans who have access to mysterious ancient technologies. Just as Elric was preparing to enter the Earth Elemental realm''s space, his senses suddenly warned him of incoming danger from the front. "Not good." The hair at the back of his spine stood up from the dangerous feeling as Elric hurriedly released his Sword of Fire to prepare from any sudden attacks. Swoosh~ Swoosh~ Just as expected, two glowing arrows suddenly bursted towards Elric and the latter quickly responded by brandishing his swords against the incoming attacks. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Slash!~ Slash!~ BOOM! Unexpectedly, Elric failed to deflect the attacks as the glowing arrows suddenly exploded before him with a forceful blast that sent him flying to a good distance. His flashy body, with the Wings of Fire covering him, flailed around across the purple azure for quite sometime until he finally managed to put himself into a halt. He quickly rebalanced himself and faced the mysterious force behind that insanely powerful attack. Quickly, Elric squinted his eyes and revealed his dragonic slit - gaining ultra sight to scan his surroundings. "That..." Using his natural dragon eyes, Elric finally saw the culprit of the sudden attack. From a distance of more than five kilometers, a tall and handsome being with brilliant white skin can be seen hovering. His body is barely covered by semi-transparent white clothes, stretching beyond like an endless line. His eyes glowed with bright light and the bright skin is also decorated with glowing tattoos spanning across his entire body. Upon clearer details, Elric realized that the being has extremely long ears like that of an elf; together with the bright glowing hair that is flowing gracefully. Lastly, the philtrum or the two vertical lines under the nose and above the mouth is missing - an old tale sign of a being they called in his Visayan dialect as "Dili-Kaipon" which means "Unlike Us". With a single look, Elric knew that he is facing a divine being of the Elemental realm and from that attack alone, he knew that he is facing a creature far stronger than the lords he had been facing so far. The divine being was holding a golden bow with magical inscriptions all over it, it was probably the weapon it used to shoot him a while ago. But the real question is, why did it attack him? Just as Elric was about to move to the other side of the planet to avoid the being, it suddenly moved and stretched its magically inscribed bowstrings, revealing another line of the mysterious light and effortlessly released it, aiming towards Elric''s location. Shooosh~ Elric skillfully flapped his Wings of Fire and dodged the glowing arrow to the right but only to realize that another mysterious being had suddenly appeared on his side - wielding an ax, with the same magical inscriptions of the bow wielder, ready to cleave him without any hesitation. KSING! Elric countered the attack with his Sword of Fire but while he did, the mysterious being suddenly multiplied again - this time coming from his back and holding two short daggers - also filled with the same magical inscriptions. These daggers quickly aimed at Elric''s back with flashing speed. "Is this guy the elemental realms Rikimaru?" With his right hand busy from the axe wielder, Elric invoked his Elemental powers and summoned the Spear of Fire to his left hand and quickly stopped the incoming daggers. KSING! KSING! WOOSH~ And just like that, Elric engaged in an epic fight against three mysterious elementals. With the sword of fire on his right hand and the Spear of Fire on the left, he fought back with deadly precision and speed. The enemies on the other side fought back at an even pace. No emotions nor struggles can be seen on their pale faces, they just plainly attack and defend against Elric like robots. Elric faced the three mysterious elemental beings at the same time. Using all the combat experience and the supernatural calmness he had gained from the Soul Cleansing Pearl, Elric managed to keep a steady mind and created a strategy to fight against the three of them. "Two melees and one range... This is harder than I thought.", Elric maneuvered himself skillfully to avoid the sneaky glowing arrows. With the beautiful elemental planets on his background, Elric''s brilliant silhouette, highlighted by his Wings of Flame, valiantly fought against the three mysterious creatures like a fantasy action star. He would dodge, guard and slash back at his mysterious opponents at a rate not even our normal eyes could follow. The fight lasted for more than thirty minutes. Elric finally realized that the enemy seems to be just playing around him with their very monotonous attack. With their intentions not clear to him, Elric decided not to get too serious and finish them off. He got questions that needed answer and he has to be patient. "Not bad, you have indeed the quality of the finest elemental warrior. However, this is where your journey ends, human." A cold yet heavenly voice suddenly came from Elric''s behind. It was from the arrow wielder. As if finally done with the show, the mysterious creature smiled and with a bright flash, his image multiplied to another thousand versions of him and surrounded Elric from every angle - all wielding different weapons Elric could only imagine. "What the..." Upon seeing the multitude versions of his mysterious enemy, Elric could not help but gape in astonishment. "How am I gonna defeat you at this rate?" Elric turned back at the bow wielder with a complaining gesture. An annoyed look can be seen on his face. "And by the way, who are you? and why are you attacking me? Do you mind if we can postpone this battle? I am in a hurry you know." Elric added with a helpless stance. "I am the Elemental God. Ruler and guardian of this realm." The mysterious creature proudly declared with a resounding voice. Realizing whom he has just fought against, Elric quickly shifted from his annoyed face to a serious one. He scanned the being before him and realized that he could not estimate the power this creature actually holds. With an emotionless face, The Elemental God added, "You are a threat that can destroy the balance in the Elemental realm." The mysterious creature pointed at Elric, "As the God of this realm, I am now forbidding you to interfere in the lives of the Elementals and therefore, turn around and go back, else, I have to send you back to your realm by force, or..." "Or...?" Elric asked with a serious look. He refused to back down from the creature''s mission knowing that his future lies to the complete control of the Ancestral Dragon Essence''s, he must do whatever it takes to get all the Elemental Authority first - even if it means fighting an Elemental God. The elemental God looked at Elric with a condescending tone and added, "suffer your complete annihilation in my realm." Suddenly, the thousands of the surrounding mysterious creatures raised their weapons. All aiming at Elric at the center. 120 Release The Dragon! The Elemental God waited for Elric''s reply with his clones aiming their weapons to the latter. "I see. So I have to pass you first huh?" Elric raised his head with a determined glow in his Dragon eyes. His fist tightened until he could start hearing cracks. His aura changed from a calm human, into a volcano that is about to explode. He could feel the power brewing up. "I see." The Elemental God suddenly said. "I will take your silence as your refusal to my command, human. " "I just wan''t to obtain the Elemental Authorities, does it hurt you to give it to me right now so I can leave?" Elric did his best to calm down and try to settle everything as peaceful as possible. "You are not worthy to gain control of the Elemental Authorities. Mhata was wrong to entrust it to a cursed human like you, and while we are at it..." The Elemental God stares at Elric and suddenly he appeared just a meter before him, The Elemental God lifted his long, pale arm and grabbed Elric''s neck with an unexpected might and said, "I am taking back those Elemental Authorities with me..." SHOOOO~ Suddenly, Elric felt like his soul is being sucked. "So is this how helpless I am against a God?" Elric realized the disparity in their strength. With the small human gasping for air while being choked, The Elemental God opened his smallmouth and the Elemental Authorities inside Elric''s body suddenly moved and traveled from his dantian towards the Elemental God mouth. A glowing beam of red and blue light passed out of Elric''s mouth, nose and eyes towards the small mouth of the Elemental God. Elric felt his strength draining in each second that passes by and he could also feel his control of the Ancestral Dragon Essence losing up. "No!~Ack!" Elric struggled from the powerful grip of the Elemental God, its long pale fingers possess unimaginable strength far beyond his expectation. "No! At this rate, I will die and fail!" Elric tried his best to summon his power back but with the Elemental God draining him of every strength he has, he could not help but feel like he was trying to fill a glass with a large hole at the bottom. No matter what he does, he could not summon an ounce of strength before this divine being. Helpless! A feeling that Elric hated the most. Now that he is quickly losing his strength, so does his consciousness. His body hanged like a puppet from the hands of the tall figure of the Elemental God. Elric could see the glowing eyes of the Elemental God. They were unexpectedly full of mystery and brilliance. It was powerful and at the same time, divine. In the face of this being, Elric who thought he had finally achieved an unparalleled power, felt like he was just an ant. In the eyes of this creature, Elric could see himself; and within him, is the true power he needs right now. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. As his eyes closed to complete surrender, Elric suddenly found himself in the darkroom inside his soul. It was the room where the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence was stored. Unlike before, Elric did not have the full power of the Elemental Authorities of Fire and Water, and with his resistance being sucked out, the corruption of the Dragon Essence quickly surged inside him like excited water. And with the surge of the corrupted Dragon Essence, came the unholy power of the Dark Dragon. Elric''s body suddenly burst with unexpected power. "What!?" The Elemental God quickly realized that something was amiss. Elric''s right hand, which started to grow some dragon scales, moved and grabbed the Elemental God''s neck, choking it tightly like a boa strangling its prey - stopping the latter from sucking out more of his Elemental Authorities. The unexpected strength of Elric caught the Elemental God with a surprise, causing him to turn his guard down briefly. Elric, who noticed this chance, took this opportunity and gave the Ancestral God a full swung punch. BOOOOOOOM! Elric''s punch sent the Elemental God, flying to a good distance. SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SHING! The Elemental God clones immediately reacted by assaulting Elric with their own attacks. Arrows, spears and other sorts of magically enchanted weapons were launched to Elric''s location. ROOOOOAR!~ Elric''s body unleashed the Dragon Seal and revealed his Heavenly Dark Dragon body. From a small human form, his body expanded to that to more than twenty meters covered with glistening dark scales and long black horns! His eyes glowed with sheer power and a dominating presence halted the movements of the clones. The aura of corruption quickly exploded and a terrifying presence covered the entire area. Fortunately, Elric is facing a God of The Elemental Realm. Thanks to the power of the Soul Cleansing Pearl, Elric still managed to take full control of his form albeit for a short duration. "I am quickly losing my control because of corruption. I must finish this fight as fast as possible!" Elric knew that every second count here. He must recover back the lost Elemental Authorities from the Elemental God as soon as possible or risk losing his mind again. The Elemental Realm has a natural destructive atmosphere against pure Dragons. But with the small remaining Elemental Authorities in his body and the abnormally powerful body of the heavenly Dark Dragon''s scales, it allowed him to resist the corroding effect of the elemental Realm albeit not for long. "KILL HIM!" The sound of the original God of the Elemental realm echoed across the sky and the clones seem to have snapped out of Elric''s dominance. Brandishing their weapons madly, they charged at swung at Elric''s humongous body only to result in an even more catastrophic event. BOOOM! Elric deflected all the weapons sent by the Elemental God clones with his sheer armored body. And just as he expected, they are not as powerful as before! Elric could feel as if they were all gentle tickles! ROOOAR! BOOOOOM!~ All the thousands of clones came charging towards the Dark Dragon and Elric welcomed them with a couple of good tail swipes, claw slashes and sometimes, a fireball to finish them in batches! Pop! Pop! Popop! The Elemental God clones disintegrated like tiny bubbles under the unexpected might of Elric. If compared before, the power of these clones is close to that of an Elemental Lord''s level. But with Elric in his Godlike dragon form, these Lord-level clones are just measly ants for him. "How dare you resist my power!" The Elemental God finally came back with a fuming expression in his badly distorted face - most probably from Elric''s punch. 121 It Is Not Called Running If The Enemy Dissapeared Right? Realizing that Elric''s real opponent has come, he quickly ignored the weakling clones and focused on the real one. Elric''s ever-transforming Dragon body now resembles that of a western Black Dragon. The color was mainly due to the presence of corruption still lingering in his body. Its eyes constantly flickered from red to blue, which represented Elric''s waning resistance against corruption. Without hesitation, Elric, on his Black Dragon form and the Elemental God, engaged in a brutal slugfest in the middle of the azure sky. The Elemental God summoned different weapons to deal with Elric''s God-like body but the latter seems to be strong enough to resist the world-shaking impact of his arrows. "What is happening? I am the God of this realm! No one in this realm is strong enough to stand against me, but why is this Dragon fighting on the same level as I am!?" BOOOM!! BOOOM! BOOOM!~ The longer the fight continued, the more the Elemental God realized the Dragon''s abnormal capacity. All of his summoned clones are now gone and he is now left to face the Dark Dragon alone! "Normal Dragons or even Elder and King Dragons are not strong enough to resist my attacks but how come this one can? Unless..." The Elemental God, with his swollen face and crippled body, finally realized something about Elric''s abnormal power. While he was contemplating what to do, Elric did not give him the chance to get back on his pacing. BASH! BASH! "This is it! I can feel the elemental authorities coming back!" Elric felt that his fading consciousness is slowly coming back with every successful blow he dealt with the Elemental God. The Elemental Authority is quickly being regained with each attack from him, together with it is his resistance to the power of the corruption! Elric knew that it was not enough for him to completely control the Dark Dragon''s Essence but at least, he could get back from where he was before. Elric''s gigantic Black Dragon body continued to claw at the Elemental God. With each successful hit, the Elemental God could not help but release some of the Elemental Authority he had taken from Elric - who also took his every opportunity to regain them back. "I see. So this is why Mhata insisted to give those powers to you...." The Elemental God murmured as his body continued to flail around due to Elric''s relentless attack. Thanks to his God-like body, he remained completely intact albeit the bruises and deformations on his body from Elric''s sheer strength alone. "If I can''t win this, then..." Suddenly, the Elemetal God summoned a sword and desperately hacked it towards Elric. Elric, on the other hand, was preparing his final attack with an ultimate fire he could muster. But just as he as about to finish the arrogant Elemental God, a bright slash of the latter''s sword suddenly summoned a mysterious vortex! SHOOOOOOOOO~ "If I can''t defeat you, then, I will just banish you out of my realm! Hahaha!" The Elemental God laughed maniacally with his swollen face as he summoned a dimensional vortex before Elric. It quickly devoured everything around like a hungry black hole - most importantly the black dragon before him. Elric''s huge body was suddenly sucked in like a liquid, and no matter how much he struggled, his body still melted before the dimensional vortex. "This is bad!" Elric flapped his wings furiously trying to fly away but to no avail. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. His body was quickly sucked by the sudden vortex and in no time, no single scale of him was left behind. The azure sky of the Elemental realm is now devoid of any noise and activity. Only the silhouette of the Elemental God remained floating on the spot. His pale-swollen face and tattered clothes decorated his former-glorious demeanor. The God of the Elemental realm almost lost to a Dragon! If not for using his authority to vanish anyone out of his realm according to his will, he could have been dead elemental-meat right now. "Hahaha! Come back if you have what it takes to take over my realm you freak!" The Elemental God laughed maniacally. As if trying to provoke his enemy who is now in a different realm. CRACK!~ "Ow!~Oh, my body hurts." complained the God of the Elemental Realm, whos is now trying to comfort his injured areas. "I am a God of this realm but I almost lost to that bastard. Just what kind of Dragon was that?" The God of the elemental realm glanced at the beautiful colorful planets of his realm and said, "How powerful could he get if he takes hold of all the other Elemental Authorities?" He added with a fearful expression. His mind was full of thoughts and confusion. Sighing deeply, he said, "Mhata has a lot of explaining to do. It seems that bird is trying to hide something from me." *** 122 A Thunder To Remember End of First Arc *** Back at the grand castle in the Fire Elemental Realm, the God had paid Mhata a sudden visit in regards to Elric''s true identity and purpose. "Speak bird. Who and what really is that human?" floating majestically above the figure of the Phoenix, the God of the Elemental realm demanded. Mhata, on the other hand, had a resistant look on its bird face. Despite facing the God of the elemental Realm, she refused to give in to its request and reveal more information about Elric. "Aren''t you a God? How come you don''t know? Is it perhaps, that weak looking human almost defeated you? And you really called yourself the God of this realm?" Mhata replied with a mocking tone. Hearing this, the God of the Elemental Realm flared up in fury and suddenly appeared just inches before Mhata. Without hesitation, the God grabbed the neck of the flaming bird and with a furious glare, he asked: "I dare you to repeat what you just said little bird." Not budging to its intimidation, the Lord of the Fire realm replied, "You want to kill me? Go ahead. If not for my foretelling, do you think you would reach that strength that you currently enjoy? Is this how you pay me back?" These words hit the cold spot of the God as if being hit to his true weakness. In resistance, he squizzed his grab even tighter, inducing a pleading gasp from the flaming bird. His mad eyes looked at the firebird as if incinerating it with his gazes alone. Mhata, on the other hand, remained calm as ever despite having difficulty in breathing. Calming down, the God released his grip and proceed to swing his right arm behind him. Swing~ BOOOM!~ The grand castle of the fire elemental realm located in the middle of its fire kingdom was cut in clean half. The mad power of the God of this realm brought this unexpected destruction with a simple swing of his arm. In return, the nearby various creatures of fire elemental fleed to different directions, trying to save themselves from the collapsing towering structure above. Mhata remained calm despite witnessing the destruction of its grand castle. Its flaming beady eyes looked at the figure of the God as if looking at a mere pawn - a hint of ridicule crept in his beak. As much as he wanted to, the God could have destroyed everything in the Fire elemental realm, however, for what reason? Is it because Mhata was saying the truth that he almost lost his battle against a human with dragon powers? Or is it because his pride as a God did not allow him to accept such reality? Sighing deeper, the God looked at Mhata with a serious look. "Tell me. Why did you bring this human and why have you not informed me? If not for the powerful fluctuations of power emanating from him when I saw him crossing the azure, I would have never figured out that such a threat had been looming in my realm." However, Mhata refused to reveal any words to this God, even when he waited patiently. Irritated, the God added, "Or perhaps, you want me to get that answer myself the hard way?" "Oh God, I would love to see you try." replied Mhata with a confident smile, she proceeded to move its head closer to the face of the God and added, "You may be able to scare the other Lords with your so-called divinity, but not me. I know you and your inabilities. If you destroy me, you will never find another one like me. Broke into my memory? I think you forgot who I am." Suddenly, Mhata''s figure transformed that to a certain human. A figure that the Lord of the Elemental realm does not dare lay his hands on. A certain face that brought him to drop down all his guard and pride. "You..." The God suddenly released his grip to Mhata''s neck and an indignant look quickly swept in his face. The transformation got the God of the Elemental realm off guard. Mhata''s new look pricked a sensitive part of the so-called God and the former smiled confidently. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "That man will soon come back. Until then, I hope you have what it takes to defend your position. If I were you, I will continue to let me live and listen to my advice. Only then you will be able to save yourself from that man''s return." The God looked at Mhata''s mysterious figure with full of questions and doubts - mostly for himself. He has been a God for such an unknown time that he almost forgot who originally he was - a normal Void Elemental. Meeting the flaming bird once and getting the idea to reach Godhood was something he will never forget. Despite him losing almost all his memories along the process, he still managed to retain a little bit of his past which seems to cause him to be unable to fully achieve full omniscience. After careful consideration, he finally spoke. "Tell me, Mhata. What should I do?" The God said, kneeling before the beautiful figure of a certain human with a gentle voice. A smile crept in at the face of the beautiful woman. Her mysterious eyes reflected the bowing figure of an Elemental God. Her small lips suddenly opened - replying to God''s plead. "Simple. All you need to do is..." *** SPLASH! "Daddy I caught one!" A perky and energetic voice of a young girl suddenly awoken her dad''s snooze. The father, with his cowboy hat and a beardy face, hurriedly grabbed on the little girl''s fishing pole and took over reeling the fish in. This man''s name is Romeo, a single father of five children. He lost his wife due to complications during the delivery of his fifth child - Angel. They are both fishing with their fishing pole atop a small fishing boat in the middle of the river. The sun was shining brightly above them. "Am I a good girl daddy? Do you think we can catch it?" asked a little girl beside the father, her small figure and chubby cheeks complimented her incredible cuteness. Angel is an American girl at 7 years of age. Her turquoise eyes revealed a beautiful innocence that can easily melt anyone''s heart. "Haha! This is a big one Angel! Good job girl!" Romeo laughed happily as he continued reeling in the resisting fish. The splashes only grew stronger and stronger the closer he reeled the fish in. A famous Texan accent can be obviously heard from their tongue. After a few more minutes and a couple of boat rocking moments in the middle of the river, they finally managed to get their hands on the three-foot-long carp. "With this, our dinner is served!" Said the father with pride. "Yeheey!" Angel on the other side cheered happily while clapping in celebration of their huge catch. However, their happy moments only lasted for a few seconds when suddenly... KRAKABOOOM!~ "Kyaaah!" "No-na-na-nooO!" SPLASH!~ A powerful boom of thunder caused the father to startle and lose his grip on the fish and dropped it back at the river. The rumble was too sudden and really caught them off guard. It was so loud and powerful that he started to think that it was aiming at them at first place. Angel, as expected of a child, cried out of mere shock from the loud boom. "G*d dammit!" Now that the huge catch is gone, the father glared at the sky with a furious stare only to realize that the sky has actually turned dark gray - covered in black cumulonimbus clouds which is a sign of heavy rain or storm brewing. It was quite unexpected considering that Romeo double-checked the weather that day. Making sure they would enjoy the best weather during fishing with his youngest daughter. "Are you okay baby?" Romeo asked with a concerned look for his little daughter. He patted her small sobbing head as Angel replied with a gentle wipe on her tears and flashed a wide cute smile - it says she is okay. "Baby, let''s get ready and go home. I''think a storm is coming." assured, the father added. "Yes daddy, sniff sniff" The little girl replied obediently, calming herself down and positioned herself at the front of the boat. It didn''t take long for them to leave the area and headed to the shore riding their boat. "But daddy, what are we going to eat later?" Asked Angel. "Don''t worry baby, we can just go get some steak at the Porky''s on our way home." The father replied calmly. "But I want to eat fish today. Meat taste no good." demanded by the little girl. Her big, teary eyes glanced at the father. "Since when did you go vegan baby? Anyway, we will do it some other time baby. The sky has darkened really quick and at this rate, I doubt we would reach home not wet from the rain." The father replied, revving up the engine to go faster. BOOM! Splash! Suddenly, a falling object created a huge water splash not far from their location. Angel, who noticed it first quickly pointed it out. "Daddy! Daddy! Something fell over there!" Angel pointed curiously. "Must be some meteor peeble or somethin." The father replied without sparing a look from the huge splash. Angel, on the other hand, saw it all. A human figure has fallen from the sky! After a few seconds, Angel''s sharp eyes noticed an unconscious human body has emerged out of the water. "Father look! Its a human!" Angel shouted, not forgetting to grab her father''s face to force him to look at the direction of the huge splash. Finally seeing what his daughter saw, Romeo quickly turned the boat around - hoping to save the floating body. Gasp. Both the eyes of the young girl and the father went to surprise as they saw how badly wounded the floating body of this young man was! His scarred face was facing the sky and revealed his handsome and smooth skin. His wound-covered boy laid floating around as some blood started to scatter in the water. He looked to be around his twenties and has a perfectly toned body. His white T-shirt is badly ripped as well as if he had gone through a thousand furious whips! With the reddish hue on its skin, they could tell that the man is still alive! Splash! Romeo unhesitantly dived in and rescued the unconscious human. With all his might, he pushed the body into his boat with the help of the Angel grabbing the arms despite her minuscule strength. Thud. With all their strength, they managed to move the unconscious man safely in the boat. "Is he dead daddy?" asked Angel innocently. "No, he still has a pulse and seems to be breathing normally. Proly, guy''s must have gone through an accident while skydivin'' or those flying sports thingy." "I see, can we save him?" "Of course we will. Guess we goin to the closest hospital baby. We need to help this man, that''s what we should do." Romeo replied as he started to engine again. "Yes, daddy. He''s bleedin really bad. Should I call the others?" asked Angel, holding the hand of the unconscious man. Her eyes revealed incredible concern to the bloody man. "No need. Just dial 911 quick and an ambulance should meet us at the shore. Let''s just send him to the hospital and we should be good to go." Romeo replied firmly. His eyes locked to the distant shoreline where their minivan is parked. The sound of the engine reeving continued to ring in his ears when Angel suddenly spoke. "Daddy..." "Yes?" "The man. his wounds..." The little girl stuttered in reply. Noticing the change in his daughter''s tone, Romeo glance at the unconscious body only to caught himself in shock. The wounds from the guy started to heal themselves at a very visible rate. Like magic, the tissues reconnected as if being reconstructed by a miraculous spell. Including the seemingly broken bones inside, they started to move on its own, reconnecting damaged parts and the muscles moved as if having a life of its own. The slight pale on its skin had also completely dissapeared and now, he looked as if he had never had been to a deadly condition. Not even a scar was left behind! In just a few minutes, the guy is back to its peak state except for his consciousness. "Daddy..." Romeo was snapped out of his surprise as the sound of Angel interrupted him. "I am scared" the little girl added. "Don''t worry baby. Daddy is here. Not letting no dead man touch you nor hurt you, hear me?" "Um!" The girl nodded cutely with a gentle shake of her ponytails, she moved to hide at her father''s back. "We might have lost a big fish today but it seems we have caught somethin a thousand..no a million or perhaps billions times better." Romeo smiled excitedly after some realization. "What do you mean daddy?" The little girl asked, confused. "This guy might be one of those. No, I''m pretty sure he is!" He added confidently. Realizing what her father meant, the little girl''s eyes grew wider. "Do...do.. you mean..." Angel stuttered. "You are friggin'' right baby. We just found a person with a God Blood! Those healing abilities are only possible if this guy has a God Blood! I am friggin sure of it!" The father excitedly shouted in celebration. "Wow! Does that mean..." The little girl cried happily. "Yeeeeehaah! We gon'' be f*ckin rich!" Romeo bellowed with a great celebration on his moving boat. The little girl also clapped in their utmost joy. Their boat continued to move towards the shoreline, leaving a white cascading lines of waves, together with an air of joyful celebration. They thought that they have found someone with a God blood. A rare breed of humans who''s blood is sought after by the richest people in the world. They are known to have blood that, if consumed, would extend the life of an ordinary human together with the extraordinary increase in their strength, senses and so forth. Its supernatural effects also include visible healing of wounds and smooth and perfect skin. It is due to its miraculous effects that they are called God Blood because one would felt as if he had just consumed the most miraculous blood of all. No one really knows where these humans with God blood really come from, or so according to the public. What the public did not know, is that God Blood is actually a Dragon''s blood. However, the existence of the Dragons is greatly hidden by the Ancient humans and so learning about them is close to impossible at the moment; except for some few selected powerful humans whom the Ancient Humans allowed. An ounce of God Blood is sold for more than a billion dollars in the black market and public stocks rarely last for more than ten seconds in private stores. It was the most sought after product ever since the information leak about this certain blood ten years ago. Realizing that jackpot they have caught floating around the river after a strong thunder, Romeo thought that the time has come for them to be finally blessed. Who cares about a three-foot-long carp when we found a gold mine? Little did they knew that what they found is not just an ordinary person with God blood. Compared to all the known God blood currently recorded in the market, Elric has by far, one of the purest and most powerful Dragon blood that currently existed in the whole world. A hundred times stronger than a King Dragon''s Blood to be exact. Happily, Romeo and Angel celebrated their unexpected catch. They strongly believe their lives are about to change for the better... Or so they thought. They are unaware of the trouble brewing with them; for this is when they witnessed a thunder they will always remember. (End of the First Arc: Life Of The Dragon") 123 Leaving Toray *** Elric felt the world suddenly warping like melted colors in his vision. He was just about to finish the God of the Elemental Realm when the latter suddenly slashed a bright sword before him and an unexpected dimensional vortex appeared just behind him. SWOOOOOWMB~ Quickly his existence quickly dissapeared from the world of the Elemental realm and was sent to the so-called the Toray - the unstable border space that connects all the dimensional realms. According to the World of Knowledge that Elric got from the Great Seer Mhata, the Toray is like a bridge that allows one to see and travel to different reality dimensions - the only problem is its unhabitable and unstable nature that would cause one to become stretched and warped to an unimaginable degree. It was like a space filled with multiple blackholes facing and devouring each other while being filled with dangerous lighting that acts as if white blood cells that aim to disintegrate any foreign beings that breached the Toray. This lighting is incredibly powerful and they quickly attacked Elric as if police officers opening fire against a kidnapper. As a result, Elric was like a marshmallow being squashed in the hands of the destructive space and lighting of Toray. BOOOM! BOOM!~ BOOOOM!~ ROOOAR!~ Elric released his current most powerful Dragon form - with 30% of the total power of the Heavenly Ancestral Dragon. All just to resist the power of the destructive space and its furious barrage against him. His black dragon body stretched a hundred meters and revealed his magnificent aura that is capable of sending fears against any other ordinary being. But with him alone in the middle of the Toray, his only enemy is the furious warping space and lighting bolts that never seizes to scorch him with unimaginable destructive power. It was only thanks to Elric''s heavenly Ancestral Dragon Body with crazy recovery speed, that he managed to survive this deadly spacial ordeal. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "I need to leave this place..." Elric murmured as he tried his best to withstand all the lightning barrage. His dragonic body tried its best to move around but the sucking force of the distance black holes kept him in place despite his numerous attempts. "This struggle is futile. I must find a way to get out or I might lose my self-control here and get stuck here forever." Knowing that time is not on his side, Elric immersed himself fully to the World Knowledge stashed in his consciousness while he let his Dragon body take care of against the spacial attacks. "Its do or die!" Elric scanned the thousands of words and wisdom floating in the World knowledge. It was like a library that stretches far and wide over the horizon; all he needs to do is think of the subject and his mind will be led the specific information available. As much as Elric would love to absorb all this knowledge, he realized that he does not have the capacity to do so as it takes a different level of understanding and a higher state of mind. BOOM!~ BOOM!~ BOOM!~ GRRR~ There are times that Elric would be jolted out of his concentration due to the relentless attack of the spacial lightning but Elric would quickly recompose himself and continue his hurried research inside his mind. There are literally millions of knowledge that are presented before Elric at the moment. The only hindrance is his limited understanding, wisdom, and experience that it requires to be executed. It was like having access to a book full of useful knowledge, only is that there are some important parts who are written in a language and concept that he could not understand no matter how much he tried to rack his brain. "There it is!" Finally, after almost 30 minutes, Elric was able to find a solution to his current problem. "The spacial lightning is created from the dimensional energy charges accumulated from the opposing reality realm. This lightning are incredibly powerful than any mortal creature would dissipate upon a simple contact. It also serves as a border filter against the unwanted invaders from various reality realms and is responsible for keeping the balance between each border. Only those who have reached godhood or beings who have reached heavenly state are capable to open and travel across the Toray where the spacial lightning was created. There are many ways to breach these certain unholy space and one of them is to..." Elric''s recovered answers were limited, but they were enough to give him hope from his current predicament. "Only if I was able to use the complete power of the Ancestral Dragon, I should have been able to leave this place as much as I want. Unfortunately, that is an option I do not have access at the moment." Elric murmured as he continued reading the World Knowledge. BOOOOOOM!~ A bolt of powerful lightning hit Elric at a dangerous spot in his Ancestral dragon body. This means that his insane recovery ability is finally slowing down and his sensory control is slowly fading away - a sign of the corruption slowly making its way to take over him. "I do not have enough time. I only have one available option at the moment..." Elric said as he quickly scanned his surroundings and gazed at the blurry facade of the different realm before him. Right now, he could see a total of four different dimension reality and Elric could only identify two of them. The realm of Elemental appeared like water with four blurry different colored planets scattered over its space. The Human realm, on the other hand, is as he had expected - Earth in its full glory. There are two other realms that look incredibly weird for him. The other one is like a sea full of darkness while the other realm is like a planet of full brightness, quite a contrast between each other. "Ugh!" Elric closed his eyes in sudden collapse. He felt that his emotions and senses are dissipating at an alarming rate. He realized that the relentless attack against him is also accelerating the effect of Ancestral corruption. As much as he wants to turn back to normal, the condition of his current location does not allow him so or he could end up a speck of lifeless dust in an instant. "I won''t last another minute here." Elric realized. With a hurried and determined look, Elric faced the wide border of the Elemental Realm and gathered his strength to perform his only available solution - to break open the Toray border with sheer force. By gathering the spacial lightning in his surroundings and using it to supplement his current power which is limited to releasing only 30% of the total Ancestral power, Elric planned to blast open another dimensional vortex using a powerful Dragon Blast supplemented by the spacial lightning. Hahp!~ As Elric opened his mouth and revealed a ball of compressed Heavenly Dragonic fire, as a result, the spacial lightning was attracted to this sudden pulse of power - trying to dissipate the threat of the Toray. BOOBOOM!~ BOBOOOM!~ BOOOOOM!~ More lightning struck Elric''s ball of fire only to end up being absorbed and used as part of Elric''s power. However, Elric could also not avoid the increasing pressure in his body and consciousness. He is only holding on through his own will. Despite having a heavenly Dragon body, Elric still felt the unimaginable pain and suffocating feeling. He felt like his body was struck by thousands of needles with the increasing barrage of the lightning and the powerful spacial stretch that tested him to his limits. "No! It''s too late!" Elric suddenly realized that he seems to have overestimated himself. Right now, he is unable to control his body! He might be able to control his thoughts but his long Dragon body has long lost his original authority - he had lost his full body control and it''s now too late. While his consciousness was slowly fading. He suddenly recalled the face of his grandmother. That smiling face. The smile that brought him peace and joy in his previous normal human life. He remembered her gentle and warm touch and he remembered his thru purpose. "I am not letting your love and sacrifice in vain grandma." A surge of comforting warmth crept in from Elric''s numbing heart to his every part of his body - It gave him a small chance to feel his body again. Feeling this mysterious warmth, he grabbed this opportunity to trace his body control as fast as he can and without any hesitation despite not knowing where he was shooting, he forced his physical body to release the accumulating power, the most powerful Dragon Blast he ever had. ROOOAR! BOOOOOOOOOM! Elric''s Dragon blast was just too powerful that despite the quick power reduction of the nearby suction forces from the blackholes, it still created a massive spacial crack that instantly devoured his figure. One more second and Elric could have lost himself and got stuck in Toray but with the help of an undying will and help from a mysterious warmth from his heart, he still managed to execute his plan. The explosion did not last even half a second because of the unstable space of Toray but it was enough for Elric to successfully leave that damned space. *** An unknown time has passed and Elric felt warm water caressing his face. Finally, he opened his eyes to full consciousness in his human form and moved his head to look at his side only to see a blond little girl with beautiful turquoise eyes. "Howdy! You are finally awake!" A perky voice from the little girl met Elric''s ears. It was from Angel, the youngest daughter of Romeo whos is currently wiping his face. 124 Going Back Angel''s voice sounded like that of a perky little bird and Elric could not help but glance in surprise. Slowly, his gaze shifted from the smiling little girl to his surroundings. "It seems like I am back to the human realm..." He realized. Smelling the air, Elric noticed the subtle scent of the hot weather with a stench of dried hays and some smoked carp cooking from the outside. He also noticed the spacious room he was laying down from, a warm and fuzzy blanket covering half of his body and a wide-open wodden window on his left. Quickly, Elric noticed two other people just standing at the door. There was a mature-looking-man that greatly resembled the young girl beside him a lot. That man greeted Elric with a warm smile while holding his cowboy hat and nodding slightly - a natural gesture from a full-blown Texan. The other one crossing his arms beside the father was a grumpy looking teenage boy around fifteen years of age. He had obvious freckles dotting his face and scanned Elric with a suspicious look. "Sup! Sleepyhead you finally ''woken!" The tall man with a bright turquoise eye together with an obvious Texan accent greeted him energetically. "How you feelin? You must have travelled far, judgin'' from yo look. I''m sure you an Asian. A Filipino perhaps?" He added presumably. "Uhm...yeah. Where... am I?" Elric replied in the English language. As expected for a Filipino who uses English as their second language. "I knew it. Name''s Romeo by the way, and welcome to Texas mate! Found you floating unconscious back at the Colorado river while me, and mah little Angel who''s standin'' beside you, were on our way home. How''d you ended floatin'' back there ''nyway?" Romeo inquired as he sat beside Elric and checking on his temperature. Elric felt awkward after feeling Romeo''s hand touching his head. It''s been quite a long time since he felt a helping human hand. "You look perfectly fine now and it''s really incredible considering how close to being a dead person you were when we found you. Not to mention your body was bleedin like crazy that you did a pretty good job inkin'' the river red!" Romeo blabbered while Elric was too busy immersing himself in his thoughts. His face was calm but deep inside, he had plenty of things he was trying to sort out. He never expected to return to the human realm too early. With the Elemental Authorities not complete, there is an incredibly high risk of him losing his self-control again once the corrupted Ancestral Dragon essence spikes again. He still had to go back to the Elemental realm as soon as possible, if not for that damned being who proudly declared himself as the God of the Elemental Realm. "Uhmm.. If you would please excuse me." Knowing that he needs to go back to the Elemental Realm as soon as possible, Elric did a quick information scan from the World Knowledge and found a way to open up a portal to the Elemental Realm. He needs to leave this place quickly. "Uhm, thank you for your help and I really appreciate it. If you don''t mind, can I please be by myself for a mome-" "Sure-sure! No proby''~ Let''s go, Romel and Angy baby. Let''s give this young man some more rest." Romeo quickly replied without letting Elric finish his words. He dragged Angel and her bigger brother outside and quickly closed the door. "And just in case you hungry, we got some smoked carps and salmon right by the kitchen. Don''t be shy to come out and eat with us, hear'' me?" Romeo added. Elric smiled and nodded in confirmation. Romeo knew that he must do whatever it takes to help and gain some more favor from this man knowing he could be a potential human with the so-called God Blood. A man that could possibly change their lives forever and bring them enermous fortune, ofcouse, Elric have long noticed this kind of behavior and he understood the motive naturally. He was, after all, a father who is looking out for himself and his family. Elric would make sure to come back and repay them for their kindness; soon after he finished his Elemental Authority collection. Seeing the energetic family finally out of the room, Elric quickly stood up from the bed and faced the empty space beside the bed, the opened window suddenly closed behind him with his simple thought. "Hhm!~" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. With a hum, he created an isolation barrier to hide his aura and his physical appearance. This way, any spies looking at him from the distance will not be able to see him. Slowly he raised his right arm and conjured his Elemental powers. SWOOM!~ Instantly, Elric''s right hand was suddenly covered in flame - instantly increasing the temperature of the room and brightening his surroundings. If only Romeo and his children remained, they would have shouted in panic seeing Elric''s arms covered in brightly burning fire. Without any sign of hesitation, Elric used his burning hand to slash the empty space and immediately, a small spacial crack appeared with a glimpse of the majestic purple sky inside - it was the azure of the Elemental Realm. Knowing the limited ways to enter the elemental realms, Elric used the elemental essence of his burning hands as an access card to summon a spacial crack to enter the Elemental realm with a simple swipe. Seeing the success of his move, Elric was about to enter the Elemental realm when an unseen barrier powerfully repelled Elric as if rejecting him from entering the spacial crack. BOOOM!~ Elric''s figure was unexpectedly sent flying outside leaving along with a broken window - his isolation barrier was broken at the same time. 125 ACKkkkekekggh!~ Hearing the commotion, Romeo quickly entered the room only to see the broken window and Elric lying in the ground with some dirt skid marks below him - luckily, the summoned spacial crack to the elemental realm is nowhere to be found as well. "I see. So you made sure to gave me an entry ban huh..." Elric murmured while looking at the bright blue sky. He realized that the God of the Elemental realm had probably created an entry ban for him back to the elemental realm as he told him. If he wanted to go back, the only way he knew so far was to force himself again with the sheer power of the Ancestral Dragon form. However, using such a method leaves him a very small chance of success and revealing his Dragon form at the current realm would only bring him more trouble considering the supernatural scouting abilities of the Ancient Humans and other mysterious world entities, not to mention, there are Dragon hunters out there constantly in search of Dragon energy signatures. Elric''s body was resting over long skidmarks from the powerful repel of the spacial barrier. "Are you alright boy? Wha'' happened?!" Romeo came running after the thrown Elric. Confusion and panic were obviously drawn on his bearded face. Just as Elric was about to stand up to calm the anxious Romeo, his senses noticed an unexpected presence in his surroundings. His ears picked up a mysterious sound not audible to the humans and even the normal animals like dogs. Elric felt a dangerous presence in his surroundings and he knew it was something that needs to be realized as soon as possible. "This..." Elric''s vision suddenly changed from that of a normal human to a Dragon''s vision. His eyes transformed with its signature slit and the culprit of his warning was immediately revealed from a distance. Twelve men wearing perfectly fit tuxedos were surrounding the Romeo residence. Despite their numerous numbers, every single one of them looked exactly the same. The emotionless pale faces, their extraordinary long body, and fingers. They all uniformly stood tall around seven feet high and well toned body. What''s really bizarre is that their aura and presence have a slight resemblance to an alien creature famously known as Grays, but with major human features. They communicate telepathically and moved discreetly. Their long foot does not even touch the ground as if their feet have a natural gravity repelling ability. With a vampire-like paleness in their skin and a pair of cold blue eyes revealed their extraordinary state. What made them even more incredible was that their presence is completely undetectable to normal humans. They were standing there as if they didn''t exist. Their complete material state has been altered with an unexplainable technology so as to completely hide their physical presence. Not even their scent, their sound, their touch, or their aura is detectable to the normal humans. They are all standing in all twelve clock directions and seem to be guarding the whole area all alone. "Ancient humans..." Elric knew about them from his previous experience against them last time he was here in the human realm. He tried his best to act as calm as possible, hoping to avoid their suspicions that he can see them. After all, they seem completely confident in their stealth ability. Thanks to the effect of his continued evolution, Elric''s current look is now very different from his previous lousy young man appeared before leaving for the Elemental realm. Else, they would have reacted frantically upon seeing him. Not to mention, his energy signature has been completely naturalized like that of a normal human as he knew that revealing his true powers and aura would only bring in more trouble. Elric knew the unexpected capabilities of the Ancient humans who have access to the mysterious technology of the mysterious Ancient Human race. However, as Elric calmly scanned his surroundings, his Dragon eyes revealed a very alarming sight. His eyes focused on a certain direction and saw one of the invisible Ancient humans seemingly doing something at the head of Romeo''s daughter - Angel. The hand of the invisible ancient human was weirdly buried deep inside the head of the little girl as if doing a magical operation. Angel, on the other hand, felt very sleepy and collapsed on the spot, little did she knew that her memories are being altered by the unseen man beside her. Her brother, Romel panicked upon seeing his little sister''s sudden collapsed and hurried called for Romeo outside asking for help. Elric could also see that while the unseen man did his thing, he was also draining some of the little girl''s life essences which are seen as some glowing energy moved out from the perky little girl to the creepy unseen Ancient human. A frown immediately appeared on Elric upon seeing this. "Trouble never ends huh..." Elric sighed, knowing that his best friend - trouble, is back in his side. As much as he wanted to avoid trouble, it seems conscience will not allow him to just watch as the unseen creep continued to drain the life essence from the innocent little girl. "But why is he only focused on draining the life essence of the little girl? Why not the father nor the brother? Is she something special perhaps?" Elric thought as he stood up and patted the dust away. Slowly he made his way back in. "Well, one thing to find out." Elric did not hurry to save the girl right away. He is completely aware of the surveying eyes of the positioned Ancient humans and feared that he would only gather their suspicious. "I need to find a way to avoid their detection..." just as Elric was about to reach the door. One of the Ancient humans in an invisible state suddenly blocked his way. Elric''s eyse met its deep cold blue eyes as if staring straight at his soul. The hair at his back quickly stood up in warning. "Come. Obey" The Ancient human messaged him telepathically. Unconsciously, Elric''s body moved on its own as it quickly turned around and walked uncontrollably away from Romeo''s house. "This is instant hypnotic control!?" Elric realized what just happened and could not believe what these creatures just did to him. Elric left his guard down for a second just to hide his overbearing power inside him but the creepy invisible men took this chance to control him and seem to be planning to forcefully take him away without any effort. "It seems they have found me out." Elric thought as he forcefully unleashed a sliver of his will back to his body - removing their hypnotic control over him. The Ancient human was looking at Elric without emotion but a slight change was imprinted in its almost emotionless face when it noticed Elric suddenly stopped walking away as it has commanded. "Walk. Obey," it said, reaffirming its command to Elric but the latter seems to never hear it. "Walk! Obey!" it said in an even louder frequency while walking closer to Elric. "Stop telling me what to do." Elric turned around to face the creepy invisible man with a clear and serious face. His eyes revealed a terrifying presence that sent shivers down to the Ancient Human''s spine. A hint of slight shock appeared at the creep''s face. Just as it raised its hand to apply an even more powerful mind control, Elric stopped him with a quick grab of his right hand. "Don''t make this worst," Elric said resolutely. "You. How?" The creepy man asked with a hint of surprise in its mental voice. Elric, with his newfound mental clarity, is also capable of communicating telepathically. A smile crept in his mouth as he replied to the creepy man. "I mean you no harm, but I owe this family big time. So please, move out of my way, I am giving you three seconds to do so." With a sudden pause and a mocking face, the creepy invisible man gave Elric a condescending stare. "You? Harm? Me? You. A. Lower. Species?" WHAM!~ Without any more delay, Elric gave the mocking alien-faced-creep a crispy solid punch to the gut. "ACKkkkekekggh!~" Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. Its tall seven-feet body quickly arched in pain together with the flowing bluish liquid spewing out of its mouth. It''s proud demeanor now erased, a shocked and pained face had overtaken its full show. "Three seconds is over. Guess your species aren''t so advanced at all." Elric mumbled as he left to get inside the room - to help the little girl, whose life essence is quickly draining. 126 The Truth "You guys have no right to look down on me nor us normal humans," Elric said as he stopped behind the kneeling Ancient humans. "After all. Don''t you guys owe us what you have?" Elric added, reflecting back the condescending stare to the agonizing Ancient Humans. His message was meant to every single on the creepy Ancient Humans watching at him at the moment. Sensing the hostile glares, Elric sighed deeply. "Before we fight, let''s keep the innocent safe alright?" SNAP! All the other normal humans in the area including Romeo and all his children had been put to sleep with a simple snap of Elric''s finger - he used a weak but powerful vibration from his fingers to cause them to lose consciousness without sustaining any significant injury. At the same time, the eyes of the Ancient Humans in the surroundings glowed from deep-cold blue to an ominous red. That one glare that looks like from the Terminator movie - with his facial human skin removed. Elric''s attack on one of the twelve creepy Ancient Humans did not go unnoticed with their very keen surveillance. In return, their hostile glare was focused solely on him. Swiftly, everyone reacted simultaneously and launched a ranged mental attack against Elric. Nyu-nyu-nyum~ A creepy sound of invisible biomagnetic wave harassed Elric from all different directions, bringing forth an unexplainable amount of power that could induce a self-destructive command. Not to mention, getting hit by these attacks would instantly shut down the human brain or worst - explode it from the inside. These Ancient Humans would attack Elric without any sense of pity nor any power held back. Once they saw one of the so-called "lower-beings" attacks back at them, they would never hesitate to teach it a lesson to remind them of where they belong. They did not look as surprised as before as it was not the first time that a "lower being" managed to communicate with them in the first place. However, Elric is an abomination out of their expected calculation. And any variable that possesses a different number would ultimately pose a dangerous threat to the diversion of their initial target. Just as their deadly mental assault reached Elric, his mouth moved to chant a mysterious word using an Elemental language. "Mind of the Water. Reflection of the Moonlight." Elric chanted one of his hidden cards as a wielder of the Authority of Water. His eyes reflected that of a calm moon on the water. Hidden deep of mysterious calmness and reflection created an unimaginable mental barrier and deflected all the Ancient Human''s mental assault back at them - with ten times the normal power. ACkcksh!~ Ughr!~ Agggh~ Rugghgh~ All the ten distant Ancient Humans suddenly collapsed at the deflection of their mental assault. Their brains exploded from the inside and they all died without even putting up a single fight. And as quickly as they collapsed - their body disintegrated into dust as if they were never there in the first place. Not even a trace of their soul can be found. The Ancient Human''s mission there was to extract a certain "talent and intelligence" from a gifted lower being called Angel and to investigate the abnormal trace of the certain "Elemental Invader" that appeared a few days ago back at Colorado river. However, as their investigation proceeded, their findings failed to find the invader Elemental that has entered the human realm. Their greatest clue leads them to the unconscious human who also seems to possess an incredibly pure Dragon blood which could also mean that he must be an Elder Dragon in human''s disguise. And so they waited until it wakes up before they can observe it from the distance and confirm more of their initial suspicions. After all, as a universally accepted rule, they are not allowed to touch a Dragon in the first place unless that Dragon becomes a threat to the balance of the world. But the way things unfolded, it appears that he wasn''t actually just a Dragon at all. Instead, he was a Dragon threat that could reveal the truth about them - on how they feed out of the intelligence, talent and life essence of the lower beings. Lower Beings or also known as just "Humans" are just mere food for the advanced Ancient Humans. But it was not the kind of consumption where they would devour on the meat of the lower beings but to their inert intelligence, talent, and life essence. It was one way for them to maintain the balance of the world, or else, they would risk the quick re-evolution of the human minds with their rapidly growing intelligence and could also potentially lead to their "awakening" and become another form of an advanced civilization. And if their activities on how they had been suppressing ordinary humans get revealed to the public, their greatest fear of facing an angry race of humankind will only bring in more trouble to their lives. And in that case, they would have no choice but to induce another atomic war between these humans, eliminating the potential threats discreetly and blame it to their fellow humans and to make them start from scratch again. Yes. This is the true face of Ancient Humans. Their history has been hidden from ordinary humans since hundreds of thousands of years ago and never had they planned to reveal themselves to the public. All evidence that leads to them had been the hidden will and anyone who would find would only deem to suffer on an unexpected death - caused by them of course. Ancient Humans had always wanted to become the most advanced civilization that no other races, neither the spiritual, elemental, Dragons or other unknown races could challenge them. And they knew that to advance, they have to shed down all the primitive nature and ideals; and strive for the highest form of intelligence in exchange for what made them "humans" in the first place. Basically, having lost their emotions due to their greed for intelligence and talent, they have long lost their hearts for compassion, kindness and ultimately, their soul. A trade that they deemed worthy of value. In fact, their hearts were two times smaller than that of an ordinary human''s, but their brains are almost doubled in sizes as represented by their extra-large heads. Such bigger heads gave them access to information and technologies that ordinary human minds could only imagine - thanks to the billions of extraordinary humans, from the unknown length of time, who''s intelligence and talent had been taken away for their own consumption and advancement. Telepathy, stealth, natural hypnotic ability, Advanced Psychic Senses, super memories, and even levitation is just one of their normal abilities - these ultimately led them to think of themselves as the "higher beings". But right now, one of the proud "higher-beings" is eating the dirty mud, limping in pain from Elric''s gut punch. Their body had gone too dependent on their magical-like abilities that their physical defense is so damned pathetically low. Just like how a mage has lower defense compared to fighter classes, these advanced Ancient Humans were too confident of the blind superiority that they never expected one of their lower beings could touch them. Before Elric, they were just glass cannons. Powerful but could not stand any sh*t. "You. Dragon. How..." confusion was clearly obvious at the face of the kneeling one. One of his hands is glowing green while touching his stomach - healing the internal damage he had sustained. The pain from Elric''s punch was still lingering in his stomach - few ribs had been dislocated actually. "Why don''t you calculate. Isn''t that what you guys do the best?" Elric answered as he walked towards the other remaining Ancient Humans. When the Ancient Humans are on the process of consuming a lower-being''s mind, they put their guards at the lowest to focus all of its senses and attention to devouring the information and talent. After all, who could actually touch them nor threaten them? It''s not like God will suddenly send an angel down right? As such, it failed to realize that almost all of its comrades have actually died and faded into dust; and the culprit is slowly heading its way. "Wait. You. Abomination. Dragon. " The kneeling creep had finally healed his injury and his figure teleported before Elric. "Move." Elric whispered with a serious tone. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. "You. Dragon. Made. Mistake. Harming. Us." The creepy one said with a regained proud look. "Golden rule. Unto-unto others. Unto-unto you. I just returned the favor back to them," Elric replied. "Suffer. Consequences. Dragon." The creep said as its eyes turned into red and were about to shot Elric with another eye-attack. This attack was aiming to disintegrate Elric into nothing with sheer command-to-matter alone, but before he could do... BASH!~ Elric''s fist has already blasted a large hole into its stomach, ultimately stopping the proud creep from executing its attack. It was a punch just too fast that it failed to react in time again. It''s huge eyes grew so wide in shock and pain that its head failed to process the next step of its supposed to be "mental-action-plan". "You..." BASH!~ Its head followed to smithereens. Elric destroyed the eleventh one with two hits of his blinding-fast fist. A one-two-combo style he learned from Pacquiao, sending the arrogant being into eternal "Dustyness". "One more," Elric said while walking towards the last remaining Ancient Human, whose eyes and other senses are still closed from the addicting feeling of consuming an innocent girl''s intelligence and talent. "Guess I will have to deal with your race first before going back to the Elemental Realm," Elric said as he finally made up his mind. He could not bear to see any more of his fellow human race to get "devoured" by theses selfish advanced-scoundrels who only think of themselves and treated humans like livestock! Just how much would have they advanced if not for their interference? If not for him realizing the truth from the Word Knowledge, he would have never found out about this absolute racial corruption happening all alone! "Did the government know about this? Just how much is actually hidden from us? I must find out." Just how many lives have they sucked out from us? The innocent lives gone, the futures destroyed because of their greed for knowledge. Just how many scientists have they robbed out of their intelligence? Just when are we going to fight back? "These must be stopped." His eyes revealed a burning fire of determination and unfathomable confidence. He realized that everything that happened from the start is finally making sense to him. His steps are being guided by an unknown force. It was, after all, never a coincidence for him to obtain the power of the Ancestral Dragon and everything else that followed. It seems this was his fate all along! "So am I God''s retribution after all?" A series of the crispy popping of his fingers accompanied his advancing steps. "So be it." 127 Hunters Being Hunted Continents away from Elric''s location, somewhere far to the south pole, in a place covered in nothing but ice, the underground hidden ancient city of the Ancient Humans can be found. This mystical city is called Harang. It was a place safe from the reach of the ordinary humans due to the hostile weather condition above while this ancient city was perfectly hidden from the normal eyes nor any currently known human technology by a certain energy barrier that gives an impression to any satellite scanner above as if there was nothing. All forms of current human technology are long bypassed by this certain barrier, not to mention its multifunctional abilities like serving as a natural filter from unwanted invaders, and indestructible protection in times of danger or attacks, just to name a few. It was a city as big as new york but with weird-looking buildings that resembled beehives except for its bright blue-crystal-like color and has no holes - All in different varying sizes. These beehive-like houses float around the perimeter of the wide city while encircling the one-biggest beehive in the middle that they refer to as The Mother where only those Ancient humans who have reached Ascendant stage live. Ancient humans lived in this place for ten-thousand years which also served as their only central base around the world. Every single one of these Ancient Humans looked exactly the same aside from their varying heights and brain advancement. They spent most of their time meditating as they only use knowledge as their only source of "food"; so when they hunt, it means that they travel to the normal human''s land and find the most intelligent one and consume them. Unlike The Guardians whose main purpose was to keep the balance and protect humanity from behind, the Ancient Humans are basically just a higher type of human race that long existed thousands of years ago and does not associate themselves with any other races. It was also because of the difference of these two Advanced Human kinds that they are in a constant fight. The Guardians are the police while the Ancient humans are the thief. And every time they meet, an inevitable fight would usually happen and the result is revealed within a short three seconds. Because all they need to do is spot their enemy first and be the first one to unleash a mental barrage wins. And because of these, the Ancient Humans do not dare to leave their base casually, but when they do, they form a tight defense of twelve-man crew whenever they hunt. Such was the case in Elrics''. Ancient Humans firmly believed that the only purpose of life is to achieve the highest form of humanity by Ascending to divinity and reaching it requires gathering or sucking out the knowledge and natural talent of the ordinary humans to attain the highest form of intelligence and thereby, giving them access to the most advance thinking and technology. Why study when you can just suck out the information out of the normal humans, right? With the influx of new information appearing every day, the Ancient Humans firmly believe that the day for them to push for the highest form of Ascension is near. Thus, it is important that they would hunt the smartest of all humans, let them learn and learn and learn until they become ripe for their harvest. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. On some rare occasions, they would hit the jackpot with the existence of the unique individuals that only comes out once every ten billion humans are born. They are those gifted with supernatural talent or abilities and they are the sweetest and most satisfying to consume of all. Take Angel, for example, she was a girl with an unrevealed supernatural human ability. If cultivated to her maturity, she would have unlocked the potential for photographic memory and an eye that is capable of detecting colors unrecognizable to the normal ones and, not to mention - night vision. With such talent, Angel would have been able to see in the evening as if it was morning. These talents would have created a big breakthrough for her and possibly give an incredible breakthrough to humanity''s genes study. However, the Ancient humans succeded to calculate her existence timing and finding her was just a piece of cake with their advanced technology - the only problem was that an unexpected variable, in the form of Elric, has arrived in their equation that ultimately caused them an undesirable outcome of twelve sudden deaths of their own kind. Currently, the top twelve highest-ranked Ancient Human has gathered inside The Mother and is discussing the unexpected engagement from an unknown assailant. All their beady eyes were currently glowing in rainbow lights and shifting to different color hues simultaneously - they were watching the recovered pieces of memory playback from their fallen brothers. Their lack of soul does not limit them from doing some memory scan, as they have created a certain technology that allows them to peer to each other last five seconds before dying - giving them a clue on what happened to their brother before it died. From there, they saw everything that happened. The other brothers died a sudden death and it showed an incredibly confusing scene - they died from their own power. Watching the Eleventh''s perspective, led them to the answer they had been looking for. It was Elric. A good looking Asian with light brown eyes and hair. He stood around six feet in height and his presence did not even reveal any hostile aura - not until he moved. He suddenly punched their brother twice that instantly led to its quick shocking death. The last one died without even knowing what happened as he was in the middle of devouring the special human child. Stopping their simulcastineous memory scan, they all looked with blank faces at each other. Their judgment, was that it was not an ordinary human. Probably a Dragon in human disguise. Their cold blue eyes moved from left to right and back - they were relaying messages mentally. And in just five seconds, they have reached a conclusion and the next action plan has been decided. Then, they all suddenly levitated and continued to meditate inside the glorious Mother beehive as if nothing happened. Speaking of a Dragon enemy, they seem to have just the perfect solution. *** Not far from The Mother hive, a single black hive was floating motionlessly on the corner. It was the house of the finest Warrior they currently have. Inside it rested a tall figure with bluish skin and a scar-riddled body. What made him even more different was the faint traces of Dragon scales all over his body - a sign of Dragon-blood overdose. He has a long overflowing braided black hair that reaches his knees and exuded an aura of dangerous presence. One look to this being would induce panic to a normal human from sheer dominance alone. He was one of the legendary survivors from the sudden blast of the God Reckoning Tribulation ten years ago. "He looks familiar..." Arkhoz''s mind was taken aback at the mental image of Elric he received from the Ascendant members of the Ancient Humans. A frown was itched at his forehead as he remembered that eventful night ten years ago. A night he will never forget as he witnessed the presence of a divine heavenly Eastern Ancestral Dragon for the first time in his life and the unexpected God Reckoning Tribulation that changed the course of the history forever. He was once one of the leader of the hunting team from the Arkhan race, until that momentful time. He failed to capture Lesse and even lost his whole team during the battle. With such failure, the mothership of the Arkhan race left there to die in the hands of the Dragon Kings, the Guardians and even the abomination that Elric had become. He was there. Alone. Dying. In that stormy night where the Black Ancestral Dragon went on a rampage, Arkhoz never felt so weak in his life before. He was bleeding profusely from the multiple wounds he had sustained, desperate for help until one of the Ascendant members of the Ancient Humans suddenly appeared and lent him a helping hand. Until then, he chooses to side to the Ancient ones and bow to fight for them and irradicate the Arkhan race before the Guardians could do it. After all, he knows how the Arkhans move to escape the chase of the Guardians. "Could it be really you?" He thought. He opened his eyes from his meditation as he received a mental command from the higher-ups. His body released a powerful gush of steam, revealing his well-toned bluish body. His figure walked towards a certain table and grabbed the smoking black sword laying there. It was a sword he had been using to kill thousands of Dragons and Guardians in his life. For the past ten years, he had devoted his time on intense training, dangerous guardian and dragon hunting missions and numerous physical advancement modifications initiated by the Ancient Humans made him one of the deadliest being that currently exist. With such advancement in his constitution, Arkhoz has never been this excited to hunt another Dragon before. And his next target is Elric. The most mysterious being he currently knows. "I have plenty of questions to ask you, puny human-lizard; but what I am really excited about..." Archos mumbled to himself as his reflection in the shimmering black sword revealed his murderous excitement. He licked the long blade with his long serpent-like tongue - leaving a long dripping saliva on the metal sheet. "I just really wonder how delicious you taste now. hehe..." 128 Struggle Of Survivors Using his healing abilities given by the power of his Authority of Water, Elric healed the unconscious Angel and the rest. And while he was at it, he also mended the damaged parts of the house and even planted healing water essence inside the bodies of Romeo and his two children. This healing water would cleanse them of any internal diseases that they have and would also help Angel recover her lost talent - it was his way of paying them back. Knowing that trouble could be coming soon after he finished those arrogant creeps, Elric decided not to stay any longer. He only hopes, that "they" will go after him and not this innocent family. Nevertheless, he still decided to plant a living water essence inside Angel''s body. That way, he would be able to track her and even get an update on her condition in real-time. Find authorized novels in Webnovel£¬faster updates, better experience£¬Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting. If only Romeo was awake, he would have panicked to make Elric stay - knowing that Elric possesses the so-called Gods Blood and could bring him unexpected riches. "It''s been ten years in this realm huh..." Checking the date and time, Elric did a calculation judging from the time difference in the Human realm and Elemental Realms. Elric has one place that he longed to go for now - his home back in the Philippines. Normally, he would have flown straight to the Philippines using his Wings of Fire, but knowing the watchful eyes of the different powerful races in the Human realm, Elric believes it was much better to stay low for now and act as if he was just another normal human being. Of course, he did not forget to hide his power and imitate the same aura just like that of an ordinary human. That way, even the Elder Dragons would not be able to sniff him out nor the Guardians and Ancient Humans would uncover his disguise. Having completed all his preparations, Elric left for the airport. He waved goodbye to the sleeping figures of Romeo and his children and smiled in gratitude before calmly walking out through the door. *** Weeks later... Inside a small apartment in the middle of the small town in Cebu, Lesse and Long - one of the few survivors of the Eastern Dragon race were having a heated discussion. SLAM!! "I can''t take this anymore! Just give me back my power sister! I will make sure to destroy them all! How dare they treat us like pigs!" Long, who is Lesse''s younger brother, forcefully slammed his fist on the table. His handsome and tall figure was sitting in a table just in front of his sister. Their closed glass window lightened the room with a reddish hue from the red silk hanging on the sides. Long was steaming in outrage after hearing about the recent happenings of their Dragon tribe. "Calm down, Long! We can''t risk it! We will blow our cover once we do anything to catch their attention! Remember why we are here! Remember everyone''s sacrifice Long!" Lesse, who''s beauty never changed tried her best to calm him down. They both speaking in mandarin. "Just give me back my damned powers! Enough holding me back! I already have enough!" Long bellowed angrily. "Please, little brother. I beg of you to calm down. We are the last survivor of our family and I cannot risk losing you too." Lesse held her younger brother''s hand tightly in a soft and calming tone. "Hmp! They had been hunting us for how long? Ten years! They even used and treated the blood of our brothers as an expensive modern drug! This is far beyond my patience sister. Clearly, we must do something! Even if I die, I will make sure to bring some of those bastards to the grave!" SLAP! A crispy and loud slap from Lesse can be heard inside the room. Long, he finally realized the tears in his sister''s face and quickly calmed down. His eyes moved to avoid her sobbing gaze. He felt guilty for making her do so. "Father entrusted you to me Long. Learn to respect his wishes. I am not letting them touch us even if it means letting go of our Dragon powers." Lesse said sobbing. "How many of us have already died trying to uphold our pride? What did they earn aside from getting their blood sucked out and getting butchered for the rich people to dine?" She added. Long, gritted his teeth knowing the reality of the situation. His hands were clenched so tight in his frustration - the frustration of being powerless. The catastrophic events that happened ten years ago left the Eastern Dragon race to become the blaming bag of the other Dragon races. According to them, the cause of death of the thousands of Dragon soldiers on all sides, including the death of the Dragon King of the West, was done by the rampaging black Dragon. However, the other Dragon races of the North, South, and West believed otherwise. They pointed the blame to the Eastern Dragon race as it all started from one of their people - Lesse. As a result, every single member of the Eastern Dragon tribe had been subjected to become their slave as payment of their loss, not to mention the death of the King Dragon of the west. The Eastern Dragon refused to take all the blame and become a slave which, as expected, led to the three versus one war against the rest of the Dragon Races. With such power imbalance, the war ended up to the great fall of the proud Eastern Dragon race. The mysterious human organizations and powerful politicians observing in the background also took this chance to get their hands on some of the captured Eastern Dragons. As a result, their Dragon blood and meat supply boomed in supply - leading to the introduction of the wonderdrug so-called "God''s Blood" to the public. With the help of their Father, Lesse and Long managed to survive the ordeal and went into hiding in disguise as ordinary humans. However, it did not take long for them to realize that their Dragon blood betrayed them of their hiding effort - risking them to the sensitive noses of the other disguised enemy Dragon members and hunters. Changing their appearance was not enough so Lesse had had no other choice but to completely give up their Dragon privilege resulting in them becoming as fragile as a human. Their Dragon powers are sealed inside a Dragon essence vessel in the form of a silver necklace hanging on Lesse''s neck. Knowing the impulsive manner of her brother, Lesse made sure to hold on to the key to releasing their power in the form of a ring and wore it with her all the time. Long stood up and walked towards the window to calm himself down. His mind wandered to the source of the problem. "It is because of the stupid black Ancestral Dragon!" He murmured. "No, it was my fault all along," Lesse interjected. "If only I have destroyed that human as soon as I saw him, none of this would have ever happened. Father would have been alive. And everything else would have been as it was..." Lesse on the other side of the table looked down in guilt. She knew that everything else started because of her and that damned human she met after her last Tribulation of Light. "I still don''t understand though." Long, murmured. "There are thousands of qualified Elder Dragons during that time but, why would the Heavenly Ancestral Dragon choose that stupid human?" "What was so special about him by the way?" He added, sitting down before his sister. "That is why we are here right? To investigate about his matter. To uncover the truth about that man-" Lesse replied. "Sister we been here for ten years and what? It was really weird not even a single one of the people around here knows the guy. Even if it was clear that he was living here and even working all along! His small house was nowhere to be found, his identity erased in the private and government databases, and not even any traces of him is left! It''s as if he never existed in the first place!" Long complained in frustration. "It was the Guardians doing," Lesse replied. "It is their task to hide any shreds of evidence that leads to the possible revelation to the existence of the Dragons. They modify witnesses'' memory, changing records and so on. It was a piece of cake for them." She added. "Aside from the Dragon Blood that they declared as God''s Blood, any other else that pertained to us has been carefully hidden. It is safe to assume that ordinary humans will never know about our existence as long as the Guardians exist." Lesse explained as her gaze locked on to her brother. "As for that human who obtained the Ancestral Dragon essence, I really doubt he survived the God reckoning ordeal. After all, not even his dust remained in the area after it happened and you know what that means right..." She added with an inquisitive look. "Whatever, you can do what you guys want and believe what you want to believe. I am going out now. I still have school to do" Long said as he grabbed his school back and left. Lesse looked at his departing back with an anxious look. She knew how stubborn her brother is. Leaving the house and walking on the street alone towards the nearest college school, Long started to mumble to himself. "I know you are still alive Black Dragon. You who brought these miseries in our lives. I will make sure to hunt you down myself." Little did he knew, three mysterious men had been following him from the distance- all with a sinister grin in their faces. They were Dragon Hunters. 129 Returning Home Weeks after Elric left the US to travel back to his hometown in the Philippines, his eyes were shocked to realize the unbelievable changes that took over his homeland. The wide grassy planes and distant mountains he grew up with are long gone and replaced by various towering hotels, apartments, bars and so on - a typical first-class city with modernized technology fully implemented in the system. After reaching the now-unfamiliar street he used to walk by since he was a child, Elric stepped out of the taxi with his mouth gaping in surprise. Ten years! It only took ten years for all of these massive buildings to sprout in his homeland! Just what really happened ever since the day he left the human realm on that fateful night? Looking at all the modern traffic lights and the buzzing street crowded by people in decent clothing, Elric''s mind was still at loss. The least, it should have taken about twenty or thirty years to have such kind of modernization to take effect. His gaze locked on the street signs and even double-checked his current address just to confirm if he was at the exact street he grew up. \"I really am home. Just not what it used to be.\" Elric muttered. The small sari-sari stores are gone, the smelly poultry farms are gone, the calming breeze of the sea and so did the peaceful sound of the countryside is long gone. Accepting the fate of his homeland, Elric recalled the direction to his house and made his way right away while walking calmly on foot. Elric wore simple black shorts for his lower, brown shoes complimented by his white polo with the long sleeves curled up to his solid elbows - revealing a manly stature that all the women he passed by are easily hooked with passionate gazes. With the effects of his constant evolution and upgrades, not a single one of his previous contacts had an idea that it was him. The old Elric was a skinny four-eyed with little to average skills; while the present one was like a full-blown gentleman with a very respectable and manly presence. He looks like a perfect bachelor! Unfortunately, despite his efforts in trying to find his old friends, the ballooned population of the place made it incredibly hard for him to trace them. Not to mention, he was afraid if they might be one of his old victims during his last rampage. Right now, there is only one way to find out. It took quite a while before he finally reached the place he really came for - his house. But to his surprise, what greeted him from the usual place of his small nepa-house is now a two-story apartment. The forest where he fought against the Manananggal and found the Dragon girl is now surrounded by a tall and solid wall. It is now one of the current town Mayor''s private property. Looking back at the apartment, Elric decided to ask one of the rushing passersby that looked like a student of one the community college - it was a young man who looked familiar to him somehow. With a gentle voice, Elric approached the young man, \"Uhm excuse me. Do you mind if I can ask some-\" \"Don''t talk to me!\" scoffed the young man. Without even sparing Elric a glance, the young man snobbishly walked away. Elric, with a gentle smile, scratched his head in apology. The young man''s tone was cold and condescending. As if Elric was just a thrash that doesn''t deserve his time and attention. Little did he knew, Elric can easily flick him to death. Fortunately, Elric''s renewed mind and spirit brought him with a heart of compassion, kindness, and humility that Instead of complaining, he chooses to ask for forgiveness and smiled innocently. \"I see. I am sorry for bothering you.\" Elric replied gently. \"Hmp,\" the young man tightened his backpack with a pull and continued. Elric could not help but look at the young man with a tinged of disappointment. \"He does look familiar.\" Elric thought. It was a faint memory but he was pretty sure he had seen him somewhere. However, right now, his focus is to find out what happened to his home. As for his grandmother - he has long accepted the fact of what had transpired that night. It was painful, but that was it. Trying to grief over it again brings nothing bad deep sadness for him. What he can do right now is to move on and prevent that disaster from happening again. If possible, he would like to purchase a lot for himself. How he will obtain the money, well, with his powers, it shouldn''t be hard at all. Knowing that the best person who can answer his inquiry is the owner of the apartment, Elric decided to go inside and meet the person in authority. But just when he was about to go in, his sensitive nose and hearing captured a slight but suspicious voices lingering in the area. It might not be audible enough for the ordinary humans and Dragons to hear but to Elric''s supernatural state it was as clear as the day. Elric stopped moving amidst the busy street and focused on the faint traces of the sound from the mysterious beings. Seconds later, he decerned where it came from and what they were. \"These are the language of Arkhans or should I say, the most notorious Dragon hunter race.\" Elric thought as he continued listening. He traced the faint voices and they came from the three normal-looking men on their forties who seems to be following the snobbish young man from the distance. All their eyes were glowing in cold blue, but not visible to the normal human eyes. \"No Duck, I told you he is a Dragon. Just give me one more day. I will prove it to you guys. We are not going back without those kids as a trophy.\" \"Oh yeah? We have been scouting those siblings for how many years now? We''ve seen them bleed through our carefully laid setups but what? they were bleeding nothing but human blood! HUMAN BLOOD! What kind of proof do we need? I can just castrate him right now if you want, if that will put an end to your finding Nemo journey.\" \"Keep your voices down you two. Don''t ever think we are allowed to speak in our own frequency here as freely as you think. Those cockroaches might have given us the freedom to do what we want here but we still have to be on guard against the Guardian rascals that could be watching somewhere.\" \"You know what, you are right. Let''s end this mystery chase today. Let''s just grab him when we have the chance. I will be more than happy to chew him to bits and pieces before your stupid face just to prove to you he''s nothing but all wasted human crap!\" The tallest one of them concluded. The shortest one of them nodded in approval while the middle one kept quite. Neither resisting the suggestion or allowing it. His eyes are still locked at the snobbish young human who is minding his way towards the school. The three mysterious figures continued walking calmly despite the furious tones they were hurling against each other. Their mouth barely moved as they speak but their sound was as clear as a trumpet sound to Elric''s ears. These are the special sound frequency that the secret society uses to communicate that no ordinary humans could ever hear. Except for some selected animals with extraordinary hearing, the Dragons races, Elementals, Guardians or Arkhans, and even the Ancient Humans have their own way of communicating secretly without their cover being blown on the public. This way, they are free to communicate however they want without earning any unwanted attention. Noticing their hostile intentions for the young human, a frown quickly drew on Elric''s face. \"Trouble, you back too soon my friend...\" Elric added with a sigh. Looking back at the white wooden apartment where his house used to stand, Elric, heaved a sigh of relief. As much as he wanted to do his bid, there is a human life that is about to be taken just because of some greedy Dragon Hunters suspecting the poor kid. Especially how they treat human lives as a piece of a toy in their mouth, Elric''s calm demeanor could not rest for long. When one of them mentioned how he was more than willing to chew the young man to bits and pieces, it reminded Elric of his dark and depressing past. A memory he hates the most which could easily break the peaceful flow of his mind. Elric could feel a surging warmth of fury boiling in his heart. It was like a huge waterfall, threatening to break open the troublesome rock of his past. Unbeknownst to him, his steps have already turned to follow the three mysterious men. \"Control yourself, Elric. Remember to keep a low profile dude.\" Elric mumbled softly to himself. The crowd was still busy minding their own lives in the middle of the small city while the sun is getting brighter above him. The heat is starting to spike up. Invisible steam crept out of the hot asphalt roads and so was the fire in Elric''s eyes. Clenching his fist in slight agitation, Elric thought to himself, \"...One percent should be enough...\" *** Fifteen minutes later... The snobbish young man had entered the Community College grounds, the three men mysteriously vanished out of nowhere and, Elric''s figure could not be seen as well. The rat is about to be devoured by the cat, not knowing the Tibetan Mastiff following behind. 130 To The Rescue It was already one o''clock at noon and most classes in the Lawis Community College, where Long studied as a third year IT student, have started. After living for more than a hundred years as a Dragon back at the hidden world of the Eastern Dragon Race, he was mesmerized about how the human''s technology managed to advance. He was amazed at how the lower humans, as what the Ancient Humans call them, that despite their weak bodies have still managed to find ways to circumvent their physical limitations. They created cars, planes, cranes and even phones that have incredible potential in terms of racial advancement. And as deep as Long has researched, they even managed to create weapons that could rival some of the most powerful offensive abilities of the Elder Dragons. However, he also knew that all this human development did not come without a cost. Overpopulation, pollution, increased crime rate, religious extremism, racism, and political corruption had become a norm to almost every country in the world just to name a few. For some reason, Long realized that humans are indeed a threat and knowing what the Ancient ones had been doing all this time, seems to be a perfect way to control the human''s never-ending craving for power. What was even more surprising is that they are still not contented and continued to develop new technology systems that would help them ease their lives despite the numerous attempts from the Ancient ones to destabilize their systems. As for Long, he decided to study human technologies with the sole purpose of give him access to developing a system that will allow him to track the single human that costs the wipeout of his entire Dragon tribe. With his advanced body and mind, it did not take long for him to become an expert in Computer technology. In fact, he became too smart as an IT student that he even managed to hack every government website, private records and even the CIA just to find traces of Elric. It was all in vain. The Guardians are just too careful to hide any traces of evidence of anomaly in the world. Not even a single video recording of that night has been spared from their eyes, modifying them and even to the point of placing fake memories to the mind of the witnesses that night. Once asked, they will only say that it was a terrible hurricane and that they were unconscious most of the time. Realizing that his efforts to learning IT to find that human has gone to waste, Long felt like his life has become meaningless. \"How am I supposed to avenge father and the race this way? Those stupid Guardians had been protecting him.\" Long mumbled to himself. He was laying with his arms crossed behind his head at the rooftop. It was noon but the scorching heat of the sun he was feeling felt too normal for him as a former Dragon. \"If only I could force sister to give me back my power. I could have found ways on my own...\" He added as he closed his eyes with a deep sigh. The eastern Dragon race had been openly hunted by the Dragon Hunters, the rest of the Dragon Tribes and even the few selected-powerful humans who are aware of their existence. With the go signal from the fellow angry Dragon tribes, the hunt begun with the full-scale attack of their kingdom. Leaving no one left behind. The majority of them had been killed by the mad Dragons while the sneaky Dragon Hunters and selected humans had their own technology to catch Dragons and even enslave them. Their blood and meat had become the most prized product the world could offer at the moment. And the other Dragon tribes who are supposedly known of their proud of their races, turned a blind eye this once. Now, the eastern Dragon Kingdom is just a hidden barren land somewhere in the eastern lands. It was nothing but ruins of undescribable destructions that not even the three remaining Dragon races dared to take over the land. What''s the use? Their useful resources are long hoarded after all by them. Long felt his anger boiling inside him every day realizing that despicable position they have landed. The once proud and powerful Dragon race of the eastern land had been destroyed because of a single human. BANG! \"This is unforgivable!\" He shouted as he hammered the floor with his fist. A streak of blood crept out of Long''s tightly clenched fist. His anger and bitterness only worsen every day. He could not help but cry for his long-dead people and his father. \"It seems you are angry my friend. Would like us to help you ease your burden?\" Long''s figure hastily rolled to the side to distance himself from the sound of sudden visitors whom he failed to notice all this time. His eyes are filled with shock and wariness as he stood to look up at the mysterious people surrounding him from three sides. One of them is incredibly tall, standing about eight foot in height but with a thin figure. The other one standing on his back is the smallest but fattest one while the person who talked was the six-footed man with a well-built body. They all wore the same black suit that fits perfectly in their different body build. Long is currently in his human form after giving up his Dragon essence and got it locked inside his pendant. His sister holds the key to releasing the essence or it could end up being wasted in the air like a gas leak. Right now, he is afraid he has no means to identify these people with their true appearance and intention. With their sudden arrival out of nowhere, he was pretty sure they are no ordinary humans. They could be Ancient humans, Guardians, Arkhans or Elementals in human disguise. Who knows? Long''s body started sweating profusely. This is the pain of being a weakling after all. How would they get to the top floor when he made sure he locked the entrance door anyway? What''s more, is that they pose a terrifying aura that sends down chill on his back. A sign of a dangerous encounter based on his years of battle experience. \"Were they following me all along? They heard what I said a while ago?\" A series of thought pumped Long''s head and caused him to grit his teeth. \"Did I blew up our cover?\" He thought with his sweat dripping on the sides of his face. \"Relax, my friend.\" The middle-sized one walked forward with his hands raised up in surrender. \"We are not here to hurt you. I heard that your sister got a hold of your power.\" The man said while walking calmly towards Long. The latter stepped back in wariness only to realized that the other two mysterious figures have already blocked his back and the exit path towards the door. If he needs to escape, it seems jumping over from the top floor is the only way. \"The power that you mentioned, is it...\" The one in front of him continued to advance with a sinister smile. His saliva could not help but slide out of his creepy looking teeth and added, \"Is it your Dragon essence perhaps?\" RUN! With all his might, Long unhesitantly ran towards the edge of the building, planning to jump off and die rather than being captured by these bastards. There was also a small hope that he should be able to minimize the impact by sliding himself down using the walls. \"Arkhans! I am not letting them get me!\" Just when Long was about to leap away, the tallest of the three Arkhans suddenly reached out with an incredible speed. GOTCHA! \"Where do you think you are going to a little boy?\" With a cold and deep voice, the tall man asked. Not giving up, Long twisted his body and pulled himself back, getting closer to the face of the tall man and unhesitantly fought back with a straight punch aiming to the face. WHAM!~ Long might be a human but his Ancient Chinese martial arts is on par to those of real martial arts master. With hundreds of years of experience, he could go and down ten bigger men in as quickly as fifteen seconds. \"Not bad for a measly martial art.\" The tall Arkhan smiled wickedly despite the fist lodging deep into his face. CRACK~ However, under the unfair physical advancement of the Arkhans from devouring too much Dragon meat and blood, Long''s martial arts were like a child play for them. Instead of hurting them, he ended up with a broken arm from the sheer sturdiness of the Arkhans skull. It was the same as punching twenty-inch solid steel! AGGHK!~ Dangling at the edge of the rooftop, Long grunted in agony as he tried to keep himself calm as possible, not wanting to get any attention from the unknowing humans below. \"Is this the end for me?\" He muttered to himself. Suddenly, he felt the world turned around aimlessly as he was hurled back at the center of the roof with great force. As his body flail around, he saw a glimpse of what was happening. The bodies of the three mysterious men were now knocked unconscious and a familiar figure was standing in the middle while crossing her hands. Her other foot is on top of one of the fainted Arkhan. \"Granny!\" Long shouted in gladness and excitement. *** Far from Long''s location, Elric''s figure was stuck unmoving. His eyes were filled with shock and confusion at the reflection of a certain person in his eyes. His body shook in intense emotion as he is looking at the very image of his grandma, the one he thought that died in his own maws. She was just standing there, healthy and strong, in the middle of the fainted Arkhans. 131 Mysterious Granny Elric was observing and listening to their short conversation from the distance with his focused ultra-sensitive ears and learned something about the young man they were following. It turns out he was a Dragon that had transformed into his human form who seems to have given up his Dragon essence. Which explains why Elric could never connect who he was according to his memories. He was a Dragon all along! Moreover, it seems that this young man holds a clue about what happened that night. So Elric decided to keep a tight watch and step out once they make a move to kill the young man. However, the Dragon hunters finally showed themselves and revealed their intention to force the young man to redeem is Dragon essence back - only to become their take-home of course. The young man fought back in retaliation and ended up hurting himself. Not letting the worst to come, Elric was just about to jump to action and save the boy from the hungry crutches of the Arkhans when he noticed a sudden flash from behind and an old woman appeared. It was his grandma. Unable to move, Elric''s eyes were filled with tears as the feeling of missing his grandma overwhelmed him. Confused and anxious, excited but wary, all these feelings came rushing on his head. There were just too many questions. He was pretty sure he ate her whole while he was transformed as a Corrupted Black Ancestral Dragon. He saw it clearly with his two eyes! But just how? Despite all his mental fortitude advancement, the sight of the person whom he misses the most was able to break through his supposed to be calmed and a renewed mind. His body wanted to move and go to meet her but for some reason, there was something amiss about the grandma he saw. Elric decided to hold himself for now. His instincts has saved him multiple times during his time in the Elemental realm, he decided to listen to it again this time. With renewed focus, Elric wiped the trail of tears in his eyes, heaved a deep breath, and continued to watch from the sides. She looks exactly like her but at the same time, she doesn''t feel like her. Elric scanned her full body and realized that the aura she emitted was not the same warm and humble grandma he used to know. She was as if a different person. With a single wave of her hand, the three Arkhans who wielded exceptional defense suddenly fainted simultaneously. Elric''s sensitive eyes saw everything that happened and he could not believe how such an old grandma could just casually swipe her hands to make her enemies slump like lifeless puppets. Not to mention, those are people of the Arkhan race! The famous advanced superhuman race that is known to hunt even the Elder Dragons of this realm! Each of their body is tempered with the nourishment from the Dragon blood and meat; allowing them to live exceptionally long while also enjoying the steel-like body and supernatural strength of a thousand men! Could it be that grandma can use mental or soul attacks? If that''s the case, then the superior body of the Arkhans would not stand at all! But how? The grandma he knew only uses an old pair of slippers or broomsticks every time he did something really bad. Other than the deadly Chancla (Mexican term for flying slippers) and the mighty Walis Ting-Ting (broomstick), she is also an expert in wielding her \"sub-blabbing-gun\" that would sometimes do critical damage when she really does have a point. He had too many questions indeed and Elric knew that he must be careful in exposing himself in this realm to avoid any attracting more trouble. It was his best friend after all. For now, he decided to distance himself and observe as much as possible. *** \"Granny you came!\" Long stood up with a limping leg and arm. He did a pretty good job harming himself indeed. \"Of course I will. As long as you are in my area, you and your sister will always be safe.\" She laughed proudly as she moved forward and touched the broken arms and leg of Long. \"Now hold still.\" She added as she started healing Long''s damaged body with a surge of warm energy from her arms while accompanying a rapid chanting of indiscernible words. \"Ugh~\" Long grunted in agony as the bones and flesh inside his body started to move and heal from inside. \"Just don''t be too arrogant and find more trouble yourself or I will have to leave you alone. I owe your father a favor, that''s why I am doing this after all. But don''t think this as an excuse for you to continue acting like a king.\" She said as she stood up and crossed her arms with an apprehensive gaze at Long. \"Your lives as one of the proud Eastern Dragon is over so learn to forget about it. I know you lots have a lot to do with your pride but that stupid pride of yours will not save you nor it will put food in your table.\" \"So you want us to just turn a blind eye to them hunting till the very last one of us? How''s that fair?\" Long stretched his healed arms and legs with a frown in response to the old woman. \"The Western, Northern and Southern Dragon tribes have all agreed to hunt you all down as a punishment to their loss during the rampage of the Corrupted Eastern Dragon which your sister triggered. What can a mere spiritualist like me do against them all?\" the old woman replied nonchalantly. \"Can''t you just knock them all down as you did to these bastards?\" Long kicked one of the fainted Arkhans and looked at the old woman with a murderous gaze. \"I can do the finishing of course.\" He added. \"Haaays. Dodong. You lived in this world for hundreds of years but you still got mountains of rice to eat.\" the old woman replied in surrender. Seeing the serious look at the young man before her, granny just sighed in surrender before she calmly raised her palm. \"Now your class is about to start. Go as I have much to do.\" Wooom~ Using her telekinetic powers, the old woman sent Long flying towards the door which was forcefully opened despite the locks placed on it. Long, with his stubbornness, managed to grab on the door''s edge with a pleading face. \"Please, granny I beg you to convince my sister to give me back my powers.\" \"I will. At the right time.\" And with this, she sent another forceful wave and Long was finally pushed deep inside and the door followed shut with the locks placed again like brand new. Seeing the troublesome youth gone, the granny finally heaved a sigh of relief. Her head suddenly turned at Elric''s direction and smiled. \"So are you just gonna stare there like a tarsier?\" Granny whispered with her eyes locked at Elric''s figure from the opposite building''s rooftop. Elric, on the other side, was surprised to hear her addressing directly at him. \"There is no doubt, she was referring to me.\" He thought. \"Just who really are you...\" Elric whispered in bewilderment. The old woman smiled faintly as if hearing his low reply. \"Follow me.\" She turned her back and suddenly dissapeared in a flash - like a bubble suddenly popping out of existence. Elric''s eyes rapidly scanned his surroundings and quickly traced her presence. The next thing he saw her, the granny was already walking calmly in the midst of the crowded street. She was holding a basket full of vegetables and was humming a melodic song. \"Matud nila... ako... dili angay...\" She sang in a heartful Visayan tone. Indeed, it was not the same grandma he knew; because the Grandma Elric knew hates that song so much. *** It was close to four o''clock in the afternoon and Elric found himself following the grandma to her home - it was the two-story apartment where his old nipa house stood long ago. The whole apartment was made from a mixture of wood and cement. It looked like an ordinary apartment with four spacious rooms at each level. With the grandma''s approval, Elric followed inside and his eyes could not help but roam around. He missed his old small room. He missed the small kitchen and he missed his grandma very much. His eyes stare at the back of the old woman he was following. He could not help but feel like she was a complete stranger to him despite her looking exactly like the grandma he knew. Not to mention the surprising power she wields. Despite his strict control of his body, Elric could still hear the faint thud of his footsteps on the wooden floor but the old woman was walking without making any noise. She was like a sneaking ninja which adds more to her mysterious background. Elric recalled the familiar footsteps of his grandma and this further proved his suspicion that it was really not her at all. \"Help yourself with some Pinaig. Your eyes looked really tired. Perhaps, you came from a very long journey.\" The old woman sat before the wooden table and passed a small white teacup and a kettle full of hot Pinaig, a famous hot coffee from the Philippines made from grounded dark-roasted corn kernels with sugar. Elric calmly sat on the opposite side of the table and poured himself some. With Elric''s present superior powers, drinking poison is nothing he should be afraid of. \"Who are you?..\" After taking a small sip, Elric asked the granny as he assessed her. \"Why do you look like my grandma Beth?\" Elric added with a little frown. 132 Plane of the Heavenly Void \"Before I answer your question, I must say, you came much earlier than I actually thought.\" granny replied with a smile as she also took a small sip from her drink. This scene reminded Elric of his time with the Great Seer Mhata. On how the latter brought Elric on an illusionary space where he had a coffee with her, with his grandma minding her own business in the background. Elric felt more questions bubbling in his mind but he chose to hold them for later. \"You were expecting me?\" Elric replied with a serious gaze. \"I did a thorough scan at your soul and It seems like you failed to acquire all the Elemental Authorities.\" grandma calmly replied. Elric''s eyes glowed in surprise and said, \"How did you...\" \"You youngsters think that you knew a lot about this world. You may have the World''s Knowledge in you but like a baby unable to read, you were not able to maximize its usefulness.\" She murmured as she raised her hand to massage her temple. Elric just watched along, waiting for more answers. \"Let me be frank to you Dodong. The grandma you knew? She is gone.\" the grandma talked with full seriousness while looking at Elric. Upon hearing her response, Elric remained calm. There was an itch in his heart upon hearing the truth but what she said was not a surprise to him. What he wanted to know was something else. His mouth moved to speak. \"Then why-\" \"I looked exactly like her?\" She interrupted as she picked up the small teaspoon on the side and started stirring her hot coffee. Calmly, she continued. \"As I mentioned there is a lot you do not know about the world. Even yourself, you don''t really know who you are. You may think that you know everything about yourself but the truth is you have not a single grain of an idea-\" \"Get to the point.\" Elric interrupted. His eyes locked on to her with determination. \"Tell me. Every time when you were on the verge of losing your mind or self control. Did somehow, a faint and warm voice came to help you?\" Elric''s head rose up upon hearing in surprise. He remembered vividly that warm and soothing voice that he heard inside his mind when he was on the verge of completely losing himself. One was during his transformation to the corrupted Black Ancestral Dragon, the second was during his mind test when he took the Spiritual Cleansing Pearl and the last one happened when he was trying to cross over dimensions at the Toray. It was exactly this voice that served as his last line of defense every time he was having complete seizure of his mind or soul. For some reason, it was a voice full of warmth and familiarity to him. Sipping calmly, she continued, \"Would you like to meet him? He could probably explain everything better to you.\" \"Meet him?\" \"Yes. Your spiritual Guardian. Your great Ancestor. Your protector. I don''t know and care how you call him. For me, he is just an undying bastard.\" She said with a tinge of irritation in her voice. Elric''s face tilted in confusion. \"Don''t resist.\" She suddenly said as she raised her palm pushed it towards Elric. Taken aback, Elric''s instinctive reaction allowed him to create a spiritual barrier in an instant. BWANG~ CReaak~ As a result of the sudden impact of two soul forces, the table broke in half and the coffee from the broken kettle and the shattered glass cups dissipated into nothing. \"Stupid child. I said don''t resist! Now you have to pay me for the broken table and- just. just stay calm and let me take your soul somewhere!\" She said irritably. \"You look and act like him. You really do come from that bastard.\" She added. \"What are you trying to do?\" Elric said as he slowly brought down his soul barrier in the form of glowing bright aura shrouding him. \"I will take you where that voice came from. Inside you, specifically. We are gonna travel in the form of our soul.\" Seeing that Elric still did not look convinced, she added, \" Don''t worry, his place is sealed with my protection, especially this room. No one is gonna touch us while we leave our bodies behind.\" Elric remained undecided. What if it was just a trap? \"You want to see your grandma too right?\" With these words, Elric''s eyes showed a hint of surprise and finally, slowly nodded. \"Now be a good boy. I need to focus on. Don''t defend cause I ain''t got no more extra tables. You still have to pay for them when we get back.\" Slowly she rosed up and came closer to touch Elric''s temple with her old, skinny hands. \"If this will allow me to meet grandma, I am more than willing to bring down my guard,\" Elric muttered. \"I know.\" grandma nodded and continued in a serious tone. \"And before I forgot, what we are about to do is actually not allowed under the laws of heaven and earth. That''s why I have set up an isolation formation in this house. So don''t go out mumbling about anything that will happen tonight.\" Elric nodded in response. Slowly grandma laid her hand on Elric and a pulsating mixture of cold and heat covered his entire body. The next time he realized, he was standing in the front of the door that contains the Ancestral Dragon essence. He is inside his mental plane of existence. \"No, we are not going there Dodong.\" The sound of the old granny came from behind. Elric turned around and saw an unfamiliar woman behind him. \"You-\" She looked like a woman on her fifties. She wore an elegant Filipiniana dress with her long black hair flowing down reaching knee level. She wore a wooden sandal and holds a small folded Abanico on her right hand, a type of fan made in the Philippines. She stood there with elegance and charm on a glowing semi-transparent body. \"This is my real form, Dodong. My name is Kahayag and I am an ancient spiritualist, basically a living spiritual being from the Light Dimension. I know you still have plenty of questions but let''s talk about that more when we finish our business here.\" And like a flash, her bright semi-transparent form turned into a ball of light and fleeted towards a certain direction. Elric felt more questions are piling up in his head but he still decided to follow her. Just like her, Elric transformed into a ball of light and followed after her faint light trails. Back at the human realm, Elric and granny''s body remained unmoving except for their eyes that seem to be rapidly twitching from under the lids. After an unknown amount of time, Elric finally spotted granny''s bright and transparent figure. She was standing before long stairs made of stone going down. Elric landed beside her and scanned the pitch dark place. There were no light around. Just an empty void spanning into his entire horizon and a long stone-stair before him. \"We are here. Follow me.\" She said as she took the first step. Elric resolutely followed suit. With each step, Elric felt like he was unable to move on. \"What''s this. I can''t move!\" Elric told the granny. \"We are ascending the Plane of the Heavenly Void. Going up requires that your heart and mind are free and not attached to the world.\" Elric tried even harder but he felt like his weight kept on increasing. He was unable to move another step. \"How am I gonna go up? How do I free my heart and mind? How do I get rid of attachment? I have plenty of mission to do back in the human realm. I can''t just give everything up!\" Elric shouted in frustration. \"How will I know that this is not a trap?!\" Elric added gritting his teeth. The old woman before him just looked back with a pathetic look towards Elric. \"You are powerful outside but incredibly weak inside. Despite all your advancement, in depth-cowardice will always be the cause of your destruction.\" Her elegant figure stood a few steps ahead of Elric with a condescending gaze. She spread wide her small Abanico and rapidly waved it to herself - a sign of displeasure usually made by Filipina ladies of ancient times. Seeing Elric still trying hard, despite her answer, she could not help but heaved a deep sigh. She turned around and left him alone. Elric forced himself up but just couldn''t do it. He looked up only to see her figure getting farther and farther before suddenly disappearing into nothingness. \"Free your heart and mind and get rid of your material connections. Why don''t you just say ''kill yourself Elric'', why use rhetoric when there is an easy way?\" Elric mumbled in complain. He had only made the third step but his body felt like they were chained from an unseen weights. He can''t move them even a single step! AGGGGH!~ Elric tried and tried until his semi-transparent form collapsed in surrender. His head raised up to look at the long winding stairs. \"What am I gonna do now? The answer is just above me but I can''t even advance a single step.\" Elric tiredly thought. His mind wandered for any answers and even checked the World knowledge only to end up in vain. Sighing deeply his memories wandered back at the time when he heard that warm voice again. A few moments later, his eyes flashed with an idea in mind. \"I see. Thanks, mysterious man - whom Kahayag called a bastard.\" Elric mumbled to himself and stood up in renewed vitality. 133 The Greatestererest Ancestral Madman Lapu-Lapu Elric recalled the realization he had during his God Reckoning Tribulation. It was the same realization triggered by the warm soothing voice that eventually liberated him from his suffering. \"Life is the movement of time and things. Everything comes and goes. Let go of your attachments and discover the boundless power of your light.\" Elric closed his senses and focused more on his existence. It was an empty yet present existence. It was the \"I\" instead of him. He was present and at the same time everywhere. It felt so natural to him in a mysterious way. He was everything and everywhere! Instantly, All the thoughts about his current dilemma are erased with complete nothingness. It was as if they never existed in the first place. He let everything go and shrouded himself in nothing but blissful light. He was light and free. Unknowingly, his spiritual body floated above the stone stair and slowly advanced towards the long winding stair. It did not take long before his surrounding view changed from pitch black into full brightness. His body morphed back into his human form and he immediately felt the soft and dry touch of the beach sand. He was back in his physical state but in a completely mysterious place. \"Where am I?\" Elric asked himself, trying his best to stay calm while his eyes scanned around seeking any trace from Kahayag who left him behind. \"Welcome, my child..\" The same warm and soothing voice from who knows where has taken Elric by surprise. \"Let me introduce myself to you.\" The same voice of a man added. Slowly, Elric heard a faint voice of shouting men from the distance. The thud of the numerous rushing feet could be heard scrambling from his surroundings followed by an increasing sound of the scream from the distance. Behind Elric, he could hear the slow cascading sound of the waves but he surroundings are still covered in white mist causing him to be unable to see the water somewhere. SHOOOHK~ A long wooden spare with a sharp and pointy tip came brushing Elric''s hair. Instinctively, Elric tried to summon his Dragon powers to fight back. \"No..\" Elric immediately realized that he was unable to use his Dragon powers nor his Elemental Authority at the moment and this immediately caused him to stand low in the guard of any incoming attacks. Right now, he was standing in the middle of the sandy beach surrounded by the white mist. The air was cold and wet, reminiscent of dawn. He could feel that the sun is slowly rising from his right where the spear first came from. SHOOOK~ SHOOOK~ Another series of spear came flying from the distance, fortunately, they were not aimed at Elric. He was still surrounded by a thick white mist so he had no idea who and where it actually came from. The least he can do at the moment is to prepare himself for any incoming attack. The warcries of the man from the distance continued to become louder and louder - giving Elric a hint that they are getting incredibly close. \"This is bad~\" Without hesitation, Elric chooses to run towards the opposite direction where the sound of the crashing waves came from. Despite not knowing what''s in front of him, he still chooses to run to safety as his logic tells him to. A few seconds later, Elric found himself touching the ocean waves with his knees. \"Ocean?\" Elric anxiously tasted the water and confirmed what it was. He looked towards the deeper parts and the thick white mist suddenly dissipated apart. A large carrack or a four-masted Galeon with a large black cross painted over them spanned valiantly before his very eyes. The sixty-feet long Galleon stopped from the distance, seemingly unable to move forward due to the large rock and corals underwater. Suddenly appeared from below, smaller boats loaded with people wearing metal-plated armors with weapons ranging from the axe, swords, crossbows, and even rifles hanging on their back and sides. They were Spanish colonizers led by Ferdinand Magellan. \"Am I being transported back in time to witness the Battle in Mactan?\" Elric mumbled to himself after seeing and realizing what is currently happening. \"No. I am showing you a memory of the last day of my life.\" The warm voice suddenly replied. Hearing the same voice over and over again, Elric felt a very familiar comfort and seems to have started to get used to it already. \"Just watch and relax my son.\" Added the voice and Elric did so. Soon, five smaller boats had landed to the shoreline and immediately stood in a tight V formation - their guns were quickly loaded and aimed at their opposite side. Quickly, a man with tall stature and a condescending gaze, wearing armor with the finer quality compared to the rest, stood in front and shouted in his own Spanish dialect. An interpreter stood just beside him. \"Lapu-Lapu! With the authority vested to me by the God of heavens and King Phillip of Spain! Surrender now and proclaim that you will and only worship his majesty. Raja Humabon has already accepted thy faith and he is bound to nothing but prosperity and glory with us! Lay down your weapons and accept our final offer. Or else-\" \"Or else what?\" The rampaging sound of the footsteps has finally calmed down and the thick white mist of the dawn slowly dissipated from the other side - revealing a huge number of native brown warriors standing in three divisions. Their total numbers reached over a thousand, scattered all over the sandy beach. They were all covered in tribal tattoos stretching all over their bodies. Their eye locked with fierce gazes towards the incoming invaders. They were prepared to defend their land. A bulky half-naked man walked confidently in front, carrying a Kampilan - a large native sword reminiscent of a large katana swung heavily on his right hand. A scarlet headband was tied - covering his forehead while his muscles are bulging in obvious power it posses. He was Lapu-Lapu, the local chieftain of the Mactan island and the one who replied with utmost confidence against the leader of the Spanish invaders. \"We bow to no God but the spirit inside us.\" Lapu-Lapu, with his warm yet authoritative voice shouted in reply. Magellan''s interpreter on the other side did his job right away and Magellan immediately frowns in displeasure after hearing the interpreted reply. \"Hahaha! Just look how manly my entrance is. What do you think son? I look handsome right?\" The warm voice suddenly interrupted Elric who was watching on the sides. Judging from their reaction despite him obviously standing before them, it seems that the people around do not see him at all. With a surprized look in his face, Elric said, \"So you are Lapu-Lapu? Then why do you call me son-\" \"Shhhh- quite. I love this part.\" The warm voice of Lapu-Lapu stopped him. \"Are you boys done with your Sine?\" The voice of Kahayag entered out of nowhere as well. \"Oh, Inday! I am just showing my Apo how amazing his greatestererest grandpa is.\" The warm voice excitedly invited Kahayag. \"I don''t have time for your childish-\" Kahayag declined. \"Pfft. Boring. Hey Elric. Just watch. Look how I took care of those white-egged kids.\" Hearing the unseen characters talking in his background, Elric only ended up being more confused. Just what the heck is greatestererest anyway? Either way, he was still interested to watch what really happened in the famous event called the Battle of Mactan. The show continued before his very eyes. The sun was still far from completely revealing itself, but Elric could see everything as if it was a day. With a smirk on his face, Ferdinand Magellan took out the long sword dangling on his side and waved it high. \"Mate! todos os ¨ªndios!\" Magellan bellowed furiously. His eyes glared with great fervor and pointed his sharp sword directly towards Lapu-Lapu''s figure. It was a declaration to kill all the brown men whom they called Indios. \"Patya! Ubosa sila tanan!\" Lapu-Lapu shouted in reply. It means to kill and wipe them out. The Spanish men were greatly outnumbered, fifty against a thousand native men. But with the help of their advance weapon and full plated armors, their confidence soared high. BANG! BANG! SHOOK~ BANG! BANG! The waist-deep water was a great disadvantage to the charging brown men. The Spaniards took advantage of this opportunity and relentlessly unloaded their guns as more bodies of native men suddenly collapsed while charging - they were dead. Elric watched the battle with a frowning face. He already knew what was gonna happen according to the records but actually seeing the event firsthand was just completely different. The shoreline was quickly dyed red from the blood of the dead men. The Spanish men mercilessly shot barrage after barrage of their gunfires while their hard plated armors kept them safe from the weak arrows of the natives. BANG!- TING!~ But contrary to the dying men, Lapu-Lapu was different. Bloodlust was masked in his face. He used his incredible speed, flexibility, and strength to deflect the bullets as if they were just ping pong balls. \"Focus on him!\" Seeing that Lapu-Lapu managed to advance forward without sustaining a single injury, Magellan immediately shouted another command. In response, more of Magellan''s men switched to target the crazy brown man right away. BA-BA-BA-BANG! TI-TI-TI-TING!~ Like a possessed demon, Lapu-Lapu swiftly blocked all the incoming bullets with his massive cutlass. His bulging muscles danced together with the swiftly splashing water with the blade as his partner. He showed the main reason he was elected as the Chief of the Mactan island. He was the best warrior of the Visayas after all. Seeing this, Magellan ordered a more focused attack against the incoming madman, giving more space for the other natives to advance further. One of Magellan''s men managed to move past the charging natives and prepared for a melle battle against the chief of the Mactan island. The soldier had a wide smirk on his face as he swung his long sword aiming at Lapu-Lapu''s neck. \"Hah. Easy kill-\" RAAGHR! CLANK! Unexpectedly, Lapu-Lapu managed to stop the sword with a sudden grab of his bare mouth. His red brown-red eyes glowed menacingly as it reflected from the shiny sword of the Spanish soldier. Elric, on the other side, could only do nothing but hang his mouth open in great surprise. His eyes almost popping out as well. \"Saitama is that you?\" Elric thought. 134 Unexpected Appearance/Business Shaking and unavoidably shat his pants. The Spanish soldier who was just about to cut Lapu-Lapu into half could only let go of his sword after witnessing the out-of-this-world madness showed by the chieftain of the Mactan island. Fear struck him like a dog as he quickly turned around to flee. BANG!~ \"Covarde...\" Magellan shot his fleeing men, resulting in a gaping bloody hole in his head. He despises cowards and people that disobey his command the most. Lapu-Lapu had a confused look on his face. Why would his captain suddenly kill his own men? \"My command is to advance. Never retreat.\" Magellan explained in his language. Lapu-Lapu on the other side seems to understand what he was talking about judging from the language written in Magellan''s burning determined eyes. \"In our veins, flow the blood of the glorious explorer and fighter. Traveled across the boundless sea, and fought battles more than you can imagine.\" Magellan said as he slowly advanced alone towards the standing madman. His right hand is raised, giving a signal to his men that this certain fight is his to finish. Lapu-Lapu on the other side seemed to understand the gesture and ordered his men to stay back and mind their own fights. Leader to Leader. Just as it should be. The unstoppable raging swords of the west has finally met the ferocious thick blades of the southeast island. \"It takes more than courage to face you natives of this land. I came for God, the Gold, and the Glory.\" Magellan said as their distance slowly thinned. He dropped his gun and swapped it with the long sharp sword on his hand - pointing it at Lapu-Lapu''s face. \"I am guided by the light of God and in the name of King Philip, we will take over this land under your fallen corpse, king of Indios. And by doing so, we will name this land under our own king! It shall be called Philippines!\" \"This is Maharlika!~\" Lapu-Lapu shouted followed by a furious charge towards the white warrior. CLAAAANGK!~ Their swords met with the wild splashes of the waves on the background together with the sparks of their metal weapons. The sun was finally revealing its rays on the east and the dark silhouettes have finally released their hidden colors. A bulky half-naked brown man and an armor-clad European brandished their swords furiously at each other, creating sparks here and there together with their manic shouts and rage. ORAAH!!~ CLANG!~ HAH!~ CLANG!~ Magellan''s move was exceptionally fluid and calculated. With his quick wits and sharp eyes, he managed to avoid and create exceptional counterattacks that aim to take advantage of Lapu-Lapu''s wild hacks. It was like an elusive Spanish Matador dodging and guiding every charge of the fierce bull. He was indeed not just an ordinary captain, but a warrior tempered by studying and countless battles. It was obviously not his first time taking on a fierce native warrior. Their fight was like the centerpiece of the battlefield. All the warrior from both sides understood the mood and eventually gave space to their ever-evolving clash. And as usual, Magellan''s flexible maneuver allowed him to create glaring wound all over his opponent''s body. Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu''s heavy cutlass could only create large dents all over Magellan''s armor - preserving the latter''s life and giving him the eventual upper hand in the battle. \"Curvar-se ao rei da Espanha!\" Magellan shouted in wild confidence as he continued to intentionally pierce Lapu-Lapu''s body with his sword while avoiding the vital spots to lengthen his entertainment. He was telling the chieftain of the Mactan island to bow under the king of Spain. Thud! Finally, succumbing to the intense pain of the glaring wounds all over his body, Lapu-Lapu''s figure kneeled before the commander of the Victoria - the name of the Galeon ship Magellan led. \"NO!~\" Elric shouted anxiously as he was too engrossed watching the battle and did not expect the outcome. \"This is not what was written in history!\" Elric complained in his mind as his eyes continued to watch the glorious scene before him. \"Chill down son. The fight had just started.\" The warm voice of the man followed. Seeing the satisfying scene of the wild brown native chief kneeling before him, Magellan heaved a deep sigh of relief as a victorious smile crept into his bushy beard. His armor is riddled with blood and long dents from Lapu-Lapu''s attack. Thanks to his wise judgment and accurate prediction, he managed to control the battle''s pace according to his calculation. Lapu-Lapu was fierce but he was smartly fiercer. Magellan was not just a fighter, but a wise man with incredible intelligence as well. He was never chosen as a captain just because he was the son of a mayor back in his land. He was, after all an exceptional person himself. Worthy of praises and honor. \"Nooo!~\" \"Nalupig si Lapu?\" \"Imposible!\" Shouted the natives in surprise. They could not believe their powerful chieftain would fall down under the sword of the white invaders. The fight is over. The native lost great moral and are slowly retreating upon seeing their chieftain finally kneeling before the powerful invaders. Despite their overwhelming numerical advantage, their fire-hardened wooden spares, bows and arrows, stones and Sundang or short swords usually used for cutting woods, were just plain not enough compared to the enemy''s advanced choices of weaponry. Not to mention, the full plated armors of their enemy and their fire-spewing rifles continued to punch death into their guts and muscles. There was even a line of cannons lying in wait back at their Galeon just in case their enemy came inside its range. From the sides are their fellow countrymen who came from the opposite island and were converted in the Catholic faith and choose to side on the invaders as well. They were numbering from four hundred and started their assault on the sidelines and behind. And under the guided plan from Magellan, they did not forget to burn down several houses of the residents of the Mactan island in hopes of demoralizing their enemy. Realizing their houses transforming into ashes very quick, the fighters in Lapu-Lapu''s side were enraged instead. They fought left and right, against the white invaders and the turncoat islanders. But to no avail. Their thousand numbers quickly dwindled down into just five hundred. The sun''s red reflection only intensified the bloody water of the Mactan beach that morning. \"Hahahaha~\" The sound of a hysterical laugh from Lapu-Lapu suddenly came out of his bloody mouth. Magellan''s smile quickly dissapeared and his eyes grew in great surprise. Magellan watched as Lapu-Lapu suddenly started sucking his flowing blood from one of his glaring wounds in his left arm. It was a creepy and unsettling sight indeed. Lapu-Lapu''s eyes were glowing red like that of the mad devil. His mouth continued to move and sucked in more of his oozing blood while his body started to release scarlet steam. His aura changed from a beast to a terrifying monster. Elric, who was watching on the other side was shocked at the disturbing sight as well. \"It''s showtime!\" Applauded the excited voice on his side. WHHHOOOOOOH~ Then came rushing the cold east wind. The clouds turned black and Magellan could not help but feel his hair standing stiff on his bad premonition. \"You need help? Your wife told me to come. She said you might overstep your arrogance again and really die this time.\" A growling voice from an unknown creature suddenly came from the back of Magellan. He quickly noticed that his men are all scattered far away from him with their eyes wide in shock while gazing at his direction. Instinctively, Magellan refused to look back and see what''s behind him. He is currently trying his best to cover the yellow piss flowing in his pants while his heart pumped wildly from the dangerous feeling behind him. THUD~ THUD~ Not giving Magellan a heck, a long Eastern Dragon finally revealed his gigantic body before Magellan''s very eyes. With every step, Magellan felt like the world is collapsing and the water was vibrating accordingly in its sheer weight. It''s long snake-like body was filled with a brilliant mixture of red and green scales that shone like little emeralds under the faint light of the day. It has short yet muscular legs and deer-like horns on its magnificent head. It was Lang. The same Eastern King Dragon that Elric met on that fateful night. \"Seeing that you are back in your stupid blood-sucking moment to retain your vitality and pump up your energy, I must say your wife knows you too well.\" \"Shut up and give me some of your blood.\" Lapu-Lapu stopped sucking his blood and bellowed angrily at the magnificent Eastern Dragon. \"Five goats! And your life is saved!\" The Eastern Dragon suddenly shone brightly and transformed into a noble-looking Chinese man with long black beards, red and green silk dress with a red cap at the top and an abacus on the hand. \"Two goats!\" Lapu-Lapu shouted back trying to tone down the price of the Dragons blood. The battle has stopped. Everyone stopped fighting and watched the bizarre event going on instead. \"Four!\" The Dragon fervently replied. \"Three goats!\" Lapu-Lapu readjusted. \"Four is final.\" \"Then three goats and two chicken!\" Lang quickly swiped his abacus on his hand with a serious frown in his face, a few seconds later he added, \"Male?\" \"Female!\" \"Both?\" \"Yes!\" TAK-TAK-TAK~ The sound of the working abacus came again. \"How old are the hen?\" Lang suddenly said. He was in his full business mode. \"Ready for breeding! Hurry I am losing my consciousness here you stupid lizard!\" \"Three goats and two female chicken - deal!\" And as quickly as that, the deal is settled. Lang revealed his sharp nail, pricked his finger, and casually flicked a droplet of his blood towards Lapu-Lapu''s mouth. \"My job here is done. You, my friend, are extremely lucky to have such an insightful two-hundredth wife. Don''t forget to deliver my goods later in the Mercado. Remember, three HEALTHY goats and two HEALTHY-READY-FOR-BREEDING hens.\" Lang transformed back to his dragon form and calmly flew away as if it was just an ordinary day. One could hear a happy humming from its huge mouth. The blackened storm clouds are gone and the atmosphere is back to normal. Facing a woundless, energetic and vigorous Lapu-Lapu before him, Magellan could only stare and blink blankly on what had just transpired. \"Okay! Round two! Let''s do this!\" Lapu-Lapu excitedly grabbed his dropped cutlass and turned around towards his men''s direction. \"HOOOY! MGA TALAWAAAN!! ATAKE! PAAAAYT!\" Lapu-Lapu shouted angrily seeing that his men have gone far away from him. He called them cowards and ordered them to come back and fight. He hates coward people the most. Elric had gone too numb to react after witnessing everything. \"What just happened?\" He numbly asked himself. 135 Play Time Is Over Kla-Klang-Klang! With the help of a single droplet of Dragon blood, Lapu-Lapu is back to his peak performance. Magellan on the other side fought with a dumbstruck look on his face. \"Did I just witness a Chinese Dragon appearing out of nowhere and did a casual business with this monkey before me?\" Magellan thought as he slowly lost his advantage against Lapu-Lapu''s relentless attacks. His armor is slowly being chipped away together with his previous arrogance. \"rid¨ªculo! This is cheating!\" He bellowed complaining at the unfairness of the situation. CLANG!~ \"covarde ¨ªndio!\" He mocked his opponent as a coward Indio. Lapu-Lapu did not understand him of course. The latter was just smiling happily as he hacked and slashed to his heart''s content. His wounds and dents are piling up from his arms, chest, and sides! Even his helmet has chipped marks from close calls of Lapu-Lapu''s wild slashes. Finally, Magellan noticed the incredible soreness he felt all over his body. He felt the armor becoming stiffer and his breathing became very heavy. And with a clear look, he realized that Lapu-Lapu was not using the sharp edge of the heavy cutlass, but the rough opposite side instead! No wonder his metal armor remained intact despite the huge dents. He was doing it on purpose to prolong the fight as well. Magellan suddenly realized that his muscles had gone too stiff and the joints hurt a lot! His body was heavily inflamed from the heavy hits from Lapu-Lapu''s cutlass. Not to mention, his cocky look on his face seems to tell him that he was confident that he will not lose the fight nor at least die from it. He had a Dragon as back up after all! The wicked smile from the brown warrior told him that the latter was enjoying the fight to the fullest! It was until then he realized what Lapu-Lapu was actually doing. They were not wild slashes at all but purpose-filled to not kill Magellan but to experience an expert battle against him! SHOOOK!~ ACK!~ A poisoned arrow went straight deep at the small unarmored slit in Magellan''s left leg resulted in the sudden stop of their ferocious fight. \"And there goes the killjoy.\" The sound of the man''s voice came again. Elric traced the origin of the arrow only to become utterly shocked - again. \"KAHAYAAAG!!!\" Lapu-Lapu shouted irritably. With one look at the lodged arrow on the Spaniard''s left leg, he already knew who owned that special poisoned arrow. He turned around to glare at the distant figure of a woman clothed in various colored fabric with shamanic scriptures written all over the edges. She was holding a longbow who confidently glared back at the chieftain of the island. She was Kahayag, the 200th wife of Lapu-Lapu and the most powerful Babaylan or shaman of the entire Visayan islands. Her appearance on the island was a complete mystery but despite that, she was still one of Lapu-Lapu''s wife. It was her who told Lang, the eastern Dragon King, of the possible bad outcome of the battle. And it was also her who shot the arrow from a distance of more than five hundred meters to precisely hit the small exposed leg of Magellan. \"Your playtime is over! Finish that foreigner and come home!\" Kahayag, turned around and left. Her figure banished mysteriously as it blended into the dense forest behind her. \"It was a good fight, White man,\" Lapu-Lapu said as he prepared to finish off the downed Spanish captain. Lapu-Lapu raised his heavy cutlass, with the sharp edge facing down this time, and was about to hack the foreigner down. But realizing that it was not a clean victory on his side, he decided to turn around instead. \"Leave.\" He said as he threw a bottle with an antidote from the poison beside the feeble captain. \"My stupid wife is angry and I haven''t got my fill yet. And that look in her eyes. how dare she. Just you wait-\" Lapu-Lapu left the area with a mumbling mouth. Understanding the island chieftain''s intention, Magellan''s pride surged in unexpectedly. \"Is he looking down on me? Just because I am wounded doesn''t mean I am not going to fight!\" Magellan thought as he forced himself to stand up and grabbed the hilt of his sword. \"INDIO!\" Magellan shouted in rage as he struggled his way to push a good hack at the brown man''s back. Instinctively, Lapu-Lapu quickly turned around to receive the attack only to realize that the expected hack did not come. Magellan took his handgun he was hiding at his back. He was going to end the fight in one good bang. But before he could pull the trigger, a bamboo spear with a metal tip suddenly came piercing him from his side. It went through his thick armor as if it was just a thin piece of paper! \"DIE!\" one of Lapu-Lapu''s men took the initiative to finish the captain of the invading Spaniards. Along with it, Magellan lost his grip on his handgun. His sword was too far away so he feet-flicked a nearby spear near his foot, caught it, and lodged it deep into the heart of the backstabbing islander. However, three more island warriors came from other sides and threw rocks, arrows and even mud just to stop the Spanish captain''s unyielding fury. Despite the numerous inflamed muscles, poisoned state, and glaring wounds on his body, he remained a fighter and did not hesitate to bring more brown men to grave with him! Lapu-Lapu watched it all with a bored look in his face. It was not a worthy battle anymore if his enemy is wounded while he is in his peak state. He turned around and made the last command. \"Ubosa silang tanan!\" He shouted, telling his men to kill all the remaining invaders. His men, covered in blood and tribal tattoos gladly obeyed in revenge of their fallen brothers and burnt houses. The Spanish soldiers on Magellan''s side have also finally realized one big problem - they were out of ammunition. And with the current situation, the most possible outcome at the moment is for them to be completely irradicated! \"FALL BACK!\" Juan Sebasti¨¢n Elcano, Magellan''s most trusted aide, and fellow adventurer immediately took command after seeing that their captain has fallen. He was too preoccupied defending himself and was unable to send immediate support to aid Magellan''s fare. However, blaming himself does not help them at the moment. They must survive and the only way to do so is flee! Under the cover of their last remaining firepower, Elcano and his twenty or less crew pushed back their small boats to the deeper tides and hastily rowed themselves towards the Victoria. The island warrior continued chasing and unleashed every range of attacks they can as they threw rocks, arrows and even spear towards the escaping invaders - unfortunately, it was too dangerous. The fleeing invaders may be few, but their accurate and fatal bullets were strong enough to scare the shit out of the chasing islanders. Try as they may using their boats, but the threat of the glaring cannons on the side of the ship also tells them it was not a good idea to push it further. At least, the island warriors successfully defended their land from the Spanish invaders and Elric was able to witness it all. YAAAAH! ALALALLALALAAA!~ HAH!YAHAHAH! The island warriors celebrated on the bloody shore as the sacrifices of their brothers had been faithfully avenged and the island they grew with is still free from the hands of the Spanish colonizers. As they danced and celebrated, Lapu-Lapu was standing with an uncontended face. How could he not get mad? He wanted more fight! But his stupid Babylan wife finished intruded before they could reach the climax of their battle! It was infuriating on his side! There were no other warriors strong enough to challenge him except for that certain Magellan. The chieftain of Cebu - Rajah Humabon was not interested in fighting and would spend his day doing politics, indulging in food and woman. No wonder he had such a bulging pot belly. Come to think of it, he still had to deal with the conspiring warriors from Humabon''s side. \"PAMINAW!!\" Lapu-Lapu roared and the joyful cheer of his people suddenly halted. \"Tonight we feast! The island we live, we have defended!\" Lapu-Lapu shouted. AYAYAYYAYAAAAH! RAAAHAHAHA! The men replied with a cheerful bellow. \"We need no God that they bring in sculpted rocks or woods. It is the spirit inside us who lead us! Mabuhi!\" Lapu-Lapu added in inspiring energy. \"Mabuhi!\" \"Ahoo-Ahoo!\" Their loud cheers continued as the battle of Mactan has ended in the island dweller''s favor. *** Back at the Galeon ship known as Victoria, Elcano and his men were currently slumping in dead-tired bodies. In the background, the sound of mutiny is slowly brewing and the new captain was too tired to deal with it. He was too depressed with the loss of his great captain. Their light and guide. His true friend and fellow adventurer. Their plan did not go as they expected. There were just too many unexpected variables and things did not go as they planned. Not to mention, they even witnessed the sudden appearance of the Chinese Dragon that quickly tilted the fight in the enemy''s advantage. What the heck was that for? While his men were arguing on what to do next. Elcano had his eyes closed in prayer while doing a gesture with the sign of a cross. \"God. May you lead Ferdinand Magellan''s spirit to your care.\" He mumbled faithfully and added, \"please give us a sign on what to do next.\" And as if an answered prayer, a tall man with cold blue eyes and blond hair suddenly appeared before him. Elcano''s eyes grew wide in surprise and could not help but feel pressured at the unexplainable presence of the tall man before him. \"Go-g-God?\" Elcano stuttered in question. The mysterious man did open its mouth but a faint voice can be heard inside Elcano''s mind. \"Rest.\" And as it happened, everyone on the Victoria suddenly collapsed in deep sleep. More people with the same appearance of the so-called \"God\" suddenly appeared out of nowhere and their hand immediately started to glow in brilliant lights and touched the heads of the unconscious adventurers - their memories being modified. They were the Guardians, and they are here to do their job - keeping the secret of the Dragon''s existence. As for the native witnesses of the island, well, they have their own secret to keep as they are under the protection of the Babaylan whom the Guardians do not dare to mess with. 136 The True Enemy \"So what really is the reason that I am here and had to witness those events?\" Elric asked his surroundings hoping to receive a reply from the warm voice of the man who seems to be another version of Lapu-Lapu himself. Elric is back alone standing in the white sand and the scene of the Mactan dwellers'' silhouette dancing in celebration can be seen in his background. \"Contrary to what you learned from the books, you see, I did not die in this battle.\" The warm voice of Lapu-Lapu came out of nowhere. \"You see, there is an even stronger enemy out there that brings more threat than those invaders...\" And as Elric heard this, his background changed again. Next, he saw Lapu-Lapu and Kahayag standing on a huge rock, twelve other powerful-looking native warriors were standing on guard behind them. Lapu-Lapu and the twelve warriors had this scarlet headband tied in their forehead, all of them wielding various weapons made of gold. Some have swords, others preferred axe, spears, even bow and arrows to some. While on Kahayag, the only female in the group, is holding into a bow and arrow. She was wearing her usual white tribal dress. It was already dawning and before them is the wide expanse of the deep blue sea that reflected the reddish moon. It was only then that Elric realized that the moon was as red as blood and it brought him a complicated feeling of anxiety and weakness. Standing before the sea horizon, Lapu-Lapu and his men wore resolute faces as they tightened their grip on their individual weapons. These few chosen warriors are Lapu-Lapu''s most trusted men as well. As a matter in fact they came out of the battle in Mactan without a single scratch. Not to mention, throughout the battle, they have a happy expression in their face as if they were there to play and were not taking the whole fight seriously! But now, those calm and joyful expressions are gone. All their eyes reflected their utmost seriousness with a glimpse of fear. \"They are coming...\" Kahayag suddenly blurted out, she quickly raised her bow and aimed towards the sea. SHOOOOOHK~ Her arrow flew a good two kilometers without even losing momentum. As a Babaylan, she is capable of wielding supernatural powers impossible to ordinary men. It was an arrow embedded with magic, able to retain its power and strength no matter the distance it traveled. Then finally, the arrow suddenly dived down towards the water and dissapeared out of nowhere. \"How many?\" Lapu-Lapu suddenly spoke with grave expression in his face. \"Around twenty-four this time. One of them is King.\" Kahayag replied with her eyes glowing in yellow lights. She is currently remote viewing the area where her arrow went. \"So a King again this time huh.\" Lapu-Lapu murmured as he turned around to face his twelve trusted warrior behind him. \"Men, remove it.\" He added as he also started to remove the scarlet piece of clothes tied in his head and covering his temple. Aside from Kahayag, his men did remove theirs as well. Elric''s eyes glowed in surprise as he finally saw what were behind those scarlet clothes covering their heads. It was a shining third-eye symbol inside a triangle. It glowed with incredible warmth and a mystery. \"I call upon the spirits from the Realm of Lights. Guide us and help us, to do your will and protect our kin. In your name, I called thee! Come!\" With these chants from the Babaylan, the wind started to rampage and the sea came to unrest. She faced the fine warriors with her and pointed to them as if guiding an invisible spirit. And with their seals undone, Lapu-Lapu and his twelve warriors'' body suddenly bulged with almost three times their ordinary sizes. Their eyes turned from black into bright orange and their aura exploded with incredible power and presence. The various golden swords, ax, spears, and arrows on their hands are also being enveloped in blue fires! \"What the-\" Elric gaped in surprise as he witnessed the sudden changes in the men''s structure and their glowing weapons. \"Those are some freaking level one hundred upgraded weapons!\" He thought with his mind quickly relating to his gaming memories. \"Prepare yourselves, they are coming!\" Kahayag shouted in obvious haste. Lapu-Lapu and his men also took their individual positions. \"The King is mine!\" Lapu-Lapu confidently declared. BOOOOM!~ A huge and powerful explosion in the middle of the deep-blue water suddenly erupted a kilometer ahead of them. GROOOOOAAAH!~ GRAAAAAH!~ GRAAAAAGH!~ Several thunder-like voices followed forth from the mouth of the huge creatures emerging out of the water. They were giant humans standing more than twenty meters tall. Their body glistened with scales covering most of their parts while obvious gills that lined across their neck can be seen twitching freakishly as it takes in the oxygen in the air. Aside from their different heights and body build, these Anuks also have different numbers of arms, legs, eyes and even mouth. Like mutated freaks, some have three eyes and two mouths, others have five arms and four legs and so on. They looked and moved incredibly weird but one thing that is common to them is their massive advantage in strength and not to mention, they had long adapted to their extra body parts and used them incredibly wisely. Despite their huge sizes, they moved with irregular regularity. While others jumped out of the water to move, others dived deeper in accordance with their body advantage. Wherever they came from or where they were hiding, that is still a mystery for them as they seem to come and go as they please by suddenly disappearing like bubles. And according to Kahayag, these giant Anuks are currently residing in the hidden legendary underwater City of Atlantis which current location is still untraceable. Obviously, there is an even higher being protecting them and working on the background for them. Quickly, like hungry beasts, the giant Anuks rushed their way to the shore. And like a scheduled fight, Lapu-Lapu and his men received the unwanted giants with flaming swords together with the help of the borrowed powers from the unseen spirits of Light, they managed to start the fight with a flashy show of strength that can rival the giant''s naturally overwhelming strength. GROOOOAH!~ SLASH! SMASH! GRAOOOOAH!~ \"These Anuks keeps growing and evolving like shit!\" Lapu-Lapu murmured in surprise as he realized the incredible changes in the towering human''s figure. Like a scene in a famous animated film Attack on Titans, he lunged himself towards the mountain-like body of the Anuks, hacked and slashed like a mad God of war. The giant Anuks retaliated with their heavy fish smash, deadly stomps and even hard claps trying to squash their miniature opponents. And just like that, the battle of the Anuks and the island warriors of Mactan led by Lapu-Lapu created massive craters of destruction across the rocky beach. \"They are the Anuks. The son of the fallen angels. \" The warm voice explained at Elric who was staring intently on the battle of the giants and the island warrior. \"Their existence should have been wiped out long ago during the great storm and flood. But it seems some managed survive with the help of certain mysterious individuals who called themselves The Outsiders.\" The voice continued and Elric finally reacted with a frown on his face. \"The Outsiders?\" Elric muttered in surprise. It was not the first time for him hearing about them as this seemingly enigmatic beings continued to move strings here from there to create events. \"Just what are they? And what is their purpose?\" Elric mumbled to himself. \"The Anuks should have been completely wiped out since water is one of their greatest weakness. But as you can see, they seem to have evolved and found a way to survive and even live in the water.\" \"I see. The bible did mention them though. I never thought they are actually real.\" Elric replied. \"Kahayag, who came from the dimension of Light, is a Spiritual being who has no real human body. She is currently using your grandma''s \"jar\" to move around the human physical realm with a certain mission. If you want to know what really happened to your grandma, I think it is best that you ask her.\" The warm voice added. Elric remained quiet for some time as everything that happened so far had overwhelmed him. It was just too confusing as more questions keep piling up in his head. \"I need answers! But where do I really start?\" Elric held touched his temple from the headache of all this information bombardment. The battle is currently reaching the peak as the twelve human warriors are now down to four with Lapu-Lapu, Kahayag, and two other badly wounded men. On the other side, the twenty-four or so giant Anuks are still standing with only five losses on their end. Their humungous bodies are riddled with scorched marks and bleeding wounds but their superior healing abilities seem to have gone a notch in their evolution as well. The situation was not looking good on the human''s side. \"So tell me,\" Elric said, referring to the warm voice of Lapu-Lapu in his background. \"Why did Kahayag took me here? Is it just to show me these? Surely there must be something else.\" Elric said. \"You think we are gonna lose like that?\" The voice added as the whole atmosphere suddenly changed. Elric suddenly noticed the hundred or so, silhouettes of the majestic Eastern Dragons hiding behind the thick dark clouds. \"The reinforcements have come. And the deal is about to be revealed. Watch closely, boy.\" 137 Receiving The Gif \"Are you trying to imply that Dragons used to work with humans? Specifically, the dwellers of this island?\" Elric asked the warm voice of Lapu-Lapu. \"We did. It was only under a certain agreement though as the Dragons are also after something that we have. In exchange, they offer protection to us against any invaders and enemies that would try to snatch the treasure away from us.\" The warm voice replied. \"Treasure?\" \"The reason the giant Anuks are here is to get that certain treasure that has been passed down to us and had been under our protection ever since the time immemorial.\" \"And that item is?\" \"That is something I do not know.\" The voice said with a quivering voice. An unsure gist between his words. \"You are not sure?\" Elric asked, confused. \"I am not sure. But we trust and follow the guidance of the spirits and the Babaylan.\" \"That item remained a mystery to us and even our great ancestors have no idea what it was. We only knew that it was being hidden secretly in one of the Visayan islands and that it was an item brought here by a mysterious foreign named Joseph.\" The warm voice explained and added, \"And us warriors of the islands are especially born to protect this item. Generations after generations, we protect our land from them, and by doing so, keep our island away from the grasp of the invaders who may have known about its existence and would attempt to have their hands on it. Not to mention, even if they knew about it, not even our great ancestors are to speak a word about its exact name or location. We only know of one thing why those Anuks and other invaders had never seized searching for it here.\" \"And that is?\" Elric asked with utmost curiosity. Just what kind of item would bring in troubles from extraordinary creatures as the giant Anuks? Not to mention, it seems that these are just one of the numerous legendary battles that have never reached the inks of history! \"It is said that this item has something to do with God''s essence. An item that can bring forth power beyond measures. Wealth beyond your greed can imagine and knowledge that could shatter the heavens. That is what our great ancestors said.\" The warm voice of Lapu-Lapu explained. And the way it was kept a secret obviously has something to do with the works of the Guardians - Elric concluded. And if Elric would like to know what this certain item is, he should get a clue from these elusive Guardians and know its true origin. \"Or could it be that the item is already in the hands of the Guardians? Knowing them, it seems that is a big possibility indeed!\" Elric deduced confidently. \"You may have a point son, but I am afraid to say you are wrong. You see, one way to know where that item is hidden is also by using the help of the Anuks.\" \"By using the Anuks? How so?\" Elric asked curiously. \"The Anuks''s are descendants from heavenly being - the reasons they are also subject for destruction is because they possess the heavenly essence which is a power not supposed to be existing in this realm. As for the sake of the mankind, the great flood did try to clear them all out, but in the end, a handful of them managed to survive thanks to the intrusion of the so-called ''Outsiders''.\" \"I see. These so-called Outsiders, what else do you know about them?\" Elric asked with an even serious tone. It seems the so-called Outsiders has a far deeper mysterious foundation than he had expected. Are they immortals? It seems to be considering they managed to exist and pull some extraordinary job that even dared to fight against the will of nature. \"And the item they are searching for is suspected to become an item from heaven itself. With the Anuks help whose originator is from heaven themselves, they had also inherited the exclusive abilities to sense divine essence.\" The warm voice added. \"And since it led them here, it means...\" Elric said, connecting more dots. \"That''s right. That item is hidden somewhere in the Mactan island. Where the last trace of Joseph is known to perish mysteriously according to our Ancestor. But letting the Anuks find that item itself could possibly spill great disaster and our entire human race could also receive retribution from the hands of the Anuks themselves.\" The voice added, finally connecting the dots. \"We tried every means to find the items ourselves but even Kahayag herself, despite her natural connections to the spirit realm is unable to find the information to the said item herself. She said all the men, spirits and creatures who knew about this item mysteriously vanished without a trace of even a bit of their soul.\" Elric fell into deep thought. It seems that a certain item is indeed powerful and mysterious. But, what does he have to do with all of this? \"So tell me. What is my true purpose that you are showing these.\" Elric asked seriously. He did not want to push around the bush no more. He wants answers and answers he will get! \"To pass you the Legacy of our blood and spirits. To finally awaken you to your true purpose. The power of Dragons, the Elementals are already imprinted deep within your blood and soul. Now it is time you obtain the power you should have long ago.\" \"A power I should have long ago? What do you mean?\" \"Yes, the power exclusively only to those who possess the blood of our Ancestors, the guardians of the thousand islands of Maharlika. The power of the natural Spirituals.\" \"Power of the natural Spirituals? Could something be an unnatural spiritual? Like fake spirituals?\" Elric asked jokingly. \"Spirituals or humans with natural access to their spiritual senses and abilities are called Natural Spirituals. We walk the earth barefooted and are always connected to the earth. We heal extraordinarily fast, we eat no meat from animals with conscious souls. We can see and talk to the souls of the dead like it was an ordinary sight. We have access to supernatural strength by summoning the power of the ancient spiritual warriors of the past.\" \"Fake Spirituals or the so-called Dark Magic users who had accepted an unfavorable soul contract from Spirituals of the Dark realm to gain access to supernatural power, magic or even fame.\" \"That sounds like Satan! And those fake spirituals sounds like those modern artists who are suspected to have sold their souls to the devil!\" Elric exclaimed. \"Satan? Devil? You may think what you want, but one thing is for sure though is that they are missing the biggest point of being a Spiritual.\" \"And that is?\" Elric asked with an intense gaze. Suddenly, the voice of the Babaylan, Kahayag, came from the other side of Elric''s ears. \"Let me explain. Why bother earning temporary human power when there is an abundance, or to say, infinite power inside your soul? Being a natural Spiritual is to learn to tap on the infinite energy from your own essence.\" She said in a wise tone and added, \"When you connect to your soul naturally is the same as you connect to the world naturally and you don''t need to grab a hold nor become attached to it because it will become a part of you. You become one and every road leads to you. You don''t follow the roads but you are the road. You don''t need light because you are made from light itself!\" The Babaylan''s voice continued to immerse Elric with an unexplainable calmness and fulfillment. His eyes are closed and imagined every words in every construct. \"You do not follow time for time is a construct of a one-sided perception of your physical realm jar. And you are water inside a moving jar. But the truth is that you are the jar, the moving force and the time all at once. Understanding deeper about yourself gives you the freedom to transcend time in your spiritual form.\" The voice of the wise Babaylan continued. \"That''s true. Hearing that actually answers a lot about my existence and...,\" Elric said as he felt his body suddenly feeling an intense surge of warmth. His head felt warm and relieved and an unexplainable feeling of freedom and stillness overflowed in his soul. The World Knowledge inside his mind suddenly shone brightly and the pages renewed in clarity and understanding. Elric could now understand more concepts in this seemingly mysterious world of knowledge! It felt like another page of his dictionary are finally readable again! Elric actually made another spiritual breakthrough by listening to the Babaylan''s teaching! And as Elric finally calmed down, the scene before him has finally reached the last part as well. Hundreds of Eastern dragons with varying lengths, sizes, and shining colors had finally descended from the sky and have made their way charging against the towering figures of the giant Anuks. And as quickly as they arrived, their teeth sank deep into the humungous bodies of the giants and another brutal scene came in full display before Elric''s eyes. But with all these distractions before him, Elric''s renewed calmness has allowed him to look at the bigger picture and watch the whole battle like an omniscient spectator. And his gaze landed on a specific spot with a very faint trace of distorted presence and as he focused his gaze, his temple started heating up and he felt a trace of light emerging out of his forehead - it was the same third eye that Lapu-Lapu and the twelve warriors have glowing in their head. \"You finally got it.\" Said the warm voice of Lapu-Lapu with full gladness. \"I now welcome you as one of us. Your true identity, the Natural Spiritual.\" added the voice as their true appearance finally revealed beside Elric. Lapu-Lapu looked incredibly old around a hundred and thirty years old! Kahayag on the other side looked exactly the same as he saw her. An ageless Spiritual! Looking back at the fighting scene before Elric is a different view compared before. He was pretty sure there were only Dragons, native warriors, and giants having a wild mashups before but right now before him is a scene he could never imagine witnessing. \"Angels?! Are those Angels?\" Elric muttered in surprise as he looked up at the divine beings with nine wings stretched majestically being them. Their faces glow in warm mystery and they wore dresses made of light! They were like mini suns except, they have elegant looking wings! And these Angels are everywhere! They were the distorted presence he was unable to perceive before! This is just one of the benefits of being a Spiritualist, the access to the eyes of truth! 138 Elric Unleashed Elric fell as he felt the overwhelming divine presence of these winged beings floating above. Their figure emitted not just an incredibly holy aura but a natural absolute dominance over him and everybody and everything! And with ist is an unshakable feeling that everything that happened in Elric''s life is all under the complete control of the Highest being whom those Angels worked for. That fateful night that started with a flash of lightning, his acceptance to the offer of the Ancestral Dragon, the rampage that he dealt after and probably his journey to the Elemental realm was under the watchful gazes of this magnificent heavenly beings. But what for? Elric deeply realized that all the sufferings and loneliness he had experienced were all parts of the road prepared for him. The death of his loved ones, the different people and creatures he met along the way. The countless fights and laughs and goodbyes. Everything is under their watchful gazes. He was never alone. Elric had been enlightened that whatever happened to his life, they were all part of the roads he had to take and that they are all just going to pass. The sadness and happiness they were all temporary. That no matter how strong or powerful he could get, they will all pass; not to mention the unseen beings who are more powerful or on a completely different realm than he is. That no matter what he had reached, no matter how he evolved; he should never boast. Cause all it takes is a simple nudge from these creatures and he could be a goner. While Elric was immersed in the wonderful truths and enlightenment that had continued to push his spirit into a surging breakthrough, the figure of Lapu-Lapu and Kahayag remained standing before him with wide smiles in their faces. \"Look how powerful this descendant of yours had become.\" Kahayag turned to Lapu-Lapu with a hint of pride glimmering in her eyes. \"It''s ours. Not just mine but ours. Your Spiritual Bloodline and my Naturally gifted blood flow together in his veins.\" Lapu-Lapu replied proudly. His wrinkled face reflected the faint bluish light that Elric emitted as his spiritual power continued to transform. \"Combined with the Dragon blood in his system, this kid just turned to be the first and only Human-Elemental-Spiritual-Dragon creature that the world can offer. And I can confidently say, that this kid is indeed fated to unite all races from a different dimension. If he doesn''t fail, his power will only continue to reach even higher in the future and only the Higher ones know what''s ahead of him.\" Lapu-Lapu added with a deep frown on his head... \"But that also means...\" Kahayag frowned upon a realization dawned in her mind. \"The world is changing, and every single plate of fate will go around Elric''s life. How he will overcome this up to him. His simple-minded thinking will not work anymore. I am pretty sure, there will be a great chance not just in his spiritual consciousness but in his personality as well.\" Suddenly, the fighting background behind Elric has collapsed into a flash of bright light. The Plane of the Heavenly Void collapsed and the last fragment of Lapu-Lapu''s soul dissipated along with the \"scene of the past\". A final word came out of his mouth as his dissolving figure held Kahayag''s hand for the last time. \"Listen Kahayag. You know me, and I have an overbearing pride and I hate it when I ask for favors to another person especially if it was supposed to be my job. But unlike an immortal being like you, I am still, after all, a human and thus, have a limited lifespan.\" A pained pair of eyes from Lapu-Lapu stared straight to Kahayag''s beautiful dark eyes. \"Don''t worry. I know what to do.\" Kahayag replied with a comforting smile. \"Elric has reached the state of United Realm and the real enemies are finally going to reveal themselves to take over him. I now place the fate of our final descendant in your hand my dear most beautiful wife.\" Lapu-Lapu added humbly. \"Now you''re talking. You never called me beautiful when you are still alive except when you ask me to scratch your back.\" Kahayag mocked. \"This fragment of my consciousness is finally going back to the universe together with my beautiful memories... Oh, how I wish I could kiss you for the last time.\" \"Oh, I thought you had enough with your hundreds of wife...\" \"Oh, you were different... Just different.\" And with these words, Lapu-Lapu''s last remaining soul fragment that was hidden deep in the Plane of the Heavenly void inside Elric has finally disappeared. The final gift of Lapu-Lapu, Elric''s great-great Ancestor has been activated. The blood of the Warrior has started moving. His purpose is done and Elric''s true powers and personality have been unleashed. The show has finally started as Elric finally opened his eyes back in the real present human realm. He was back in the kitchen, sitting before the smiling figure of Kahayag. But before Kahayag could mutter any words, she was shocked at the renewed version of Elric. His eyes were not light brown anymore but filled with an unexplainable presence in different colors. It was like an iris made of the ever-shifting rainbow. His normally boring looking hair had grown extraordinarily long with a gorgeous wave reaching even his thighs. His usually young appearance brought over by the effects of the Soul Cleansing pearl is gone and Elric now looked like a forty-year-old man. It appeared that not only his soul has become incredibly powerful but his body has gone an abnormal time shift that seems to have fast-forwarded time in his domain causing him to grow fast in just a few seconds. It was one of the side-effects of entering the Plane of the heavenly Void. Elric knew this from world knowledge, and even though it had brought an unprecedented change in him, his newfound attitude stopped him from reacting right away from surprises or even in shock. The new Elric is a matured looking man. With wisdom and power coiled between the deepness of his gaze. Like a black serpent hidden in a small hole ready to devour anyone who dares to underestimate him. His long dark brown hair had reached the floor as it masked his muscular figure with a powerful aura oozing out of his skin. \"I know you are my great great great grandma, but you still have several questions to answers to me.\" Elric''s first word brought an over a confident and overwhelming presence. \"Heh, you did acquire that bastard''s attitude after all. Arrogance is in the blood. Let me teach you who is the boss here.\" Kahayag said as she raised her hand and sent a powerful Psychic shock towards Elric, ready to knock him down as what she did against those Dragon Hunters. WOOOOM~ Nothing. Elric''s figure remained sitting still before her and continued to look at her with a serious look. A hint of boredom could be seen between his frown. Surprised that her Pshyic shock did not work, Kahayag laughed, \"haha. Wow, you seemed to had become a little bit more powerful indeed. Let''s try again.\" She said as she released another surge of Psychic shock to test Elric''s resistance. WOOOOOOOOOOM!~ But to her surprise, Elric remained calm and untouched. Not even his hair was moved from her powerful Physic shock. Elric''s bored look finally got Kahayag on her edge. With veins finally bulging in her head, she summoned another powerful surge of her Physic shock towards Elric. WOOOM!~ WHAM!~ BAAAASH~ This time, it was Kahayag who was knocked unconscious. Her powerful Psychic shock did nothing to Elric and ended up only rebounding back to her, causing her to limp down instantly while the glasswares behind her were crushed into pieces from the mere power of the shock. It was fortunate that they were inside an isolated barrier or the noise from all the broken wares could have sent the neighbors and borders to come and investigate. Elric finally stood up, clean and calm. He walked over Kahayag''s fainted figure and touched her forehead. \"I see. So that''s why.\" Elric muttered as he scanned Kahayag''s memory. This woman was indeed a Spiritual with no real human body. Elric could see her in a different body of a woman according to the reflections revealed in her memory. He narrowed every piece of the memory and looked only for that specific event that mattered to him. Kahayag was not just a Spiritual, but a Guardian spirit that protects her descendants, more specifically - Elric and his grandma. It was because of a revelation from the Realm of Light and the constant plead from Lapu-Lapu that she was sent over to protect this old woman and Elric to preserve the last remaining pure-blooded ascendant of Lapu-Lapu. Before this event, grandma has already spoken her last piece to Elric which explained why she remained calm through all those times. And there it was, Elric saw from her memory the scene of his dark past. He was in his uncontrollable Ancestral Dragon form madness and was just about to devour his grandma whole. But a mysterious dark figure suddenly appeared under his grandma''s feet. It was a Shadow or a Spiritual from the Realm of Darkness. 139 The Battle Behind The War This certain Shadow was about to drag grandma''s body deep into the distorted ground when Kahayag''s spirit suddenly took over grandma''s body in her efforts to save it and to keep it intact from the sudden attack of the Shadow. WOOOM!~ Kahayag was pushed back from the unexpected power of the enemy Spiritual. Whatever its business was with grandma, it seemed that they were intent on obtaining her body no matter what. Not to mention it has the power to push back Kahayag who is supposed to be one of the most powerful Spiritual that existed. Judging from its powers, Kahayag estimated the enemy Shadow to be a high-ranked Spiritual from the Realm of Darkness! It only took a small instance for Kahayag to put her guard down for them to snatch her descendant away. Fortunately, Kahayag was a stubborn one. Now bursting with overflowing spiritual energy, she poured herself into the physical figure of grandma and forcefully pushed away from the clinging claws of the Shadow. The Shadow fought back by holding into grandma''s soul and sent another surge of psychic shock against Kahayag but she came prepared this time. The fight inside the spiritual realm, which serves as the activity platform for the spirituals, has a different time and space compared to reality. In other words, their fight was happening in a different realm but at the same time, making a present effect to the physical world. Kahayag fought back against the mysterious spiritual that was insistent in taking away grandma''s body and soul to their own realm no matter what. But Kahayag made a promise to Lapu-Lapu that she will watch their descendants over. And now, the time has come for her to prove her worth. If only it was an ordinary elemental or spiritual, she could have easily squashed the enemy into dust, but what she is facing right now is an enemy she never expected to face. After all, high-ranked Spirituals of the Dark Realm had never showed themselves into the physical realm for the longest time. But now, it seems that something has been triggered that finally pushed them out of their comfort zones. \"These bastards are after something and I am pretty sure it is always not a good one.\" Kahayag thought as she sent in more powerful physic shock barrage against her enemy who, in return, sent her own dark version of physic attacks. In reality, It all happened in just one second, but for Kahayag it felt like the longest flight she had fought against a powerful spiritual opponent. One human body, two Spirituals from different realms are having an intense tag battle inside grandma''s spiritual space. The enemy does not want to leave without taking the physical body with it and Kahayag wanted to retrieve the soul back. They were equally matched and both of them are unwilling to just leave without taking the whole award home. Grandma''s soul is in the form of a cold-blue fire and was kept locked in the smoke-like hands of the Shadow''s figure. Meanwhile, Kahayag had her soul embedded forcefully inside grandma''s body. Right now, she is trying to lock the enemy inside grandma''s body and finish her once and for all. Unfortunately, her enemy is a deadly snake that is more than willing to bite her back to death and claim the victory instead. Now, Kahayag must do whatever it takes and never let her enemy escape or it would only come back next time with even more reinforcement that would ensure their victory next time. But then, the sign of the God Reckoning Tribulation came. Quickly, Kahayag controlled grandma''s body and summoned a light shield to protect her body from the impact of the tribulation. The Shadow also struggled hard and prepared itself as it started to release some dark smoke to surround itself but realizing that it was a God Reckoning Tribulation, it decided to force itself out of grandma''s physical body instead despite taking in frontal damages from Kahayag. It seems that it was really afraid of the God Reckoning Tribulation than Kahayag''s direct attacks. With grandma''s soul locked in its grasp, it forced itself out while sustaining several spiritual injuries. \"You are not going anywhere!\" Kahayag sent in more barrage but with limited fire power. She still has to preserve some of her energy to prepare for the tribulation impact and right now, she was not even sure if she could survive it. The God Reckoning Tribulation was heaven''s test if an ascended King or Queen Dragon qualifies to enter the heavenly realm stage and become a Heavenly Ancestral Dragon just like the one Elric met on that fateful night. It was also meant, to destroy any Dragons, no matter their ranks, into dust with its sheer might just in case they failed to resist the heavenly lightning. The only problem is that the God Tribulation event should only be executed in a safe, wide and isolated space to keep others from the terrible impact in could bring. But this time, it was actually happening not far away from innocent human civilization! And as much as Kahayag wanted to save the innocent humans nearby, she had no choice but to prioritize the one before her and herself! As all the worries bubble up, Kahayag had no choice but to finally let her enemy go and focus on strengthening her barrier instead. The Shadow took this chance and gladly escape with all its speed bursting in its tale. In less than a second, it had already escaped to the shadows like water sinking into the sponge! Kahayag watched her enemy left with gritted teeth. She failed. She failed miserably. Grandma Beth is one of her few descendants who holds a faint trace of Lapu-Lapu''s blood aside from Elric. Now that her soul is in the hands of her enemies from the other realm, her problems have just piled up! The threat is gone together with grandma''s soul. But another problem is brewing up just over her head - The God Reckoning Tribulation! Just as the corrupted Black Dragon Elric was about to devour grandma, Kahayag created a powerful barrier to protect grandma''s body from getting destroyed! It was safe to say that Elric had actually failed to kill grandma''s body since he gulped her body right away and not to mention, it was covered in Kahayag''s barrier. No amount of Dragonic acid can melt grandma! But the real problem is the lightning Tribulation. Feeling the intense gaze of heaven preparing to turn the mad Elric into dust, Kahayag felt all her spiritual senses tensing up. \"Even after all my effort, at the end, I still failed you, Lapu...\" Kahayag closed her eyes as she stretched her hands to release her strongest light barrier to prepare for the Tribulation''s impact. But sad to say, knowing the God Reckoning Tribulation''s power, her chance of survival is close to none. She and grandma''s body was still doomed for absolute destruction! She may be an immortal Spiritual that is not bounded by time, but with the power of the God Reckoning Tribulation, she doubts her spiritual existence could even last a single second against it. She opened her senses to look at the world for the last time. Then Kahayag notices something that was surrounding her all along, although it was very faint she was pretty sure it was another form of a barrier. A heavenly barrier in fact, with power strong enough to survive the God Reckoning Tribulation! But how and when did it came? Kahayag shuffled her recollection of memories until she found the answers in no time. The heavenly barrier was the promise of the Ancestral Dragon to Elric to keep her family alive in exchange of the memories of him! \"This boy is so sweet.\" A deep sigh and a proud smile appeared at Kahayag''s beautiful face. Although physically, she was looking at Elric''s massive black dragon figure. She was actually looking at Elric''s struggling soul inside. \"Do your thing Lapu.\" She said and closed her eyes again - prepared for the impact. It was then that Elric recalled that it was Lapu-Lapu''s voice that had awakened him from his corrupted state and gave him enlightenment amidst the pressure which ultimately saved him from the ruthless destruction brought by God Reckoning Tribulation. BOOOOOOOOOOM!~ It took some time for the explosion to settle as everything was wiped clean like a meteor hitting the land. Kahayag was fine as she managed to survive the God Reckoning tribulation using her Light attributed shield and the aid from the Eastern Ancestral Dragon''s heavenly barrier. With her inside grandma''s body, she sighed a deep breath. Everything happened too quick. Elric''s massive Black Dragon was shredded into pieces but fortunately, his real human body was also protected by the heavenly barrier given by the Ancestral Dragon and the enlightenment brought over by Lapu-Lapu for him. But before everyone could come and check the final result, Kahayag saw it. A giant turtle emerging out of nowhere, using the spacial crack to the Elemental Realm, snatched Elric by its beak and dived back to the spacial crack and gone. \"It was just as the revelation had said...\" Kahayag muttered as she witnessed everything unfolding before her according to the revelation given to her back at her realm, the Realm of Light. The Shadow, on the other hand, managed to snatch the soul away but not the body back to the Realm of Darkness. What they intend to do with grandma''s soul is still unknown. Until then, Kahayag took over grandma''s soul-less body and protected it all the time. The Guardians, knowing her or the real one inside that body, did not dare to touch her after all. The shadow might have failed to snatch grandma whole but they still got a hold of her soul after all. The only bad news for them is that Elric now knew who to hunt next. 140 The New Tenan The real Lapu-Lapu was a person shrouded in great mystery. Far from the normal chieftain warrior of an island as the preserved historical records actually reached the new generation. He was not just a man honored as a chief and the first hero of the Maharlikan island, which the Spaniards, later on, declared as the Philippines, but worked as a guardian of humanity as well. With his blood and will being passed down generations to generations until it reached Elric, his mission will continue to move on. But try as Elric wanted to do his great ancestors bid to protect the land and find that hidden treasure in the Mactan island, Elric is much more inclined to recovering back the stolen soul of his grandma. With all the clues finally connected and the obvious suspect finally revealed according to Kahayag''s memory. Elric is set to move again with eyes full of unyielding determination. He could only imagine the suffering that grandma is experiencing right now. And as much as he wanted to stay put, his fist was just thirsty for some blood of those who oppress and harms his family. It was not vengeance. He was just doing his job as a protector of the only family he got left. The treasure can wait but his grandma can''t. He must venture out again to recover grandma''s soul as soon as possible! With his grandma''s body knocked out before him, Elric gazed at the unkempt ethereal figure floating behind. Kahayag had obviously suffered from the sudden outburst of the reflected psychic attack from herself. She never expected that Elric''s spiritual progression would allow him to reach the level to face even a powerful Spiritual like her. With a surprised look in her face, she was just stunned at the incredible potential the young man before her posses. No wonder, if the enemies are up to the most perfect body to forcefully take-over, this young man''s jar is like the diamond of all gems! This guy is like a cheating machine. He comes in, evolves, and moves on like it was his casual thing. \"How long are you going to just stare at me? Hurry up and let''s go. Tell me how to get to the World of the Shadows.\" Elric frankly said. \"You sounded really arrogant right now just like your bastard ancestor. But I will turn a blind eye for now since you have the strength to back your words.\" Kahayag replied as she casually came back inside grandma''s body and completed the possession as if she was just taking on clothes. Immediately, she stood up and walked away towards the exit. In her haste, she ended up stepping on a fallen piece of glass and caused Kahayag to slip. She maybe powerful spiritually, but she was actually a clumsy woman. WOOP!~ Fortunately, Elric managed to grab a hold of her before she could slam her head to the floor. \"Careful, that is still my grandma''s body.\" Elric reminded her as he pulled her back to stand properly. \"And how about me? I am your great-great-grandma you know. I still have a faint trace of my blood flowing in you! Don''t you think you owe me some respect too?\" Kahayag frowned like a Elric stopped walking as he turned his head to face her with a serious gaze, \"Grandpa told you to watch over us. You failed and now we have to go and find grama''s soul. I will return my respect to you if we can successfully recover grandma''s soul.\" \"You..\" Kahayag could only look at Elric''s departing back with a complicated expression. Does this arrogant man really just looked down on her? I am a powerful Spiritualist you know! I can swish away those powerful Arkhan''s like peeling away a piece of paper from the bundle! I can shot those mighty Dragons down from the sky with a mere thought! I am an immortal who lived true countless years, traveled uncountable distance and had faced more adversaries more than he could imagine. And yet did he just treated me like a nobody? Kahayag''s pride was swelling badly from Elric''s words but before she could mutter her own reply, Elric''s figure suddenly stopped and his eyes were locked into a certain direction filled with curiosity. Kahayag traced Elric''s gaze and she finally figured out the reason why Elric''s arrogant demeanor had suddenly banished. Standing before her door, Lesse was just about to leave when she noticed a mysterious man staring at her from the corridor leading to the apartment''s kitchen. Lesse''s eyes glared back as she felt like the man''s gaze at her was making her extremely uncomfortable. She felt a familiarity with the man but looking back at him, she just can''t recall anyone she knew. His aura was familiar but his looks were not. Crossing her arms, Lesse finally talked, \"Are you a new boarder in this apartment? I hope you don''t get me wrong but I just want to let you know that, you may be handsome, but the way you look at people can easily make us uncomfortable. Some might think you are a pervert so please be mindful how you stare at people.\" And with those words, Lesse decided not to bother anymore and was just about to leave the exit door when the man''s voice suddenly came from behind her. It was a voice deep and serious and felt like just a meter away from her. \"You are that Dragon girl...\" Elric''s figure indeed was standing just a few feet away from Lesse and she could not help but stand back in shock when she realized that he is now standing just feet away from her! This man... I was pretty sure he was just at the end of the balcony about fifteen meters away from here. How did he reach me in less than a second? He did not even create a single sound of footstep! And what was with that incredibly domineering aura? And how did he figured out I was a Dragon? Questions flooded in like high tide in Lesse''s head as she tried her best to stay calm despite her pounding heart. She was unsure if the man before her is a foe or a friend. But realizing that she is under the protection of the old grandma landlady whom his father has entrusted their fate, Lesse decided to just act like normal and deny him as much as possible. But staring back at the man''s intent gaze towards her, Lesse could not help but feel threatened. Just who this guy is and what he was doing inside grandma landlady''s domain posed only more questions. \"W-what do you want? What are you talking about?\" Lesse replied, obviously stuttering from the explosive pumping of her heart due to the man''s dangerous aura. Elric looked back intensely. What lies before him right now was the trigger of all this. She was that exactly arrogant lady Dragon whom Elric helped from the attacks of the Kapre and the Manananggal. But this woman replied to his kindness with even more threats. If not for his creed to help those who are in need, he would have never stayed in that forest for long. Not to mention the terrifying presence of the two monsters rampaging against each other trying to decide who gets to dine on the girl. If not because of this woman, his life would have been normal. He would have eating grandma''s chicken adobo and green-vegetable soup in the morning. Those smell of hot pandesals that would wake him up, together with the ringing sound of the spoon clanging inside the coffee mug. And Elric would wake up from his room greeted by the gentle smile of his grandma as she hands over his daily breakfast. Thinking about it, it was indeed unfortunate that he had lost all the time and opportunity to leave a peaceful life because of his stupid decision to leave the house that night, chasing after his wild fantasy. Elric''s eyes remained serious and intent. But the exploding emotions deep inside his heart were like a raging volcano meeting a powerful storm. The least he could do right now is clench his fist and let it go. He remembered those unseen heavenly figures of the angels in the sky, Elric reminded himself that it was all part of the grand plan. And that plan is always set for the, if not good, the best. \"E-excuse me? Do you know me? I-is there anything I can help you?\" Lesse''s voice snapped Elric out of his train of thought. \"I am sorry. I mistook you for someone. The Dragon I mentioned, what I mean is a cosplayer. I am a huge fan of those cosplayers who wear Dragon costumes\" Elric replied with an innocent look and a pathetic excuse. As much as Elric would like to ask direct questions, he realized that this woman had also lost her Dragon essence and it seems he already had an idea why. It was the hide from the Dragon hunters. Elric decided to stay low for now and do his best to pretend. \"This young man''s name is Dodong Pogi. He is what you youngsters called an Otaa- uhm. what was it called again? \" An energetic voice of the landlady suddenly came from Elric''s back. It was grandma Kahayag and excitedly introduced the two like a normal excited old woman. \"An Otaku?\" Lesse asked in confirmation. \"Ahh yes! An Otaktak, whatever. Anyway listen, girl, Dodong Pogi is a new tenant here. My back hurts badly lately so if you don''t mind since you are the oldest tenant here Lesse, would you be kind enough to show him around? \" Grandma Kahayag requested as she limped hunched with a tired expression. A serious of cracking bones can be heard from her back too! 141 The Promised Hope Elric was following Lesse along. She was tasked by the old grandma landlord to show Elric the different places in the apartment. Elric was curious as to what happened to Lesse''s powers. Not to mention, the latter did not just lose its Dragon powers but its overwhelming pride as well. The Lesse he knew from the past was an overbearing woman. She was cold, arrogant and a fighter that never backs down no matter her enemies are. But right now, the one standing and guiding Elric throughout the house was like a different woman. She has a pleasing attitude, a charming voice with a graceful demeanor. Watching her slender, curvy back, Elric could not help but recall the naked skin behind that beautiful figure he has seen in the past. Not only that she has grown more mature, but she has also become more beautiful and composed - far from the younger Lesse he knew from the past. He was just not sure if the attitude she''s showing off right now is the real deal though. He had to give her credits though as she was indeed fluent even in Bisayan language. The last thing he remembered, this woman was spouting Chinese words during their first meeting. He did not even know what they meant! All he knew was that she was threatening to kill him! If he was not mistaken, this woman right here is a Chinese Dragon who was once a proud royal Eastern Dragon. She was undergoing a Tribulation of Light in order to ascend which explained her dropping down from the night sky that time. And according to the records of the World Knowledge, there is supposed to be an estimated one hundred thousand members including its respected Elders. But as Elric traveled across the continent, from Texas up to the small town in Cebu, Philippines, yet, there was not a single sign of the Eastern Dragons at all that used to confidently glide across the Asian skies. This only confirms what that snobbish boy said in the rooftop. Something happened to the Eastern Dragons and Elric seems to have great participation over it since it all started ever since the catastrophic event ten years ago. And if ever Elric has something to do about it, he is inclined to do what he can to protect the last remaining Eastern Dragons and possibly revive them back. Right now, there was just too much in Elric''s plate and finding his granma''s soul is his first priority. \"And this right here is your room as grandma instructed. Are there any questions you wanted to ask?\" Lesse words suddenly interrupted Elric''s train of thought and innocently looked at the woman before him who was staring intently at Elric with a curious gaze. Knowing grandma''s landlord''s true identity, Lesse was not stupid enough to their pathetic excuse. She trusted her instinct and strongly believes that the man before her is not as stupid and weak as he looks. The man could be another Spiritual or a special agent sent by the Guardians perhaps. Either still, she decided to play along and investigate through the sides. \"Uhmm. Nothing more. Thank you for guiding me all along.\" Elric sheepishly replied. \"Not a problem. And in case you got more questions, don''t hesitate to ask grandma, and in case she''s not present since she usually leaves without telling us, you can just inquire at me. My room is just right here on the opposite door.\" Lesse said with a hospitable smile while pointing her finger at the door just behind her. \"Got it. Thank you.\" Elric said as he opened his room''s door and went in. Lesse, on the other hand, remained standing before Elric''s room. From a refreshing and cheerful smile, her face suddenly shifted to her usual serious and cold look. \"No matter if you are just another outsider or Dragon hunter who just wanted to investigate us, then I am afraid to say that you are just wasting your time. You will never be able to figure us out.\" She muttered silently and turned around to enter her room. Her duty as an assistant apartment manager is done. *** Settling down on his now own rented room, Elric was staring at the window that was overlooking at the tall building from the distance. His goofy mode is now gone and he was back to his cold eyes and a domineering aura. \"So how do I start? How do we get to the Realm of Darkness?\" Elric suddenly said. \"Not bad, you managed to detect my presence right away. I must say, I am incredibly impressed by how fast you have adapted to your new soul powers.\" Kahayag, who was in her ethereal form came out of the wall like a ghost and landed beside Elric. Elric ignored her praises though and waited for the answers that he was expecting. Noticing Elric''s quite yet cold stare, Kahayag could not help but just answer him right away. \"Well, you see, we really do not need to go anywhere to reach the Realm of Darkness. We just have to wait for the next lunar eclipse when the realm gate open''s to their dimension.\" She explained as her ethereal figures look up to gaze at the faint glow of the moon in the sky. \"It was also the time when the Shadows comes back to their own realm to replenish their energy or bring back their collected body and souls to be used as another \"''jar'' or vessel. The lunar eclipse may last from two to four hours, but once they entered the realm gate, the time ratio was completely different on the other side. An hour is actually a year! When they came back, they might have already ascended to another rank and even equipped with a completely taken over the human body.\" \"I see. And that can only bring more risk as they are not supposed to be able to take over a human body and interfere with the human realm...\" Elric calmly replied. \"That''s correct,\" Kahayag confirmed as her expression suddenly shifted to a sadder tone. \"I am sorry. I failed to save your grandma.\" Kahayag added in a solemn voice. \"It''s in the past and there is nothing we can do about it. What I am worried about is what they are doing with my grandma''s soul.\" Elric replied with a hint of worry in his words. \"Well, I actually have a piece of good news for you.\" Kahayag suddenly smiled. \"And that is?\" \"You see, it seems like the Heavenly Ancestral Dragon was true to his words. When I took over your grandma''s body, there was a heavenly light barrier that protected her body and soul!\" \"Which means...\" Elric eyes glimmers with hope. \"The probability that your grandma''s soul is already in the Realm of Darkness is quite guaranteed. But the blessing from the Ancestral Dragon will protect her soul from their internal corruption by the Shadows. This means, we still have time my boy Elric! The heavenly blessing from the Ancestral Dragon was an energy granted by the heavens and I doubt that even the highest-ranked Shadows have the capacity to destroy the barrier unless...\" Suddenly, Kahayag''s voice quivered in a realization. \"Unless?\" Elric frowned seeing her sudden change in her ethereal face. \"Unless what they are after is actually you! And your grandma''s soul is just a bargaining tool for them to lure you in their realm! Elric! We must think this over! We can''t just fall on their trap!\" Far from her usual proud demeanor, the Kahayag before Elric right now had an eye full of fear and anxiety. It does finally make sense. The shadows are Spirituals who were born from the dark realm. It was a realm of nothing but pure darkness, numbness, and emptiness. And unlike a mortal being, they don''t die. They just exist to live and experience darkness. They are subject to corruption, hate, destruction and anything opposed to light. They are evil spiritual beings who lusts over a human life where the five physical senses of pleasure can be experienced. Thus, they grab every opportunity to slip through the realm gates every lunar eclipse and lurk in darkness until they found a suitable human for their corruption and will be taken back to the Realm of Darkness to destroy the soul and overtake the human body. The next time they step into the earth, they are human with demonic spirituals inside with their demonic power of corruption still within them! Fortunately, taking care of them is one of the Guardian''s task and the main reason that they can''t openly show themselves and decided to live an ordinary life instead is because of the watchful eyes of the Guardians. Once they are found out to be a Shadow living inside a human body, they are subject to execution and destruction right away, not leaving any traces behind. But right now, they have another hunter is added on their list. \"I assume they wanted to take over my unique body, am I correct?\" Elric asked Kahayag and the latter nodded to confirm. \"They want me there? Then they better prepare a red carpet. When is the next lunar eclipse?\" Elric asked confidently. He showed a confident and passionate gaze that Kahayag could only shake her head in worry. \"Five months from now. Until then, I hope you can still change your mind and just live normally. What do you think?\" Kahayag suggested with a worried look. She knew how powerful Elric had become. The Dragon Blood flowing in him, the Elemental Authorities brewing in the palms on his hand and the superior soul constitution gifted to him by his Spiritual bloodline is enough a temptation to have the whole Realm of Darkness use their full power in hopes to take over him. \"Live normally?\" Elric scoffed. \"I am afraid I cannot do that great-great-great grandma,\" Elric said as he gazed back at the sun setting down on the west. His eyes reflected the setting sun and together with it is the inevitable change to happen. 142 Flicking The Elephants To Dus Five months from now, the lunar eclipse will happen and the realm gates to the Dark Realm will be temporarily open for two to four hours. Despite Kahayag''s constant nag trying to dissuade him going to the Realm of Darkness just to save his grandma''s soul, Elric''s mind has already been set. Sigh~ The sound of Kahayag, who has taken over grandma''s body temporarily, sighing in regret. As much as she wanted to control the information that Elric receives about his grandma, things could have been under her control. But the bastard grandson had possessed an incredible soul potential that he became too overpowered to the point that he even used a memory scan on her! Kahayag is a proud Spiritual. One must know, she is one of the few most powerful ascended Spirituals from the Realm of Light. She was confident that she has what it takes to take control of the young man but she had no idea how powerful he could become one''s Natural Spiritual access has been unlocked. What Kahayag did not realize is that Elric''s incredible soul potential was actually because of the different challenges he had faced throughout his battles. His evolution to possess the Elemental Authorities had allowed him to finely control his internal emotions. Not to mention, he had also withstood the soul and body cleansing test brought by the Soul Cleansing Pearl he earned during his time in the water realm. And lastly, his overflowing determination to save back his grandma''s soul and finally see her as whole again is a chance he firmly believes was given to him to fix at least one of his greatest mistakes in the past. Now that a chance to finally save and see his grandma has arrived, Elric feels like he was given another chance to bring a dead person back to life. He doesn''t care what evil awaits to him at the Realm of Darkness. He knew, according to the World Knowledge, that it was a place never hospitable to mortal creatures especially a human-like him. His chances of survival are close to zero. But with grandma''s soul on their end, Elric is more than willing to curve that zero into a possibility. Try as Kahayag would try, the young man before her had already made up his mind. \"Sigh..\" She heaved as she turned around and left the room in her ethereal form. Her figure just blended into the wall like a classic ghost while her mouth continued to murmur... \"Like grandpa like grandson. Stupidity runs through the genes...\" Elric laid down on the bed and watched the wooden ceiling as he started to device a plan for his invasion to the Realm of Darkness. He realized that with his current strength, he might not come back alive. And alive he must come back or else his efforts of bringing back grandma could only bring more misery for her. It was not that Elric could not accept losing her. He just wanted to fix the mistake he had done in the past and since heaven has given him an option to do so, he was more than glad to bite the poisoned apple and see who gets to win at the end. But the least he could do is to prepare himself and get stronger in the next few months. Finding a way back to the Elemental realm and acquire the rest of the Elemental Authorities was not a plausible plan considering the different time ratios on their realm. He was just not confident enough to get the rest of the Authorities without spending much time. Who knows, by the time he came back, it would have been another ten years already on the human realm and he is not sure if his grandma''s soul is still fine by then. Not to mention that the bastard God of the Elemental Realm did not seem to welcome him as well. He still needs to find a way to overpower that man so that Elric would not be thrown to the Toray again and risk getting stuck on that place forever. \"I need to become stronger. This is not enough.\" Elric muttered as he raised watched his fingers curling into a powerful looking fist. \"To ensure we come back alive in this realm, I must learn more about them.\" Elric stood up from the bed. Left the room and went to Kahayag''s location. With his extraordinary senses, finding an old woman in a two-story apartment was like a walk in the park. In less than a minute, Elric is already standing at the front door that Kahayag stayed. Kahayag on the other side immediately noticed Elric''s presence behind the door and waved her hand to open it telepathically. Elric went inside her room and appeared to be just another normal-looking room for an old lady. There are herbal plants and medicines cleanly organized in the sides, a wooden rocking chair by the window, a not so brightly let room and plenty of ancient-looking books with titles and contents written in Baybayin scriptures. Baybayin is an indigenous Indic script that has been widely used in traditional Tagalog domains even before the Spanish colonialization. \"I need to know more about the Realm of Darkness. What is the extent of their abilities, their movement, their leaders and their behaviors, everything else that I need to know.\" Elric went straight to the business. His eyes were filled with no hint of fear, it was all determination. \"I know you would come and ask me that. Sit down.\" Kahayag gestured to Elric as a wooden chair moved on its own and halted just behind Elric''s thighs. Elric sat down and glanced back at the very familiar face of his grandma with Kahayag''s spirit inside. \"Now, just to be clear. As a spiritual and your ancestor, I do not recommend you falling to the enemy Shadow''s trap to lure you into their domain. But if you made up your mind and there is nothing I can do to stop you, then the best I can do for you is offer you pointers and some things that you must know. All at the best of my extend.\" Kahayag said sincerely. \"Thank you great-great-grandma. Do not worry. I- no, me and my grandma Beth will be coming back together. Intact and the same as before. I promise you that.\" Elric replied genuinely. Kahayag nodded in hopeful response. \"Now, just so you know, the Realm of Darkness is opposite from the realm where I came from. Thus, the information I can share with you is quite limited. What I will tell you is based solely on my experiences and the things I have learned personally. The realm of the Darkness is unlike a regular realm you have gone so far. It has a bizarre environment that is set to test your logical thinking and may catch your surprise many times. It was dark and a depressing place...\" Kahayag started sharing as Elric listened intently, absorbing every word she said like a sponge absorbing every drop of water. The two of them spent the rest of the entire night talking about the Realm of Darkness while Elric would actively ask some question from time to time, grandma Kahayag answered them patiently and wisely. *** THUD~ Long closed the door behind him and immediately started removing his school uniform. Lesse was already waiting at the sofa and had a disturbed expression in her elegant looking face. \"I heard from grandma, those bastard Arkhans finally made a move on you?\" Lesse stood up with a serious gaze towards her little brother who is grown much taller than her. \"Yeah. But grandma took care of them.\" Long answered casually, not bothering at the tensed face of his sister. \"If only I had my Dragon essence, I could have dealt with them on my own. I just really hate it that we have to ask for help from somebody. \" He added as he walked towards the water jar and gulped a mouthful of cold water. \"This is not us. We used to fly across the sea with our heads held high. But now, like rats, we are hiding like-\" \"Are you even listening to yourself?\" Lesse interrupted with a cold voice. \"Long, they attacked you! That only means our cover has been blown!\" Lesse anxiously sat beside her brother. She looked incredibly stressed knowing that their long-kept secret is finally taken a scratch! \"So what? If they come to us, let''s just go at them. Unleash my seal and I will face them all together. I''d rather die fighting for the name of our clan rather than dying like a rat biting their knives.\" \"Do you want to die that soon? Don''t you have respect to father''s wish and sacrifice?\" Lesse argued. Turning around to face his sister, Long slammed that table beside him and broke it into two! SLAM!~ CRACK~ \"What sacrifice!? This all started because you neglected and hesitated over your duty to kill off that rat human!\" \"That human was fated by the Ancestral Dragon!\" Lesse beckoned back. \"And who''s going to believe that!? Explain that to the thousands dead Eastern Dragons and those who are being enslaved in the stupid human black market!\" \"You...\" Lesse was unable to retort back. No matter how many times she explained, not even the elders believed in her explanation. Everything happened too quick but her mind was sane during those times. Try as might she does want to kill that human despite him helping her. It was to kill of any evidence about the existence of the Dragons and also for looking at her while being naked. She was a proud royal Dragon princess of the Eastern Region and her weakness was laid bare before a four-eyed skinny average human. Not to mention, he even has the guts to proudly say he saved her! She, a royal dragon with power as strong as an Elder was being saved by a geeky human from two pathetically weak demonic elementals! It was like an ant trying to left an Elephant! Stupid and pathetic! One move from her, she could have squashed the three of them into dust! They were just lucky she was at the weakest stage after her tribulation at that time. Both Lesse and Long had an intense desire to kill off the Elric they knew from the past. Not realizing he was just a few doors away from them and has the power to flick the elephants into dust. 143 The Last Two Blood Elric had quite a long discussion together with Kahayag. They talked about different topics mainly focused on the nature of the Shadows, how they moved, their world''s environment, their purposes and so on. And throughout their discussion, Elric listened intently to every word that grandma Kahayag said. He knew how important this information is considering that he is learning not just to win an exam but to come out alive from that enigmatic realm! He made sure not just to know them but understand deeply and apply them when the times comes that he finally has to step foot into their own domain. It was already close to nine in the evening when Elric was finally satisfied after bombarding Kahayag with questions after questions which she patiently answered. After all, the realm of Darkness was full of mystery that even the World Knowledge he got was not enough to expose the deeper secrets of their terrifying existence. \"Before I forget...\" Elric halted just before he was about to open the door. \"Those two that you are taking care of, I assume you already know how we met...\" Elric asked and Kahayag nodded with a smile in confirmation. \"Why are you helping them?\" Elric added with another question. Hearing his questions, Kahayag seems to have remembered something in the past as she heigved a deep sigh. A glint of sadness can be seen in between her beady black eyes. \"As you have seen in your Ancestor Lapu-Lapu''s memories from the past, we were actually quite in good terms with the Dragons of the Eastern Regions. They don''t just appear in front of ordinary men unless they acknowledge your strength. Only Lapu-Lapu and I were able to be reach their requirement though as we have the strength to back our talks.\" Kahayag muttered as Elric recalled his great Ancestor Lapu-Lapu wielding those golden flaming swords and fought head to head against those brutal Anak. He remembered his wild hacks reminiscent of a God of war. Together with his twelve brave men, the help of the natural spiritual possession, they took down those giants and defended the Maharlikan islands according to their fated mission. \"Anyway, to know more about humans, some of the Dragons disguised themselves as humans and worked under the facade of traveling merchants. Lang, the eastern King Dragon was a good friend of mine and Lapu-Lapu.\" Kahayag explained with longing eyes. \"And protecting them is your duty? Do you know how those arrogant Dragons? They look down on normal humans and even treated us like rat! Surely there must be something else why you are keen to protect them.\" Elric replied with a hint of disappointment. \"I know them well and how prideful they are. And you are right. There is something else why I chose to protect them.\" Kahayag replied. \"I am listening,\" Elric said, waiting for Kahayag to finish. \"After your rampage as a corrupted Ancestral Black Dragon, most of the Dragon Kings and Queens of the four regions ended up injured so bad that they went into years of hibernation just to recover from their severe injuries from you and the God Reckoning Tribulation. While the King Dragon of the West was the most unfortunate one as he was only found the next day with his head severed. The rest of the Dragon regions blamed the Eastern Dragon for the untimely appearance of the Ancestral Eastern Dragon and the death of Arthur, the King Dragon of the Western Region.\" Hearing those words, Elric''s eyes revealed a hint of surprise and guilt. Indeed, those King Dragon fought against him but he still won at the end due to his overwhelming advantage as an Ancestral Dragon that is not supposed to exist in the Human Realm. \"After that night, everyone went crazy from the large scale damage and the countless lives lost. Thanks to the Guardian''s cover, every living witnesses had been silenced by their own means while the different Dragon tribes went on scavenging hunt to find you. Which, of course, ended up futile since you were immediately taken to the Elemental realm by that turtle.\" Kahayag added while Elric nodded as he had expected that much. Continuing, Kahayag sat on her rocking chair and faced the wooden window with the faint light of the Milkyway glowing behind. Her eyes reflected sadness as she recalled a certain time that brought her into tears while watching. \"Failing to find Elric, the remaining Dragon tribes decided to vent their anger to the Eastern region. Launching a massive war against them, three to one. The result was inevitable. The Eastern Region Dragon tried to fight back in retaliation but they only ended up shredded into pieces from the hands of the angry enemy Dragons.\" Facing the direction towards Lesse and Long''s room, Kahayag heaved a deep sigh. \"And those two youngsters are probably the last of the two remaining Eastern Dragons in the whole world. And losing them means the complete eradication of the whole Eastern Dragon race.\" Kahayag explained and hearing her answer, Elric crossed his arms, deep in his own thought. He was obviously guilty. \"So it was my fault all along...\" Elric thought. His fist clenched tightly at how absurd everything ended up after that night. A brutal racial massacre happened because they were unable to find him. It was just something that Elric never expected. It seems he had done more damage than he initially thought. He may have lost his grandma that night, but realizing an entire Dragon race going into extinction because of his unintended actions was just plainly stupid. Elric''s hand clenched into a tight fist. His mind recalling all the events that night. He remembered how those majestic looking Dragon appeared out of nowhere and worked together just to face his madness. But thinking about how quick they were to kill their own brethren because of one''s unproven mistake is just plain stupidity. Elric had made up his mind. In the next five months, not only he will be hunting those Shadows, he will also make sure to protect the two siblings as well. Even if it will take him to risk his life facing all the Dragon Races all over the world. It is one versus all the Dragons in the world. \"They really want me? Then come I will to them.\" Elric thought with a determined look. Seeing Elric''s constantly changing expression, Kahayag continued. \"But, all of these have something to do with you as well. Specifically, something to do with you hunting the Shadows.\" Hearing her words, Elric looked back to her in full attention. \"If you look deeper in their soul essence, there is actually a curse mark imprinted in their soul and not even them is aware of it.\" Kahayag waved her hands and an ethereal image of Lesse and Long appeared before Elric. \"Now do you see those dark tribal scriptures written all over their neck?\" Kahayag pointed. Elric''s gaze immediately followed and finally saw the marks with his own eyes. And from their life-like ethereal model, Elric could see a tattoo-like mark in their neck which is only visible in spiritual planes. It was a tattoo with ancient writing symbols that span across their neck like a black chain made of tribal letters. Looking at them intently, Elric immediately realized what Kahayag meant that it has something to do with his mission to hunt the Shadows. Elric and Kahayag were just talking about it a few hours ago. The tribal marks in both Lesse and Long were actually Mark of the Shadows, signifying that they are under the watch of the Shadows and the probability of them getting attacked and dragged back to the Realm of Darkness is incredibly high. Or to be exact, those two are actually being targeted by the Shadows! And the most probable reason they wanted the siblings is because of the rarety of their Dragon Blood. As the last survivors of the Eastern Dragon race, their physical constitution and bloodline would only become rarer and for the Higher-ups of the Realm of Darkness to get a hold of this rare bloodline could pose a potential over-all advancement in their realm. Not to mention, they could just use them as another powerful vessel! By forcefully taking over their physical bodies, these Dragons are nothing but bound to be under their own control soon, especially that their powerful Elders who are supposed to be protecting them is long gone! By marking both of them, the Shadows are obviously declaring their intention to the two. The only unexpected variable was Kahayag''s presence which had been protecting the two from the sides. After failing to save grandma Beth last time, Kahayag had taken her job as a Spiritual Guardian very seriously that in the past ten years ever since the mark was imprinted in the Lesse and Long''s soul, she had an estimated of one hundred battles against Shadows who made attempts to drag them down. And the results are always in her win. She was just one of the most powerful Spiritual from the realm of light after all. Taking care of those low-level Spirituals was a piece of cake for her. The only time that she lost her soul battle was when that high-ranked Shadow targeted grandma while Kahayag had actually taken her guard down during that time. Fortunately Kahayag was watching over them. She used every means she knew to detect and deal with Shadows as effeciently as possible. And before the enemy could even touch them, she had them running already with their tails between their knees! \"As you can see, these past two years, the Shadows seem to lay low on their attempts, except for those greedy Dragon hunters of course. The quietness that the Shadows are currently doing must have something to do with what they are preparing. And I doubt that the day will come I will fail to protect both of them at the same time-\" \"Actually, that makes it even easier,\" Elric said with a confident look. \"Easy?\" Kahayag looked to Elric. \"Don''t you dare underistimate those bastard Shadows. Remember, they are also after you.\" She reminded. \"They may be after me, but so am I to them. What matters most is who has the bigger fist to knock each other.\" Elric confidently declared as his aura changed from that of a regular guy to a dominating existence. His eyes glowed with depth and unrelenting power. An unfathomable strength hiding within and Kahayag could not help but feel her body shudder in witness. 144 A Pathetic Nerd It is obvious now, all Elric needed to do is to stick with the siblings and disguise himself as an ordinary person. Then, he could bid his time and hope that the Shadows would try to attempt to snatch them or at least show signs of biting his bait. It was then that he would immediately flip the table with brute Spiritual force and make the sneaky Shadows gasp for help in his hand. \"If it could ask for more help, it would be much better. I will have more clue about the extent of their powers. Let''s see if you guys can survive the combine Elemental-Dragon-Spiritual Flame.\" Elric muttered with burning excitement as a plan started to form in his mind. \"Hey, granny! I think I pretty much figured out where to start and now I have a plan. Do you mind lending some hand?\" Elric asked. \"Sure. How can I help?\" Granny Kahayag replied. \"Not much. Just help me get into that snobbish younger brother''s school.\" \"That easy? Anything else that would at least let me stretch some of my bones?\" \"Naah. But I am pretty sure we would be facing those Shadows in less than five months.\" \"Really? How so?\" \"Back when I was watching over that young man at the rooftop opposite the school. I manage to catch a faint glimpse of those Shadow''s aura within the school perimeter.\" Elric answered with a frown. \"Yeah, I know. That one, I have been trying to trace but he is constantly hiding and I am unable to pinpoint the bastard''s exact location.\" Grandma Kahayag confirmed. \"One? No. There were ten of them in total.\" \"Ten!? Are you sure?!\" Kahayag looked at Elric with widened eyes. She was pretty sure that there was only one Shadow that had been sneaking around Long''s school. But if Elric is right that there were ten, then how the heck did they find a way to escape her detection? One must know, Kahayag had a unique spiritual monitoring system that will alert her of every soul''s movement within her territory - Long''s school included. It was because of this incredible spiritual sense that she possesses which allowed her to catch those Shadows before they could victimize anyone. As long as they are not a high ranked Shadow like the one who took grandma Beth''s soul, Kahayag is confident enough to deal against all of the low tiered Shadows on her own. But if the numbers that Elric mentioned actually turns out to be true, then there must be something going on on the enemy''s side. How they managed to bypass her detection could pose a potential danger in the future and she might end up failing in her promise to protect those two. \"Are you.. really sure there were ten of them?\" Granma Kahayag asked again. Elric nodded and replied, \"There were nine of them who seems to have a weaker aura compared to the last one closest to Long''s location. It was probably the one you have been tracing. But by the moment that you suddenly appeared, everyone except the one with the strongest aura had suddenly hidden. Like ghosts, they blended with the darkness. But the one who emitted the strongest aura remained there but kept his aura incredibly weak and pretended like one of those weaker ones.\" Elric detailed everything he saw that day. From far away, he noticed this faint aura of shadow-like beings scattered across the school building. At first, Elric had no idea what they were and thought maybe they are just another form of secret living entities in the human realm. And them trying to hide from Kahayag''s presence might mean they are just trying to survive. But as it turns out, they were the main culprit of his grandma''s lost soul. And if only Elric knew about it, he would have made the first move right away. Elric and grandma talked for a while and discussed their next actions to take. For the next five months, before the lunar eclipse and the opening of the realm gate to the Realm of Darkness, Elric has set his mind to protect the last two remaining Eastern Dragons and capture those shadows for interrogation, learn more about them, and possibly learn about the state of grandma Beth''s soul. Elric''s first night back in his homeland was full of fortuitous encounters and revelation. Thanks to his superior mind, he was able to accept everything and device a plan with a clear head. Normal people would have ended up wailing in despair knowing their parent''s soul was taken. But the Elric right now was not the same before. Tempered by countless battles and life and death encounters, his mind has long been steeled. Not to mention the awakened blood of Lapu-Lapu inside him, he was not as stupid and naive as before. He now faces his challenges with a confident eye and a cocky grin. The bad boy Elric is coming to town. *** It was a day later and Lesse was busy cooking breakfast. Her elegant and beautiful face reflected in the silverware as she gracefully tasted the food she was preparing. Her flower painted apron covered her slender body as slowly, her red small lips took small sips of the soup she was preparing and a delighted glow from her eyes followed after. \"I''m off to school now.\" Long''s usually cold and snobbish voice came from behind. He was already wearing his light-blue school uniform paired with black slacks and shoes. His red and green sling bag dangling on the side. \"Eat your breakfast first,\" Lesse commanded. \"I am not hungry and I am getting late.\" Long continued walking without sparing her a glance but just when he was about to grab the doorknob... SHOOOK~ STAB! A sharp knife flew over across the kitchen and planted stiffly on the wooden door just inches away from the doorknob that Long was about to grab. Seeing the sharp glint of the kitchen knife still vibrating from the impact, Long could feel his back suddenly drenched in sweat. He knew pretty much how scary Lesse becomes when she gets mad. And right now, despite Lesse losing her Dragon essence, he could still feel her powerful and domineering aura, and the memories of his past getting his ass kicked so bad by his sister resurfaced again. It was a memory that would hunt him sometimes in his sleep. \"M-maybe I can take a sip.\" Long turned around, walked obediently towards the table, sat slowly and took the chopsticks like an obedient little boy. \"Take off your bag when you are eating!\" Lesse added with a stern gaze. Long did as she said and they both started eating their breakfast diligently. Now wearing back her normal graceful expression, Lesse looked at Long''s direction and asked, \"Do you remember what I told you about yesterday?\" \"That Otaku next door?\" Long asked. Lesse nodded in confirmation. \"Hmp! You are worried that he is a Dragon hunter or an agent?\" Long started gobbling his food like a hungry lion. He hates it when his sister overreacts on almost everything. He knows she was just concerned about him but still, ten years of overreacting from suspicious people could easily get in his nerve. \"I have my means to deal with him.\" Long proudly gulped the last drop of his soup and stood up. \"Xi¨¨xi¨¨.\" He said as he grabbed his bag and finally left. Lesse could only watch his back as she was feeling incredibly uneasy lately, especially whenever she recalls that otaku''s face. He felt incredibly familiar but she was unable to connect him from anything from her past other than meeting him for the first time yesterday. *** Long had just taken a few steps away from their door when he heard another door opening and closing from his back. \"Hey! Mister handsome wait!\" Elric''s shout came from behind. Long pretended he never heard him and continued walking towards the exit with a cold expression. THUD! Hearing the sudden thud, Long could not help his curiosity and decided to look behind. Elric''s face was planted pathetically on the wooden floor. He seems to have stepped over his slacks. He raised his head and revealed a pathetic and clumsy-looking guy. Standing up, Elric undusted himself while giggling cheerfully and took his dropped eye-glass. Of course, he did not forget to act like a perfect near-sighted nerd by squinting his eyes as he pulled in his glasses. \"Tsk tsk..\" Long clicked his tongue watching the pathetic looking guy whom his sister warned him about. With his incredible senses, he scanned Elric''s body from top and bottom including his aura and he could not help but helplessly sigh at the man''s incredibly weak aura and disposition of a classic nerd. He may have a good body but with those poor eyes and clumsy movements, Long could only imagine the bullying this guy took in his entire life. He can''t do anything about it. Not matter how they try or build themselves, humans are still incredibly weak after all. A single punch from Long is even good enough to knock a bulky old man straight to the floor. \"E-excuse me, it seems like we have the same uniform. Do you go to Cebu University too?\" Elric asked as he clumsily chased after Long and walked beside him. \"Stay away from me a rat,\" Long warned Elric with a threatening gaze. Elric stumbled back, not expecting the other guy''s incredibly cold attitude. \"Like sister like brother indeed.\" Elric thought as he recomposed himself and chased after the leaving Long. Not paying heed to Long''s threatening gaze, Elric just walked along with him as if an assuming best friend. \"Name is Elric by the way and I came from Bantayan island. It is my first time here in the city and I came to Cebu to study computers! My dream is to become a computer programmer as it is one of the highest paying jobs according to my uncles and I will do whatever it takes to become the Magna Cum Laude! I may be an irregular student but I believe nothing is impossible as long as we work hard. Right?\" Elric''s mouth became a chatterbox as he walked along with Long and the latter could not help but crack his knuckles from irritation. \"My favorite subject is English, science, and Filipino. I suck at math but my favorite one is, of course, break time! Do you play Dota too? I spent most of my day playing them back on the island. It was really fun you know...\" As Elric continued to talk like an annoying parrot, a snapped Long was finally unleashed. \"Shut up rat!\" WHAM!~ With a forceful swing, Long gave Elric a crunchy punch to his guts and the latter immediately curled down in abdominal pain. \"Name''s Long. Talk to me again and you will have a ''long'' time sleeping in the hospital.\" Long said after teaching Elric a taste of his hard knuckles and leaving him behind. The people in the surroundings could only gasp in shock. Some of the passersby were complaining at the show and was about to chase after long to apprehend him. \"Aaahck~ I- I-I am okay! I''m okay! He is my friend! We just have some misunderstanding but I am okay! My body is made of rock you know! Hahaha!\" Elric laughed with a pathetic look. 145 The Best Actor \"Are you an irregular student?\" I asked one of the female fourth-year-college IT students to Elric who was sitting in the corner near the window, just two chairs behind Long. \"Uh-uh, yeah! hahaha. I-am Dodong Pogi. Just call me Dong for short. Pogi is also fine hahaha!\" Elric awkwardly laughed at his newfound name. Knowing its meaning, he could not help but smile to granny Kahayag who decided upon it. Unlike Elric''s manly and strong aura, the one that the students could see right now is a geeky, four-eyed, skinny Elric with unkempt hair and a goofy smile. It was a perfect representation of a loser nerd but was actually one of Elric''s transformation skills applying the Authority of Water which allows him to shapeshift as he desired. However, there are still quite the resemblance of the original Elric in his appearance. One only need to look closer in his eyes to know it was actually him. With such a weak and stupid looking appearance, the people around him could not help but laugh while others choose to ignore him. After all, who would want to stick around a loser? The people surrounding Elric are just those who had plenty of free time and are just bored. While others are just there to make fun of his nerdy presence. On the other side, Long was surrounded by fawning females. Despite his quiet nature, Elric was shocked to know this young man''s renowned title in the school. Long is the so-called Silent Tiger of the entire community college. The brawling king, the IT genius, the Academically gifted and total eye candy to all the women and half-men alike. It was only a few days since he started, almost every woman has fallen to his extra-ordinary and manly aura, the intelligent and elegant demeanor that has easily taken over their hearts. As a result, various proud bullies and boyfriends, a good twenty of them, were fuming in jealousy and anger that they openly came after him, intending to screw his beautiful face into a mutated version. However, as expected of a hundred years old Dragon in human form, his vast knowledge in martial arts and incredibly advanced fighting instinct allowed him to knock all of them into the floor like wooden logs. Elric heard some eyewitnesses around the school describing the event as \"The Tiger Devouring Twenty Monkies\". With every flick of Long''s hand or feet, a couple of teeth will fall together with the opponent''s head kissing the floor - really hard. It was like a classic Chinese film were a Kung-fu master takes on a crowd of aggressive men only to wipe them all down with flashy moves and heavy thuds. With clear evidence of who started the fight, everyone pointed at the bullies and their intention as the main culprit of the trouble while Long was just acting on self-defense. It was a day that everyone talked about even after four years have passed. But now that Long is on his fourth and last year in the school, the most aggressive and ambitious women are all geared to do their best to win the young man''s heart. Little did they know, Long could only look at them like dirty sewer rats clamoring for the most expensive and delicious cheese. Not a single mortal managed to impress him at all. Outside, Long looked like a serene river in the middle of the small and beautiful island situated in the middle of the raging ocean. His eyes are always looking outside the window, uninterested to everything that''s happening to him. His mind is constantly far away, thinking of the past glory of the Eastern Dragon Region. It''s been four years since he lost his Dragon Essence and his current normal human-pathetic state doesn''t help to ease his pain and regrets in the past. \"If only I was stronger. Maybe I could have defended my father and everyone. If only it was I who took the Ancestral Dragon Essence, I could have changed the world according to my will. Those worms from the other region will bow down to me. And I will make sure to pay them very well a hundred folds of the damage they have done to my race. If only...\" Long sighed helplessly. After knowing everything that happened that night from his sister, he felt incredibly mixed emotions of rage, hatred, mourning, and despair. He wanted to blame anyone but he can''t for it was futile. What''s done is done and there is nothing he can do about it. With all the built-up fury in him, he could only hope that the human responsible for all that event will come back to the world as he is more than happy, the wreck that pathetic human who can''t even handle the power of their royal blood, yet, he had the guts to take the Ancestral Dragon Essence! Just how stupid was he!? \"Rats! Humans are nothing but rats!\" With fuming emotions hidden deep inside him, Long looked behind him only to see that pathetic nerd living next door in his apartment staring back at him - with the silliest smile he could have ever witness. Crack~ Seeing Elric''s stupid smile directed at him, Long felt his fury finally filled to the brim and is ready to explode. Lucky to him, he finally saw a perfect candidate. It seems it is not too late to become a bully after all. \"I finally found my outlet!\" Long smiled back with a menacing grin. He looked at this watch and realize that there is still plenty of time before the next professor will come. With the stupid looking women still cringing in his background, Long finally stood up from his seat, turned around, walked calmly and stopped just before Elric. The latter looked up at his condescending gaze with a rather stupid smile. \"He-Hey neighbor! Y-you need something?\" Elric asked. Hearing this, everyone surrounding him were now up in curiosity. The fawning women were even more furious. Long had never really paid anyone attention for a long time but this crazy looking nerd already got Long''s ever-elusive attention on his first day!? Is this the actual revelation of Long''s unexpected taste!? And what was with this ugly nerd? Did he just call him neighbor? This pathetic looking nerd has the audacity to call the prince of their dream is a neighbor?! The women were about to move and talk Elric away from Long, afraid that the air of his ugliness might stain their prince charming''s appearance. Noticing their intention, Long glared back at the women and they immediately sat down like obedient little foxes back to their respective seat. Despite the hostile glare from their prince charming, it was enough for them to blush in fantasy knowing how rare the young man actually give attention to them. With everything finally settled, Long smiled calmly at Elric and asked. \"What was your name again?\" \"Me?. Dodong! Dodong Pogi for long, Dong for short and Pogi is also good since I look exactly like one! hahaha!\" Elric replied awkwardly. \"Alright, Dodong. Nice to meet you. today is your first time in Cebu Community College as an irregular, am I correct?\" \"Y-Yes! This is my first time indeed! And the first time to come in the city too! I cam from the island in the north called Bantayan. It was not a small island actually and there are plenty of fish too and-\" \"Alright. Alright now. \" Long immediately interrupted Elric''s aimless chatter and calmly lowered himself at Elric''s level with his arms supporting him through the latter''s desk. \"I know, I know you have a very beautiful island. Bantayan island is indeed great because I have been there myself. \" He patiently added. \"You see, I got a favor to ask you.\" \"A favor? Sure! Sure! How can I help?\" Elric excitedly replied. Watching them together from afar, their disposition''s contrast was quite very far from each other. Long looked like a prince in shining armor with all the beauty the women could only dream of a man, while the other one smiling stupidly before him was comparable to a skinny four-eyed skeleton with two goofy teeth scaling out of his upper jaw! The people watching them from afar could only shake their heads on how different the two are. \"Do you have wet wipes with you?\" Long calmly asked. \"W-Wet wipes? What is that?\" Elric innocently replied. \"It''s a wet antibacterial wipe like a tissue you moron!\" The crowd from behind laughed at Elric''s stupidity. Hearing their mocking bellows, Elric stupidly laughed as well. \"Hahahaha! So that is a wet wipe. I am afraid we don''t use that on the island, much more doubt if we can even afford it. hahaha!\" Elric added. He looked back at Long''s arrogant figure and said, \"I am a sorry neighbor. I do not have one. But I can ask someone about it if you like.\" \"Please do.\" Long smiled mysteriously. Knowing it was Long who was gonna use it, the women scrambled hastily on their bags to grab their wet wipes and handed it forcefully at Elric. In less than ten seconds, Elric came back before Long with a bunch of wet wipes with different brand names. \"Hehehe, I never thought people here are actually very kind and generous in this school!\" Elric said as he laid down the various wet wipes on the side. \"I only need one sheet.\" Long calmly said. \"Can you please get one for me and lay it flat on the desk?\" Elric patiently did so as he commanded. \"O-okay! One sheet only? There you go...\" \"Do you also mind taking off your eyeglasses?\" Long requested. \"Sure-sure, no big deal. And there you g-\" After taking off his eyeglass, Elric was just about to look up at Long when a straight punch suddenly caved into his face with a brutal force. WHAM!~ With a powerful punch from Long, Elric''s figure actually flew almost a meter, breaking the wooden desk behind him before landing heavily. Blood immediately trickled in his broken nose and a black eye immediately formed in his right eye. Right after giving that punch, Long calmly recomposed himself. \"I don''t want to see your ugly smile directed to me. It''s disgusting. Show it to me again and you will give you another stronger one.\" Long said in a threatening tone while he wiped his hands using the pulled out wet wipe placed by Elric. Long cleaned his hands as if he had just touched the dirtiest shit and moved back to his seat as if nothing happened. Everyone witnessing it was shocked, some were stupified, while the others laughed in amusement. For them, Elric deserved that punch as he was too stupid to actually think Long acknowledge him. 146 Jim, John, And The Furious Long It all happened too unexpectedly. It was weird in the first place on how did the newcomer nerd student got Long''s ever-elusive attention; only to realize it was actually because of the latter''s creepy stare towards Long that ticked his annoyance. Long, after giving Elric a good punch, he walked back to his seat in the same proud manner and looked as calm as an untouched river. However, despite his cold and unaffected facade, his head was agonizing over the fractured fingers in his hand. He might not look like it but he was actually suffering! \"It''s because of this stupid weak human body!\" reasoned Long. He never expected that his strong punch towards that weakling nerd would actually felt like hitting solid steel! With years of kicking everyone''s ass, Long was confident enough that he can even punch a hole against a solid cement wall. But today, instead of doubting Elric''s true strength and foundation, his pride made him believe that it was because of his weak human body that needs more training! Little did he knew, although Elric did disguise his appearance to look weak to the point that he even controlled his muscles to look like a skinny guy, his bones are still as solid as the hardest steel. He may look like a stick outside, but once tested, he was a solid-steel pole! While everyone was still in a daze upon witnessing such an unexpected move from Long, Elric on the other hand immediately stood up and patted himself off the dust. \"I am sorry if I creeped you out. This is just really the way I look.\" Elric said as he patted off the dust, took his bag and walked towards the exit. From the outside, Elric acted like he was in pain from that punch but the truth is he was laughing inside how weak it actually felt. With his body tempered by numerous fights, evolution and ascension, not even a mighty tank were strong enough to wreck him into pieces. But he still acted it out. He could see how slow Long''s punch was so he just let it hit him and acted like it was that strong. All just to solidify his disguise and completely erase Long''s suspicion over him. Not to mention, the way everyone reacted, it seems it was just another normal day for them. The strong bullying the weak was a scene that everyone seemed to have deemed normal even in these modern times. But just before Elric could finally leave through the door, a skinny looking guy, as tall as Elric, moved to block Elric''s path. Behind him is a towering figure of a big chubby guy about seven feet tall. \"Ahhm. Jim, I think this is not a good idea.\" commented the big chubby guy behind him. \"Shut up. That man has done enough!\" Jim, the skinny pale guy who blocked Elric turned around and beckoned to the big guy behind him. \"Hey, you!\" Jim shouted toward Long''s direction. Hearing him, Long swiped a slight glance before ignoring everyone again. \"You stupid arrogant cocky cold bastard! You have done enough against this guy. Apologize to him, right now!\" Hearing the skinny man''s shout, everyone''s attention was immediately rekindled at Elric''s position, and like watching their favorite movie, others watched in amusement while some even started taking out their snacks - ready to enjoy the show. \"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! Haven''t you heard? That guy has some solid reputation here as the king of all fistfight.\" hushed the big guy behind Jim. \"He can''t be king always. His madness must stop today and we will do what it takes to teach him a lesson for looking down on everyone!\" Jim proudly declared. \"Really? How exactly are you going to do that then?\" \"We got you, boy! John the giant!\" Jim pointed towards his friend while Elric looked at them in amusement and gladness. These two funny looking duo reminded him of his childhood friends who are probably married this time. But looking at these two who were willing to stand against Long''s oppression and even demand an apology from him, warms his heart. \"Sorry for bothering you, friend. My name is Jim and the giant Butanding behind me is John. Friends since kindergarten and are both certified Otakus. Please bear with us for a few minutes. Our burning desire for justice and friendship we learned from captain Luffy teacher us to protect those who are being oppressed.\" Jim casually introduced themselves. \"I was touched by how sincere and innocent you are as you served those wet wipes to that bastard only to be used to further humiliate you. It was a scene that is just plainly utter bullshit that my gears immediately spiked up to fourth!\" Jim explained as the big guy behind him nodded in agreement with his words. \"All it takes is one look to know you are a certified anime guy. We went through that. But we can''t just become a laughing stock all the time and get bullied like we are nothing. We must learn to stand up and uphold our dignity! We rise from the ashes and come back stronger!\" Jim added while John continued to nod in support while munching on a burger from he took out of his pocket. \"Hahahaha! Look at those freaks defending each other!\" \"Just look at those stupid glasses!\" \"One was quite tall if only he was not fat though. Now he looks like a giant harmless bear.\" The crowd laughed and berated them. Elric, on the other hand, remained calm inside and just continued to act foolishly and innocently outside. \"Hey! Are you deaf? Speak up! We are not going to sit down unless you apologize to this man here!\" Jim gently pulled Elric toward''s Long with a demanding tone. Long on the other side didn''t seem to have plans on talking back to them. Getting irritated from Long''s oblivious behavior towards them, Jim decided to up his punch lines, \"You piece of sh*t. Is your father a bastard too? Is that how he teaches you?-\" Hearing these words, a sensitive part of Long has finally been triggered and he unhesitantly unleashed a powerful blow intending to knock Jim out straight to the cemetery. His eyes were cold and a murderous intent gushed out from him. Seeing the punch coming towards him, Jim failed to react against it and could see the death looming in the background. \"Sh*t\" Jim could tell how strong this punch was and he could only mutter one last word before relieving himself to the fate of probable death. BLOCK!~ Luckily this time, Elric used his body as a cover and protected Jim from the impending death in the hands of Long. Everyone gasped in shock after realizing that Long has finally gotten serious judging from his deathly glare and a murderous aura he emitted. Long hates it the most when somebody insults his father. Without thinking of the possible damages and consequences, he is determined to put an end to anyone who dares disrespect the honor of his father who died for the slight chance of survival for both of him and his sister. And hearing this weakling human insulting his father is just the perfect trigger for him to unleash his fury towards them. Who cares if he dies? He is just another human rat after all! Knowing that he could not use his right hand after getting injured, Long used his left hand for this deadly punch only to end up hitting Elric to his face for the second time. Crack!~ A sound of his knucklebones cracking could be heard, but to the other''s perspective, it was Elric''s skull that had finally given up from Long''s overwhelming power! Realizing he is unable to use his hands to hurt Jim anymore, Long finally jumped from his seat and followed through a cartwheel, intending to finish Jim with a good landing kick! Seeing this mad guy''s intention, Elric suddenly, clumsily stepped back, pushing Jim and the big man behind him away from the mad Long''s furious kick. MISSED!~ Long was still not contented. He had just landed from his forceful cartwheel and actually left some cracks on the floor. \"These bastards are damned lucky. Let''s see if your lady luck can still save you from these.\" Long murmured as he swiftly followed after with another attack. It was a powerful transforming side to sweeping kick! Its aim is Jim''s shocked face just meters away from him if not for that clumsy Dodong Pogi pushing him away from his last attack! \"You''re dead!\" Long thought as his agile figure flawlessly moved like a Kung fu master and was just about to execute his deadly kick to Jim''s face when he felt his world suddenly turned dark. Suddenly, leaping from the front, a huge shadow of a big guy covered Long''s entire face. SLAAAM!~ \"I''m sorry!\" John, the gentle Butanding innocently whispered as his two hundred and thirty pounds weight landed flat, instantly flatting Long''s aggressive figure into the floor. He may not know any flashy attack moves to defend themselves, but he did learn one from his favorite pokemon called Snorlax. 147 Darkness Moving The first day of school for Elric ended up in the school Dean''s office. With two deep glaring eyes, the Dean stood with a condescending presence towards the three Otakus. He was a pot-bellied man in between his fifties wearing a formal long-sleeved white polo, black slacks, and a slim curvy mustache to compliment his already ridiculous build. He was facing the steaming-mad Dean with a stupid look and two black eyes from both sides of his face. Standing beside him is Jim who had accidentally sprained his knee and elbow from Elric''s sudden stumble. John, the biggest guy in the room, had an aching stomach from the body slam and an aching heart from the dropped burger he was eating a while ago. Distancing meters away from the three Otakus is the main culprit of the trouble - Long. He had the same cold and proud look not even sparing the people around him a glance. Of course, he did not forget to hide his fractured hands inside his pockets and even kept a straight face, not wanting to show a glimpse of weakness because of his overwhelming pride. \"I do not care who started it, what caused it and how it happened. Our school rules are clear, no fighting inside or face the consequences!\" The principal beckoned to Elric, Jim and John who is standing with their heads bowed down before him. With every whipping words the Dean spewed, he made sure to direct it only at the three knowing Long''s incredible and respectable reputation. Not to mention, Long is also one of the school''s smartest and outstanding students that they pretty much let him do as he wanted as long as he continued to dominate every inter-university events and competition. Basically, Long is the best student they currently have and the school Dean is afraid that scolding their one and only genius might cause him to transfer to the other school. Therefore, he made sure to control his temper in front of this outstanding young man and choose to berate these three stooges before him instead. \"And finally...\" The principal continued, \"as the punishment of your delinquency, I have subjected you, three idiots, for three days of temporary suspension starting tomorrow!\" \"Three days of suspension!?\" John immediately reacted in panic. \"Am I gonna fail my college schooling? What about my dreams? How will my mother respond to this? Am I still gonna get an allowance? But food? My tender juicy hotdogs and burger is gone?!\" He questioned with a doubtful panic. \"Relax, its just three days! We can just make that up with sheer diligence and home study! You know the main characters of the stories right? They always get these disadvantages in order to further develop their character! Right buddy Dodong?\" Jim reacted positively while elbowing Elric beside him with an energetic gesture. \"How about Long? He started all these, how come he doesn''t get a punishment?\" Elric questioned. As much as he wanted to stay low profile, learning how unjust the school Dean is to them pretty much triggered his eyebrows to rise. \"Well, I know him. Long is an outstanding and behave student. And aside from his excellent academic works, he is also respectable and behaves young man. I doubt he will start kicking you moron''s ass if you did not push him to. Therefore I am just pointing the punishment to you three knowing how troublesome you are, especially you Jim.\" \"Me?\" Jim pointed at himself. \"But I am a behave one! I may be a little rebellious but it''s because of my overwhelming passion for justice and fairness! That man maltreated my good friend here. Just look at those swollen black eyes in his face!\" Jim defended himself and pointed at Elric. \"Well, I heard he was harassing Long with this new comer''s creepy stare.\" \"So my friend gets pummeled because he looked at that bastard!?\" Jim disagreed. \"Silence!\" the Dean bellowed and quickly turned around to stand in his table. \"My decision is final. You come to school tomorrow, and the security guards will just kick your wimpy asses back outside.\" \"But-\" Jim muttered but was immediately interrupted. \"No Butts! Now go out!\" \"But-\" Jim murmured with a reluctant look. \"Let''s go, buddy,\" John told him. \"Out! Now! Or do you want expulsion?\" \"We are going now, sir Dean. Thank you.\" Elric bowed down in respect, seeing this gesture, John and Jim also bowed albeit reluctantly and left the Dean''s office right away. As for Long, he had already left long ago and the Dean did not even react at all. This is the privilege of the favored student of the school. Heaving a sigh, the Dean took a hard sip of his coffee thinking it was already cold enough for a huge gulp. PHHSSSSUWEH!~ \"AAack! AAhh!~\" The Dean spewed out his coffee from his mouth like a forceful water hose. \"How aaahh~ the hell haaa!~ did my coffee became extremely hot!? I thought it has turned cold after fifteen minutes! Aaah!~\" The dean felt like drinking a freshly boiled coffee. It was extremely hot which resulted in his seared tongue and mouth! He immediately rushed towards the cold water dispenser on the side to ease the pain with a cup of cold water but to his surprise... \"AAAAAGH!!!!~\" Suddenly, he started to jump like a rabbit, swung his face, fan his mouth and shouted in agony as he felt like the world is trying to burn his entire mouth! It turns out that even the cold water from the water dispenser has turned incredibly hot. The school dean felt like going crazy after taking two huge sips of boiling hot water! It was weird, but he could only blame himself for being careless. Just how stupid was he to do that to himself twice?! He could have checked the temperatures first but who would be careful enough to expect that? It took a while that he had finally calmed down. He was, after all, unable to feel the pain anymore since his tastebuds seem to have been boiled to numbness already. The dean was just about to set down on his chair when suddenly... Craaack~ BAAAANG!~ AAAAAAAAAAGGGH!~ A loud roaring shout from the Dean''s office can be heard across the school alleys as the administrator staffs scrambled to come and know what was happening only to see their duly-respected Dean lying helplessly on the floor looking pathetic with his unkempt hair, the pale-looking tongue that was hanging outside his mouth, a pained face, and a broken wooden-chair under him. His poor pot-bellied figure laid facing the ceiling in utter pain, anger and bewilderment after his wooden chair suddenly crumbled as if it was made of charcoal! Just how unlucky his day could probably get? As much as he wanted to scold or blame anyone, he was not dumbed enough to unreasonably point it to others especially that the three stoggies a while ago just stood in their place the entire time. At the end, he could only blame himself for being too careless not realizing that he had offended a being that he should have never even dare to mess with. *** \"Don''t worry boys. This too shall pass. Let us not forget that this challenge is just part of our character development.\" Jim talked like a rapper trying his best to be positive and friendly. \"Three days of suspension. I''m really gonna fail big time this time.\" John mumbled to himself. Hearing his big friend''s mindless chatter Jim added, \"Cheer up dude! Think of this as if we are the main characters of a novel or a strategy game. We have you John as our main tanker, here our new Nakama Dodong Pogi as back support and of course, me, as your captain who will lead us to success in the future! Like pirate kings, we will rule this school and that ugly mother-sucker Long will be a goner soon!\" While the two talked like chatter boxes, Elric on the other side continued to walk with them and smiled in amusement. With all of the easy-going things happening around, he felt like he was back to being a normal human again and he felt an unexpected warmth in his heart knowing how easy normal human''s life actually is. You don''t pit your life to different creatures of unknown worlds, you don''t suffer lightning tribulations and you do not have to be on guard all the time from the unwanted dangers of unknown. All the problem of the human realm is actually the easiest problem from all realms. How you find happiness and how you reacted to the challenges of life, is all up to you. It was just a matter of perspective. And the fact that not the majority of people who seem to miss watching life through this perspective is really saddening. After going thru everything in his life, Elric realized that life should be experienced by how it went along and not where you were going. It was not about achievement but how you went towards the achievement. After all, there was nothing in the peak of the mountains but an empty skyline full of unreachable stars. But knowing that there is something else that meets the normal human eye, Elric was well aware of how feeble reality is and how fast they could actually change once the unseen forces started to move and affect the human realm. And because of that, he made it also a mission to keep the peace in the world as it was and protect it - especially from himself. \"Now since we got plenty of time at the moment, why don''t we go for some rounds in Dota in the nearest nearby internet Cafe?\" Jim suggested. \"Wait, Dota? You mean that online game?\" Elric asked. \"Oh yeah, I forgot you were from an island in the north. Well, yes. Dota. That online game! Wanna come?\" \"Sure! Sure! I wan''t to learn.\" Elric added, he was just pumped to learn that his favorite computer game was still alive despite the years of time has passed. The three were just about to go out the gate when Elric''s senses noticed something. He immediately scanned his surroundings and immediately found a faint dark aura of a Shadow not far away from where he was standing. Quickly, his eyes morphed into a Dragon''s eyes and his vision immediately widened and his sensitivity increased significantly and everything looked as if they had been magnified countless times that even the skin pores can be seen from a kilometer away! It did not take long for him to find the aura''s direction and Elric saw in one of the school''s isolated windows, a female student was standing with a creepy smile while staring at a certain direction. Elric immediately traced where she was staring at only to see Long hiding behind a huge tree and was actually bandaging his injured hands using his mouth! Quickly, the creepy female student''s mouth moved and Elric immediately focused his hearing senses in her direction. \"Both his hands are injured. He sprained his right ankle and he also injured his neck from that giant kid''s body slam. He won''t be able to resist if we do it right now.\" The creepy student said as she slowly backed out of the window and her figure disappeared like a cloud of smoke. 148 Longs Panic \"Stupid. Human. Body. So. Freaking. Weak!\" Long angrily muttered as he continued to roll the bandages to cover his injured hands. He never even think why Elric had such a steel-like skull and just blamed his current body constitution as the reason for his injuries. While the school Dean was angrily lashing out to the three stooges, Long unhesitantly left the place, went to the school nurse''s office and just casually picked up some bandages without them noticing. Then by acting as if everything is fine with him, he calmly went to find a safe spot to start tending on his injuries. Right now, he is currently aiding his multiple broken bones while being under the cover of a big tree. He was not worried after the broken bones, after all, knowing that he had a grandma Landlord who can heal him in a jiffy. He was just wondering why she did not appear yet since she would usually pop out of nowhere and do her thing before disappearing back like a bubble. \"Who needs her anyway.\" He scoffed, \"Just you wait when I get back my Dragon Essence. I will make sure to wreak havoc over this place even if those stupid Guardians will try to stop me. I hate those rats! I hate this school. I hate everyone and I hate this freaking stupid weak human body!\" He continued to complain angrily as he was just about to finish bandaging himself, a familiar sound suddenly came out of from behind him. \"Need help?\" It was Elric. Long''s eyes immediately formed a frown upon realizing who was the mystery guy who found him despite being well hidden. \"Why do I need help? Do I look like an injured person to you?\" Long arrogantly scorned. He hates it when someone would offer help to him. After all, he never ever asked for help from anyone since he grew up as a Dragon. And being a Dragon means you must stand on your own! Their overwhelming pride did not just flow through their veins but also to their tongue! \"Well, I can see that you have bandages in your knee and your hands. Did you perhaps, sprained yourself and broke some of your finger bones during the last fight?\" Elric asked with an ever-innocent smile. It doesn''t take a genius for him to actually see how serious Long''s injuries are. With his mystical Elemental-Dragon eyes, he could even see Long''s complete bone and muscle structure together with the abnormalities with them. \"Injured!? Haha! Me!?\" Long laughed with a mocking tone and threatened, \"So you want a second round right now? I will make sure to send you back to your apartment with broken ribs and additional swollen jaw. How''s that sound?\" Elric scratched the back of his head innocently, \"No- I am not here to fight. I just want to see if I can help you with anything-\" \"Come!\" Long said as he casually stood with kung-fu like pose. His eyes are locked at Elric and he seems to be not joking at all. This young man is determined to prove that he is not someone to look down even if he got those injuries. Anyway, no matter how worst it can get, he still got grandma''s backing to heal him up as if brand new and he could come back to school tomorrow as if nothing happened. Just when Long was about to charge, he suddenly stopped mid-way upon hearing a series of footsteps coming their way. Long and Elric quickly turned around only to see four students, one male, and three females, smiling wickedly and stopped just a few meters away from them. \"What do you want? Are you here to make fun of me as well?\" Long angrily beckoned. \"If you guys are here to fight, please spare me. I don''t want another fight. I am already under suspension! Also, he is badly injured as you can see in the bandages in his hands and ankles. Please spare us.\" Elric immediately begged beside Long, he acted as if he was greatly fearful at their presence. However, the four creepy students just stood there like a maniac robot. Their eyes are filled with a mysterious dark aura as if a hidden ghost is hidden inside their iris. In Long''s perspective, they appear incredibly normal aside from their weird behavior; but in Elric''s vision, these student''s figure are shrouded in tentacle-like darkness which simply means - they are under the control of Shadows. Or it was safe to say, that they are actually Shadows themselves that has completely overtaken their host''s body. How they managed to escape the eyes of the Guardians, must have something to do with the isolation barrier suddenly covering the entire school grounds. They have finally taken the bait. However, a frown immediately formed in Elric''s face. He was pretty sure there were ten of them in the school ground, but why did they send only four? Could it be that they are wary of his sudden appearance? Elric immersed himself to completely heightening his spiritual senses and as he had guessed, he was right. The four shadows before him are just the front while the other four are scattered in every direction while hiding in the darkness. With Elric''s over-powered spiritual senses and together with his Dragon''s natural perceptiveness to danger, he could easily pinpoint the enemies now that they have finally revealed their aura and intentions. Elric may have acted like a scared cat, quite in contrast to the brave Long who had no idea what he was actually facing. What Long only knew is that the people before him had bad intentions towards him judging from their menacing smiles. \"I can take you all together at once if that''s how you want this to end. Don''t worry, I am not injured.\" Long said as he raised his bandaged hand and gestured for them to come like a classic Kung Fu fighter. However, the creepy students didn''t seem to listen to them. Instead, their creepy grin only continued to widen like a controlled puppet. \"Take the nerdy one out first. We can just take him with that Dragon kid.\" The male student who stood the tallest among the four suddenly whispered with a ghastly cold voice. One of the girls on his side suddenly replied, \"But what if that geek is a-\" \"We will know that soon enough. Go. We made enough preparations for this.\" The male insisted and the three girls beside him nodded simultaneously before charging towards Long like a trained assassin. \"Hmp! You think I will show mercy just because you are girls?!\" Long scoffed as he prepared to defend himself. He may not be able to use his hands and the injured right foot but as a real Kung Fu expert, he still had enough fighting arsenal hidden in his sleeves, like literally- hidden in his sleeves are nunchaku! He might not be able to knock the living daylight out of these creepy rats but with a firm grip to his nunchaku''s and an expert swing and timing, taking care of them is as easy as wham, two three! Just when Long was about to do a do his Kung fu defense, the three charging women were suddenly drowned in their own shadows! And like melted black ink, they appeared right under Elric''s foot and their creepy ink-like fingers twirled around the panicking Elric and immediately pulled him down into their shadows! AAAACCK!~ And like a cat desperately clinging not to get drowned in cold water, Elric''s expression was exactly like that. He screamed like an innocent young man together with the pleading voice. \"Help! Help! Demons! I am being attacked by demons!\" Elric shouted in fearful panic. Long on the other side had his eyes widened in shock and fear. \"Elementals? Or could it be the Dark Spirituals?\" Long thought as he held tightly on his nunchakus. He would have easily spewed out his cleansing fire against these creatures if only he was still a Dragon, but now that he is just an ordinary human, what can he possibly do against them? \"Help! Please brother! Long! Help me!\" Elric begged as Long watched him and was still unable to move at the sudden twist. He realized that Elric''s voice seems to be reverberating as if they are being confided inside a clear glass room. \"It was an isolation barrier!\" Long quickly realized as more sweats continued to drop in his shaking face. Try as he might, but his natural human instinct is to flee from danger. He might have the spirit of a Dragon but the human body nature is designed to move in accordance with its survival instinct! All he could do is hope that Granma landlord would come to save him but it seems that she is stuck on facing something else. \"Could it be... they are after my sister as well?!\" Long''s mind quickly realized that they are actually facing this another form of enemies aside from the Dragon Hunters and the enemy Dragon tribes. Hopelessly, he could have lent a hand to grab Elric''s begging figure before him but he chooses not to. His shaking hands and panicked eyes could only watch as Elric''s figure slowly being devoured by the swamp-like shadow. What if he gets swallowed too!? If he failed to survive this ordeal, it could be the end of his life and their entire Dragon bloodline! Who cares about a stupid rat? He is different! He is an Eastern Dragon! The one of the two last eastern Dragon of his tribe to bring hope to their revival! He must not die! Slowly, Long''s figure turned around in fear and hurriedly dashed away towards the school buildings just a hundred meters away from them. As he was running, he could not help but notice the creepy smile from the creepy student behind him. His back was drenched in sweat while his pants were wet as well, the only difference is that it wasn''t because of sweat. Seeing Elric''s pathetic begging for help, the male student who also acted as a leader of the four Shadows smiled wickedly with a confident demeanor. \"I knew it. That kid is just another normal being. Consider him a bonus for today''s mission and proceed with the plan.\" And like synchronized puppets, the four other Shadows scattered far from the surroundings blended to the darkness. They are about to go for their real target which is Long. 149 Pain Of The Proud As the day went by, the school ground appeared to be as calm as a normal university from the outside; not knowing the unbelievable things happening at the moment. \"Not yet...\" Elric calmly thought to himself, disguised as a wimpy geek that is currently being choked hard at his neck by a Shadow in the form of a female student. As usual, her never fading creepy smile continued to show its yellowish teeth and shadowy eyes, looking like a malnourished demon. Long, on the other side, had already left Elric behind fearing for his own life. He was quite confident that he can face the new bunch of weirdo rats until they finally revealed their true forms and intentions. \"Just where did that stupid old lady landlord go? How come she is not here defending me?\" Elric angrily complained. Perhaps he was just too used from grandma Kahayag''s pampering presence that he quickly became a spoiled brat in less just a few years despite his cold and arrogant attitude. BONK!~ Just when Long was just about to reach the closest building, he suddenly felt like bumping into an invisible wall and bounced back a few meters before painfully fell on his back. \"I guess I am on my own right now... I knew I could never count on anyone, not even my own sister!\" He bit his lips as he immediately pulled himself up in a painful struggle from his injury and mysterious pursuers. He did not give Elric another stare knowing that it was pointless. He suspected his pursuers are hostile Elementals that must have an unsettled beef with their own Eastern Dragon clan. Too bad the new student had become an unintentional victim. But for Long, it doesn''t matter. Even if he had to sacrifice everyone in the school, he is more than willing to that. After all, they are just pointless rats living a pointless life. Compared to him who is a majestic Dragon that has powers and capabilities far beyond this ants, he strongly believes that only those who have the strength to survive will last until the end. He may be a human at the moment, but he confidently believes that it wouldn''t be long for his Dragon Essence to be released back to him. Until then, he must survive and do what he can to escape the current enemies. With a determined look, Long tried his best to push thru the hard invisible wall before him but it seems it was not working at all. For a second, he acted as if he was still a Dragon. After all, it was not Long''s first time to experience being trapped inside an isolation barrier. Back when he was a Dragon, he had gone through countless life and death battles against Dragon Hunters of the Arkhan race and every time they trapped him in isolation barriers, he would just force himself out using his brute Dragon strength, amplified by the royal bloodline flowing in his veins, and their pity tricks are gone. However, now that he is at weakest, he got nothing left but a bare human body and a solid chained metal stick as a weapon. Grabbing tightly to his nunchakus, Long skillfully whammed his weapon against the invisible wall before him, causing intense reverberations in each and every strike, focusing his attack on a single spot, hoping to create a crack to the spatial isolation barrier trapping him and force himself out from that one weakness. Wham! Pang!~ Wham!-Pang! Whawahhm!~ PaPanng!~ Like an action star, Long wielded his weapon with powerful swings not even realizing the bleeding injuries in his hand. He was determined to go out no matter what. \"It''s useless. The barrier trapping you right now is unlike those Dragon meat loves have. It was a special formation that is capable of withstanding any amount of force and even hide everything inside it as if nothing is happening.\" The sound of the leader came from behind. With calm strides, he casually smiled at Long together with the three creepy female students beside him. On the hand of the girl on the left side is Elric''s unconscious figure. And seeing the unkempt dress and the choke marks on the poor nerd''s neck, it doesn''t take long for Long to realize what they have done. Quickly, he felt like all the strands of his hair standing up in fear and he turned around to continue smashing the invisible wall before him, but before he could do, four other male students with dark shadowy eyes and creepy smiles are already standing beside him. Realizing the unexpected presence of the enemy before him, Long quickly lunged an attack to the closest one only to have his hand immediately grabbed and a kick from the three other male students followed up. Long tried his best to dodge their incoming attacks but the sprained back and ankles did not allow the usual agile maneuver he can do so he was immediately sent flying a good three meters, closer to the male leader of the shadows. \"Why don''t you ask from your grandma? Is she not coming? But why though?\" The leader mockingly asked as the rest of the Shadow possessed students laughed sinisterly in amusement. Long gasped for more air as he tried to push himself up the ground. The strong kick from the three male students did a pretty good job breaking some of his ribs and Long could feel his breathing immediately tightening up and his vision started to blur. He had never felt this weak and pathetic in his whole life. To hear the mocking laughter of these unknown creeps also added to his boiling anger and dissapointment. \"Let me tell you a secret.\" The man kneeled down to get closer at Long and whispered merely, \"The truth is, we can do whatever the heck we want inside this barrier. Do you know why?\" Long glared back as a reply. \"That old woman sold you. Your family has chained your powers. No human can help you, not even your non-existent Dragon race!\" The creepy leader maniacally laughed again and so did the rest of the Shadows surrounding him like an obedient student following whatever their teacher says and do. \"I know you are a proud kid. You have been to the top, kicking the pathetic human''s ability with your cheat like advantage.\" The leader added. \"You look down on everybody and only clings to those whom you can take advantage of. Do you know the kind of place where the kinds of you actually belong?\" He looked straight at Long''s weakening eyes and whispered coldly. \"You belong to the darkness, with us.\" The leader''s hand suddenly grabbed Long by the hair which Long immediately held on to. Slowly, with the tight grip on his hair, he was raised higher and higher until a powerful punch from the demonic Shadow leader sent Long a few meters away, landing heavily to the ground, curling and turning like a worm from the unexplainable pain of his pummeled abdomen and piercing broken ribs. AAACKGH~ Long cried in pain. He felt like his consciousness if already fading, death waving in his mind. \"The fun is not yet over. You like to play right?\" The voice of the creepy leader sounded. Long had an indignant look in his face. He still has a mission to accomplish. He still had to avenge his fallen race! But just facing this bunch of creepy elementals, he was already left hanging to the smile of death! How pathetic could he get? But a sudden warm touch from the demonic Shadow leader caused his injured body to immediately heal. \"What the..\" Surprised, he was just about to mutter something when more punch and kicks from the creepy students suddenly barraged him back to near-death. \"Don''t die yet, kid. The fun had just started. Stay awake for now okay? The main event is coming soon...\" The leader patter Long''s head like a good boy and casually kicked him like a dog. \"I''d rather die than die like a piece of crap you stupid Elementals could step on!\" With weak grunting voice, Long muttered. \"Oh, don''t worry. We will not let you die. You and your sister''s body is one of the most precious jars this human realm could currently offer aside from the Perfect One.\" And with an excited smile, he added, \"The agony you are facing is just a small payment for the honor you are about to receive soon. In fact, you should be extremely proud that your body will soon become a vessel for the Spiritual Kings of the Dark Realm!\" \"Vessel for ... spiritual... kings?\" Long muttered weakly as he felt another healing touch coming from the leader and followed by brutal attacks from his followers. ACCK!~ AAGHK!~ AAAGH! Long''s shout reverberated inside the small isolated barrier. It was the first time that he wished for death instead of fighting to hold on for life. But as things have unfolded, it seems his enemies doesn''t want to let him go to death''s embrace yet. Their intentions are clear. To keep playing with him until who knows when. Elric on the other side remained unconscious. But deep in his spiritual senses, he was clearly awake and was just watching everything as things are unfolding. The main reason he did not reveal himself yet is that he has a gut feeling that he must wait a little more. The most powerful aura among all the Shadow had still not appeared yet and he was confident that it wouldn''t take long for it to come out soon. Not to mention, the enemies are currently spouting very important information especially with regards to the so-called Kings of the Dark Realm, the mysterious clue about grandma Kahayag and so on. Until then, he could only pray that Long will persist from his current agony. Elric knew how Long had chosen to abandon him right away without hesitation. But instead of getting mad, he chooses to understand the latter''s situation. He had gone too much spiritual ascension to mind such trivial problems. Suddenly, Elric''s spiritual senses noticed three incoming aurae from different directions. \"They''re coming...\" 150 Unleashing Ligh An hour before the attack of the Shadows in Long''s school, grandma Kahayag was also preparing herself. The plan has been settled and if everything goes according to their prediction, not only will they get the advantage of capturing the Shadows but to be able to deal with the nearby Shadow stalkers who are still hiding. With her incredible senses, Kahayag could feel the powerful aura this Shadows emitted looming not far from her apartment. It was obvious who they are after. It was Lesse who is one the last royal blooded Eastern Dragon. But for some reason, the Shadows chose not to move and kept on biding with their time. With their past experiences with facing the old woman protecting the Dragon siblings, they knew they do not stand a chance against her face to face. However, one thing that granny Kahayag noticed at the moment is the absurd number of the Shadows revealing faint traces of their aura. A good hundred of them is showing a glimpse of their presence like twinkling black stars in the white sky. Granny Kahayag and Elric had a plan to deal with them, but that was assuming that they were just going to face a few of them, not a hundred of them! Unexpectedly, the enemy shadows seem to have their own plan as well that they even decided to reveal their spiritual presence intentionally just to show their current number advantage. They were still maintaining a strict one-kilometer distance though, afraid to step into granny Kahayag''s domain or risk burning into crisp in less than a few seconds because of her anti-Shadow formation. But with such overwhelming numbers, she was afraid that her anti-Shadow formation might break and she would end up facing a hundred of ever-elusive and savage Shadows. A war is about to start and Granny had only a couple of spiritual bullets in her arsenal! Inside her room, her eyes turned from left to right, checking the anito figurines that she had strategically placed all over the apartment as a part of the formation that was keeping them safe. She closed her eyes slowly as her aura and looks suddenly changed. From an old familiar grandma to her true form of Kahayag, the woman from the Realm of Light. The real Kahayag had a beautiful and refined figure filled with a mysterious air. Her long black hair and white tribal dress fluttered in revelation. It was the same woman that Elric saw back in the spiritual plane together with his great ancestor Lapu-Lapu. Her mouth slowly chanted words as if praying to an unseen God. She touched the protective beads in her wrists before tracing with her fingers the hidden tribal tattoos in her arms and lastly, a black knife oozing with dark smoke and corrupted shriek can be heard upon waving it. It was carefully placed in a small knife scabbard filled with ancient tribal designs. And finally, she opened her eyes and revealed her orange iris and a completely different presence. She had been possessed by the Spirits of War. A wicked smile slowly formed in her lips while she slowly walked towards the small anitu figurine close to the window. \"What a beautiful day.\" She said as her orange glowing eyes scanned the clear blue sky. The light passed through the wooden windows and quickly her skin quickly radiated a faint light. \"Too bad, this is probably the last time I will see the day.\" She mumbled as her now soft and dedicated looking hands slowly moved towards the small anitu figurine. Then her hands stopped with hesitation, she looked at the small wooden sculpture and a hesitant gleam can be seen in her orange glowing eyes. Time ticked slowly and Kahayag seems to be having trouble over something. Her mind is not sure while her heart is unsettled. A few moments later, a solemn deep sigh can be heard from her silhouette by the window as her fingers finally touched the anito figurine causing it to fall down to the wooden floor. WOOOOM~ The sound of the anti-Shadow barrier dissolving in the spiritual plane can be heard in Kahayag''s ears. With the wooden catalyst of maintaining the protection now gone, the spiritual energy protecting the entire apartment from the surrounding Shadows has quickly dissipated. HAAAAASHHK~ HAAASSSH~ HAASK!~HAAASK!~ The creepy cold weathering voices of the Shadows can be heard from the window that Kahayag was standing. Their dark ethereal form that resembled a feral black wolf can be seen clearly from Kahayag''s visual. But contrary to Kahayag''s attention, the etherial eyes of the Shadows were not focused at the powerful Spiritual warrior, but to the elegant young lady sleeping peacefully on a soft sofa inside her small room. It was Lesse. \"You want it? Come get it.\" Granny Kahayag confidently said as the intensity of the orange light in her eyes became stronger. Her hands revealed a powerful gush of orange spiritual aura that caused reverberations to the air surrounding her. She was like a killing machine, getting a warm-up. CRAACK~ POOSH~ With the spiritual energy completely gone off the anitu figurines, it quickly cracked and exploded into crisp, leaving nothing but wooden dust - it resembled that the anti-Shadow barrier had been completely dissolved and there is nothing that can stop the Shadows from acquiring Lesse. HAAASK~ HAASHK~ Together with the faint pop, the figures of the Shadows from the distance howled in excitement as they quickly melded into the shadows. The attack signal has been triggered. SWOOOSH~ SWOOOSH~ SWOOOOSH~ And like dashing black cars, the Shadows passed from buildings to buildings like racing black clouds towards the white wooden apartment where Kahayag was waiting. In less than ten seconds, the one-kilometer distance had been casually covered by the Shadows numbering over a hundred. But just when they were about to finally touch the wooden apartment wall, granny Kahayag''s aura suddenly exploded. \"HAHAHA! Come and I will send you back to where you belong!\" Granny Kahayag''s etherial figure left her physical body and floated above the apartment where she can see the whole horizon of the charging Shadows. Quickly, she raised her hands and a spiritual bow and arrow appeared in her hand. \"I hope you are watching me my dear.\" She whispered as her hands skillfully weilded her range spiritual weapon. With a forcefully stretched bow in her hands, a focused glowing eyes and a terrifying spiritual aura, Kahayag, released the arrow straight towards the most Shadow concentrated direction just a few meters before her. SWOOOSH~ FLASH!~ With her spiritual fury unleashed in the form of a bright arrow, a blinding light immediately exploded before her that quickly enveloped the entire apartment while the dark figures of the Shadows disintegrated like a thin piece of paper scorched in blinding flame. Those lucky Shadows that were yet to arrive immediately backed away to escape the area of effect of the blinding light. Thanks to their extra-ordinary reflex, flexibility, and speed, the Shadows managed to keep the casualties to a minimum. But despite escaping safely from Kahayag''s arrow, the rest of the shadow had an indignant look now that they have witnessed what this old woman is really capable of. They need a plan. To barge in straight to their target is the same as suicide. They need a distraction or the least they can do is buy some time until they reach Lesse and taking her weak human body is as easy as one two three. \"That''s fourteen of you are gone. Keep them coming!\" Kahayag taunted as she reloaded her spiritual bow. A gleam of determined look is revealed in her glowing eyes as she scanned her surroundings and the Shadow frantically scattered in different directions, hoping that the arrow will not come towards their face. The fight was happening in the spiritual plane, therefore in the physical realm, everything looked as if there was no fight going on. Lesse was sleeping soundly in her sofa, not knowing the real face of danger slowly creeping in her way. SWOOOSH!~ FWOOOOM!~ SWOOOSH!~ FWOOOM! With every light arrow, Kahayag unleashed, countless Shadows are being devoured into black dust. The Shadows, on the other hand, did not seems to be completely afraid of her though. Knowing that her power shouldn''t last forever. All they need to do is buy themselves time and hope that the scary old woman before them would finally stop releasing those arrows due to spiritual exhaustion. Not to mention, they had already expected such retaliation from her; therefore, they had come prepared. All they need is the signal from the one leading them. Suddenly, Kahayag stopped her attack and her head turned around to look at a certain direction. With her extremely sensitive spiritual sense, she could feel the sudden appearance of the isolation barrier in the school''s direction. \"The enemies have already started to move on the other side. I could only hope Elric would succeed.\" She muttered to himself as she quickly reloaded her weapon and aimed at the direction of the cluttered Shadows. 151 Trapped In A Trap Grandma Kahayag continued to release light arrows one after another, but despite her constant effort, the Shadows seem not to care about their own lives. Like mad wolves, they lunged one after another only to meet the powerful Babaylan''s light arrows. WOOOSH~ FLASH!~ Slowly as the fight continued, grandma Kahayag''s attack finally started to slow down. Together with her weakening fervor, the power of her light arrows had also started to weaken up. Although the Shadow''s number is down to less than five, their smaller number also makes it harder for her to hit them as now they have more spaces to move from. Adding with their absurd speed and reflexes, the balance was just slowly tilting in their side. The dark-wolf-like Shadows seem to have noticed her weakness as well but for some reason, they stopped pressing their attacks and instead, chooses to distance themselves again. \"This is useless. I need to focus.\" Kahayag thought as she finally stopped attacking as well and focused herself on recovering her spent spiritual energy. But barely after a breath later, back in the physical realm, Kahayag''s sensed an unusual aura coming towards her direction and immediately glanced over only to see a jeepney car, loaded with mysterious people wearing creepy smiles in their face, speeding recklessly in the road. The big car was not showing any signs of slowing down as its driver in front have the same creepy smile on his face as well. Everyone in that jeepney are possessed with Shadows! \"This is bad!\" Kahayag panicked as she prepared to release the etherial arrow towards the jeepney''s direction when another powerful aura of a Shadow revealed itself behind her. Unlike the wolf-like Shadow minions, this one, in particular, has a heavy and domineering presence of a werewolf! Together with the sudden arrival of the werewolf-like shadow, the five remaining minion-Shadows had also split to attack grandma Kahayag from the sides but she had casually evaded their attacks flawlessly, while the rest of the Shadows chose to charge towards the peacefully sleeping figure of Lesse. And like a black flash, the massive werewolf Shadow charged straight at Kahayag''s etherial figure! Kahayag retaliated by turning her bow and arrow into a bright thin sword and flawlessly slashed diagonally in the massive Shadow''s direction. However, the massive werewolf Shadow seems to have expected her counter attack. It easily side-stepped to the side and sent an upward claw counter. Kahayag received the claw with a swift cartwheel to the back and sent another sweeping slash mid-air - it successfully flopped the opponent''s hand. It was a fight that covered no less than two seconds but the two of them had already exchanged a couple of blows! Seeing its lopped shadow hands, Kahayag confidently stood up and smiled, expecting the enemy to dissipate into black dust. However, the massive figure of the werewolf-like Shadow remained intact! This brought a frown upon Kahayag''s face. \"As expected of the finest Warrior from the Realm of Light...\" The werewolf Shadow suddenly spoke in a cold and ghastly voice. Its smoke-like figure stood calmly before Kahayag as if it was just playing with her. \"But I am afraid we already won...\" It confidently added before it turned to the side and watched the Shadow-loaded jeepney ramming the front door of the apartment in the physical realm. \"As if I would let you!\" Kahayag replied with a smile. BROOOOM!~ CRAAASH~ The crash brought a powerful crashing sound that instantly caused the surrounding crowd nearby to fall into panic and shock. Some people immediately took out their phones to call for an ambulance while some took the initiative to go after the disfigured jeepney to help the injured passengers. Lesse who was sleeping peacefully inside the apartment was immediately awakened as well. Fearing that the shocking sound is from an enemy who is after her, she hurriedly went towards her closet and took out a gun, a meter long samurai and the green pendant that holds the key to unsealing their Dragon essence. Lesse had always known that the day will come that her pursuers will find her and that they could not just depend on grandma Landlord''s protection all the time. She was prepared to fight back against them no matter what. She had received an instruction from granny Kahayag that in any case, something happens to the apartment, it must have something to do after their pursuers and that they must be prepared to defend themselves just in case she could not come to their aid. \"Hey! Is anyone okay?\" \"Quick call an ambulance!\" \"Careful! Careful!\" The people scrambled to help the injured passengers inside the crashed car. But to their surprise, the wounded passengers calmly walked out of the disheveled jeepney with wide creepy smiles amid their blood-covered face. It was like seeing dead people come out of a jeepney coffin! \"ZOMBIES!\" \"What the!?\" \"Aaaaah!\" The surrounding crowd immediately flee in fear after watching such a creepy show coming out from a crashed vehicle. The Shadow-possessed people walked out with bones sipping out of their skin, some had their foot stuck in bleeding state, while others have broken neck - all while wearing the creepy smile like a clown zombie! It was a creepy show indeed! Quickly their figure moved towards Lesse''s direction but before they could even take another step, their figure quickly collapsed like a stringed puppet losing their threads! WOOOOOM!~ With a wide smile, granny Kahayag flicked her finger and a bright light suddenly exploded from inside the apartment. It was another anti-shadow barrier! The Shadow werewolf had a dumbfounded look on its dark eyes. It never expected the old with before him to actually fool them into thinking there were no more barriers! She was just luring them after all! With the unexpected barrier suddenly activating from the small corners of Lesse''s room, the Shadows inside the possessed body quickly dissipated into nothing, leaving the bodies to collapse in an instant, some still breathing faintly while others who were in dire condition, just went straight to the embrace of death. The five remaining minion wolves were included in the bright explosion and it was only the werewolf Shadow that remained standing. It was obviously the most powerful one as it managed to survive the explosion of light and Kahayag''s blade. However, the damage it had accumulated caused its massive black smoking figure to slowly shrink. Its long claws are shortened and the domineering presence had significantly weakened. It had gone too short that Kahayag''s \"Any last word?\" Kahayag asked as she raised her blade made of light to deal the finishing blow. \"Actually, yes.\" The werewolf said as it raised its head to look up at Kahayag''s face with an arrogant grin. \"You think you already won? Hahaha!\" The envoy is after the boy. I am just a distraction! \" Hearing this, a frown quickly formed on Kahayag''s face but she immediately hid it and fronted a calm smile instead. \"Don''t worry. I will cut him too myself.\" Kahayag replied as she finally swung the finishing blow. But as she did, the weakened werewolf shadow remained smiling as it spouted other last words. \"The King is coming-\" SLASH!~ It''s head severed from its body and immediately exploded into black dust. The victory for this fight was claimed by Kahayag but another problem was still awaiting on the other side. Time is not on her side! Without even giving herself some breather, Kahayag went back to her physical body. Her eyes quickly opened and stood up from the wooden rocking chair as if she was just taking a good morning nap. Quickly, her figure stood up and walked out of her room. Lesse was facing the door with a gun in her hand and a sharp sword on her hips. She was still expecting the enemy to come and she was prepared to meet them. Her eyes are glued to the door while all her other senses are heightened to the maximum! Suddenly the door opened. BANG! A bullet was stuck floating before the wooden door as it slowly revealed Kahayag''s figure behind. \"G-g-granny?\" Lesse stuttered. Her mixed emotion made some tears to came out from the side of her pearly black eyes. \"Save your bullets and tears. We need to leave.\" Kahayag resolutely said. Seeing the unusual cold eyes in the mysterious woman''s face, Lesse knew that something bad is up. Quickly they walked from the lower floor to the top floor with haste. Along the way, Lesse could not help but ask. \"But my brother...\" \"We are off to save him.\" \"But isn''t he in the school?\" \"I have been busy keeping you safe while you sleep. Their numbers had suddenly increased and even sent commander-level ones just to distract me.\" \"What do you mean? I thought we did good hiding from the Arkhan Dragon hunters.\" \"It''s not Dragon hunters..\" \"Not Dragon-\" \"It''s Shadow Spirituals. I will explain along the way.\" Kahayag said as they finally stepped out of the door leading to the rooftop. A transparent barrier that gives them cover from mortal eyes suddenly enveloped both Kahayag and Lesse while wings made of light suddenly sprouted out of Kahayag''s back. \"Your wings-\", seeing the mysterious old woman finally showing some of her powers, she could not help but gape in shock. \"hold on tight.\" Kahayag grabbed her hand as their barrier-hidden figure left the rooftop. The wings of light covered both of them and like a lightning flash, they had quickly arrived at the top of the school building just beside where Elric and Long were trapped inside another isolation barrier. \"You guys are messing with the wrong grandma.\" Kahayag murmured as she summoned the shining bow and arrow in the physical realm. Seeing the powerful presence this bow emitted caused Lesse to gulp a good mouthful of saliva. *** The creepy students were having the time of their lives as they continued to harass Long with a kick and heal game. \"Wait...\" The leading creepy student suddenly raised his hand and the rest of its companion suddenly stopped. \"She is here!\" together with the others, the leading Shadow possessed student suddenly grabbed Long''s body by the foot and ran towards the forest''s direction until- BANG!~ Another isolation barrier had been placed and they were trapped inside it. A wide menacing grin formed at granny Kahayag''s face as she stretched her bow to its maximum, aiming at the head of the one creepy student who was dragging Long. 152 Eating The Light Arrow The school ground appeared as peaceful as it was. One could just hear the sound of ordinary rooms with constant teaching voices of the professors, the buzz like gossip of the students and the loud laughter along the alleys. It was just another ordinary day for the ordinary people, but within a small distance behind its sturdy-looking buildings, is an intense battle currently going on between Kahayag and the Shadow-possessed students, all while being hidden inside an isolation barrier. Inside this small glass-like formation, the Shadows were unexpectedly cornered by granny Kahayag in her own isolation barrier, trapping the little monsters inside. On the other side, getting cornered inside their own trap made the Shadows to fight back instead of retreating. While for Lesse, seeing her younger brother being dragged along by the savage-looking students, caused her to immediately flare in hate and fury. Without hesitation, she started shooting the smiling bastards only to miss all her attacks due to their unexpected abilities. With furious gaze and a never-failing creepy smile, the Shadow-possessed students showed off their incredible shadow-blending abilities and the out-of-this-world reflex against Lesse''s gunshots. With her incredible precision and speed, one could tell that Lesse had been practicing shooting and immediately became a master of it. Unfortunately, what she is facing are no ordinary criminals but minions of the Realm of Darkness. HAASK~HAASK~ BANG!~ BABABANG!~ BANG!~ HAAAASHK!~ Despite her near-perfect shots, these Shadow-possessed students managed to dodge her attack by simply stretching and unnaturally curving their body. To save themselves, they would not hesitate to break every joint of their possessed body, sometimes, they would completely dive into the water-like shadow and appear out of another object''s shadow. Fortunately, granny Kahayag''s isolation barrier had them completely trapped inside and not even their shadow-blending abilities can give them the chance to escape. If they wanted to leave the area alive, they have to deal with the powerful Babaylan before them first! As much as they wanted to leave with Long and Elric''s body, the powerful barrier set up by the old woman and the frenzied gun-slinging girl with her made their escape almost impossible! On the other side, granny Kahayag seems to have the time of her life. With a wide smile in her face, she wielded her arrow skillfully and dealing with the ruthless Shadow as if it was just another normal day for her. As if playing with her targets, she casually shot each one of the Shadow members without any hesitation. SWOOSH!~ AACK!~ SWOOOSH!~ AKGHK!~ Not to mention, each of her shots is a perfect headshot! Soon enough, their numbers are now down from eight to two. Obviously, it was not because of Lesse''s gun but because of Kahayag''s ruthless bow and arrow made of light. The two survivors trapped inside Kahayag''s isolation barrier was the leader and one of the female minion. Each of them was carrying the fainted body of Long and Elric which also explains why they were spared at the moment. \"Drop my brother!\" From the top of the building, Lesse demanded with a furious glare as she pulled out the samurai from its sheath. The handgun she was using had long run out of bullets so she could only use the sword as her means to threaten the enemy. Not afraid of her, the leader still had a confident smile as he dropped Long''s body to the ground like dropping a heavy sack of rice, looked back at Lesse from the distant and, raised his hand in surrender before replying, \"What are you planning to do with those toys against me Dragon princess of the Eastern Region, circumcise me?\" \"AHHAHAHA!~\" The other one laughed. Lesse, on the other hand, started biting her lips in anger, as much as she wanted to charge ahead and cut their bullsh*t down, judging from their abilities showed a while ago, she is not that confident in executing them herself. Also, granny Landlord doesn''t seem to have plans to finish them first. She must have a plan to deal with them, not to mention she has what it takes to take them down quickly as well. She must wait for her move before she acts as well. Flying down elegantly from the top of the school building with her wings of light, granny Kahayag landed like a graceful angel before walking calmly towards the last two remaining Shadows with a confident stride. Her bow and arrow shifted its form into a slim looking sword, together with her overwhelming presence that sent a clear message to the two Shadows. She''s going melee this time. Seeing her domineering approach, the leading Shadow possessing the male student smiled creepily before walking towards Kahayag, the other one also came with him, leaving Elric and Long''s body unconsciously laying behind. Not a hint of fear can be seen in their dark scary eyes. Lesse had been left alone at the top. But she insists on wanting to help so she skillfully slides down from the top using the tall trees nearby like a master ninja. For a former Dragon equipped with ancient martial arts as part of their training, cheating against the gravity is nothing for them. Landing forcefully to the ground, she swung the samurai in her hand as she prepared to walk beside granny Kahayag until she saw the latter suddenly raising her palm - it was a signal for her to stop. With a reluctant gaze, she stopped in the middle of her advance and checked Long''s condition from the distance. Her eyes teared from the sight. \"Long...\" Seeing the dire state of her brother, Lesse could feel her heart aching in pity as an overwhelming emotion caused her tears to flow for her brother. She kneeled on the ground crying for the pity state they have dropped. Her eyes opened at the jade pendant necklace in her neck. If only she could unleash their powers as Dragons, these bastards would have not dared to touch even a single piece of their scales! But unfortunately, she just can''t. Or else, risk exposing their presence to the hungry noses of the Arkhan Dragon Hunters and the vengeful Dragons of the other region! Once, she released the Dragon essence seal, their lives are as good as counted in less than a day! Right now, there is still a chance in the form of granny Landlady, so Lesse is more than willing to grab in any hope they could ask at the moment. They were once a race of Dragon that dominates all the living being in this world, but now, she could barely defend her brother. If only she was still a Dragon, this Shadow minions would be nothing but black ants helplessly dying under her searing flame! \"Don''t worry, they are still alive...\" Granny Kahayag''s calming voice suddenly came from the front. Lesse looked at the grandma''s direction only to see her eyes giving her a signal. Lesse nodded faintly and stood up as she recomposed her self. Her blade held tightly in her hands and determined eyes renewed her face. \"I must not fail.\" She thought to herself. \"My brother may be reckless, proud, and cold to everybody but he is all that I got left. I cannot afford to lose my last family too...\" Looking back at the incoming figures of the two Shadows, Kahayag suddenly raised her slim sword made of light. It''s brightness, reflecting the beautiful and powerful brown eyes that Elric''s grandma possesses. \"I will be taking those boys with me.\" granny Kahayag calmly said. \"Take them.\" The leading Shadow nonchalantly replied before his eyes revealed a demonic gleam. \"If you can!\" And like black flashes, his body also turned into a massive werewolf Shadow just like that one Kahayag faced a while ago. The other one beside him suddenly blended into the shadow and reappeared under Lesse''s foot! \"Hmp! New package, same products. Losers!\" Kahayag''s figure suddenly blurred in astonishing speed! And like a bad-ass action star, she swiftly dodged the werewolf Shadow''s charge by a backward summersault while sending her Light sword into Lesse''s direction midair - it effortlessly pierced the head of the Shadow that attempted to drag Lesse down! With the Shadow''s last remaining company gone, Lesse sprinted with every strength she got towards Long''s direction. Seeing her, the massive werewolf''s figure also readjusted and chose to charge towards Lesse as well. Like a hungry shark, the massive werewolf Shadow''s figure turned into a long streak of dark smoke, reaching Lesse in mere two seconds and was just about to claw her into minced meat when Kahayag''s figure suddenly came from above and hacked down her Light sword against the huge Shadow. \"Don''t you dare leave our date night!\" HAAAH!~ BOOOM!~ The right hand of the werewolf Shadow has been severed before an unexpected follow-up kick to its face, sent its massive figure forcefully skidding to the glass-like boundary of the isolation barrier. Lesse, on the other hand, had reached Long''s unconscious body. She quickly pulled him up and was just about to go when Kahayag suddenly beckoned. \"Are you just gonna leave that other guy behind?\" hearing this, Lesse took a glance at the other unconscious body. It was the Otaku neighbor! Without hesitation, Lesse looked back at Kahayag''s figure and quickly shook her head, she did not want to carry the other guy! \"Take him! Or I will triple your rent next month!\" granny Kahayag glared back. Lesse, who happens to be incredibly stingy made a quick mental calculation and hesitantly dragged Elric by the foot. Elric, who was witnessing everything through his spiritual senses, could not help but shake his head in amusement. Standing up, the dark eyes of the werewolf Shadow glared at Kahayag''s direction, \"Not bad, As expected from-\" \"The finest Warrior of Light. I know. The other dog barked the same as you. Which means...\" Suddenly, her Light sword transformed back into a bow and arrow, Kahayag calmly pulled the strings and aimed at the distant figure of the Shadow. \"You will just end just like him.\" Kahayag confidently said before releasing the arrow full of overwhelming light! SWOOSH!~ And like a lightning, the arrow reached the injured shadow in a flash and a brilliant blow of light overwhelmed the entire isolated barrier. BOOOOOOM!~ It took a while before the bright light disappeared, Kahayag and Lesse, with the unconscious boys on both of Lesse''s arms, finally took down the isolated barrier and was just about to go back when they noticed something. \"This...\" \"What''s happening?\" Suddenly, right after taking the barrier, they realized that the outside was covered in thick black mist. \"Welcome to my domain...\" The voice of the werewolf shadow came from behind. Lesse and Kahayag immediately turned around to see where it came from only to see a horned man with six eyes planted in his face. He was standing non-chalantly before the massive figure of the werewolf Shadow and the arrow made of light from Kahayag''s bow can be seen being crushed inside its void-like mouth. \"It''s the Envoy of the King.\" Kahayag murmured as she felt all her strength slowly draining away from the last attack. The real enemy had just appeared! And they are trapped from the enemies supposedly failed trap! 153 Let Me Hear Those Words One More Time The whole area was suddenly covered in a dark mist. The tall school buildings and the sound of the lunch classes had vanished. There was nothing but an eerie silence and feeling that makes the hair stand in one''s skin. As time went by for some reason, Lesse felt like she was slowly losing her strength and her sense of direction completely numbed. Kahayag, on the other hand, had a grim expression in her face. With her eyes glued to the horrifying figure of the so-called King''s Envoy, she could not help tighten her grip to her bow. She had just fought a hundred of Shadow minions and two high-tiered ones. But just when she thought everything is over, this enemy suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Not to mention, it even single-handedly stopped her last attack with its own mouth as if her Light arrow was just a delicious piece of snack! This alone shows that it was an enemy that she couldn''t mess with right now. Not when she is not in her peak! The King''s Envoy stood in front of the massive figure of the werewolf Shadow. A mysterious smile carved in its smile that freakishly stretches far behind its head. Its demon-like individual eyes blinked synchronously as its human-like figure stood nonchalantly grabbed the injured Shadow behind it. "...?" The Shadow werewolf had a confused look on its face before its whole dark body was being grabbed and tucked into its mouth. Its massive figure was quickly sucked into the Envoy''s mouth as if he was made of water! Without hesitation, the Shadow werewolf was devoured without even given a chance to resist. Try as it may run but the black hole like mouth of the envoy freakishly opened and it was gone in a jiffy! Seeing this, Kahayag and Lesse could not help but stand back in the domineering fear and intimidation they felt. "Granny..." Lesse helplessly looked at Kahayag''s paled figure. She is hoping to hear back any of the confident plans this old woman had before but now, all she could see is obvious exhaustion in her shivering face and fear in its old eyes. Right after devouring the shadow''s figure, the Envoy calmly took a thin black towel out of the small pocket of its noble-looking clothes. Slowly it wiped its incredibly wide mouth before facing back at Lesse and Kahayag''s direction and started advancing with a wide grin. "Lesse, prepare yourself. I will open a path for you, I want you to take those boys away from here." Kahayag suddenly spoke. "Aren''t we going to fight him?" Lesse hurriedly asked. "Do you think I have what it takes to take down an Envoy of the King from the Dark Realm?" Seeing the anxious look at Kahayag''s face, Lesse realized just how dire their situation actually is. "Even if I am on my peak, I am not that completely confident I can take him all alone. What''s more that I have to protect your weak bums as well." Kahayag said as recomposed herself. "Unfortunately, we are currently under its own domain. trapped in a separate space, in between the physical and etherial realm. We have no choice but to force our way out by defeating him." "I can still fight." Lesse quickly added, holding tightly to her samurai while giving a determined look. Seeing the incredible fighting spirit Lesse possessed, Kahayag could only smile helplessly. Looking at the hopeless faces of its prey, the King''s Envoy smiled even more wickedly and said, "I thank you, for bringing both the last two survivors of the Eastern Dragon race, oh warrior of the Realm of Light." Hearing this, Lesse frowned in confusion and looked at Kahayag with a questionable gaze. "Hmmp, don''t think you already won. As long as I live, you will never succeed. Even if I have to risk my life." Kahayag courageously declared. Lesse, on the other hand, heigved a sigh. "Oh, so you still want to fight? Even after what I showed you just now?" The Envoy replied. Kahayag transformed her bow back into a sword made of light and said, "It takes more than that to scare me." Finally, her wings of light also flowed out from her back and created quite a contrast to the dark and eerie background. Her figure became covered in divine light, her true form as a Spiritual Warrior from the Realm of Light in its full reveal! Like an angel of hope, Kahayag stood with her light wings unfurled widely together with her unyielding determination against the incoming enemy. "Stay back for now and be prepared." Kahayag whispered slowly before her image suddenly turned into a white blur, leaving behind a powerful gush of forceful wind. SHOOOOOSH~ Like a bright ball of light, Kahayag''s figure managed to cover the distance between her and the Envoy in a flash, followed by a mad hack and slash that instantly sliced the Envoy''s body into hundreds of pieces. Like a skillful warrior, she had completed her attack and immediately distanced for possible retaliation. The envoy, on the other hand, was just nothing but a heap of chopped meat! Seeing the result, Lesse''s eyes glowed in a hopeful glow. However, Kahayag, on the other hand, did not show any signs of a satisfied look though. Her now orange glowing eyes remained glued to the Envoy''s figure as its diced body slowly floated up and reassembled themselves anew. As if nothing, even its noble-looking dress had been recovered to its perfect condition! Not to mention all its creepy eyes are intact! HAHAHAHAHA~ A burst of loud and creepy laughter followed after its complete regeneration. WIth mocking voice, the Envoy said, "Judging from the intensity of your divine powers, it seems you have never gone back to your realm to replenish yourselves. Could it be? You must have gone loco over that mere mortal that you even decided to -" SHOOOSH!~ SLASH!~SLASH!~SLASLASLASH!~ Without even letting the envoy finish talking, Kahayag suddenly pressed another barrage of brutal attacks against it. With madness in her face, she hacked and hacked as if a mad woman! But for some reason, her attacks could not do the same sharp cuts as before, like a dulled blade, her powers became weaker and her sword of light waning in its divine light. In less than a minute, Kahayag''s wings of light and sword had completely dissipated as if it was removed from her! "I see..." An enlightened look came into the Envoy''s face. Kahayag suddenly kneeled down before the Envoy, her energy depleted and a hard gasping for air can be heard. An air of desperation could be felt from her! "Let me tell you a secret.." The envoy suddenly kneeled down and whispered close to Kahayag''s ear. "He. Is. Dead." The envoy added. Kahayag looked up with fire a rekindled fire burning in her eyes. Seeing her expected reaction the Envoy continued, "Dead - forever." HYAAAAAAAAH!~ Kahayag suddenly exploded in intense light, with everything she got, she suddenly choked the smiling Envoy by its neck, took him to the sky and dived back before slamming him forcefully! WHAAAAAAM!~ SLASLASHSLASH!~ And with another barrage of her barely-there sword of light, she continued to cut the Envoy until all her strength had faded. "My turn." The Envoy smiled wickedly after recovering back to its perfect state as if all of Kahayag''s attacks were just an illusion! PANG!~ With a kick to her stomach, Kahayag''s figure was sent flying high, before black wings made of smoke, flowed out of the Envoy''s back. It followed up through Kahayag''s flying figure before grabbing her by the hair mid-air and forcefully throwing her down to the ground! WHAAAAAAM!~ "Granny!~" Lesse shouted in panic after seeing her only hope being thrashed to the ground. Kahayag on the other side spewed out a mouthful of blood from the impact. "Let''s finish this play old hag." Flying above the sky with its domineering black wings, the Envoy'' smooth suddenly stretched abnormally wide, its intention is clear. He wants to devour Kahayag. And like a playful giant crow, it''s body dived down from the distance before it swiftly glided down towards Kahayag, ready to devour her in one gulp. Seeing this, Lesse could not help but grab her sharp blade to protect granny Kahayag when Long''s hand suddenly reached and grabbed her foot. She looked down only to see Long shaking his head, he does not want Lesse to go. "But, granny..." Lesse mumbled with tears in her eyes. Her hands refusing to let go of the weapon. Long, only tightened his grip, not wanting his sister to go. "I-its over. F-for her and for u-us." Long replied with hopeless eyes. Lesse could only look at the distant Kahayag and her pitiful situation, quickly, Lesse closed her teary eyes in surrender. Not wanting to see how Kahayag would end up from the horrifying enemy. "Your body is mine!" The envoy widened its void -like mouth together with its six exited eyes when suddenly. SLAP!~ CRAASH~BOOM! The envoy''s massive body hard-dived the solid dark ground, a good twenty meters before finally crashing on a big tree. It''s six creepy eyes were dumbstruck as it moved to look at the shape of the palm imprinted deeply in its swollen cheeks. It was slapped! A hard slap! Quickly, it''s furious head turned to look at the suspect''s figure only to see Elric standing beside Kahayag''s figure with a grumpy look on its face. "Old witch! What are you doing with my grandma''s body!? Not because I allowed you to use it, doesn''t mean you can let it suffer! Oh, poor grandma''s body. I am a sorry grandma. Don''t worry. I will heal your body back to its perfect state. When you come back, I will make sure it is as good as new. No more wrinkles and no more white hairs!" Elric beckoned towards Kahayag who was struggling to get up. He was shaking his head in disappointment before noticing the Envoy. His eyes even became more furious as he pointed at the envoy. "And you! You stupid wide-mouthed ugly ogre clown! Did you say you want my grandma''s body!?" a terrifying aura suddenly flared out of Elric. His spiritual presence instantly surged into the heavens and the Envoy''s domain dissipated as if meeting the unstoppable sun for the first time! Back to his real handsome appearance while cracking his fist, Elric suddenly appeared before the Envoy''s unkempt figure and whispered coldly, "Let me hear you say those words one-more-time." 154 My Name Is Elric Lesse and Long watched everything unfolded with their eyes almost popping out from the shocking surprise brought by Elric. Especially for Long, seeing how Elric casually slapped the terrifying Envoy into eating the mud and even had the guts to berate the powerful Granma landlord! Just who really the heck is this guy? Lesse took a focused glanced at Elric and she could not help but feel a very familiar feeling with him. However, she just couldn''t connect him from the previous dumb human who took the Ancestral dragon considering that they completely look different. Not to mention, he never even showed a glimpse of a Dragon''s aura. The most probable identity she could think of is that he is the untold back up of grandma Landlord! A powerful spiritual just like her who just pretended as a new Otaku neighbor and was specifically planted at the school to watch out from these creepy enemies. "Grandma mentioned that you happened to be an envoy of the King from the Dark Realm. Is that true?" Elric, with a murderous glare, spoke to the unkempt figure of the Envoy. "You scum, who are you to demand answer from me!?" The envoy exploded in his own raging aura. Bulging veins are popping out of his creepy face and the six eyes have started to enlarge to unusual size. It''s dark wings spread wide like an eagle ready to lunge to its prey. Seeing that the enemy is playing hard to get, Elric scratched his head''s back in helplessness. "Tsk. Tsk. You want to know who I am?" suddenly, Elric'' calm demeanor suddenly shifted. His bright brown eyes blazed into an orange hue, the air vibrated around him and a wicked smile crept slowly in his face. Kahayag saw this and she could not help but shudder in realization. Elric''s switch had been intentionally flipped! ZOOOOM~ Elric''s figure suddenly appeared before the enemy with his blurring speed! A punch was also seen carving its way towards the Envoy''s face! Naturally, the envoy was prepared. His bulging veins says a lot about his hatred and humiliation from this mysterious human''s slap. Thus, he is more than happy to engage in a mano-a-mano fight and show this arrogant bastard who has the real strength to back his arrogance! With a quick duck, the envoy thought he had avoided Elric''s attack only to feel a powerful kick suddenly coming from his crotch. The punch was just a fake! WHAPANG!~ "Where are you going? I''m not yet finished" Elric menacingly smiled. The envoy''s body was just about to fly high from Elric''s cheap but painful kick when the latter suddenly grabbed the envoy''s foot and slammed him back to the ground! BAAAM!~ Elric followed up with a kick to its face. BAAAAM!~ Its figure was about to skid away from Elric''s forceful kick when the latter quickly grabbed his feet again with its insane follow-up speed. WHAAM!~ ACCKGAH!~ The Envoy grunted in humiliating agony. Elric ended the combo with a gut punch that instantly planted the Envoy''s body, deeply into the ground. The overwhelming strength caused it''s a body to convulse while being deeply planted a good two foot deeper to the earth. Although one of the envoy''s advantage is its insane physical invulnerability, Elric''s cheap moves and humiliating execution sends a painful message to the Envoy''s pride. He was not his match! "You....how come... could it be.." The envoy painfully muttered as its eyes are glued at Elric''s domineering presence. A hint of unbelieving gaze appeared in its six creepy eyes. "My name is Elric... And you guys owe me my grandma''s soul." Elric muttered with a deathly glare towards the envoy. His hand was stretched far back, ready to plant another punch. Hearing his name, a realization finally dawned at the Envoy''s multiple eyes and an excited smile quickly came out of its wide mouth. "Elric! I see. So it is you! Hahahaha!~" laughed the envoy. "You know me?" Elric asked with a frown. Lesse and Long heard of the Envoy''s words and a hint of mixed emotions came out of their eyes. Lesse, on the other hand, had the worst expression ever. "Of course! Everyone knows you! The lucky human who took the Ancestral Dragon''s essence and took on all the King Dragons of the four regions. Oh, the beauty of the destruction you have caused was such a marvelous site! hahahaha!~" Added the envoy with a reminescing look on its face. It''s pale hands suddenly grabbed Elrics and with an even more creepy look, he offered, "You want your grandma''s soul right? That''s perfect! All you need to do is offer your body to the King of the Dark Realm and her soul is as good as back in that quack woman''s body!" Hearing this, Lesse and Long looked at each other in curiosity and confusion. Elric stopped pressing his attack. He closed his eyes, took good deep breathes to calm himself back and asked, "Where did you took my grandma''s soul?" "It was a long story, but what I know pretty much that you wanted to hear is that it is in the hands of the King. He took hold of that old woman''s soul, kept it safe, and waited for your return knowing that you will be looking for it. Pretty smart of my King is, right? Haha-" WHAAM!~ACKGH!!! A forceful punch replanted the laughing envoy''s face to the ground. It was a punch full of Elric''s anger that it took some while before the envoy recovers back to its normal face. The fist''s damage was just beyond recognition. "How can you make sure that her soul is safe?" Elric asked with a serious tone. A terrifying vibration can be seen surrounding his solid fist. It was not a good sign for the envoy. Elric is done playing, every punishment he will give will surely challenge the envoy''s regenerative abilities. Looking away from Elric''s eyes, the envoy muttered. "It''s safe. I am pretty sure it is safe. After all, it will be used as a bargaining tool so it should be safe... And as long as you will willingly offer your body to the King, securing her soul back to her normal body and live another normal life is of no problem!" Elric could sense the unsure confidence of the envoy''s explanation and he could not help but frown in boiling anger. "You took my grandma''s soul as a bargaining trade for my body?" That was it. They are just asking for it, might as well give it. Seeing the sudden shift in Elric''s aura, the envoy could already see the dawn of death revealing in Elric''s furious eyes. Those glowing orange eyes are singing death towards him! Elric took a bit of the Ancestral Dragon''s strength and channeled them to his fist. WHAM!~BAAAAAAAAM!~ Without any more hesitation, Elric crushed the Envoy''s body into smithereens. It was a channeled power punch carrying the raw strength of the heavenly Ancestral Dragon. There was no doubt that the envoy''s fragile body could withstand such an attack. The ground trembled from Elric''s charged punch. Lesse and Long wore dumbfounded faces after witnessing such raw strength just from a guy who was casually living next door. Long, on the other hand, could not help but gulp down a mouthful of saliva after realizing the true identity of the Otaku nerd he casually bullied. His body could not help but tremble in shock, he could not imagine what would happen to him if he happens to really get into Elric''s nerve! Kahayag was also recovering on the side from her drained spiritual ability and even her, she wore a dumbstruck face realizing Elric''s real power. She could also feel the faint trace of the Ancestral Eastern Dragon in that punch and it was as terrifying as expected. No wonder they wanted his body so much. His raw strength alone was enough to scare the Spirituals! Not to mention, his exceptional spiritual capacity was yet to be revealed, the Elemental Authorities are also well reserved and he barely infused a small amount of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence in that punch but its effect was already phenomenal! It was their first time seeing a glimpse of Elric''s real power and true to how they called him, he was indeed the Perfect Body! He has the body and blood of Dragon, a spirit of a Spiritual Warrior, an Authority of the Fire and Water elements, and a mind of an unwavering human. Back on the fight, the envoy was sighing deeply, his freakish human body had been obliterated to dust and he was afraid that recovering it back to normal is already impossible. Fortunately, he managed to back out of that body and moved his Spiritual body to the Astral plane just in time or else, that Ancestral Dragon essence infused punch would create a blow on his Spiritual consciousness and he was not sure he could recover from it as well. "That was close. I guess it''s time to hide back in the dark and wait for the Lunar eclipse until the King arrives, I have no chance of winning against the Perfect one! Just when the envoy''s spiritual body was about to sneak back to the physical realm, Elric''s massive Spiritual figure was already standing behind him. "I told you I am not done yet." Seeing Elric''s eyes glowing in bright orange light and the third eyes glowing with the divine presence, the Envoy suddenly felt its entire spiritual body collapsing in regret. "Shit." murmured the envoy. 155 Hidden Assassin Floating around at the quite and bizarre world of the Astral Realm, the envoy''s small figure stood agape at Elric''s majestic soul. Even Elric himself how huge his soul size had actually become ever since his spiritual bloodline has been awakened. Aside from his increased mental and spiritual power, Elric could also feel his confidence increasing in taking over the complete Ancestral Dragon''s power. But until he could also obtain the rest of the Elemental Authorities, he would try to go push for another breakthrough and hopefully defeat the lingering corruption in the Ancestral Dragon''s essence. Back at the moment, Elric wanted to spare the envoy for further interrogation. But it seems its loyalty to the King of the Dark Realm would make his prepared questions impossible. One thing he wanted to do is to do a soul memory search just like he did to Kahayag. By force his spiritual senses in the latter''s memory, he will be able to dig in more about the Realm of Darkness and possibly get a hint of his grandma''s real condition of the soul. The envoy was stuck in the corner. Elric''s spiritual presence was just too powerful! Like a gifted holy child, Elric seems to have been blessed by heaven. Not knowing it was actually Lapu-Lapu''s spiritual blessing and awakening. Not to mention the additional support from the Ancestral Dragon''s essence, the cleansing and nourishment of the Soul Cleansing Pearl gifted to him by the late King Mahar of the water realm, also helped his soul became the state he was experiencing right now. Elric''s soul presented a divine and overwhelming presence with its massive size almost a hundred times the size of a normal soul. Although the envoy''s powerful dark soul was abnormally large because of its natural ability as a Shadow that lingers in the dark realm, compared to Elric''s soul that has undergone numerous life and death tests, it was nothing but an ant standing before an elephant! With such presence alone, the Envoy could not help but regret his decision in taking on such a monster, much less actually inviting it in the Astral realm where it doesn''t stand a chance against a gifted Spiritual like Elric. It pushed itself to get away as fast as possible but for some reason, it could not move and was slowly being dragged closer to Elric''s domineering presence instead. A sliver of Elric''s essence slowly came out of his glowing third eye, intending to dive deep into the Envoy''s soul for a soul memory scan just like what he did to Kahayag. Seeing what Elric was trying to do to it, the Envoy tried it''s best to struggle hard. The secrets of the dark realm lie at him, the real state of his grandma, the real power of the King of the Dark realm, and their grand plan lies hidden deep in his soul! Once revealed, a powerful entity like Elric might just foil all their grand schemes and everything for him is over! Even if he survived Elric, the King himself will deal with him. Basically speaking, he is dead once Elric managed to dive deep into his soul''s memory! Elric, on the other hand, was just preparing to dive in when his physical senses suddenly perched up. A warning signal was immediately sent by his instinct and he immediately withdraws his focus on the spiritual realm, letting go of the struggling envoy. And as quickly as Elric came back to his physical consciousness, he immediately pumped his body with Ancestral Dragon''s essence to protect himself! His battle instinct has never failed him before! ZOOOM!- SLASH!~ CLAP!! A smoking black sword suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it was aimed at Elric''s neck but with the latter''s extra ordinary reflex, he caught the smoking black blade in between hands! Elric and Arkhoz''s eyes met. With a murderous gaze, Arkhoz immediately stepped back, his long black hair flawlessly moved according to his beat, while his pale-blue skin with traces of Dragonskin bulged from the powerful muscles packed inside. His first attack had failed but it doesn''t mean it was over. "As expected..." Arkhoz muttered as he quickly withdraws the black smoking sword effortlessly out of Elric''s hand and blended to his surroundings like a chameleon - completely erasing his presence! Elric quickly heightened all his senses to find the hiding enemy but unfortunately, not even Arkhoz''s temperature, his spiritual presence, and his intent can be felt in the air. The envoy, on the other side, took this small opening to escape far away. "The king! The King must know! Perfect One has arrived!" It mumbled excitedly before completely fading away of the Astral horizon. Elric did not mind it as he already had put a soul trace to the latter and he could just easily find it easily later. Right now, he must deal with this unexpected familiar assassin. Long and Lesse watched everything happened but failed to actually see the attack. All they saw was a man suddenly appeared before Elric and quickly disappearing the next second. Realizing the unseen danger of the new enemy, Kahayag quickly moved closer to the siblings, chanted an ancient tribal term and a small isolation barrier meant to protect them was suddenly created. Now, Elric was the only one left standing at the open. What really made Elric and Kahayag frown is the enemy''s ability to go through their own massive isolation barrier without getting detected. The isolation barrier serves as a prison to trap the enemy in the physical realm without letting any noise or view from the inside going out. It was like an illusion glass that makes one think nothing was happening inside. But for the enemy to come and go as he like, Elric knew it was an enemy he must not underestimate. Not to mention, its intention was clear - he was aiming for him. Though he could not help but feel irritated as he was just inches away in obtaining the information about the dark realm, this enemy suddenly lunged out of nowhere swinging his blade when his physical body was off guard. To be able to hide his presence and his murderous intent before swinging the blade, it was indeed such a skilled assassin. If not for Elric''s cheat-like senses and body foundation, he would have been as good as a headless man! Elric''s eyes scanned the surroundings. The sun was still brimming with warmth over the blue sky but the sound of the school''s noise has been cancelled by the massive isolation barrier set up by grandma Kahayag. Elric could sense the enemy still lingering nearby despite failing to find it. Hi battle instinct was still up and he knew that it was a sign that he needs to trust. Elric was just about to take a small breath in when the enemy''s black smoking sword appeared behind his knee! Arkhoz''s body was still hidden, only the blade can be seen being welded in the air with a transparent hue. Elric was about to move his knee to distance away when the blade when it suddenly changed trajectory midway and aimed to the feet''s tendon instead. With great agility, Elric jumped up to dodge the curved blade when he realized that the attack was also a fluke. The curving blade disappeared midway again and reappeared over his head! This time its aim was to dig deep into his skull! "Got you!!" Akhoz''s voice came from behind the black smoking sword. Hearing the enemy''s voice, Elrics quickly shifted his weight and change his ordinary jump into a cartwheel - a sneaky forcefully kick was aimed at the base of the sword, instantly hitting the hidden figure behind! THUD! CRASH!~ Arkhoz''s invisible figure crashed to the nearby tree and instantly broke it into half due to the overwhelming strength of the impact. The exchanged happened in less than half a second, the enemy''s attack was nothing but a very faint blur in the normal human''s eyes but to Elric'' they were just another just moving in a normal speed. His Dragon eyes were activated throughout the battle and he could see the enemy''s attack as clear as the day. The only problem is the mysterious technology the enemy is using to hide its the body, its temperature, the sound he makes to the surroundings, and even his intent until he reveals his murderous intent. KABOOOM!~ Elric had managed successfully hit the enemy, but in the nick of time, the enemy also managed to drop a few mini bombs and successfully exploded right at Elric''s face! Lesse and Long could only remain shock as they witnessed everything. Their normal eyes might not be able to follow that extremely fast exchange of blows but judging from their past battle experience as a Dragon and the traces of movement left on the ground, they were able to make a good estimate of how intense the actual battle was. Not to mention, the way the enemy moves was too familiar to them. It reminded them of their battle experience of a certain Dragon hunter from the Arkhan race. His constant application of fake attacks and trajectory redirection was a technique he would usually apply in facing the mighty Dragons. Long dropped even a few more sweats compared to his sister, he was aware that even in his Dragon form, he was not that confident in defending himself from such a deadly encounter. The explosion was ear-shattering, but thanks to granny Kahayag''s steady isolation barrier, the sound, and the impact remained isolated within. Elric came out of the explosion after a while. His formal student dress has been wrecked from the explosion, if only he did not push out a small energy barrier at the end, he would have ended up completely naked! He still got some privacy to maintain you know. Now, standing with badly scorched clothes, Elric''s eyes glowed an even more menacing intent. His eyes locked in the direction where the enemy landed. Arkhoz took out his invisibility and revealed his scar-filled body. His long black hair flows ruggedly behind him. The faint Dragon scales can be seen from some parts of his pale-blue skin. A murderous gaze was his reply at Elric''s stare. "Welcome back," Arkhoz said as he pulled out his black smoking sword and licked it with his creepy tongue. "but, goodbye," he added. 156 Another Disaster Far from the hidden space that Elric and Arkhoz were fighting, the Envoy, in his pure dark shadow form, stood before a spacious room filled with hundreds of Shadow minions stacked in the shadows as well like dark paintings on the wall, their numbers can only be detected by the red glowing eyes planted in the dark shades. "Summon everyone." the envoy said, quickly all the Shadow minions surrounding him disappeared as if getting absorbed by the shady walls, leaving the Envoy''s shady figure floating alone. "I might be lucky that the assassin Arkhan attacked before I got done in by that bastard. However, I am not that easy to get bullied. Just wait, I will be back and I will have your Perfect body presented before the King soon." The envoy thought. A vengeful aura lingered in his intent. Soon enough, in less than fifteen minutes, the room was filled again by Shadows. But unlike before, the room was full-packed by the Shadows that not even a sliver of light was present. The sheer amount of number of Shadows was beyond one can count that even the envoy was utterly surprised for the turnaround. Slowly, a smile crept in its ghostly face, "This is perfect. With this amount of power, I should be able to fight back against him. His body will be as good as an empty vessel before this day ends!" Suddenly, it''s void-like etherial mouth opened and every single one of the Shadows willingly dived deep into his mouth, like black water, they were absorbed by the Envoy and it''s already terrifying aura suddenly surged with intense power. "Yes..Yes...With this power..." The envoy felt the powerful gush continued to increase his spiritual essence to bloat with immense energy. Despite the cost of thousands of Shadow minions that he had been amassing throughout the thousand of years of his existence, the Envoy believed that it was a worthy sacrifice. Once he managed to get a hold of the perfect vessel that Elric possess and presented it to the King of the Dark Realm, his chance of getting exalted and become its right hand would be significantly increased. And if it comes to worst, he will just forcefully took possession of Elric''s body and maybe start his own ruling to this realm using that perfect body as a base. But first, he must get rid of the powerful soul and essence lingering in that vessel, or else, taking it over is just a mere dream. Thus, absorbing all the accumulated energy of the Shadow minions and using it to temper and increase its soul power is a necessary step he needs to do. As time went by, the former weakened ghostly figure of the Envoy now looked like an imposing figure. The amount of the Dark Energy it has absorbed caused it''s a ghostly body to even take a solid form. It does not require any weak human body to possess as the strength of its dark essence alone is enough for it to move like a real physical being. Like a mutated soul, it had become extremely dense that no amount of light could linger on its surface. It was the form of utter darkness. Two pairs of ghostly long arms, a slim dark body, and a single menacing red eye in its utterly dark face was everything that can be described from it. Under its feet was nothing but a smoking trail of darkness reminiscing to a God of Death. The strongest Shadow has been born. All the Shadow possessed humans in his vast domain has been freed just for him to complete this form, and the Envoy knew that he must make the most out of his currently overwhelming power. Slowly, it''s body blended to the earth as if suddenly sinking from a small black pond. It''s terrifying figure and aura disappeared on the spot and the room was filled with light again. *** On the other side of the globe, hidden somewhere deep under the sea is one of the Guardian race''s base. It was responsible for watching and dealing with everything that was happening in the eastern region of the globe just like how there was an Eastern Dragon race once. It was located about a thousand feet deep underwater, covered with an isolation barrier that hides them even from the most advanced human detection technologies. With the status of the Guardians as the balance keeper of the world, they have access to the superior technology that normal humans could only dream of. Mental telepathy, mind control, anti-gravity aircraft, cloaking, and even cloning is just a few of their natural capacity. Situated in the middle of their base are the same beehive-like rooms that the Ancient Humans had based their designs from. However, the floating beehive-like rooms of the Guardians is made of a mysterious white metal that emanated refreshing energy throughout its surroundings. Being inside it allows one to feel extremely calm and a refreshing scent lingers around that also nourishes the body. The Guardians, just like their close relative, the Ancient humans also had the same faces except that all of them are bald. Their mouth is extremely small, eyes are deep and incredibly blue that emanated an emotionless gaze. One thing that comes in one''s mind watching how they act is that they were like robots. Their movements are calculated, their faces are fixed. Not even a single sound of laughter nor crying nor any emotion-related sound can be heard. They were just there, working, holding the hologram tablets in their hands while their mind is constantly in communication in real-time, all connected to every single guardian living in the world. Then suddenly, all of them stopped moving. Their deep blue eyes widened with an incredibly rare show of emotion. Their body was shaking. All of them. Drops of sweat immediately flowed out of their pores and the whole atmosphere became incredibly tense. It was the same feeling as if you were a robber and was trapped inside a room, knowing the armed police with their dogs are about to come inside. It was incredibly rare for the Guardians to show their emotion, given that they were logic and calculation based creatures. They have evolved past being under the control of emotions in order to advance their thinking abilities just like the Ancient Humans, although they only differ to the mission given to them. All the elders of the Guardians around the world quickly made a mental discussion via long-distance telepathy. In their own private mental room, their individual yet almost the same voices sounded, "It''s him again." "Those beings are at it again." "The probability has reached one hundred percent." "A major shift is coming." "We should do it." "I agree." "The Arkahs has a ninety percent chance of succeeding." "Let''s hope for the ten then." ... "It was never a coincidence." "He must be the next candidate to the gate." "We must grab this chance. We waited for this for thousands of years." ... "Our chance has dropped to only three percent if we do that." "too slim." "The other options seem viable." ... "Let''s do that." "Send the elite. That should help him." "Done." "Now, let''s wait. We can''t interfere anymore, else the probability will change again." "If he wins, its all good and the world is safe." "But if he fails, we should all brace ourselves." "Agree." "True." "Indeed." ... "All done. All methods and actions have been applied. The expected result is..." "Chance is...zero?" "very sudden." "It''s the end." ... ... ... "f*ck." *** The whole isolation barrier that Grandma Kahayag built was already filled with countless cracks. Due to the overwhelming strength that Elric and Arkhoz had been exerting in their exchanges, the isolation barrier that also serves as the arena for the fight was slowly collapsing. "Elric, I can''t hold the barrier anymore. Finish him or we will risk getting exposed outside." "But I am having fun grandma. " Elric, with a battle frenzied face, replied. His torn clothes were dangling helplessly in his hips and signs of blade cuts can be seen in his body. But the Dragon''s blood was able to sustain him. Unlike the normal reserve and sometimes stupid Elric, the current one has the same expression of his great Ancestor Lapu-Lapu. The Legendary warrior of the Maharlikan Island and defender of the Unknown Treasure. With the awakened Spiritual ability comes the price of his natural human bloodline from his great Ancestor also taking over. His battle instinct was flamed and he is now looking like a battle maniac. On the other side of the corner, Arkhoz, who is currently hiding using the advanced cloaking technology given by the Ancient humans to him, was terribly gasping for air. His pale blue body was riddled in inflamed muscles from Elric''s punches, kicks, and sometimes, scary headbutts that made his face covered with thick blood. His black sword in his hand had been broken and only half of its original length is left. 157 Royal Rumble "Just how did this farm boy became extremely powerful. I was pretty sure he was just a lucky noob last time I saw him. But now, his essence, battle reflex, intent, and even the way he controls his energy was just something I can''t match." Arkhoz thought helplessly. With his mastery of the advanced technology and weapons bestowed to him by the Ancient humans, he thought taking care of Elric was as easy as a walk in a park. He even had to lick his black sword just to show off how confident he was to kill the other. Until the battle lasted for a few minutes and Elric started became serious. Instead of getting fearful of him, the latter was like frenzied mad man, he suddenly became a battle maniac and even took the hits from the black sword intentionally just to grab the chances and trade blows with Arkhoz. But the advantage of a Dragon became more apparent as the fight went on. Arkhoz was just consuming the blood and meat of countless Dragons he hunted just to raise his total constitution and even extend his lifespan considerably, but it wasn''t enough for him to really stand against Elric, who just happens to have the Eastern Ancestral Dragon''s essence. It was a power that is supposed to only exist in the heavenly realm, but in an unexpected play of faith, such tremendous power ended up with this young man gifted with extraordinary Spiritual ability and has even acquired the acknowledgment of the Elemental Lords. The latter ended up like a cheat. Arkhoz could only shake his head though. If he was in the latter''s position, he would have started hunting all the Dragons in the world including the Dragon Kings, and reach the pinnacle of power. Who knows, he might just break the racial barrier of the Arkhans and Dragons and became the first Arkhan to withstand the God Reckoning Tribulation and reach the heavenly realm. But instead of using this power in advantage, this stupid human decided to spend his time holding such an overpowered ability just looking for an old woman who should be dead a long time ago. As stupid as Arkhoz thought about this, he just can''t relate to the human bond. Especially with family. Being an Arkhan, Arkhoz grew up to a family who will only look at their offspring as a matter of possession and possible force in the future. Because of their incredibly advance yet cruel culture, once a certain young Arkhan failed to reach their minimum expectation, they will end up being destroyed and the search for a qualified offspring will continue. There was no love. To remain strong and survive, all that Arkhans believe is just power and potential as the basis of their existence. There was no reason to keep those who failed to qualify their standards. It was also because of this kind of culture that Arkhoz wanted to redeem himself. By taking on Elric, whom even the King Dragons can''t defeat, he will be able to redeem his name and present the latter as a return gift to the Arkhans supreme leader - Khan. But despite all his effort, the battle proved to become easier than he tough. The monster he thought he could handle suddenly showed the power that was never in his expectation. Elric could use powerful physic abilities aside from his monstrous physical strength and regeneration. Just how much stronger will he get if he starts transforming back to his Dragon form? Will all of his training and dedication end up in vain? However, it was never Arkhoz''s attitude to surrender. After all, he still has another ace hidden in his sleeve, and just when he was about to activate his last weapon, he felt a sudden chill when he looked at the sudden shadow appearing before Elric''s feet. "I am back." the Envoy, with its newfound body and domineering presence greeted Elric. Unlike before, this evil Spiritual now possessed a power that even Arkhoz could not fathom. This bastard ran away like a little pup, only to come back in a few minutes in the form of a giant grizzly bear. Could it be that he has consumed all of the Shadow minions all over the country? Did he take such a loss just to win this fight? But realizing their intention, Arkhoz immediately understood. This bastard wants Elric''s body as well. "Then I guess the winner takes all." Arkhoz finally made up his mind. Out of his pocket came out a small octagon-shaped gadget fixed with complicated yet beautiful metallic designs on the edges. In the middle of the octagon gadget is a small circle-shaped space. Arkhoz bit his pale blue thumb and a slight steady stream of blood flowed out of his small incision. It quickly filled the entire circle space in the middle of the octagon device and a warm buzz quickly emanated from it. The blood in the middle of the octagon device suddenly boiled as if getting heated before the whole device melted into a silver liquid. Like a snake, this silver liquid crawled from Arkhoz''s hand and to the rest of his body, covering his entire figure in silver liquid. "Aghk~" As the silver liquid continued to devour him, Arkhoz could only grit his teeth from the unexplainable pain he was feeling. It felt like all the cells in his body were being grilled in extreme heat and he was on the verge of losing himself. It was only thanks to the countless Dragon meat and blood he had consumed that he was able to gain their unique regenerative abilities and allowed Arkhoz to persist as the whole process took effect. A system-like voice suddenly popped out of his mind. "Body and mind scan complete." ... "Synchronization complete." "Now constructing..." Arkhoz, who was under the veil of his invisibility cloak, suddenly felt his senses to expand greatly. his body became extremely light and his figure started an incredible transformation. His silver covered figure gigantified followed by a complex metallic shape started to protrude out of his now-massive body. This was his final trump card to deal with Elric. *** "Are we on a wrestling match? Are you his tag mate?" Elric asked with a confident mocking smile towards the renewed Envoy before him, "How about you call your hiding girlfriend?" "I don''t need no help. I alone is enough to deal with you. Now stay down and let me destroy your puny little spirit into the dust of void!" The Envoy coldly replied. Looking from top to bottom of its massive dark Shadow body, Elric complimented, "You look like you have became a little stronger. I hope you won''t be running away again." "I devoured the energy of a thousand Shadow minions to reach my state. I am basically a thousand times stronger now." With an even more confident tone, it added, "This time, it will be you who would be running with his tails between his legs." "Ohh. Scary. I like that." Elric mocked with a confident smile. But deep inside, he could not help but talk to himself, "What''s happening to me. How did I become this cocky? Could it be because of the Awakening of my warrior bloodline from my ancestor Lapu-Lapu? But for some reason, I kind of like this surge of confidence too." Seeing the mocking smile of Elric, the envoy could not wait any longer. It''s dark massive Shadow figure suddenly blurred. It''s two long arms suddenly solidified and formed into two long Scythe and intended to cut Elric into pieces. "Woops, missed." With great flexibility, Elric narrowly dodge the attack with a side step to the left. "I am not done yet." the Envoy''s head suddenly, turned a hundred eighty degrees and opened its mouth. A black powerfully compressed orb has been charging in his wide mouth already! The Envoy was just about to shoot the deadly compressed orb in its mouth when it''s head suddenly exploded from an unexpected attack. It was an invisible missile from out of nowhere! The Envoy''s eyes were flaring up in anger, quickly it glanced at the direction where it felt the attack came from and a massive, yet stylish metallic Mech was revealed out of its invisibility. "That man is mine for the taking... you ugly fog." Arkhoz who is now lodged inside a giant mech said. It was standing more than ten meters tall and all of its metallic parts are under Arkhoz precise control through the weird-looking strands that connected his body to the Mech''s inside. A giant blue beam sword can be seen in both its grip. "Holy cr*p," Elric muttered as his eyes widened at the Gundam-like robot standing before him, he could see Arkhoz''s figure inside a glass-like a room inside its stomach. The battle is now two versus one. And instead of backing down, Elric happily smiled instead. "Sword of Fire," Elric chanted. Seeing the sudden gush of fire elemental essence flowing out of Elric''s hands before forming a bright blazing sword of fire about three meters in length, Arkhoz and the Envoy could only watch in utter shock, and so did Lesse and Long. Kahayag on the other side could just sigh helplessly. She pretty much knew what consequences will come once Elric showed this power. And now, what she feared has finally come. "A-an E-elemental and spiritual --d-dragon?" Lesse stuttered in unbelieving shock. Long could only shower in his own sweat. 158 Opening Shots Kilometers away from the spot where the battle was happening, in a mountainous area, a certain invisible ship hovered about fifty meters from the ground. It was an advance looking aircraft using a cloaking ability that allows it to hide from human detection, their technology included. It''s shape and color reminiscent of white marble. Piloting inside the hovering object is a member of the Guardians. His deep blue eyes scanning the whole plot while his hands were moving in blurring speed, constantly working on some weird looking buttons. A frown can be seen itched in between its brows and appears that he was in a hurry. "Northwest position ready. All humans are locked and ready to proceed freezing procedure." A moment of silence followed before it started moving its mouth. "Activation protocol complete. Moving all targets out, in ten seconds." "ten..." "nine..." "eight" .... And just as it hit the last number, the marble looking ship suddenly exploded in intense light. A white beam suddenly forced out of both its side and ook their own paths straight to the north and western direction consecutively. This beam of light continued to travel hundreds of kilometers before converging with another beam of light coming from the north, the other one from the opposite direction did the same from the west. Looking up high from the space, one could see bright beams of light popping out from different spots all over the Philippines, ultimately forming a massive octagon of light with the whole vast island, where Elric and the others are located, as the center of the octagon. Half of the country was instantly placed inside an isolation barrier. All humans inside this incredibly wide barrier, no matter what state they were in or what they were doing, instantly stopped moving. As if everything was put into a pause, even the free-flowing water and the gravity stopped as it was. "Phase one and two complete. Proceeding transformation." Everything stopped aside from the few people inside the isolation barrier that granny Kahayag made. Followed after, all the humans and animals included that was covered by the octagon, suddenly dissipated in a bright streak of light and like reversed meteorites, they all flew towards the marble looking ship of the Guardians. As the lights covered his ship, it''s size started to bubble as well. By the time it finished absorbing all of the light streaks, it was already ten times its former size! "Barrier had been placed. All lifeforms have been secured in my area. Moving out now." The Guardian piloting the mysterious ship reported. With a sigh, he quickly maneuvered his now-massive ship and blurred towards the ocean. But just when his ship was about to touch the body of the water, ZEEET~ BOOOM!~ A laser beam from an unknown location had successfully hit the marble-like Guardian aircraft. The explosion was too powerful that it managed to create massive shock waves on the surroundings, sending the seawater flying high like rain and small tidal waves were even formed. It was an attack that should have turned the whole ship into smithereens, fortunately, the Guardians are not that unprepared for such an attack. The pilot Guardian managed to react on time and activated their emergency energy shield. It may have managed to reflect most of the attack but the sheer force of the impact still sent the marble-like ship crashing unto the seafloor. "Arkhan contact on my area. The energy shields down to only 20%. Requesting aid. Initiating evasive maneuver." The Guardian reported like the rapper as he recomposed himself, swiftly maneuvering thru massive corals trying to flee as fast as possible. Gugugu~ High above the reckless water, the massive Arkhan mother ship had actually revealed itself again for the first time after ten years. It''s black massive floating fortress now looked like a massive simplified castle with a triangle shape. In each of its three corners are walls of protruding laser cannons that presented an unprecedented threat to any of its target outside while in the middle is a floating black orb that housed the commander of the whole floating fortress, it was Khan. One of the former Elders of the Guardian who stole some Ancient technology to start his own race. The main culprit of the declining number of the Dragons, the king of the Dragon hunters. Inside, the black orb, Khan stood proudly in his sleek black suit. Unlike the expected figure that everyone thought, Khan''s body looked as young as Elric. His smooth Dark red hair, his whole body was covered in Dragon scale while his eyes have the deep blue eyes of the Guardian on the left and the Dragon eyes on the right. His eyes scanned the surroundings, inside the black orb, he could see everything that was happening around the fortress at three hundred sixty degrees angle. He could see everything no matter how far they are, all he needs to do is just a mere thought. It was a perspective that presented no blindspot. As if the entire floating fortress was his eyes and body itself. This black orb is called the Eye of Khan, it allows the latter to control the whole floating fortress, from moving and executing commands, he does all of them there. "I need those people you are holding." Khan emotionlessly muttered and his message was immediately received by the Guardian pilot. Knowing the enemy''s intention, it did not take long for the pilot to deduce Khan''s intention. Just a few minutes ago, the elders gave them commands for emergency evacuation and isolation of the innocent lives spanning across hundreds of kilometer the center of the event - where Elric was located. And like unleashed hawks, the different secret teams responsible for executing the Elder''s command immediately took action. However, on the way, they also received reports of the possible interruption from the Arkhans. And according to the calculated results of their deduction, Khan seems to have plans regarding to the newly arrived Perfect Body which also happens to have the essence of the Ancestral Dragon and a powerful spiritual warrior. The man''s body was already the most coveted vessel by the Spirituals and Dragon hunters alike until new reports added that the target seems to also possess Elemental abilities. It was because of this reason that the Elders recalculated the possible effect it could cause to the current event and the resulted shocked them all. It was just destruction. Utter destruction. The elders even added that it would be worst than the disaster ten years ago. And as expected, Khan had actually appeared, the pilot was just not expecting to be the chosen target. His task is to freeze the surrounding people and transport them safely back to the base. Dealing with their memories is just a walk in the park for them. The priority right now is to set up the barrier and transport everyone inside to a safer place while freezing their individual moment using their mysterious technologies. The elders calculated a high probability of Khan using millions of innocent lives in exchange of a possible advantage over them. What his intentions were not clear, but as ruthless and a smart Elder as he was, using the innocent human''s life as a bargain is something only he is willing to do. The pilot knows a lot about the capabilities of the Akrhan Mother ship. It was armed with hundreds of laser cannons, each capable of wiping out an entire city. It has a constantly evolving size with the population of highly capable warriors who had gone constant transformation because of the Dragon blood and meat they had accrued over the past years; especially during the last Dragon hunting of the entire Easter Dragons, this and other unexplored abilities makes the Arkhan race like a ticking time bomb of the world. Despite Khan showing a complete domineering position, he continued to watch at the marble-like carrier moving swiftly away from him under the sea. It seems to have decided to flee instead of heading his words. Not hearing any response from his first question, Khan frowned before adding, "I won''t be asking you nicely again. Surrender the ship to me and I will let you go. You choose." But in the next instant, the fleeing circle Guardian ship suddenly burst into full turbo, using its full speed to escape from him. Seeing his prey getting farther, Khan smirked menacingly. "So be it." The massive laser cannon, as big as cellphone towers, suddenly moved, its aim locked at the fleeing Guardian carrier ship under the sea. In less than a second, it''s charging was complete and was just about to shoot a powerful burst of the laser beam when the target started acting weird. The Guardian''s ship was first covered by intense bright light before suddenly splitting into hundreds of copies of itself - all swerving into different directions like dizzying bees! The intention is clear, the pilot wanted to confuse him of the real one! "Illusion technology. Well done! Too bad, I have enough firepower to destroy all of you!" All of the laser cannons lodged in the massive floating ship of Khan suddenly moved, each of them is locked in all of the Guardian illusions! "Fire." Khan calmly said as all of the Laser cannons quickly charged and burst into hundreds of destructive beams all aimed at the fleeing Guardians ships! BOBOBOBOBOBOOOOM!~ However, out of nowhere, powerful explosions surprisingly rattled the massive body of the Arkhan ship! Instead of him destroying the small carrier ship, it was the massive Arkhan ship who was getting destroyed instead! Unfortunately, what actually exploded in the surroundings of the Arkhan ship was not parts of the mother ship itself but its hidden army ships on standby! "Who the-" Khan swiftly gazed from the directions of the attack only to see ten triangle-shaped Guardian spacecraft. It was the elite force of the Guardians and they are here to stop him! "So it was you." Khan looked at the distant fighter ships of the Guardians with a murderous glare. "You intentionally made me use all my beam cannons just for a small opening? Not bad! Not bad! Hahaha!" Khan laughed as he stretched his hands wide. A menacing smile crept in his face. "Now move away. I still have a special Dragon waiting to be tasted by my excited tastebuds..." And as he said so, thousands of Arkhan battleships suddenly unveiled themselves, completely covering the massive mother ship! Inside their spacecraft, the pilots of the Guardian warships could only gulp mouthful saliva as they watched the real number of their enemy revealed. 159 Watch Your Back Back on Elric''s battle, things were only getting much more interesting. With Elric revealing his Elemental abilities which they never expected, their desire to acquiring his body had only heightened. "This is perfect. Just perfect! I am sure the King would be so glad to this news!" The envoy greedily laughed as he watched Elric''s impressive figure wielding a sword made of Fire. This is on top of his overwhelming spiritual aura and the cheat-like foundation of the Dragon. "Don''t get your hopes too high. That specimen is mine." Arkhoz said as he controlled the massive Mech to charge towards Elric. Its two massive beam swords left behind flashy lines reminiscent of a car taillight. Seeing his competitor making the first move, the Envoy smirked wickedly. "You wish to compete with me with that toy? You will only end up dead before you know it!" Right after saying those words, the Envoy''s image suddenly dropped deep into the ground like falling into a deep black pond. In the next instant, the shadow under Elric''s foot, expanded to a hundred meters, seconds later, massive black fangs appeared from the vast shadow, devouring Elric in the middle like a sharks mouth ready to gulp him in one go. The sheer power of the black fangs was filled with extreme conservation of Shadow Spiritual energy. A power mixed with the physical and spiritual attributes, ready to break Elric''s body while corrupting his soul! "Wing of Fire!", Elric''s body quickly grew up a brilliant pair of wings and immediately flew upwards, escaping the black massive shadow fangs. The dark black fangs were like thorns squirming out of the dark ground but still failed to chase over Elric''s flashing figure. He was like a small phoenix getting chased by darkness made of long gripping thorns but eventually winning over it by sheer speed alone. SWOOOSH!~ "That was close." but just as Elric managed to escape the massive mouth, his instinct quickly kicked in. His body spun mid-air, wielding his Sword of Fire, countering two massive beam Sword from Arkhoz''s Mech coming from behind! It was a sneak attack! KSIIING!~ One could only imagine how fast Arkhoz''s advanced Mech as it managed to reach Elric in a blink of an eye despite its massive figure. Not to mention, it still was able to replicate the same assassin type of aura that commands death in between the bright blades of its beam sword. "This power!" defending himself from the massive energy pulsating blades of the Mech, Elric felt the incredible force exerted behind the swing. Slowly, with his disadvantaged position, Elric''s figure started to drop from the powerful push of the Mech''s beam sword! His body could not help but succumb to its overpowering strength as he was forced to fall down really quickly. But Arkhoz was not done yet, now that his enemy has dropped really fast and is out of his melee reach, his massive beam swords quickly reassembled to form a single gigantic beam gun, almost as long as its main body, and followed up his previous attack! Zzt- BEBEBEBEEEEEWM!~ With a quick charge, it released a series of destructive lines of light that was strong enough to disintegrate even the strongest metal currently known! However, Elric pretty much had enough skill to survive such a casual attack. With his ultra senses now warmed up and his third eye and Dragon instinct backing him up, he skillfully hacked and evaded the rest of the beams with great ease. Like a firefly dancing flawlessly in between the passing beam of lights! "Behind..." Elric''s eyes swiftly moved from side to side, not daring to waste any energy, his figure quickly turned into a blur, escaping another massive fang from the persistent Envoy coming from behind. Right after missing Elric, the Envoy still continued to expand its reach, the massive fang reached higher and higher from the ground seemingly intending to devour the giant Mech as well. "Got you bug!" the envoy excitedly expanded its reach higher and higher! Seeing the massive dark fangs also going after him, Arkhoz swiftly bombarded the Envoy''s vast shadow and the latter ended up exploding into massive black clouds! Seeing the receding black fangs back into the vast dark ground, Arkhoz harrumphed coldly, "Hmp. Not today dark fart." His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings and eventually locked into Elric''s escaping figure. He was standing in the ground beside granny Kahayag and the eastern Dragon siblings. But just when Arkhoz was about to move towards Elric, he felt a sudden shock out strong enough to disable him for a moment. It was a powerful spiritual shock shot by the Envoy towards him and Arkhoz happened to be caught off-guard at that instant. CRASH!~ The massive silver Mech crashed on the ground, fortunately, it was made out of an extremely advanced material that despite crashing down from a hundred meters, not even a single dent was left in its massive design! "What did you just called me?" The envoy stood before Arkhoz inside a Mech. The latter had quickly regained his focus as his giant Mech happens to possess an anti mental and spiritual shock. "You are a just nuisance. As long as you continue to bother me, presenting the Perfect Vessel to the King will only become difficult. Therefore, I will take care of you first. Bug." The Envoy''s figure suddenly expanded and turned into a massive black serpent almost five times the size of the gigantic mech Arkhoz was controlling! "I am not interested in your creepy Spirituals either. But since you insist wishing to die on my hands, I will be more than happy to do so." Arkhoz slammed down his massive Beam gun and it reverted back into dual-beam swords! He gripped each of them in his hands and leaped towards the incoming massive black serpent! In an instant, Elric''s enemies started to go against each other instead! Grabbing the opportunity, Elric decided to do what he must and that is to keep granny Kahayag and his grandma''s body-safe, the two eastern Dragon siblings included. As he flew, he could not help but nod at the sudden changes in the surroundings. The isolation barrier had been shattered so there was not one more cover to protect them from outside detection. Fortunately, not a single soul can be seen anywhere at the moment. Not even sounds! It was as if the whole city or perhaps the province, has been completely isolated from every human and animal! "I am grateful those Guardians are pretty quick in doing their job. Any more delay and the surrounding people would have been devoured by that Shadow bastard." Elric mumbled to himself. He was quite hesitant a while ago in showing his powers, knowing his real destructive abilities. As much as possible, he wanted no innocent lives to become collateral damage. He''s got enough from his last rampage ten years ago! The Guardian''s effort did not go unnoticed with Elric''s expanded senses. He knew pretty much that the reason his enemies were now going all out is that all the other innocent lives had been taken cared for by the Guardians. True to their mission, they were indeed the Guardians of the Human realm. It was just unfortunate that they haven''t made any move to at least assist him. In less than five seconds, he reached granny Kahayag who actually seems to have gone further away from her previous spot. It seems that they were trying to move away from the battlefield as discreetly as possible and Elric could not help but smile in her initiative. Seeing they were still saved, Elric heaved a sigh of relief before turning away his face, Elric whispered to granny Kahayag who was under the cover of her own isolation barrier. Keeping her and the Dragon siblings safe from the destruction of the battle while also escaping the enemy''s detection. "Granny, it''s getting more dangerous. I need you to escape real quick from this place right." Elric told Kahayag. "What do you think I am doing?" Granny Kahayag sounded irritated. Elric could not blame her. Aside from moving as discreet as possible, she must also maintain her spiritual focus and avoid the stray shots fired by Elric''s enemy or they would end up as good as dead! The two siblings, Lesse and Long looked like innocent children who were too traumatized to utter a word. As much as they wanted to ask anything with the hundreds of questions currently clogging their head, they could only delay them for sometimes in the future, if hopefully, they survive today. If only it was Kahayag alone and the two siblings were not with her, she would have used her ability to fly away real quick. Unfortunately, the enemies Elric currently facing possess speed capable of chasing after them. Not to mention Kahayag''s severely weakened state from overexerting herself a while ago. Once they revealed themselves again, the enemy could use them against Elric. It was out of Kahayag''s quick thinking that she quickly decides to leave the fight as quiet and steady as possible under the cover of her isolation barrier, all while Elric was making the two monsters busy with him. "We will do our best to move out as fast as possible. You go end it real quick too!" Kahayag added. "I will try. But the enemy seems to be plotting something else. I don''t know what it is but my instinct keep telling me to watch my back." Elric whispered as weakly as possible back to Kahayag. Frowning, Kahayag said, "Just focus on the fight. End it as fast as you can. Don''t mind us. Go!" Elric nodded in agreement. His eyes refocused on the two massive figures taking on each other. "I have to go." He said as he quickly spread his wings of fire wide. But just when he was about to fly, when he suddenly felt a stab coming from behind. "Sh*t." Elric could only mutter one word before his vision suddenly turned completely dark. He tried to summon his spiritual power but as if he was locked in a dark void, he can''t do anything. His Elemental Authorities have been locked. He can''t feel his physical body and even his senses had been isolated. In his actual body, Elric was lying to the ground with a black, cursed-looking knife lodged in his back. It was from Kahayag and the knife she had just stabbed Elric with is called the Soul-Sealing Knife. "I am sorry Elric. I hope you will forgive me. Trust me, I am doing this for us all." Kahayag said as she finally broke out of the isolated barrier, revealing herself to the detection of the two monsters battling outside. Kahayag casually glanced behind her, looking at the shaking faces of Lesse and Long. With a wave of her hand, a spiritual shock knocked both of them as if their soul was getting sapped out of their body. Elric, Lesse, and Long were left unconscious beneath Kahayag''s feet, wearing an ever determined eye. 160 The Deal Granny Kahayag stood up with a mixed emotion on her face. There was a mixture of regret and determination in the glow of her eyes. With gritted teeth, she raised her head and started whispering to the air. "Forgive me, my dear. I know you think what I am doing is foolish. But to bring you back to me, I will do anything." Then the bow and arrow, which was made of light, suddenly immersed in her hands. She pulled the strings to the max and aimed towards the battling monsters from the distance. Arkhoz and the Envoy continued to crush each other. As much as the Envoy wanted to get rid of Arkhoz, the latter managed to survive each and every soul shock thanks to the massive Mech armor he was controlling. Aside from giving the Arkhan warrior an extraordinary physical defensive ability, the weird silver coating all over its massive body seems to provide an increased non-material attack resistance like spiritual shock or mental assaults the Ancient humans would usually use in their offense. Thus, instead of using pure spiritual attacks, the Envoy decided to switch into its most powerful physical form of a black Python, trying its best to crush the Mech into pieces with brute force. But try as it may, no matter how hard the Envoy tried to overwhelm the Mech, its swift movement and unfaltering hacks allowed it to survive each and every engagement. There are even more times that Arkhoz actually managed to dominate the battle and the Envoy is forced to retreat for a while just to recover before coming back to fight. Despite the Envoy''s flexible form, its lack of pure physical edge and inability to destroy its enemy''s spiritual protection allowed Arkhoz to gain the upper hand. With each fight, the Envoys massive figure slowly deteriorated with more Spiritual energy getting wasted every second the battle lasted. Then suddenly the Envoy stopped moving. Instead of going back into a mountain like dark fangs, it chose to slim down into a human form. Seeing this, Arkhoz smiled mockingly. THUD~ "So you admit that you can''t defeat me?" He said as he landed the giant Mech to the ground. He waived the two beam swords in each hand, showing off its overwhelming power before adding, "Now do yourself a favor and f*ck off. I still have a couple of lizards to catch." But contrary to Arkhoz''s expectation, the Envoy suddenly laughed maniacally. "Hahahahahaha!~ Actually you have already lost." Arkhoz suddenly felt his instinct warning him of something coming. He swiftly scanned the surroundings only to see nothing, but then his consciousness suddenly blanked out. SWOOOOOMB!~ The next thing that Arkhoz realized, is that he could see his physical body flailing uncsiouly inside the giant Mech''s body. A spiritual arrow made of light managed to break through his spiritual barrier due to its unexpected Attribute. The arrow that Kahayag shoot contained the attribute of light, completely opposite to the dark spiritual attribute that his Mech was capable of withstanding. The arrow was lodged in his spiritual figure and he was pushed out of his physical body, ultimately shutting down the pilot of the almost indestructible Mech. SWOOOOSH!~ CRAAAGH~ The Envoy took advantage of this small opening and instantly turned into a massive black Python and crushed the defenseless Mech into a crumpled lump of metal. Fortunately, the pod where the Arkhoz''s body was kept safe by an indestructible diamond-like pod. Now that Arkhoz was defenseless and unable to fight back in the spiritual realm, the Envoy took this quick chance and right after crushing the Mech, swiftly dived into the Spiritual realm, intending to finish Arkhoz once and for all. Seeing the horrifying Shadow popping out to destroy Arkhoz''s soul, the latter could only grit his teeth in helplessness. He might have an overwhelmingly powerful body but his soul''s power is just completely no match against an Envoy of the King of the Dark Realm. If only it was just an ordinary Shadow, Arkhoz still had a couple of tricks to defend himself as his mental and spiritual state was not that weak at all. But facing an Envoy in the Spiritual realm is just completely different. He might be stronger in the physical realm but not here. This is the Envoy''s domain! But just when Arkhoz was about to be devoured by the Envoy''s Shadow, another spiritual arrow flashed in, instantly exploding in the Envoy''s face! "You!!~ How dare you interrupt my fight!" The envoy furiously turned in the direction where the arrow came from. It was from Kahayag who is also in her Spiritual form, wielding the bow made of light, her eyes were glowing in bright orange and together with the third eye in its temple. She doesn''t look happy at all. Instead, she had an aura of a lion getting pumped up to kill its prey. Her eyes glowed a murderous glare. "I don''t have time for your games. Now that I did my part, I believe you guys have something that you owe me." Granny Kahayag communicated via telepathy in the spiritual realm. "That can wait!" The envoy beckoned before facing back at Arkhoz who has actually disappeared! He only turned around for a bit but his supposed to be dinner suddenly disappeared like a bubble! "Where is -Ackgh!~" The Envoy was about to burst in anger when another arrow of light exploded behind its head. It furiously glared back at Kahayag with a hostile intention; but seeing the calm and imposing spiritual figure of Kahayag, it quickly held itself and choose to look at the bright side. Wherever Arkhoz right now, they knew to chase after the Ancients is close to impossible, so they''d rather not waste time and focus whats in the front. The Envoy was after Elric after all. That annoying bug could wait. Not to mention, he made sure to turn its giant toy into a useless piece of a metal lump! "The Ancients took him," Granma explained and the Envoy did not bother replying. They pretty much knew what the Ancient humans are capable of. Coming on the spiritual just to retrieve Arkhoz''s soul is as easy as one-two-three for them. As much as the Envoy wanted to finish Arkhoz, there is an even more important deal to do right now. And it''s standing right before him. They both came back to the physical realm, Granny Kahayag is still possessing the body of Elric''s grandma while the Envoy is currently in its horrifying Shadow form. Like a giant black smoke, filled with dark energy. "Your form doesn''t scare me." Grandma Kahayag commented with an unfazed glance at the Envoy''s massive shadow figure. "You did a good job acting all this time." taking a human form about in his forties and wearing a formal suit, the Envoy complimented. "Enough of the chit-chat. Where is he?" Kahayag demanded and pointed at the three unconscious bodies of Elric, Long, and Lesse, "I now have the two last Eastern Dragon and the Perfect vessel. Hurry up and spit him out." "hahaha!" The Envoy laughed gleefully before stepping closer to Kahayag. Its head moved even closer and whispered. "Relax. You manage to wait a hundred years just for this day to come. What''s the hurry? You should be happy and excited that you get to serve the one true King!" Hearing the latter, Kahayag remained a serious look. "I don''t care about your stupid King. I want what''s mine." Seeing Kahayag''s undaunted demeanor, the Envoy finally stopped moving. His creepy smile slowly quieted down and turned away as if waiting for something. Kahayag frowned. Seeing that the other seems to be trying to delay their deal, she started to raise her bow. With a determined look, she aimed at the face of the arrogant Envoy at point-blank range. WOOOM~ BZZZZT~BZZT!~BZZZT~ With her patience thinning down and her rage getting full, the light arrow in her bow started to grow even stronger with each second passing. The terrifying amount of her Light spiritual energy-charged her next shot, creating an overflowing spark and reverberation on the surrounding air from the sheer weight of its power. Gulp. The Envoy knew pretty much that he could end up into a speck of dark dust of the madwoman before he released the arrow. However, as much as he wanted to live, there was a great problem. "Ehehe... Calm down, old witch. I know that you are eager to see him. Don''t worry, I assure you that you will see him pretty soon." The Envoy acted calm and reassured. "Then I am afraid your ''pretty-soon''; can''t stop this arrow from exploding you out of existence today. Five seconds. Where is it?" Kahayag insisted, she even stretched the arrow further back, increasing the power behind the arrow and inciting fear to the Envoy''s face. "You don''t have it do you?" Kahayag frowned after deducing the other''s reaction. With faint nervousness in its voice, the Envoy replied, "Well, uhm.. you see, I don''t really have it. It''s with the..uhm." "It''s with the King, right?" Kahayag asked. They both looked at each other and time seemed to stop. "Talking to you is useless. I want to talk to the King. Now." Kahayag added with a demanding tone. "Well, you see, unless the realm gates are opened, the only way for us to call the King at the moment is by sacrificial summoning and-" "Stop wasting my time," Kahayag interjected with flaring anger. "Got it. Got it. I will find way to summon the king now." The Envoy said with a quivering voice. *** 161 The Cursed Knife Lesse is currently watching at a scenic view before her. She is standing at one of the tallest stone spires in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, located in China''s southern Hunan Province. She could see the vast sea of clouds passing through the tall stone spires with rich greeneries growing out of its cracks and crevices. Beside her is Lang, her dead father, and the last King Dragon of the Eastern Region. They are both in their human form and just stood there, watching the sun setting down as a dark-orange carpet of light started to cover their entire view. The day was ending. Snapping out of her trance, Lesse glanced at the familiar face that she longed to see for a long time. The white flowing beard of his father accentuated his slim and noble demeanor. His eyes were as clear as the river water. "Father...." Lesse muttered as her eyes continued to appreciate her father''s presence. Tears were slowly flowing out on the sides and down to her soft white cheeks. "Is this a dream?" she asked. But deep inside she knew it was. Slowly, his father''s face turned towards her and smiled gently. His eyes were filled with warmth and gladness as they scanned the beautiful face of his daughter. Far from the past cold and strict father, the Lang he saw right now is full of comforting vibe and gentleness. Like a saint, she could feel that she is safe in his presence. "I am proud of you." He softly said. With these words, Lesse burst into sobbing and tightly embraced her father. Lang patter his daughter''s head in response with a gentle smile. "Now, now..." Lang said as he held Lesse''s arms and faced her with a proudful gaze of a father. "I am now giving you permission to release your Dragon''s seal." Lang''s words surprised Lesse. With a doubtful voice, she said, "But father I am afraid..." "Trust me on this my dear Lesse." "But father, once I removed the seal, it won''t take any longer before the other Dragon tribes from the other region would smell our scent in the air. There''s only two of us left of the remaining Eastern Dragon. I am afraid Long and I will be as good as dead before we knew it." Lesse anxiously replied. "Whos says that there are only two of you?" Lang suddenly interjected. With a confused look, Lesse added, "You mean...?" "Remember the one whom you shared your blood with?" Lang replied with a soft smile. Hearing her father''s reply, the eyes of Lesse grew wide in realization. He was right. That man can be considered as an Eastern Dragon as well considering that she had shared her blood with him. The memories of the fateful night started to flood Lesse''s mind. How that simple looking guy made a couple of stupid decision despite her deadly threats towards the other. She could not help but smile a little on how that weak human had the guts to declare he will help him. If only he knew how wide the gaps in their power that time, he would have choked in his own arrogant words. But things changed too fast. In a blink of an eye, that human managed to extend his life thru the royal blood of an Eastern Dragon from Lesse and eventually obtaining the Ancestral Dragon''s Essence which triggered the series of catastrophe ten years ago. But is did he survive the God Reckoning Tribulation? Lesse''s mind wandered at the last scene he saw a certain human that completely blown her mind. That overwhelmingly powerful human reminded her of the same weak human she shared her blood with ten years ago. The only difference is that the one from ten years ago was a complete idiot, while the other one at the present was full of overwhelming confidence with power to back his words. Lesse could still recall how he fought evenly against a horrifying Envoy of the King Shadow and the strongest Dragon Hunter that currently exist. That man wielded incredible Elemental and Spiritual power that far surpassed the mysterious and traitor grandma Landlord. So far, Lesse have not seen the man transforming to any Dragon related form or she could have linked that man to the past idiot already. But with the words her father just said, that idiot guy could just be another straw of hope they can cling on. That is, assuming that he survived the God Reckoning Tribulation and managed to overcome the overwhelming spiritual corruption brought with it. Lesse had a mixed feelings about this. That human was the reason for everything that happened. The death of her father and the extinction of her Eastern Dragon clan was all triggered because of that moment. And as much as she wanted to hate the latter, she did not come out clean as well. After all, it all started because she decided to share her royal blood to that man which was completely against the Creed of Dragon''s Pride. Seeing the bubbling emotions in his daughter''s face, Lang gently added, "I know what you are thinking and you can''t help but blame yourselves for breaking the Creed of Dragon''s Pride. But to tell you honestly, all of those actions were already destined. It just happened that the heavens have chosen you." Still confused, Lesse said, "what do you mean chosen? By... heaven?" "You will understand soon. But here''s the one thing you need to do." Lang''s words suddenly quieted down. Lesse could not help but feel that the next words will be the parting one. With a frown on her face, Lesse made sure to remember her father''s last command. "Unleash yourselves and wake him up." Lang said as the surroundings started to shift into a bright light. Still unsure, Lesse tried to grab a hold on her father''s hand when her surrounding view started to zoom away. "What do you mean to wake him-" FLASH!~ *** Back in the real world, Lesse''s eyes suddenly opened. It seems that she has recovered too soon from the Physic shock that Kahayag used to knock her down. Perhaps it was with the help of her father''s spirit that she had awakened prematurely. But whatever the reason is, she has already made up her mind. She was not dumb after all. Her eyes opened wide to see Elric''s face lying unconscious just a meter away from her. The three of them were not far from Kahayag who seems to have become enraged over something. Lesse could hear her shouting at someone. Her body still felt heavy from the weird force that had assaulted her mind. However, slowly she managed to recover her body control starting from her fingers and to her entire arm and the rest goes on. However, just when she thought she had already taken back her body control, she also knew that getting noticed by the Envoy or the traitor Kahayag could also mean an unexpected death to her so she decided to lay low for now and think of the next steps she must do. She could hear a heavy vibration from the surroundings, it was from an arrow of light that Kahayag is holding while being aimed at the Envoy''s face. They were arguing about something that the Envoy failed to deliver or something. "Wake him up..." Lesse thought to herself the last command her father gave and she could not help but felt incredibly assured on what her father meant. Looking at Elric''s face with a complicated emotion, Lesse hesitated for a while. "I am pretty sure father meant I have to wake this guy..." Lesse''s eyes scanned Elric and she ended up seeing the small black knife lodged at the latter''s back. "That knife..." Lesse''s eyes grew wide after seeing the finer details of the black knife. She remembers her father telling her about it. It was the cursed Spirit Isolating knife and it was a weapon used by the spirituals to defend against incredibly powerful Spirituals. She recalled a story about a certain human couple that not even the King Dragons of the four regions dare to mess with. A man named Lapu-Lapu and a woman called Kahayag. Both were physically and spiritually gifted. Legend says that Lapu-Lapu possessed the blood of the Ancient Maharlikan Warrior King who, is known to become more powerful the more he bleeds. From a gentleman, his nature becomes that of a battle maniac, seeking more fight until all of his enemies had been wiped out. A warrior that was responsible for the great extinction of the now-extinct gigantic Anaks from the past. Kahayag, on the other hand, is a renowned figure from the mysterious Realm of Lights. For an unknown reason, she was banished from the Realm of Light and decided to stay and live in the human realm for thousands of years by taking over different bodies. It was also worth noting that Kahayag blessed Lapu-Lapu with the mysterious energy of the Spiritual, causing the latter to become an existence that no one dares to mess with, all the Dragon Kings and Queens included. While speaking about Kahayag, what everyone was really afraid about is not just he overwhelming Spiritual power but the Soul Isolating Knife that can completely shut down one''s soul, its mysterious light attribute allows it to pierce just anything, not even the hardest Dragon scale can withstand a simple stab from it. It is also known that those who use this knife would also pay hefty price of a deteriorating soul. Basically speaking, with each passing moment, as long as the weapon remained stabbed at Elric, Kahayag is also losing part of her spiritual power. No wonder why she had been angrily pushing the other to give what she wants right away. The more the enemy waits, the better their chance to defeat her. It was because of this weapon that all the Dragon Kings had never dared to touch Lapu-Lapu nor Kahayag. Except for Lesse''s father, Lang. Who managed to become a close friend of the two and even learned a lot about some of their secrets. The same reason why Lesse knew about the existence of such a knife. Seeing this hurrying weapon stuck in Elric''s back, Lesse pretty much had an idea what is currently happening. Elric was a threat that they can''t win over so they resorted to this cursed weapon. With hesitation over the possible consequences, Lesse still finally moved her hand as slowly as possible. She grabbed the red and green pendant in her neck as her fingers started to touch the glass-like cover in the middle. Crack~ *** 162 Return of the Eastern Dragons Long is currently lying unconscious on the ground together beside Elric and his sister Lesse. His mind had been wandering aimlessly in his subconscious state. He had lost hope. Fighting the depressing feeling and waking up right now is useless. He had completely lost trust in everyone aside from his sister. The mysterious old granny whom he looked up to from the past years has betrayed them. No wonder she had been too good to them. There was no free soup in the world after all. She was planning to offer them to the so-called King from the Realm of Darkness. With his current state, fighting back is useless. He had suffered enough pain and humiliation just within this day alone. There were too many twists and turns that his logic seems to have failed him. He bullied a man who was actually thousand times more powerful than him, and his previous glorious past had gone wasted only to be remembered behind his head. Everything is just hopeless. Right now, all he could do is wander aimlessly in the empty space of his consciousness. Knowing the power of the two monsters outside, all he could do is just waiting for the day of his eternal death. "It''s useless. Hopeless. It''s the end." Long thought as he continued to reminiscent of his past life as a Dragon of the Eastern Region. "If only I am given another chance. Just one chance to fight back in my Dragon form. I am sure I put a good scratch on those traitor''s faces. Even if I lose, I don''t want to die without fighting." Long thought to himself. Then a powerful surge of warmth and overflowing energy started to assault his mind. BOOOOM!~ Like a waterfall suddenly slamming over his entire body, Long felt like he was being crushed by the sudden surge of warm energy. "Is this it? Am I being taken over by those spirituals? Is this the real end?" But then Long noticed a peculiar feeling as the warm energy coursed all over his body. He felt like he was an empty jar, now being filled with a vast amount of warm water. The heat traveled from his heart to his lungs, kidneys. It continued to crawl in his veins until the end of his fingertips. "This power. This familiar feeling..." Long muttered as his eyes started to open slowly. A faint light of green and red started to spark in his hopeless eyes. It was the essence of his royal Dragon blood. taking effect. "Wait. Could it be..." Long''s body suddenly grew incredibly stronger. With each passing seconds, he felt like his muscles had been expanding and contracting multiple times as if it was a developing muscle being fast-forwarded. His grip could easily shatter a hard piece of rock. Together with Long''s shocked eyes, he could feel his senses shooting up. His ears started to ring with the numerous amount of sound he could receive, his nose became extremely sensitive that all the faint scents in the air could not escape his nostrils. Long knew what is happening. This is all the effect of the power of his Dragon essence. "Did sister..." As Long said these words, his eyes glanced beside him only to see his sister Lesse standing up with her eyes glowing incredibly bright with red and green flames. He could see the faint traces of the green and red royal scales slowly emerging out of her skin. Then his eyes panned down and saw her hands clasping the jade necklace that was holding the seal of their Dragon Essence. It was a special artifact especially hidden by his father. He once saw it and asked his father its use. Hearing his father''s answer, he thought it was just a foolish thing to keep such useless artifact. After all, they are the proud Eastern Dragons that dominated the Eastern sky. Why would they need an artifact that will seal their Dragon Essence? Long thought only cowards would keep such artifacts. He even hated seeing it being worn by his sister because it reminded him of his father. He hates to admit it but his father was right. In the end, it was that artifact that saved them. However, now that they have taken back their Dragon essence what''s next? Are they going to face grandma and the dark Shadow behind her? Long knew that he has the Dragon''s essence now judging from the familiar energy swelling deep inside his system. With just a mere thought, he can transform into his Eastern Dragon form now and fight back. But for some reason, his instinct told him to hold up. His eyes quickly glanced around and saw his sister now completely awake beside him. But there was something strange about her. Long could feel it too inside him. Deep inside, Long could feel his power continue surging as if a never-ending supply of power is constantly nourishing his body. "Wait could it be?!" Kahayag was shocked to realize that her bargaining tools suddenly wakeup prematurely. She was just about to finish the Shadow before her when she felt a strange premonition. She quickly glanced back only to see the last two Eastern Dragon siblings standing behind her. Their eyes were glowing red and green flames, like small torches being lit inside their eyes. Not to mention, their power just kept on surging non-stop! "If you just stayed behave, you could have spared yourself a painful death by eternal destruction," Kahayag spoke with a cold tone before Long and Lesse. She switched her weapon''s form from a bow into a sword made of light. "You don''t scare me," Lesse replied with a determined look. "Oh? You have the guts to face me now? Your head may have grown too quick just because you have regained your powers, but do you really think that is enough to push me around?" Kahayag smirked, the Shadow stepped beside her, intending to help the old woman deal with the two empowered Dragons before them. Walking calmly towards them, Kahayag added, "In less than fifteen minutes, the other Dragons from different regions all around the world will already catch your scent. The moment you released your seal, your fate had been sealed. If you surrender to me right now, I might be able to defend for you and-" "And what? What other options do you offer? You will just use us anyway to achieve your selfish wants." Lesse interjected. "You do not know what you are saying, my dear. You barely know who I am! Hahaha!" Kahayag laughed before adding, "And besides, do you even have any choice? Aside from being shred into pieces from the other Dragon''s mouth, why don''t you just offer yourself to the King of the Dark Realm? That way, you won''t be dying a useless piece of sh*t!" But Lesse and Long remained unaffected."We trusted you. Our father trusted you that he even begged you and entrusted us! You don''t talk like from the Realm of Light at all-" "Silence!" Kahayag beckoned. "What do you know about me? Do you even have a slight idea of what I have been trough?" "Aside from living an old life and changing different bodies from time to time, we don''t really care. All that we knew is that you are nothing but a useless pile of spiritual sh*t!" Lesse summoned all her confidence back. Her body suddenly exploded in blinding light and transformed into her massive Eastern Dragon form! Seeing his sister doing it, Long exploded into bright light as well. Unleashing his Dragon essence and transforming to their true elegant Eastern Dragon form! Their long snake-like bodies that stretch into hundred meters were quite a sight to behold! The red and green scales alternating in their sparkling scales and the domineering aura they posed created quite a pressure even to Kahayag and the Envoy beside her. In terms of power, the Dragons are not that easy to deal with. Not to mention two Royal blooded ones! Basically speaking, their current power levels are constantly changing with the siblings getting stronger each second, while Kahayag had been constantly declining They are both prepared to fight Kahayag and the Shadow Envoy of the King to death! Seeing that things are getting more complicated, Kahayag knew that taking down the newly empowered Dragons in less than fifteen minutes is much easier being imagined. With each passing second, her Spiritual power had been declining considerably due to the cursed blade being planted in Elric''s back. Perhaps, scaring them might help! "Hahahaha! Fools! Do you even understood why no Dragon Kings nor Queens would dare to offend me for thousands of years of my existence?" Kahayag suddenly burst into manic laughter. Lesse smiled confidently in her Dragon form. "Do you mean that cursed knife that can suppress anyone''s soul? Go ahead. I dare you to pull it out." "..." Kahagyag''s face quickly quieted down. Her ploy had been exposed! But with her options thinning down, she could only do one thing right now and that is the hard way! "You ungrateful bastards!" Kahayag flared up with all her spiritual Energy bursting out. Wielding her sword of light, she charged towards the two massive Eastern Dragons both ready to engage with her! The Envoy, on the other hand, chooses to back away, a creepy smile was planted in its face as its body blended into the shadow. 163 Massing Up For Dragon War Lesse knew why Kahayag was confident in defeating them before. But as long as the cursed weapon remained stuck at Elric''s back, she had no choice but to depend on using her own spiritual powers. Not to mention, once she removed the cursed knife locking Elric, it will only add to the numbers of enemies she had to face. If only Lesse and Long were just ordinary people, they would have already fled before they could talk against Kahayag. But right now is different, aside from the return of their Dragon Essence, they could also feel incredibly abundant of power that continued to surge inside them. As if they are getting filled to the brim, pushing them to the edge breakthrough! Facing Spiritual that is currently not in her peak state and an Envoy with clearly a different motive compared to Kahayag, their chances of winning are as good as fifty-fifty. And as Dragons, they must uphold their pride of not backing out against a fair fight. Not to mention, they were both eager to put their newfound power into the test! And just when Long was about to meet Kahayag''s attack, Lesse suddenly stopped Long''s charging breath. "Why!? Let me roast that old traitor into crisp!" Long irritably beckoned as his long eastern Dragon body was getting dragged further by Lesse''s longer body. Kahayag, on the other hand, missed her attack and swiftly shifter her weapon from melee sword to range bow! SWOOSH~SWOOOSH~ BOOOM!~BOOOM!~ "Don''t attack," Lesse told Long. The latter responded with a hesitant look but at the end, still followed his sister''s command. Long knew his sister. Not only has she became even more matured, but the years spent hiding from the Dragon hunters made her became even wiser. When to move, what to attack, all of those falls down to his sister''s decision. Not to mention, Lesse is currently on the edge of breaking through, she might even end up reaching the power level of a Queen Dragon in the next hour! That is to say if they survive their current ordeal against Kahayag. Long and Lesse continued to distance away from Kahayag who choose not to go too far from Elric''s position. As much as Kahayag wanted to destroy the two Dragons, she also knew that the envoy is still after Elric''s body. The reason the latter doesn''t touch Elric is because of the cursed sword plunged behind him. The moment anyone touches Elric''s body, they would also end up getting their soul shut down in instant, thus the Envoy chooses to step aside for now and wait for the perfect timing to move and possible escape with Elric''s body as a trophy. "Why are we not attacking? If we work together and force her into a corner, I believe we can take her on. With our Dragon powers back, her spiritual attack against us had dropped significantly weaker with our natural spiritual magic resistance and us-" "I know that," Lesse replied, their long Eastern Dragon bodies flew up high in the sky, covered by the passing clouds. "But I recall clearly how that human single-handedly knocked down the Envoy and even berated the powerful grandma landlord before our very eyes. I remember he said something about taking care of his ''grandmas'' body." "So? What are you implying? Do you mean that the spirit inside old grandma traitor is not its real spirit?" Lesse nodded before adding, "I have a feeling that the body she is using is the body of that man''s grandma." "In other words?" Long replied with a confused stare. Sighing deeply, Lesse replied, "In other words, the moment we attack the old woman and end up destroying that body, we could end up becoming that man''s next target. You should know that he also wields not just Spiritual powers but Elemental ability as well. If not for that cursed knife stabbed behind him, he could have ended the whole fight for good." Thinking deeply, Lesse continued, "And if I am not mistaken, the reason why that old lady is not afraid of to take on bluntly our attacks is that she is a pure Spiritual being, our fire or physical attacks are only strong enough to destroy the physical state but not the spiritual being inside. Even if we turn her into crispy charcoal, all she needs to do is move to a new physical body, while we get a new enemy out of the last body we killed." Long listened with an enlightened look on his Dragon face. Then suddenly, both their eyes frowned. "This..." Long mumbled. "They are coming. Based on my estimate, we only have ten to fifteen minutes before they arrive." Lesse was referring to the Dragons of the other regions coming their way. With the help of their ultra-sensitive senses, they could feel, smell, and hear the countless Dragons coming their way to finish the last two Eastern Dragons that exist in the world. Although they have prepared themselves on the incoming encounter, realizing that their chances of winning against a hoard of Dragons from the other Region are close to impossible and they could not help but feel fearful and anxious. They knew, especially Lesse, that the moment they unleashed their seal, it was the same as calling out their massive pursuers with a loud ''we are here!''. "So what''s your plan. I assume that you already had one the moment you released our Dragon Essences." Long looked at Lesse with a hopeful gaze. "I do have one. But this is not entirely my plan." Lesse replied with uncertainty in her voice. Hearing his sister''s reply, Long asked, "Not yours entirely? What do you mean?" "Father showed up in my dreams. She told me to "''unleash a certain man''. And by the time I opened my eyes, I saw that guy." Lesse answered, staring intently at the unconscious Elric lying not far behind the distant Kahayag. Getting what his sister meant, Long, said, "Do you mean we need to remove that cursed knife behind that crazy guy''s back?" "I believe father''s words did have purposes. Not to mention, that guy is the only one who could deal with spiritual beings. I hate to admit it, but we only hope lies in that man." With a frown, Long asked, "How sure are you that he is going to help? Also, how do you think will we deal with the incoming Dragons of the other region?" "We won''t," Lesse replied with a determined face. Her eyes are locked at Elric''s unconscious body and added, "He will." *** A thousand kilometers away from the location of Lesse, the Dragons of the different Region are currently massing up in a certain sky from different directions, their flying is not considered slow but they were all in the same pacing, with their nose fronting towards the eastern sky. The northern Dragons resembled the body of the western ones, compared to the Eastern snake-like Dragons, they have huge muscular bodies with bluish scales, their two longs hands are attached to the edge of their wings while they pose an incredibly intimidating aura with the sheer size and number they possess. On the other side of the globe, the Western and the Southern Dragons had also moved out heading towards the direction of Lesse. Ever since the release of their seal, their scent had also been unleashed in the atmosphere, causing the nearest scout to detect their presence and quickly reported to the Elder Dragons of their own region. They were all wearing the same determined faces especially when they recalled what''s at stake in this fight. Ten years ago, the fall of the Eastern Region did not just cause a massive tilt in the balance but also created opportunities for expansion of their own bases. But the three remaining Dragon tribes could not come to an agreement. Save the hundreds of Dragon lives that were lost during those heated times. And after more months of deliberation from different representatives, they have all reached a certain agreement. That whoever finds and takes the head of the two missing Eastern Dragons, the whole eastern region would be granted to the winner. How they did it doesn''t matter. Winner takes all. Thus it is understandable that the Dragon Kings and Queens of the different regions could not help but summon all their finest warriors. Knowing how the other region would react from the good news lingering in the air, they expect a battle to insure against the other tribes. After all, those who have the strength to back their new territory should be the ones deserving to inherit the eastern region. From the past ten years, the abundant resources in the Eastern Region had been left untouched by the three Dragon tribes in respect of this agreement. But now that the time has come, going all out from the start for them is the wisest decision to do. Flying high in the Western Sky, Lucas, the new King Dragon of the West, after the death of his father Arthur ten years ago, looked at the eastern direction with blazing determined eyes. His domineering Western Dragon form exceeded their expectation as he grew incredibly strong from the past ten years. His golden scales glittered from the sun''s reflection and his wings alone spanned for more than fifty meters! Lucas mumbled in the air with his eyes closed, "Father, by the end of this day, the Eastern land will be named after you." 164 Reckless Dragons "So basically, all we need to do is to remove that black knife behind that guy''s back right?" Long asked Lesse in confirmation. Lesse nodded in response and added, "And if everything goes well on our side, we could ask for his help against the other incoming Dragons, that is if he is willing. The only problem is how are we going to execute it. I remember father said about not touching the sword once it stabbed someone or you will end up getting your soul sealed as well." "Any idea? You do know we do not have much time left right?" reminded Long. "I do have but I do not know if I can pull it off," Lesse answered. Long thought for a while with a frown etched in his face, "I am listening." With a determined look, Lesse told him what''s on her mind, "Our fire is not enough to harm her nor dispel the power of the cursed knife. What we need is something that harnesses the power of light; that also explains why she is capable of wielding the power of the cursed knife, because she herself has natural affinity to light, though I do not know what really made her do such actions." Then Lesse faced the bright sun floating above, "I do not know if this is really gonna work but, If I am not mistaken, the power of the Tribulation of Light should also possess the power of light. And I can summon it and channel the power of the lightning towards the cursed knife, maybe we could remove the spell temporary and hopefully, he would be able to get out of the curse." Understanding what she meant, Long quickly said, "Do you intend to push for a breakthrough today?! Are you crazy? We haven''t even gone through the conditioning methods!" But Lesse had the eyes of an unfazed Dragon, "I know that. But with the accumulating power inside me at the moment, I feel like even if I don''t go for it, the Tribulation of Light is still gonna appear soon." And right after saying those words, dark clouds suddenly started to appear above their heads. Long immediately noticed it and could not help but open his mouth in agape, "You were right..." Even though the Tribulation hasn''t started yet, Lesse and Long could feel the powerful pressure coming from heaven. The clouds quickly darkened as if an octopus changing its color, and light rain even started to pour down. Lesse could not help but smile, the current scene reminded her of the unexpected event that happened ten years ago. She recalled how she bravely took on the Tribulation of Light in order to ascend to an Elder state, but she ended up crashing down on the sky; even collapsing to her weakest state that she had to get help from that human against the encroachment of the nearby Manananggal and Kapre. But now is completely different, the mysterious congregation of Dragon essence forming inside her body is causing her to accumulate powers at a tremendous rate and unexpectedly pushed her from an Elder Dragon to Queen Dragon state. Long on the other side is also about to breakthrough due to the accumulation of enough power not far from Lesse''s level. Their difference is just basically minutes of accumulated Dragon essence, he should be able to push into King Dragon with Lesse today! "Enough talking, brace ourselves. Concentrate and channel your essence. We will push for a breakthrough together." Lesse told Long and the latter nodded in response. Both in their Dragon state, they coiled like floating giant snake just a hundred meters away from the darkening clouds and closed their eyes. "Get ready to go." Lesse suddenly whispered. They are ready. Back on the ground, Kahayag watched everything unfold. She watched the two Dragons distanced themselves far from her seemingly aware that she can''t move any farther from Elric''s body, else, she might end up getting backstabbed by the Envoy and lose her biggest bargaining tool for her mission. "It''s those stupid spirits." Kahayag looked at the distant Dragons hiding in the dark sky with great frustration. She was drenched from the rain that had suddenly arrived. Her third eye had been glowing for a while, giving her a glimpse of what''s really happening. In her third eye, she could see the reflection of thousands of spirits of the fallen Eastern Dragon ten years ago. They were all channeling their remaining energy towards the last two Eastern Dragons, which resulted in the rapid accumulation of Dragon essence and eventually giving them the chance to push for a King Dragon breakthrough! The mysterious source of Dragon essence that had been constantly filling up Lesse and Long ever since they unleashed their Dragon powers were actually the yearning essence of the fallen Dragon of the Eastern Region. Even in death, they refuse to be completely defeated! They may have lost their body but their soul and essence will be carried forever; and right now is that perfect time for them to give Lesse and Long their last wish, and that is for them to receive their tattered Dragon essence to be avenged from the unjust massacre ten years ago! "Even if you push for a breakthrough right now, do you think that is enough to defeat me? Stupid lizards!" Kahayag smiled wickedly. She knew pretty much her advantage over the Dragons. She held unto her sword of light and transformed it into a bow! "Stop wasting my time and just die lizards!" SWOOOOSH!~ Kahayag unleashed a powerful arrow of light towards the direction of the two Easter Dragons in the sky. Lesse and Long were still closing their eyes when their ultra-sensitive senses suddenly noticed the incoming attack. However, they remained unmoving from their spot, until a rumbling sound of thunder started to beckon from the sky. KRUGGGH!!!!~KGHHH!! And just when the arrow was about to hit them, Lesse suddenly opened her eyes and swiftly said, "Now!" SHOOOOO~ SHOOOO~ The two Eastern Dragons suddenly blurred away from their spot, the arrow made of light missed them. Lesse and Long, together with their hundred meters long Eastern Dragon bodies, swiftly dived down from the sky in a spiraling fashion. Their determined eyes are locked at the small figure of Kahayag from the distance while their speed just continued to increase in each second! Seeing the two Dragons coming her way, Kahayag smiled confidently in anticipation. "So in the end, you choose death huh." Kahayag pulled hard on the strings of her bow and quickly launched a barrage of light arrows towards the incoming mythical beasts. SWOOOSH~SWOOOSH~SWOOOOSH~ "Ready incoming!" Lesse warned her brother as they both suddenly burst into blinding speed, taking on an evasive maneuver, dodging the light arrows like flexible snakes avoiding the knife. FWOOOMB!~ ACCK!~ However, one of the light arrows managed to hit Long squarely in his face, it was from a discreet light arrow that Kahayag pulled off after calculating the trajectory of the Dragon''s movement. After all, she was never called a warrior for no reason. "Long!" Lesse shouted in distress seeing her brother suddenly crashing to the ground. "I''m okay! Don''t mind me!" Fortunately, with Long''s improved body from the yearning essence of the fallen Eastern Dragon, he managed to withstand the attack and quickly recovering his speed, still going forward towards Kahayag. "HAH!~" Kahayag continued to send more light arrows, Lesse and Long also tried their best to get closer as fast as possible. Unfortunately, Kahayag was just too skilled for a ranged fighter. She managed to pull her aim advanced and even continued hitting Long and Lesse from time to time. Thanks to their fortified Dragon bodies, they managed to survive each of the light arrows exploding in their faces. The only downside is that with each hit, they became slower and felt like the world had been spinning weirdly - in other words, they were already too dizzy! "Are you starting to fall in love with my arrows?" Kahayag smiled wickedly as she noticed the two Dragons now flying even slower than before. The engagement happened in less than twenty seconds but for the Dragons, it felt like a year! But on her end, she could also not help but feel incredibly burdened after all of the spiritual energy she had just used. She might be acting cocky but she was actually about to collapse as well! KRUGGH!~ Another rumbling sound came from the dark sky. Lesse and Long were suddenly awakened from the sound of the sky as they remembered their mission - to get as close to Elric and receive the Tribulation of Light and use it to dispel the cursed knife! Lesse and Long glanced at each other and nodded. SWOOOOSH~ With the small breather given by Kahayag as she tried to recover her strength, Long and Lesse took this opportunity to suddenly split to opposite directions, they plan to bypass Kahayag from the sides! Not to mention, they could also feel the increasing pressure from the sky! The Tribulation is about to drop in less than three seconds! Lesse took the extra meters just to avoid Kahayag''s figure, while Long also swung on the other side. They were both hoping that by the time the Tribulation strikes, they would reach Elric''s body as well and dispel the cursed blade in his back. As the Dragons made their quick detour, Kahayag suddenly revealed a confident smile. "Something is wrong.." Seeing that Kahayag did not respond at their sudden shift, Lesse felt like there was something amiss. She quickly turned towards Long and warned him, "Be careful this could be a tr-" But before she could finish her words, it was too late. Long and Lesse were instantly covered by a mountain-like shadow, enveloping them into utter darkness completely! They were devoured by the Envoy hiding from the ground! 165 Her True Intention A minute before Long and Lesse charged to save Elric from the cursed blade, Kahayag was also in contact with the Envoy via astral communication. Kahayag was not just a fine warrior but a smart one as well. She knew pretty much the weakness of the cursed knife and seeing that the two dragons are about to push for a breakthrough, she also realized the possible move that they can grab. She knew that the Tribulation of Light contains the power of heaven and its purifying attribute as well. Basically speaking, if the two eastern Dragons are not dumb, they could grab that opportunity to channel the lightning from the Tribulation and dispel the soul locking curse that had been holding Elric back. Knowing the possibility of such a problem, Kahayag made sure to count each second ever since the dark clouds started to appear. Witnessing a Dragon doing a tribulation is obviously not a new thing to her considering her actual age and experience; thus giving her the idea of what will obviously happen next. "hehehe..." A wicked smile slowly curved in her face. An idea popped out and she could not help but giggle a little. Then, she discreetly sends the Envoy a message and the latter suddenly sprang up in agitation. "Are you sure about that?" The Envoy asked excitedly. "Yes. As long as you can hold them off even for just five seconds, those Dragons are as good as yours." Kahayag replied with a mischievous smile. "Then leave that to me." *** "Hahahaha! Fools!" Kahayag laughed sinisterly as she watched the massive Shadow devoured the two Dragons whole. They were just a few meters upon reaching Elric when the Shadow suddenly emerged out from the ground and swallowed the unsuspecting Dragon. "What now!? These Dragons are too powerful! I can''t hold them much longer!" The Envoy quickly asked as he struggled to contain the two Dragons inside him. From the outside, one could see the Envoy''s massive dark body continued to expand and bloat like a pufferfish! ROAAR!~ ROOAAAR!~ The Dragons inside him are fighting back! BOOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!~ Lesse and Long were caught off guard by the Envoy, but it doesn''t mean they don''t have the means to fight back. With the strength just inches away from the King Dragon''s level, even if they are facing the empowered Envoy, Dragons are still not something a mere dark Spiritual can take on. BOOOM!~ BOOM BOOM!~ From the outside, Kahayag could see the Shadow''s body bloating up wildly with bright flashes exploding from the inside. It was the powerful explosion of fire from the Dragon''s attack! "Hurry!" The Envoy shouted at Kahayag as he struggled to maintain his body from exploding from the boiling of explosions inside. Then, with a wicked smile, Kahayag suddenly chanted mysterious words in rapid succession while her hands drew weird signs in the air. The Envoy saw Kahayag''s movement and could not help but frown in confusion. "What are you doing!?" But the next time the Envoy realized was a glowing magical inscription flowed out of Kahayag''s feet and scattered across, it ultimately formed a large circle covering the entire area that looked like a magical summoning circle. "Wait.. this is-" KRAAKAAAAABOOOOM!!!!~ And the Tribulation had finally roared from the sky, sending down a concentrated rain of lightning and reaching the ground before the Envoy would know it. Elric''s body was protected by a layer of magical barrier from Kahayag, while the rest of the outside were exposed to the full brunt of the Tribulation of Light. BOOOOOOOM!~KRAAAAAKABOOOM! Unlike the Tribulation of Light for the Elder Dragons, the heaven''s challenge for those who dare to ascend to the King''s level had to face more strikes containing the power about a hundred times of its normal strength! The Envoy, which happens to be a dark-affiliated being and also holding the Tribulation''s target, was like a piece of tofu constantly being ripped apart by the furious lighting! AAAACKGHH!~ As much as the Envoy wanted to shift to its Spiritual form, he could not help but cry in regret; for only the Lightning Element has the power to work against the dark-affiliated being, especially a dark spiritual like him! As for Kahayag, she was basking in the lightning as if getting a comforting hard lightning massage! Apart from her great compatibility with the Lightning element, she was also a Spiritual from the Realm of Light who also happens to take comfort and would swiftly recover her strength in the presence of Lightning itself! In less than two seconds, Kahayag is back in her peak strength! Lesse and Long on the other hand also suffered hard against the barrage of the Lightning. Their chances of surviving the tribulation have also thinned down as they recklessly wasted their energy a while ago just trying to escape the Envoy''s containment. AAAGHK~ GROOOOAR-AAGKCH!~ And with each merciless strikes from heaven, Lesse and Long''s body are also going through an explosive test. Their muscles, bones, and scales are being pulverized with each painful hit from the lightning. It was only thanks to their overwhelming regenerative abilities that their entire body still remained intact, albeit barely holding on. Not to mention, their unyielding will and spirit allowed them to continue the test despite the uncertain victory. However, as each second pass by, both of their struggles slowly faded. Their Dragon body had finally stopped moving. The Tribulation of Light for the King and Queen Dragons was just too merciful that they ended up into nothing but a massive ball of fire from the intense heat produced by the numerous lightning. In just one minute, the Tribulation of Light has finally ended. The dark clouds slowly dissipated, revealing the bright and glorious presence of the sun and the real state of the area. With Elric safe and sound inside a magical barrier behind her, Kahayag scanned her surroundings and she could not help but laugh gleefully from the result. The entire area looked like it had just gone through a series of small meteor strikes. The whole place was scorched black from the power of the lightning and the plain land has turned into a massive crater! "HAHAHAHA!~" In the end, it was all Kahayag''s win. A while ago, her strength was reaching complete depletion and she was having a problem with how to deal with the shameless Envoy who did not honor their agreement. Not to mention the stupid Dragons even dared to challenge her. But thanks to her quick thinking and relentless attitude, the sweet scent of victory had been revealed to her in the form of the devastating ground due to the furious Tribulation of Light, while she breathed with her strength back to its fullness. With the help of Tribulation of Light and Elric as the bait, she managed to fool the creepy Envoy to work for her only to end up into a tiny speck of black dust scattered everywhere while the two Dragons were still burning unceasingly at the moment. "WHAHAHAHAHA!~" Kahayag''s witch-like laugh continued to echo in the air for quite some time until she heard an unexpected sound. SSSSSSSH~ Out of nowhere, a heavy and domineering voice of a man suddenly resounded across the area. "Hearing you laugh like that and witnessing how wicked your ways are, no wonder you were banished from that land." Kahayag''s face quickly turned into a frown upon hearing the voice. Her eyes scanned the area but still could not see the culprit. Then the scattered dust of the Envoy started to move on its own. Slowly, those tiny dust just started to float in the air and converged in a single spot. There is even black dust that came from far distances. SSSSSSSH~ It looked as if a black wind was suddenly passing by, only to get absorbed by a small vortex. "This..." Upon seeing the weird movements of the dust, Kahayag could not help but feel goosebumps coming out of her back. Her eyes showed signs of great fear and hatred. Sweat quickly slid down her cheeks as she started to hold grip her bow of light tightly. Then Kahayag mumbled, "That voice... you..." "I am glad you still remember the invoice. How long has it been? Three hundred years? Five perhaps? I Can''t really tell. You see..." The haughty voice of the man came from the congregating black dust. Seeing what the dark dust was doing, Kahayag quickly loaded her bow, charged it with a concentrated arrow of light, and forcefully shot the solid congregation of black dust at point-blank range. FWOOOOOM!~ SSSSSSSSSSSSH~ But it ended only as a futile effort as the black dust still continued to form a huge circle. FWOOOOM!!~ FWOOOOM!~ FWOOOM!~ Kahayag tried a lot more times, stopping it from merging but to no avail. "Why are you trying to stop it? Just when I thought you that missed me." Then the huge congregation of black dust started to transform. A man with pitch-black skin, reminiscent of the night, with red glowing eyes, a simple looking golden crown covered its entire head and a dark cape covered its ten-foot-tall body. "Katimo..." recognizing the new entity before her, Kahayag whispered his name with a fearful yet determined gaze. He is the King from the Realm of Darkness. "You should now that I have to sacrifice all the Shadow beings in this entire continent, the Envoy included, just for me to get a forced transfer ticket on this ugly place," Katimo said as he shoves the dirty specks of dust landing in his cape. Kahayag closed her eyes, she breathed deeply in and out and refocused herself. The next moment, she opened her eyes full of unyielding determination and fearlessness. She whispered a few chants and the barrier that was protecting Elric suddenly dissolved into thin air. Next, Kahayag effortlessly waved her hand and Elric''s unconscious body quickly floated in the air before landing just a meter in front of Kahayag. "Let''s cut the chase. I have what you want, you have what I need. Give it to me now cause, I am too tired of all this sh*t". "Ohhh. A quick business I see...." Then the King pulled out a small marble from its dark cape. Kahayag''s eyes suddenly glowed intensely as tears quickly trickled down her cheeks. Inside the small marble in the King''s finger, she could see the small and faint image of a certain person... "Lapu-Lapu..." Kahayag muttered with a sad and deep longing voice. 166 Unkillable Elric Inside the small marble was the soul of Lapu-Lapu. The memories of their past quickly filled Kahayag''s mind. All the life and death adventures they went through together, the people they have to confront just to stay together. The numerous kinds of monster they had to kill just to continue breathing, the odds that were against them was another story to be told. A memory full of story, a memory she holds dearly. It all started when the time Kahayag left the Realm of Light for a secret mission on the earth, only to end up stuck in the physical realm because she fell in love with a very unique warrior of a small island. Thinking it was her destiny, she had to sacrifice most of her power and real identity just for him, but in the end, it all became the same snare that held her in this world. She resigned herself to fulfill a certain life mission after one fateful encounter led them for Lapu-Lapu to risk his life just to save her; it eventually resulted in him losing his soul. But now, she is just meters away on saving the very soul that was the main color and reason for her existence. "Lapu.," Kahayag mumbled softly his name. The name of the one she loved the most. He is Elric''s tenth generation ancestor and was a legendary warrior who defeated hundreds of unique monsters, Dragons, even spirituals and Anaks or giants themselves. His real downfall was not caused by the hands of his enemies but because of his weakness that lay in his heart; he loved a woman that he was not supposed to fall for, it eventually led him to his current demise. His spirit is unable to find eternal rest as he was stuck in a curse of the Spiritual confinement of the Unholy Marbles brought over by Kahayag''s enemy. Thus, Kahayag is willing to do whatever it takes to take Lapu-Lapu''s soul back, and maybe find a body to revive the man she loved the most. And now, the time has come. After a hundred years, by betraying the trust of her great-great-grandson, the last two eastern Dragons, and the world''s hope, and her creed as a divine Spiritual of Light, she is just one step ahead on finally reaching her goal. Her eyes were shaking. Tears flowing with great sadness and eagerness left behind in its trail. Her eyebrows raised up to show how sorry she was on what happened in the past. Seeing the face of the man she longed for a long time finally revealed before her, she could not hold herself back but slowly step forward, hands eager to reach for the small marble containing the soul of Lapu-Lapu. "Oops, not too fast. I believe this is a barter. WE exchange goods you know." The King playfully tossed the marble back to his other hand, which was covered in black cloth, and casually made it spin in his other hand. Kahayag watched great discomfort as she witnessed the tiny soul of Lapu-Lapu spun inside the small marble as the King playfully made it spin. "Stop! I will do it! Just make it stop, you bastard!" Kahayag shouted with furious anger. The open palm of the King suddenly closed, the small marble clenched tightly inside. Then, the King looked down at Elric''s body. Its eyes suddenly glowed with a faint purple light, it was scanning Elric''s body and it could not help but salivate over the precious body in front of him. In his eyes, he could see the complex structures of energy morphing inside the young man''s body, the essence of Dragon freely moved in its veins and muscles, the Authority of Water and Fire lingered in its dantian and the overwhelming spiritual presence he possesses was good enough to stretch the King''s eyes to his ultimate gladness. As long as the cursed knife is in contact with Elric''s body, he as good as a disabled warrior. Elric was like a giant monster that was unable to wake up because its eyes and mind were fooled as if it was sleeping. With the help of the cursed knife, his consciousness and soul had been isolated and sealed from reality. Unable to tell that something was amiss. One would feel as if time had stopped and his vision would only see an endless illusion of darkness. No matter how much he struggles, he can''t feel his body nor his energy. He does not even realize that he was trapped in illusion! Such is the power of the Cursed knife from the Dark Realm. It was a treasure that Kahayag was supposed to bring back to the Realm of Light and have it destroyed, but she ended up being tempted by its boundless potential and threat to anyone far stronger than her. And as long as she has the knife, not even the Kings from the Realm of Light and Darkness could scare her. With the help of a long and painful ritual, she had successfully made the knife to recognize her as its owner as long as she constantly feeds it with her spiritual energy. It is safe to say that the Cursed Knife is like a living greedy artifact. Like a black octopus, it will latch itself to its prey, fool it as if it was just dreaming, while slowly draining its victim''s blood and energy. But in this case, it goes both ways to its wielder and the victim. It was just a greedy artifact that knows nothing but feeds on everything it touches. It was, after all, the greatly feared and cursed artifact that was stolen from the depths of the Realm of Darkness. Kahayag hesitated for a while as her eyes glanced over the cursed knife. She could feel that the greedy bastard seems to have grown incredibly powerful lately, it must have something to do with all the spiritual energy she had drained for it from her past battles. She could not help but shudder, thinking of a moment in case the Cursed knife itself gets out of her control. Not only she would lose her greatest trump card but those who were after her would surely pounce out of nowhere just to deal with her, especially with all the troubles she and Lapu-Lapu had done in the past. "Ahem. So what are you waiting for? Do you want this handsome gentlemen''s soul back or not?" The King complained about an agitated look on its face. The latter may sound angry but the spilling saliva dripping down of its mouth betrayed it of its intense agitation in taking over Elric''s'' body. "Hurry up and destroy his soul. Use the knife, or do you want me to do it myself?" It hurriedly added. "First, hand that marble over to me, and this young man''s soul will be as good as a goner in less than a second." Kahayag insisted, her hands were just inches away from the blade. "Purge that ugly soul out first and you can have this stupid marble!" The King beckoned back, refusing to do Kahayag''s request. "Then how about this, we do it together. I crush the soul right away and you throw that marble to me." Kahayag suggested, her eyes determined not to let her enemy take advantage of her. Like a spoiled lady, the King replied, "Hmp. Fine." The two of them looked at each other. The time suddenly stood still. Their background was still the same catastrophic image of a scorched crater and far behind Kahayag are the two Eastern Dragon bodies still burning unceasingly from the might of the Tribulation of Light. The King held the marble tightly while Kahayag had a conflicted look on her face. One could feel intense powers colliding in their determined eyes. Like an unseen spark, trying to destroy one another mentally. One is the once the greatest warrior from the Realm of Light while the other is a King from the Realm of Darkness. Both with different desires and are unwilling to lose a single advantage over this trade. They waited a hundred years for this event after all. Judging from their past activities and their nature, they both knew that they can''t trust the other. After all, why would a thief trust another thief its precious possessions? A minute has gone passed, and they are stuck in the standstill. Kahayag looked as tense as before while the King had all the time that he can waste. He was playing with the small marble in his huge palms. "Sigh. Alright. I will do it first." Suddenly Kahayag started talking, albeit a hesitant tone in her voice. She just could not bare the sight of Lapu-Lapu still helplessly stuck inside the cursed marble. The King smiled wickedly. "Sound''s good to me. Hurry up and do it, then this gentleman''s love-of-your-life will be finally yours! Break it, to win it!" the King excitedly encouraged her with a showman''s energy. Then slowly, Kahayag''s hand made contact with the blade once more. Wing~ A strong vibration started to channel from the blade and to her body. Then, with all her focus, Kahayag slowly exerted more strength and spiritual energy in her grip before pushing the knife''s blade even deeper on Elric''s body. KSSSHK!~ MBHMBHH!~ Elric''s body instinctively shocks and mumbled from the unexplainable pain from its back. Together with it was an incredible surge of destructive energy that seems to dissolve all the conscious ability in Elric''s body. The cursed blade had been fully activated. It was on the process of slowly dissolving Elric''s soul until Kahayag''s eyes suddenly widened in surprise. "What''s wrong?.. Wait... How come?" The blade! She can''t push through even deeper! The curse! The destruction of Elric''s soul! It''s not working! 167 Fire Of Red And Green "Am I losing strength? No. This is not how it''s supposed to be. I still have enough power to push it through but, why can''t I do it?" Kahayag''s eyes were currently locked on Elric''s back where blood is spilling out of the incision from her stab. Those blood. She could not help her tears flowing down as she watched them flow out of Elric''s body. She could hear it. Lapu-Lapu''s voice has been shouting in her ears. From the blood of the young man, Lapu-Lapu''s will had been reawakened. She could not help but see an image of the handsome warrior whom she missed a lot. His wavy hair moved according to the rhythm of the wind. His eyes glowed with the same sharp orange-brown edges in his iris. She could tell it. And she could not help but cry. Those were the eyes of disappointment. Her hands stopped moving. She could not take it anymore. Meanwhile seeing that the mad lady suddenly stopped exerting force on the blade, the King suddenly transformed into his massive Shadow form. "Let me do it instead of you useless woman!" The King forcefully slammed the small marble in her stomach and followed up with a forceful push that sent Kahayag flying a good five meters away. Then the King took over, stepping over Elric''s twitching body, ready to do the finishing push and the start of his take over! Kahayag was sent far and was feeling incredible pain, both in her physical and mental state. Lapu-Lapu''s eyes were just too beautiful yet mysterious. It sent a message that far surpasses the limits of realms and gave her his unexpected message. "I hate you." It was loud and clear in that image. She could only cry bitterly as her fingers slowly slid down her stomach, held the small marble, and pulled it closer in her face so she could see. Then it was finally revealed to her. The eyes of Lapu-Lapu''s soul was pitch black and lifeless. Her hands started to shake further at the unexplainable feeling of rage and regret. What she saw inside the marble was a sure sign of spiritual death. And she was too late. The deal was done but it was not what she expected. No wonder the bastard King gave it to her so casually. He was just passing a dead fish after all! "NOOOOOOO! HUHUHU!~" Kahayag''s voice wailed with great sadness. She can''t bother about everything else in the world right now. Who cares about Elric? Who cares about the King that was about to take over the most perfect body!? Who cares when all her effort was in vain!? CRASH!~ With deep anger and regret, Kahayag ended up shattering the marble in her bare hands. The pieces of marble shards landed in her face and created small wounds that she could barely careabout. The pain was just too much. Her eyes could see the soul of the man she loved the most slowly evaporating into thin air. Like a white smoke, he faded into nothingness. "Lapu... I am sorry." Kahayag closed her eyes. She did everything. She was too tired. She tried her best, to recover from her past mistake. If not for her recklessness during the past, all of this could have been avoided. She was once warned by a certain being from the Realm of Light, that attaching yourself to anything that produces shadow would incure attachments. She ignored it. But now she understands. She should have never loved a mortal. She should have never fallen to the temptation of temporary. All this, started with the feeling of wanting. That feeling the she taught was freedom, was actually the snare of her downfall. Even Lapu-Lapu told her so. To get back to her realm before it''s too late but she refused. She was in love. But now, the world is at stake because of that feeling of love. She didn''t want to lose him so she did everything. She fought over time and waited. She fought over her real identity and rebelled. She fought over her fate and eventually lost. She fought over love and ended up in regret. She gave up everything for one. Did she make a mistake? Was she wrong? All questions poured out and ultimately disabled her overwhelming powers. The essence of light slowly flowed out of her body as a realization finally came down to her. She failed as a being of Light and now, the heavens are taking her powers away from her. And she could only watch the enerfy go away helplessly and regretfully as she resigned herself to her defeat. She once lived a glorious life, all it takes is one wrong decision and everything crumbled. All her plans, dreams and hopes. All gone. A few meters away from her, the King from the Dark Realm is currently rejoicing. His sensitive senses had been warning him for quite a while about the incoming intruders. From the north, west, and south, he could feel the massive congregation of thousands of Dragons, from various ranks and tribes. With haste and agitation, they are just minutes away from reaching his location. A hundred kilometers away from his spot, he could also hear the continuous rumbling of earth-shaking explosions from the battle currently ongoing between the Arkhans and the Guardians. While not far from him, he could feel the faint traces of invisible creatures warily watching him. They were the hidden Ancient Humans, who also happens to save Arkhoz a while ago, and we''re trying to find an opportunity to move and steal Elric''s body, however, as smart as they are, they knew that they didn''t have the strength to escape him nor even hide from his detection. He was a King from the Dark Realm after all! "HAHAHA! Gods and Kings of all realms! Heed my shout!" The King suddenly raised his voice with wide-open arms towards the heaven while his body, starting from his feet, started to slowly crumble into tiny speck of dust, slowly moving and covered Elric''s laying body. Like black ants, these black dust crawled into Elric''s body using all the body orifices they could pass through. He was on the process of taking over Elric''s body for good. "I, Katimo! One of the Twelve Kings of the Dark Realm is now about to step to the peak of my existence! Prepare your golden carpets! Prepare your doors to meet me! With this young man''s vessel, the stage for the Emperor of Dark Realm is now in my hands!" And as he said so, Katimo kneeled down and unhesitantly held the cursed knife tightly. WOOOM!~ The moment his dark hands made contact with the knife, his body even started to dissolve into dust, only with the superior powers that he remained barely intact. Pumping his dark spiritual energy into his hands, he pressed the cursed knife even deeper only to realize something. "This..." With another surge of spiritual energy, he tried to press the cursed knife even harder but to no avail. The knife won''t go through! Elric is barely alive with his consciousness sealed by the curse and his body barely keeping up from the wounds that even his crazy recovery cant make up. But for some reason, the young man is hanging up to the smallest strength left behind. As if his body was reacting on its own, not letting death fully embrace it! "No! Die! Die! Die!" With his strength getting sapped each second passing, the King even tried to pull the knife and stabbed them back only to realize an even stronger force coming from inside, repelling the cursed knife from penetrating! "No! Impossible! Die! Your body should be mine!" He tried harder and harder, stabbing with all his force, but Elric''s body continued to harden like lifeless water suddenly turning to a block of indestructible ice. All he did but to no use. Seeing his chances of obtaining the perfect vessel getting dimmer, the King finally let go of the knife. "Then I will just force my self through!" Not minding of the possible soul backlash, the King''s body suddenly expanded into a massive black Bat, ten times the size of the previous snake transformation of the Envoy! Quickly, his massive and lengthy body flew upward with great haste, looking like a black winged-genie coming out of the lamp. The sheer power it possessed instantly created shocking tremors throughout the area. The clouds it touched instantly evaporated and powerful sparks started to pulsate out of its humungous body. The true form of the King from the Dark Realm, the Bat of Destruction! From kilometers away, one could see the black serpent sprinting into the sky, before diving back, gaining momentum, and preparing to force itself in taking over Elric''s body! SWOOOOOOSH!~ And like a black blur, it started to dive down towards the ground while leaving shockwaves behind, with Elric at the center of its landing! Its dark beady eyes reflected the young man''s body and a confident smile slowly emerged out of its fanged mouth. "You are mine!" . . . ROOAR! ROOOAR!~ BOOOOOM!~ BOOOOOOOOOM!~ Barely just three meters away from reaching Elric, suddenly two powerful bursts of green and red fire managed to hit the giant black bat, sending it a good hundred meters away from Elric and setting it off into a barrage to an explosion of green and red fire while painfully skidding to the hard ground. It was a concentrated Dragon breath that hit him. Lesse and Long, came out from the unceasing ball of fire, revealing a renewed, domineering Eastern Dragon body and aura. The two last remaining Eastern Dragons have successfully reached the King Dragon stage! 168 Awaken! Their imposing aura brought together a commanding presence and dominion; their elongated bodies with beautifully plated with elegant scales that sparked like emerald green and ruby when hit by the light! They were not just powerful Eastern King and Queen Dragons but extremely beautiful and elegant ones too! Together, Lesse and Long marched with unyielding presence. Their mouth started to exude small amounts of flame from the power building up inside. With their shape Dragon''s eyes fastened at the horrifying black beast from the distance, their body started to lift from the ground and hovered to the air with extreme haste. Like graceful yet furious Dragons, they charged toward the enemy, intending to deal with it once and for all. KWUIIIIIII!~ FWOOOSH!~ But the King of the Dark Realm is not that easy to be defeated. Despite the full charged attack from the two King and Queen Dragon, the fact that this creature manages to recover from the powerful brunt of their fire, says a lot about its capabilities. He did not become a King from the Dark Realm for nothing! Facing a King Dragon? No problem! Facing two? He'' used to it! In fact, Katimo''s past included killing thousands of Elder and even King Dragons from the past. Thus, dealing with just two giant floating snakes can still be considered a walk in the park for him. His title itself says a lot that no ordinary King Dragons could defeat it. In less than five seconds, it managed to get back on its feet and came back with a threatening presence. It''s massive fangs and terrifying presence, aimed at the two newly ascended Dragons! WOOOOSH!~ Like a flash, It covered the entire area where it passed just a few seconds ago. It''s dark beady eyes were filled with boiling rage and madness! The King is not holding back anymore! It resigned itself to rip the two Eastern Dragons or he could not face himself anymore! "How dare you piece of horned snakes dare to touch me!" - "He''s coming. Now!" "Alright! " ROOOAAAR!!! ROOOOAR!!! - BOOOOM! BOOOOOM! Midway through the King''s charge, a set of green and red fire suddenly arrived at its face that resulted in an earth-shaking explosion. The powers of the two King Dragons were strong enough to instantly demolish five sturdy houses into dust! Then the clash of a one massive dark Bat and the two King and Queen Eastern Dragons started. KWWWUUUI!~ ROOOOAR! ROOOAR! - BOOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOOOOM! Massive craters were left behind as their monstrous body rolled, crashed, rammed, and pushed each other! It was a royal rumble of the giant creatures! "Ke-ke-ke..." A creepy sound of laughter came out from the unsettled dust. "You need to do better than that Dragons. Or your time living like a King and Queens will surely be shortlived." The massive bat came out unscathed this time! Leese and Long were a little surprised, but the result of their attacks seems to be under their expectation. They were aware ever since they were young about not missing with Envoys of the Shadow or they will risk offending a King from the Dark Realm. "Father is indeed right." Seeing the reality of the warning, Lesse mumbled as she stare at the flying bat. Long could only nod and agree, "yeah." "Let me show you a small trick of mine." The giant bat proudly declared as its body started to exude an extremely cold air that seems to cover the entire land. In their Dragon eyes, the weird reflection of Katimo''s form is revealed. It''s giant black Bat body was now covered in ice! But not just any ordinary ice, it was black ice! It emitted a mysterious coldness that seems to freeze one''s soul and body. Lesse and Long, despite the wide distance covering for them from the massive bat, could not help but feel their body started to feel like freezing while their minds are thinking too slow. Although there was no actual ice that can be seen in their physical surroundings, the feeling as if they were currently covered in a mountain of ice blocks was real! "Dark Spiritual Ice. The Element of the Tenth King..." Kahayag could also feel the overwhelming coldness, especially now that her essence of a Spiritual of Light is gone, she was no more than just a normal human being at the moment. With this, she had resigned herself to die by the hands of the enemy that had fooled her, and she could only helplessly accept it. After all, what''s the purpose of her life at the moment? "Hmp!" "Don''t underestimate us!" Lesse and Long were not afraid, simultaneously they switched into a defensive stance and their body started to release a furious glow before exploding like a torch suddenly being lit. Their bodies are now covered in the red and green fire which gave them an incredible boost in their power and resistance to magic! It was like shifting to super Saiyan mode for the first time, their body continued to release an overwhelming discharge of energy, fending off the Dark spiritual Ice the King was using against them. With a confident smile, the King said to them, "Not bad! Now let''s brawl!" KUUUI!~" "Let''s do that" "Yes." ROOOOAR! ROOOOOAR!~ Long and Lesse were prepared to face the incoming giant Bat, their mouth was already glowing from the fire they are charging from their belly. Their dragon eyes are locked at the menacing presence of the incoming King from the Dark Realm! BOOOM! BOOOM!~ Lesse and Long unleashed another series of fire towards the Bat, but as expected he remained undamaged. The bat reopened its wings that it used to defend itself from the Dragon''s breath and started mocking them. "hahaha! I told you it was useless - huh!?" However, this time Lesse and Long had a plan. Using their fire breath as a temporary distraction, they split in different directions before coming back from different directions and quickly coiling to the massive bat''s wings on both sides. "URRGH!" "GRRRR~" The moment the Dragons touched the body of the massive bat that was covered in a thick layer of black ice, they could feel their body started to weaken while their mind was in the edge of shutting down. Lesse glanced at Long and with a brief nod to each other, they started to release an even more powerful aura just to resist the chilling curse of the black ice - these in the cost of their energy quickly draining! ZWOOOM!~ ZWWOOOM!~ "You both are courting death!" The Bat beckoned to the two Dragons as it struggled to get away from the tight coil of the two Dragons. With his wings, incapacitated, he was brought higher and higher, knowing that one of its skills is dependent on touching the ground. Lesse and Long were determined to finish him today! Then with a forceful twist, Lesse and Long aimed to shred the giant bat into two pieces! "Fools! Hahaha!" Just when Lesse and Long were about to successfully break the massive bat, its body just started to dissipate into tiny specks of dust again! "Sh*t" Long cursed after seeing that their efforts were dissipated in vain. "I see." Lesse on the other side had a realization. "This is useless. No matter what we do, we cant defeat him. Our enemy is a spiritual being and we need someone who can deal with spiritual attacks!" With these words, Lesse and Long simultaneously looked at a certain figure lying below. "Playtime ends now!" The King''s body started to recompile. But this time, he is thrice much bigger than before with more dark dust continuing to arrive from different parts of the world! And without hesitation, he opened his gigantic mouth, ready to devour the two Eastern Dragons in one go! But time seems to stop in Lesse''s mind. She scanned Elric''s unmoving body and an idea started to pop out of her head. With the enemy just meters away from completely devouring them, she immediately sends a message to Long, and the latter quickly followed. DIVE! SWOOOOSH!~ SWOOSH! CRUNCH!~ Lesse and Long barely made out from the giant bat''s fang. The King realized that his prey managed to escape his bite and he quickly chased after them. As they dived down at dizzying speed, Long managed to send her his doubts, "Are you sure this is gonna work?!" Long asked as his mouth continued to charge with a new fire breath. They are just hundreds of meters before reaching the ground! "I don''t. But I trust father''s words!" Lesse replied before she opened her mouth even wider. "Fire of Eastern Rage!" "Fire of Eastern Rage!" BOOOOOOOOM!~ BOOOOOM!~ Long and Lesse chanted before they unleashed a green-colored fire toward''s Elric''s body. Unlike the destructive fire that they used before, this one had milder temperature; while having regenerative properties to those who possess the Eastern Dragon blood. It was safe to say that it was a purifying fire! FWOOOOOM!~ Elric''s body was instantly devoured by a massive amount of green fire together with the destruction it brought, his body was buried even deeper into the ground. Lesse and Long could only hope that he survives their unique form of help! Barely meters before touching the ground, Lesse and Long managed to change direction to avoid direct impact to the ground. However, with their strength wasted from overcharging themselves, they could only end up still crashing to the ground, albeit with minimal damage compared to a direct crash. The King was charging too fast. He thought that the two Dragons were after Elric''s body so it furiously flapped its giant wings just to reach them on time until - they suddenly changed direction. Now he is about to crash to the ground! Suddenly, a silhouette of a man suddenly stood up inside the massive scorching green fire . . . It was Elric, wide, and awake... "Who''s freezing my grandma''s body?!!!", and angry. 169 Where Do You Think You Are Going? A few minutes before he awakened, his conscious mind was stuck in a mysterious dark void. There, Elric felt like he was nothing. As if he did not exist and he was just part of the empty space. Floating aimlessly, not knowing the difference between reality and illusion. It was like the ultimate form of senselessness. The curse of the blade from the Dark realm was known to be the ultimate weapon that even the Kings and other higher beings feared. An ancient artifact with a mysterious background which was the main target of Kahayag''s last mission. As the greatest warrior from the Realm of Light, she was tasked to secure the cursed knife from the evil hands of the Kings from the Dark Realm, only to end up tempted to its power which eventually leads to her current demise. Kahayag even received a stern warning from her fellow warriors about the temptation of power the cursed knife brings, and now it was too late for her. As Kahayag tried to end Elric''s life by pressing the knife harder, the powerful surge of her own spiritual energy happens to gave Elric a small spark of enlightenment in the middle of his helplessness. It was a small light that gave Elric an ounce of awakening, giving him a sense of identity. The faint blood of Lapu-Lapu that was still coursing in his veins happens to identify Kahayag''s spiritual energy which also serves as a bride for Elric to connect his consciousness back to reality. And with the slight reawakening, Elric immediately had an idea what she was up to judging from the killing intent the spiritual energy brings. "Not today." It was a surge to finish Elric''s soul but instead became the ray of hope for Elric to resist the killing blow. BOOOOOOM!~ Elric''s soul unleashed a fiery glow of his spiritual energy, by augmenting his essence with the help of his Authority of fire and the cleansing benefit of his Authority of water, Elric immediately broke out of the curse! He was like a giant and brilliant ball of the fire that was slowly tearing apart the seemingly endless void. The shadow that was covering his entire senses dissipated in no time and he tried his best to quickly took control over his body; but just when he was about to move, he realized that his body was still locked! His senses scanned the surroundings and saw the horrifying figure of the Shadow with a crown on his head. He was currently pressing the knife behind Elric with all his power. NO!~ With the new surge of even more powerful dark energy, his consciousness started to fall back to the deep black void. The mere essence of its darkness happens to complement the curse and Elric could not help but fall back to his sealed state. "That''s not gonna happen!" A bigger and stronger enemy is currently pushing in more spiritual energy, trying to finish Elric once and for all. But little did they knew, he was also resisting the overwhelming force by sheer will alone in his side! "I can''t unleash my full spiritual power. My spiritual senses are mostly blocked because of the curse!" Elric thought to himself as he tried to hold on against the killing internet brought by the new surge of spiritual energy. With just one mistake, Elric could lose his senses again and fall to the curse of the knife and maybe completely collapse on it. And the possibility of triggering the awakening of the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon might just come out again. Who knows what disaster he could bring to the world this time? Not to mention, his grandma''s body happens to be laying not far from him! Kahayag seems to have lost her spiritual gift and thus Elric has no choice but to force himself up and save her by himself. The question is how? The overwhelming power of the curse was something Elric did not expect. Its sheer pressure was even much stronger compared to his experience with the Soul Cleansing Pearl! "I..must...hold...on!" Elric braced himself as the surge of the killing intent continue to pressure his senses back to numbness. Using his sheer will and a drop of his spiritual power, he was like a sturdy piece of rubber, trying its best not to snap from a sharp knife''s cut! Time passed by and Elric was slowly losing himself again, he had fully committed his focus on staying alive and had no idea of what was happening outside aside from the overwhelming cold that seems to penetrate even his consciousness. Whatever it was, Elric don''t care. He must remained focus from the knife''s continued barrage of the cursed energy. Barely hanging on, Elric was starting to lose hope when a sudden burst of warmth came out of nowhere. "This..." Elric was appalled at the familiar sight before him. Tearing apart the darkness that was shrouding his entire view was a unique green fire. It was like a beautiful green-flaming Eastern Dragon rampaging in his sight, it mercilessly breathed the darkness out of Elric''s soul as if an angel in Dragon''s form. It danced across the dark void, slowly cutting down the unseen chain that was locking Elric in place. The moment his eyes laid on these beautiful flash of warmth, Elric could feel his entire senses suddenly connecting. Back in reality, like a fish finally back in the water, Elric''s muscles twitched with gladness. His eyes suddenly opened, revealing his distinct Dragon eyes painted with a beautiful green and red hue in its edges. His pale skin immediately regained its lost color and the muscles that were laying helplessly started to pump an overwhelming energy coursing through his veins. BOOOOOOOM!~ Together with his senses completely regained, Elric immediately unleashed his fire elemental authority, covering himself with another layer of purifying fire, completely getting rid of all the dark curses lingering in his soul and physical state. Lesse and Long watched him as if a radiant star was born out from the pitch dark space. Elric''s long hair swayed according to the rampaging rhythm of his overflowing energy. His muscles glistened with crushing power and his aura released a dominating presence that makes Lesse and Long unconsciously kneel towards him. The giant bat, who happens to be just around twenty meters away before crashing into Elric could not help but feel his bones wanting to leave the body right away. The terrifying aura Elric released contained his burning desire to destroy him! Elric was mad. The moment he regained his full control his eyes were locked at his grandma''s body. Upon seeing her freezing figure, a wave of intense boiling anger quickly filled his head as he traced the source of the freezing spiritual energy. It didn''t take him long to identify his first target. The culprit was the bat. And as much as the King wanted to avoid the collision against Elric, his fate was basically sealed the moment he saw a long lustrous Sword of Fire blazing out of Elric''s hand! "Stop freezing my grandma!!!!" SLAAAAAASHHH!~ With his fury behind the swing, Elric mercilessly hacked the massive bat, which was the proud King from the Dark Realm, into two! ZZZSSSH~ The overflowing power of his Sword of Fire did not just cut the King into two but even continued to fly high creating a crescent line of flame that could be seen even from miles away. Lesse, Long, and Kahayag watched Elric''s power unfold before them and the bright glow of the fire was reflected in their awestruck eyes. With the King completely overpowered, his semi-physical body started to burn increasingly from the traces of the pure fire Elric wielded. For some reason, the King realized he was unable to reconnect his scorched body! The black ice that was covering his entire body also instantly melted like butter meeting an extremely hot knife. Against the power of the so-called Perfect-Vessel, the king was powerless. He tried to reform himself again intending to fight back against Elric but before he could emerge, Elric sent another barrage of ranged flaming slash, not letting him recover again. SLAASH!~ SLAASH!~ SLAAASH!~ In less than a minute, the black dust that used to linger in the area was completely cleared due to the searing blade that Elric restlessly sent. "This is not gonna work. I have underestimated him." The King from the Dark Realm was not able to fight back, thus he took the initiative to let go of his physical body and retreat to the spiritual realm. But by the time he shifted to the astral realm, he was greeted with another heart attack the moment he saw Elric''s gigantic spiritual figure, seemingly waiting for him in that realm. The glowing orange third eye that was fully revealed in his temple sent shivers down to the King''s spiritual body. He was confident that he could easily escape Elric''s grasp the moment he took the battle in the realm where he excels, but it seems he forgot one of the main reasons Elric was sought after. He was a monster, both in the spiritual and physical realm! Suddenly, the King realized that he was unable to move. He felt as if he was stuck in his place, frozen and unable to push his spiritual senses away. He could also feel the spirit of death waving his way. "Sh*t" 170 The Other Shadow Elric''s soul was unbelievably terrifying. His mere presence in the astral realm seems to create distortions in the space and the King could not help but gulp from the overwhelming pressure pressing down on him. "This is the soul of the man I was trying to take over?" The King thought in regret. No wonder he was not able to finish it even if he pulled out all of his spiritual power to the cursed knife. Despite his effort to push the knife deeper in order for the cursed knife to completely shatter the soul inside, Elric''s own soul seems to have found a way to wake up just in time and resist the killing surge of the curse. It took him quite a good deal of resources just to find a clue for the perfect vessel. Who would have thought that it was the same vessel that would bring his sudden downfall? He was a Shadow King! A being that was feared by the majority from the Realm of Darkness and other creatures of another realm. He commands hundreds of thousands of Shadows that was scattered across the world, he dominated for thousands of years only to end up sh*tting himself before an overpowered brat! As a being of the Dark Realm, he naturally craved light and life. In contrast to the dark realm that was filled with nothing but barren land covered in utter darkness, empty; an atmosphere full of anguish and helplessness. They spend most of their time in savage battles from other dark beings, it was basically called the Dark Hell. The life of an ordinary human has been greatly coveted in their realm, unfortunately, in order to move from the Dark Realm, one must have the strength to resist the power of spacial turbulence and the watchful eyes of the beings from the opposing realm, the Realm of Light. Only by forcing themselves in human bodies that they could escape their monitor, until they focused their effort in scanning a human would they know whos really inside the body. As for the King, he fought, he hides, he survived and lived. For thousands of years, he manages to accumulate enough strength to resist the spatial turbulence in the realm gates and even move fast enough to avoid the gazes from their rival realm. For another hundred years, he moved from one body and another, taking over the next stronger container currently available. Until he heard of a certain human who happens to obtain an Ancestral Dragon Essence, gaining the unimaginable power an Ancestral Dragon possesses. Too bad he was not able to move fast enough due to the numerous terrifying entities appearing one after another. Not to mention the God Reckoning Tribulation that ended the entire event was strong enough to finish him in one go. So he based his time, releasing thousands of shadows across the world in search of a clue of the human who suddenly banished after the tribulation. Another purpose of his shadow being left behind is for him to have instant access to the physical realm in case the human reappeared again. These, in exchange for almost seventy percent of his entire power which ended up for him being called the weakest King from the twelve Kings of the Dark Realm. For ten years he waited, for ten years he took the full brunt of humiliation from the other kings which eventually led to him losing most of his trusted subordinates. Even the Emperor of the Dark Realm refused to call him a King. He was pushed over, he was laughed at but he just smiled. Once he found that human, he would not hesitate to take it over right away, and by the time he could fully assimilate it and learn to control the Ancestral Dragon''s essence, the first thing he would do is to take over the entire Dark Realm, then the Emperor, followed by the entire Realm of Light. It was a grand ambition indeed, but he believed it was not impossible. But as it turns out, fate seems to have played him. If only the human was still the same as before, he could have easily taken it over. He never expected the bastard to reappear with a bunch of unexpected abilities. On top of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence tightly sealed in his dantian, the Authority of fire and water he possesses and the unbelievable spiritual ability that he accumulated was a variable he never expected to pop out. His mere presence alone could probably stand against an Emperor! It was safe to say that he was a worm trying to devour an anaconda. "Please, I beg you. Spare me! I will not do it again!" helpless and scared, all he could do is kowtow in front of Elric''s massive etherial figure hoping to gain another chance. If sweat could come out in the spiritual realm, the King could have been swimming in his own by this time already from the anxiety he was feeling at the moment. Then Elric''s massive figure suddenly compressed into a smaller size, just roughly the same size as the King''s spirit. In the spiritual realm, Elric looked the same as his old self. His old skinny and weak looking self. The King was shocked. Elric transformed to the young man he saw ten years ago. It was this same face that he wanted to take over so much. Unfortunately, despite the soul he wanted to crush so bad was just standing in front of him, he does not have the strength t back his wishes. Elric may look like his weak old self, but the eyes glowing in his spiritual figure betrayed him with the immeasurable pressure it brings. "Where''s my grandma''s soul?", Elric suddenly asked via spiritual communication. His mouth was not moving but his voice was as clear as the glowing eyes he shows. The King suddenly frowned, "g-grandma?.. What do you me-" ZOOOOOWWWHM!~ Elric''s figure suddenly turned into a blur and the next moment the King realized, Elric was standing just in front of him, a chain made of blue scorhing fire materialized in his hands and the other end was tightly wrapped in the King''s body. "KHHH-!~" Try as he may but the sheer power of the chain of fire was like an immovable rock pressing down on him. With each passing seconds, he felt like his entire existence was about to shatter from the immense pressure the chain brought. "I am not gonna ask again. Where''s my grandma''s soul?" Elric asked with a cold tone. However the King remained looking like an innocent duck and for some reason, Elric could feel that he was genuinely not aware of his grandma''s issue. AAAAACHK!~ Helpless, Elric could only resort to a soul memory scan. His hand suddenly grabbed the head of the tightly sealed King and the faint dark purple light that was the color of the latter''s soul started to flicker intensely. In Elric''s perspective, the scenes of the King''s activity for the past years started to play like a reversed movie but in ten times playback speed. "This..." Elric''s control suddenly stopped at a certain moment. It revealed a different window of the event ten years ago. *** "Stupid! F*cking Dragons and Guardians and Light b*tch!!" Katimo cursed as he hid beneath the shadows underneath a big rock not far from the feet of the rampaging Black Ancestral Dragon. He had been waiting for the perfect timing to take over Elric''s body but for some unexpected events, the Guardians had created a barrier that stopped the other Shadows he scattered from entering, thus he was unable to regain his full strength. Not to mention, the King Dragons and the watchful gazes from the agent of the Realm of Light which happens to be currently hiding inside the old grandma''s body standing in front of Elric''s massive figure. He had no other choice but to wait for a perfect chance to weaken the Dragon and possibly breath the living sh*t out of the hiding Light b*tch inside the old grandma''s body. But just when the massive Dragon was about to devour the old woman in front of it, Katimo saw a different Shadow figure suddenly popping out of existence. The time suddenly slowed down. He saw how the mysterious Shadow was strong enough to contend against the impressive Light warrior hiding inside the old grandma''s body. As much as Katimo wanted to help the Shadow, he realized that he could not afford to lose his cover at the moment. It was possible that their fight was just a bit. Not to mention, his current mission was kept a secret from the other Kings of the Dark Realm or they might just also go after Elric''s body and could complicate the whole situation. The fight of the Light warrior and the mysterious Shadow was too strong that the Astral realm seemed to shake from the impact of their battle. Then for a moment, Katimo realized something. The more he watched the mysterious Shadow''s movement, the cleared a clue started to appear in his mind. Their fight was about to reach climax and Katimo finally identified the other Shadow''s identity, who happens to have failed in taking over the old grandma''s body. "The Emperors Envoy!?" Katimo gaped in shock. Why is the Emperor''s envoy here? And why are they fighting over a mere old woman''s body and soul? It was only a glimpse but Katimo saw it clearly, a small marble looking sphere was seen to be clutched tightly in the hands of the Emperor''s Envoy. It contained the real soul of the old grandma! For some reason, the Envoy seems to be in a hurry, trying to leave the place as fast as possible. "hahaha!" Watching one of his most respected figures leaving the area like a scared baboon, he could not help but sneer in mockery. Katimo was wondering why one of the most feared Shadow Envoy was running away as if a dog escaping a dog catcher until it felt the unbearable presence of the heaven crashing down. "Sh*t! No wonder why, It''s the God Reckoning Tribulation!" 171 Surrounded By Dus Elric continued to watch the rest of the events that happened through the eyes of Katimo and his minion Shadows. With each passing seconds, new revelations continued to uncover themselves before him. The King controlled the Envoy and the rest of the Shadow minions scattered around the globe. They were all part of his powers after all. Thus it is also a given that he has access to their individual perspective and he has the final say to who lives or who dies. Digging deeper, Elric found out more about the King''s background. He saw the world of the Dark Realm and its inhabitants. He knew about the different conflicts he faced and so on. However, Elric could not found another clue about his grandma except the scene revealing the envoy of the Emperor. "I must find that mysterious envoy..." Elric muttered to himself. Now that he saw it with his own eyes and had a good idea of who to find and what''s waiting for him at the Realm of Darkness, he was more determined than ever. Just when Elric was about to pull his consciousness out of Katimo''s memory, Elric saw a scene that immediately pulled his attention. There he was, fighting like a madman, his glowing third-eye left behind beautiful light trails, his muscular arms brandishing his huge cutlass effortlessly and while his feet were flexibly dancing between the destructive slam of the giants, it was Elric''s great ancestor - Lapu-Lapu. Beside him is a beautiful woman that looked extremely familiar to Elric, it was Kahayag, wielding her bow and unleashing light arrows after one another. Obviously, both of their faces seem to carry a slight resemblance to Elric''s. Both of them were engaged in a deadly battle against a mass of weird-looking giant humans called Anaks, working together with numerous evil forest creatures like Manananggal, Kapre, and even the elusive, terrifying little Tianaks which looked like tiny baby demons. Except of Kahayag, the rest of Lapu-Lapu''s company has fallen under the relentless attacks of the devils and supernatural creatures. Based on the state of the surroundings, one could tell that the fight had been going on for quite some time. And despite the numerous wounds that Lapu-Lapu has accrued, the latter seems to just keep getting stronger and faster. His blade would skillfully cut, defend and finish his enemies like it was just an exercise to him But one thing that Elric realized is that the battle was tilting to the enemy''s side. They are getting pushed to the edge of the cliff and the enemy just keeps coming one after another. Then a small fireball spirit popped out of nowhere which caused Lapu-Lapu instinctively looked at it. "Don''t look! Use the third eye!" Kahayag tried to warn him but it was too late. That single second that Lapu-Lapu turned his gaze to the small fireball, it suddenly released an intense blast of light throughout the surroundings! It was so bright that it even brings an unimaginable heat. Lapu-Lapu felt like his eyes were being pierced by a burning knife- blinding the human warrior on the spot! Kahayag, on the other side, was immune to the blinding light; and knowing the possible follow up against Lapu-Lapu, she immediately cast a defensive spell for him when the ruthless attack of the monsters unexpectedly started to rain down on her! WHAM! WHAM!~BOOM!~ BAAAM!~ Kahayag''s figure was quickly hammered down to the ground. If not for the spiritual barrier she cast to protect herself, she would have ended up as a meat paste from the giant arms of her enemy! It seems they have planned it from the start. Instead of taking advantage of Lapu-Lapu''s momentary weakness, they have anticipated Kahayag''s next move, and that is to focus on defending the human warrior. Thus, they shifted their attack to finish her in one go while her guard is down and the partner is temporarily disabled. Then as if getting his signal to move, the Katimo hurriedly moved through the shadows cast behind by the human warrior. Katimo''s pitch black figure popped out from Lapu-Lapu''s own shadow, its dark arms stretch toward''s Lapu-Lapu''s head almost like a black ink reaching out to the top of latter''s head! GRAB!~ It was a spiritual ambush! "You wish!" Lapu-Lapu immediately realized the unexpected attacks coming from different directions. The Shadow creature was overwhelmingly powerful. The forceful spiritual thug to the spiritual realm was too powerful that he could barely stand a chance against it. Katimo tried to hurriedly drag out Lapu-Lapu''s soul but for some reason, the latter was fighting back! "You are a tough one huh." Katimo smiled wickedly as his Shadow body expanded and hundreds of shadow hands quickly flashed out of its dark body and pulled Lapu-Lapus'' soul with all its strength! "You bastard!" Lapu-Lapu was just about to shift his focus to the spiritual realm to deal with the powerful Shadow spiritual when he noticed the helpless state his partner is currently in. "Kahayag!" Lapu-Lapu beckoned as he hurriedly shifted his focus, not minding the hurrying dark creature pulling his soul behind. He stood up to defend Kahayag from the overwhelming combined attacks of the Anaks and forest monsters. "No! Watch out!" Kahayag warned him but Lapu-Lapu ignored her. Even with his body covered in blood, bleeding eyes closed tightly, and his soul being dragged out by a mysterious Spiritual, Lapu-Lapu stood up using his own will and still managed to move his body. "This human is a monster!" The Anaks and the rest could not believe their eyes. Lapu-Lapu was just a warrior that seems to have no fear and hesitation. "HAAAAH!~" Despite his great disadvantage, he forced himself between the enemy''s attack and swiftly beheaded a couple of giant Anaks and Kapres. SLAASH!~ BAAAM!~ WHAAM!~ SLAASH!-SLAASH!~ BAAAM!~ But as a human, he still had a limitation, right after finishing off almost all of the giants and securing Kahayag''s safety, he still managed to look at her and smile proudly before suddenly fainting on the ground. "Lapu.." Kahayag muttered as she watched the last smile she could see from the human she loved. Unfortunately, in order to save her, he had to risk himself. In one glimpse, the greatest human warrior had fallen. His soul had been taken away by Katimo. "No! Lapu!" Kahayag cried anxiously as she watched everything unfolded before her. All she could do is a bit her lips as she witnessed Lapu-Lapu risking his life and soul because of her weakness. As much as she wanted to chase after Lapu-Lapu''s soul, she is afraid she might fail their mission on protecting the treasure entrusted to them. She remembered clearly Lapu-Lapu''s words to her. **** "Whatever it takes, you must secure the holy seed." His eyes were gleaming with resolve. "Unlike you, I know that sooner or later, I will still face the door of death. Thus, you must make sure to keep it safe. Until the right time and the right one comes. You must keep it safe with you." *** Elric saw it himself through the eyes of Katimo. Lapu-Lapu''s soul was secured in a small marble looking object. Then, Katimo made a u-turn with haste. His mouth stretched with a wicked smile, his eyes locked at the unconscious body of the strongest human warrior. Like a fish jumping out of dark water, he pulled himself out of the spiritual realm and showed his horrifying physical Bat form. With huge flapping strides, he dashed towards the fallen warrior''s body, its dark beady eyes gleaming with excitement. "This vessel is mine!" SWOOOOSH~SWOOOSH~SWOSWOSWOSWOSWOSSSSH!~ About twenty powerfully charged arrows of light suddenly riddled the Shadow King''s body, instantly ripping its body into specks of dark dust! "AAAGCK!~" Katimo plummeted back to the spiritual realm, helpless, his physical shadow body instantly dissipated from Kahayag''s furious arrows. "Give. It. Back!" Kahayag commanded with cold eyes. The mere weight of her stare reflects death upon her target. "Hahaha! You wan''t it!?" Katimo, not backing down, immediately barked back. "Then come and get it!" Katimo knew that Kahayag could not leave the physical realm at the moment, or she would risk failing her mission in protecting the hidden treasure of the island which also happens to be in her possession right now. Katimo is not after the treasure, he knew about it and it was useless for him as a being of Darkness. Not to mention, there were too many conditions to meet in order to activate the treasure thus it was pointless for him to go after it. What he wanted is a powerful vessel, and Lapu-Lapu''s body is just what he wanted! It was the body of a perfect warrior and if Katimo would get his hands over it, he could use it as an identity in the human realm and enjoy the benefits of the physical world can offer. The physics world was just heaven for a being like them. The five senses of the human offer the gateway to human pleasure not available to the beings of darkness. And the more powerful the human body they occupy, the longer and better it could serve them! Elric was about to continue to know about the truth of the past and the mystery of Kahayag and the treasure of the island when his outside senses told warned him of something. "Can you let me go now?" Releived that he was still alive, Katimo was about to flee when he realized that the clutches of the spiritual chain was still in his body. Elric pretty much knew how the spiritual realm now works with his newfound knowledge from Katimo. Without hesitation pulled a marble looking sphere out of Katimo''s spiritual storage and used it to seal the latter. "Wait I-" And just like that, Elric did to the King what he did to his ancestor. He still has an unfinished movie to watch after all. **** Elric''s eyes opened. And behold him, thousands, no, hundred thousands of Dragons from different region is currently surrounding him. Leading them at the front are the King and Queen Dragons from the three regions namely Leah, Arthur, and Fargor. Lesse and Long were shaking nonstop beside him as they watched the new arrivals bringing forth an overwhelming army of Dragons from all around the world. Elric smiled confidently. Seeing his confident smile, the King and Queen Dragons could not help but react with scoff and proud gazes. They were about to issue a command to attack the two Eastern Dragons when the mysterious human standing in between the two suddenly spoke. "Kneel." SLAM! WHAM! BOOOOOM!~ THUUD!~ THUD!~ WHAM! SLA-SLA-SLAM!~ 172 Fireball! The whole area was covered in thick dust and the ground was filled with Dragons of various sizes and shapes, planted like colorful plant crops. Lesse and Long, who happen to have been spared from Elric''s unexpected command saw everything that has unfolded and they could not help but feel like losing their sense of rationality. Although they were hoping to get even a little help from the mysterious young man, they were still not expecting him to take down almost all their enemies on one go! Elric''s words were like the voice of heaven. In the ears of the surrounding Dragons, it contained divine authority and power that makes the surrounding Dragon unknowingly acknowledge him. Their muscles twitched with mere words from him. It was safe to say that they are easily influenced by Elric''s voice alone and even if he told them to kill each other, they would probably do it too! However, it was a different story for the King and Queen Dragons. their ability to resist Elric''s dominant voice and presence far surpassed the rest of their companions. By steeling their own will, they were able to regain their own body control just when they felt like their body wanted to kneel according to what the mysterious young man asked them to do. Just who could this man be? How did he obtain divine command over all the Dragons? There was an estimated total of over fifty thousand Dragons a few minutes ago. But after Elric unleash that one-word command, a good five thousand of them did not make it due to their forceful impact and the stacking injuries they have incurred. The newly arrived Dragons were taken off guard by Elric. They were only here thinking that they would just be castrating the last two eastern Dragons that currently exist. However, an unknown enemy suddenly sprouted off, carrying power that seems to be stronger than the King and Queen Dragons! SHOOOOM!~ SHOSHOSHOSHOOOM!~ SHOOOOM!~ Knowing that they could not let their guard down, all the Dragons that managed to survive are currently unleashing their individual auras. This is to boost their overall defense and power, not letting Elric do them a good surprise for a second time, Led by Fargor, Arthur, and Leah, the King and Queen Dragons of the three regions; every Dragon''s body exploded with a bright gush of energy that exudes a powerful presence. "We need to be careful of that human" Leah warned. Her elegant yet massive body exuded a bright blue colors, one could feel an incredible drop in temperature in her surroundings. "I don''t think a human is capable of doing what he just did moments ago. That''s an Ancestral''s presence you are seeing!" Arthur quickly added with a wary eyes towards Elric. Fargor remained as silent as usual, but his eyes still revealed traces of fear against the mysterious human standing in between the two Eastern Dragons. Taking a closer look, Leah said, "Now that you mentioned it, you are right. And for some reason, he exuded quite a familiar aura as that Ancestral Dragon from ten years ago. Only much calmer and maybe weaker?" "Could it be possible that he''s..." Leah added with a frown quickly forming in her scaly face. The other King Dragons nodded in agreement and at the same time, real fear started to form in their hearts. But as proud Dragons, they could not show a single sign of backing down or they would risk smearing their pride with a smudge of cowardice stigma. "This is just perfect." Arthur suddenly said. A smile and burst of power started to emit out of his huge western Dragon body. Like steam flowing out intensely, he is gearing up to attack! Leah and Fargor turned their heads toward him with serious gazes. Then a few moments later, they understood what Arthur meant. Ten years ago, he lost his father from the battle against the rampaging Black Ancestral Dragon. Aside from the countless casualties that time, finding the body of the King Dragon of West in a headless state after the God Reckoning Tribulation made everything worst. Although no one really saw who killed his father, the only one they knew who could do it was the rampaging Black Ancestral Dragon that time. Thus Arthur could only pin all the blame down at the Black Ancestral Dragon that time. And now that an opportunity to exact vengeance for his father is here, he is prepared to go all out right away. Without waiting for the help of the Dragons from other region, Arthur suddenly issued a command. "Everyone! Focus your attack on that human!" Arthur trusted his instinct, the fact that Elric possess the same ancestral aura of that Black Dragon from the past, he did not hesitate to have him destroy right away. Heading Arthur''s command, all of the surviving Dragons of the Western region started to flap their wings and rose from the ground, their eyes were locked at Elric''s position while their mouth started to emit a terrifying heat from the boiling fire inside. "Kill!" Like a whirlwind of fire, all the Western Dragon made the first move by flaming Elric to crisp! Meanwhile, Leah knew better to take any possible advantage that she can. "Everyone! Move back five hundred meters and prepare to execute the Frozen Prison formation!" Unlike Arthur''s reckless style of attack, Leah knew how to plan and ensure her win. With her region an expert in using wind and ice elements, she planned to freeze everything that will be covered in her formation before going for the kill. With the combined efforts of at least twenty thousand Dragons in her side alone, she was confident to grab the day''s trophy! Not to mention, with the mysterious humans'' addition as a bonus for her effort, she might just be able to experiment on his body and possibly learn the secrets of the Ancestral aura he emitted. While the western Dragons preferred a frontal attack, Fargor and his company seem to have their own plan as well. With their expertise in camouflage and assassin style of killing, they all started to blend in the surroundings, erasing their presence as if they were never there in the first place! The Northern Dragon pulled back, the Southern Dragons disappeared while the Western Dragons prefer to go on full five at the start! Elric watched everything unfolded before his Dragon eyes. He could feel the unstoppable shaking of the two Eastern Dragons beside him. The thousands of incoming fireball coming his way appeared as if he was under a terrifying Armageddon! Lesse and Long were about to unleash defensive moves against the incoming attack when Elric''s voice suddenly came in their heads. "I will entrust to you two the protection of grandma''s body." Lesse and Long wanted to retort but for some reason, they could feel overwhelming confidence in Elric''s words. Not to mention they have just witnessed the latter commanding literally thousands of Dragons to suicidally dived down to the earth with his own voice alone! They both quickly nodded, Lesse moved to pick Kahayag''s body before she and her brother assumed a defensive stance behind Elric. And just when all the fireballs coming their way was about to destroy them, Elric casually in front. His face revealed not a stain of fear nor weakness. Lesse and Long watched everything with anticipation and curiosity. For some reason they could feel an unexplainable security as long as they sided with Elric. Although they both have plenty of questions wanted to ask from the young man, especially Lesse, they knew right now is not the right time for question and answer portions. Their eyes were locked at Elric''s magnificent figure. The latter suddenly raised one of his arm and opened his palm as if carrying an invisible ball! ZWOOOOOOOOOOOOM!~ All the Western Dragon''s fire that was just meters away from hitting him suddenly changed direction. A sphere of fire instantly popped out of his raised palm as it furiously absorbed all the incoming fire like a "bright blackhole"! "What the!?" "Impossible!" "He-he absorbed the fire!" The gaping mouth of the Western Dragons was wide open as they saw how Elric literally, single-handedly took care of their first assault! ZOOOOOOOOWM!~ The fireball in Elric''s palm continued to grow exponentially strong with each passing second. The more fire it absorbed the more terrifying power it presents! 173 Fake Roll Everyone watched Elric with a gaping mouth. Not only the latter surprised them with his unnatural powers, but the fact that he sucked the massive fireball out of existence was something they never expected. The fire''s natural attribute is destruction, not food! At least, they were hoping that he would use it to throw it back at his enemies, but who would have thought the latter actually fancies fireball? The King and Queen Dragons, on the other hand, could not help but be reminded of a scene ten years ago. They remembered vividly, how the Black Ancestral Dragon took the fire attack by his mouth only to spew it out later with an amplified power! The last Western Dragon King was its victim at that time and they knew, based on the damage he sustained, just how powerful it was. Not minding everyone''s reaction, Elric now looked as vibrant and energetic than before. His soul was sealed moments ago while his body still feels stiff from his last wound. The blood loss was not a joke and the spiritual burden made him feel a little tired and sleepy. But with the help of the Dragon''s fire, it was enough for him to finally heat up his senses! Basically speaking, it was helped him to warm up! With the powerful gush of fire in his system, Elric applied his authority of fire to take dominion over this destructive element and used it to his advantage instead. For a person who holds the Authority of Fire, what they did was basically refueling him! Buuurrrp!~ A small cloud of dark smoke popped out of Elric''s mouth. A satisfied smile followed after. Seeing that their unexpected was unharmed with the fire attacks, Arthur immediately deviced a new plan. "Prepare for rolling formation!" Arthur immediately commanded and the rest of his companion immediately gathered together on one side. "I don''t care how powerful you are! Let''s see you survive our combined attack!" Arthur mumbled as his massive Western Dragon body landed on the ground and created tremors all over his surroundings. The others followed after, they all landed to the ground and created another wave of furious dust flying around. Then, Arthur and his companions folded their wings to form like a giant circle, covering their entire body. Their massive long tails also curled over their body like a tight rope securing all the open parts. From the distance, they looked like giant meatballs scattered at the ground! Ghuuumm~ Ghummm~ Ghuuum~ The earth surrounding them started to float and proceeded to stick in their folded bodies like pieces of metal meeting a powerful magnet! KRuuuuugh~ Kgruuuugh~ Then an earthquake followed when the rest of the Western Dragons started to do what Arthur was doing. Their body started to grow at tremendous speed while the rocks, sand, and even metallic pieces on the ground continued to stick on their bodies and eventually harden by the intense pressure of the compression. With the sheer amount of Western Dragons in the surroundings, the whole area was quickly filled with countless craters due to them absorbing the element of earth and becoming part of their body. It only took a few minutes but all the Western Dragons have become a massive rock solid balls! By harnessing the Earth element''s natural attribute which is defense, each of them is covered in hardened rocks and boosted incredible defense. Not to mention, their sheer size of more than twenty meters in height alone was good enough to become a demolition ball, ready to crush all the surrounding buildings in no time! If their fire doesn''t work against Elric, then maybe, squashing him into a meat paste will do the trick! Druuuuuuhhh~ Druuh~ Druhhhhh~ The now-massive balls started to roll. Their increasing momentum created vibration everywhere, leaving behind deep tracks, showing off the incredible weight and power they bring. Elric looked at the incoming balls with a confident smile. For some reason, he had a familiar feeling looking at this earthly rock balls. It was blurry, but he was sure he had seen this before. *Crack~ crack! Elric''s combative spirit had been ignited from the sheer pressure the massive balls bring. He had an incredible urge to smash this ball to pieces and to clearly show on those arrogant Dragons of the Western regions that they messed with the wrong guy. However, contrary to Elric''s expectation, the massive balls suddenly turned to the side instead of going straight at him! "They were aiming at the last two Eastern Dragons!" Elric quickly figured out their intention. Although Lesse and Long were just a good two hundred meters away from him, he was confident that he could help them considering that they have Dragon bodies and they won''t die that easily. What Elric was worried about was his grandma''s body under Lesse and Long''s protection! "Don''t worry! We will protect her with everything that we got!" Lesse was quick enough to know what Elric was thinking. She must give Elric all the help he could get so as to ease the burden they have passed to him after all. Druuuuuuhhh~ BOOOOOOM!~ Druuuuuuuuuuuuh~ BOOOM!~ The sheer numbers of the giant rock balls were earth-shattering! From the air, they looked like little marbles flailing around the area, leveling every tree, building, and even the earth itself behind its tracks! Elric did not dare to put his guard down for his grandma. Lesse and Long might be Dragon kings and queens right now, but it is also not a secret that they haven''t stabilized their conditions yet! Wings of Fire! FWOOOOOOOM!~ Without hesitation, Elric flew towards the rock balls that were itching closest to the two Eastern Dragons, he quickly channeled a portion of Ancestral Dragon''s strength into his arms, ready to pound these "dragon balls" into bits and pieces! The wings of fire flapping behind him created a magnificent sight that Long and Lesse could not help but admire. Elric flew at a flashy speed, leaving behind a long trail of fire in his path! Arthur led the rolling rocks. He wasn''t dumb enough to face Elric right away despite boosting his defense in his Rock Ball form. He knew pretty much what happened to his father the last time they used this technique against the Black Ancestral Dragon. Elric might be not the same as powerful as that beast, but he showed incredible confidence in facing them all, thus Arthur knew they can''t underestimate this man at all! They need a plan and it was just the perfect timing when he received a message from a certain individual a few seconds ago and he had no choice but to follow through their proposed strategy. His massive ball figure continued to gather more momentum and even grew bigger the longer he spun. He was just about twenty meters away before crashing against the two Eastern Dragons coiling before him when Elric suddenly appeared in front of him. "Now! Switch to full retreat!" Arthur suddenly commanded and his company had a bewildered look inside their Rock balls. They were pretty much confident that they can crush these two Eastern Dragons even if the cocky human will put himself in front, the Eastern Region should be as good as theirs if they continued ahead. But considering it was Arthur''s call, they have no choice but to follow him. Quickly, their direction went a full 180 degrees, going away from their initial target as if realizing they were going the wrong way! Elric landed just a few meters away from Lesse and Long, he was just about to pound the incoming giant balls when they suddenly turned around away from him. The sudden change in their momentum created a mountain of dust that filled the entire area. Unfortunately, if they are planning to use this dust as a cover for their next attempt, it was not enough. As Dragons, they knew pretty much this kind of tricks don''t work to them as they have senses that could easily see their enemies clearly even if they are a hundred miles away! "Hmp!" Elric did not want to let them play as they wanted. He flapped his Wings of Fire, prepared to chase after the fleeing giant Rock Balls when he felt a sudden drop in the temperature of his surroundings! "Frozen Prison activate!" Leah, the Queen Dragon of the north, commanded as all the Northern Region Dragons hidden in the background started to spout massive balls of ice towards the sky. SHHHH~ THUUUD!~ THUUUD!~ THUUUD!~ An estimated of fifteen thousand Northern Dragons who were covered in white and blue scales unleashed their ice breath, forming massive ice chunks the almost tripling the size of the school bus towards Erlric''s direction! In less than twenty seconds, Elric and his company were freezing in cold inside an incredibly tight prison made of gigantic ice pillars. With the mountain of ice blocking their view, they felt like they had been drowned in the sea of ice, Lesse and Long were greatly affected by the sheer coldness of this formation. The stacking pillars allowed for the amplified coldness which perfected the formation. Not to mention, these ice pillars were perfectly formed like a tight prison, giving them no other spaces to move. Basically speaking, Elric and the rest are now frozen solid at the center of the formation! "Thank''s for the feign attack Arthur, I will make sure to divide the Eastern Region in two after this." Leah, who is currently flying high at the sky mumbled before issuing her next command. "Finish them!" 174 Death To The Kings! Elric, on the other hand, managed to protect Lesse, Long, and of course, Kahayag who is currently in his grandma''s body. He had no other choice but to switch to defensive from the Northern Dragon''s surprise attack. He created a barrier made of compressed fire that instantly fought against the overwhelming power of the ice formation. "I must admit, that b*tch does know how to plan well. She might not be the strongest one among all the King leveled Dragons but she made it up with her brilliant strategies." Arthus commended in a murmur. Unlike him and his company who boasted an impeccable defense and is used to crushing their enemies with brute force, the Queen Dragon of the North deals with her enemy using unexpected strategies that make him think twice of daring to attack her. BAAM!~ BAAAM!~ BAAAM!~ As Elric tried to do his best to defend himself and the two coiled Eastern Dragons beside him, the northern Dragons continued to bombard them with massive chunks of ice, it contained to stack against each other that Elric''s location had basically turned into a mini-mount Everest. No matter how Elric tried to melt them, new stacks of ice would just continue to drop down from all directions and so they ended up getting drowned in water instead. The entire land started to freeze from the extreme cold due to the overwhelming attacks of Leah''s Dragons. After all, It was a combined ice attack from not less than fifteen thousand Northern Dragons being dropped in one spot! "Allow us to use our fire to help and melt these ice" Lesse suddenly suggested. "No. Focus your strength on defending yourselves. Save your energy. These might be just the start of their real attack." Elric was not dumb. Obviously, since the enemies are trying their best to trap them, they must be waiting for another barrage of attacks. And just after spewing those words, Elric''s instinct started to kick in. He could feel a terrifying killing intent coming from all directions. Unfortunately, he wasn''t able to see what''s coming due to the incredibly compressed ice surrounding them from all directions. "Do it." Lesse whispered in the air as her eyes gleamed a chilling coldness. She had basically judged Elric and his company as dead by now. SHOOOOK!~ SHOOOK~ SHOOOOOOK~ SHOOOOK~ Then out of nowhere, thousands, no, tens of thousands of incredibly sharp wind blades flashed from Elric''s back. It was from the hiding Southern Dragons! These Wind blades came from the compressed air being conjured from their extremely long and sharptails before it was swung towards their target. These tens of thousands of wind blades came out from southern direction where they remained hidden until the signal from Leah was called; the sheer number of the wind blades formed a massive crescent blade formation, reminiscent of a scimitar going forward to cut Elric and his company into two! "Hmp! You better do your job properly!" Arthur scoffed as he watched the Southern Dragons executing their deadly combined blow. SHIIIIING~ The wind blade sliced through the thick ice like a hot knife to butter. The massive mountain of ice was seamlessly cut through as it continued to travel towards the fire shield that Elric created to protect themselves. "Die!" Fargor shouted in his mind as he watched their combined attack slicing through the mountain of ice that was holding off their target. Elric saw the incoming attack as warned by his incredible instinct. "Compress!" As a God of fire, Elric released more fire essence from his pores and used them to strengthen his fire defense. "Prepare for impact!" He beckoned towards Lesse and Long who also hardened their coiling formation, strengthening their bodies and prepared to take on the incoming attack. SHOOOOOOOSHK!~ And just as Elric''s fortified defense successfully formed, the wind blades also finally reached them inside the mountain of ice. BOOOOOM!~ . . SWOOOSH!~KSSH!~ SWOOSH!~KSSH!~ SWOOSh!~ KSSSH~ The massive scimitar made of wind blades met Elric''s fire defense. But as if a wooden knife smashed against a steel wall, Elric''s fire shield was so compressed that even the deadly wind blades conjured by tens thousand Southern Dragons broke and shattered to all directions. BAAAASHHK!~ BBAAASK!~ The redirected wind blades were not enough to defeat Elric''s fire defense. Instead, it helped him break the ice mountain holding them off as it cut through the ice mountain from the inside. "Hah..hah...This is our chance!" Elric felt the vibrations of the collapsing ice mountain. He could not help but gasp for more air as he had expended quite a lot of fire essence trying to defend themselves from that attack. The Northern Dragons had stopped their attacks, currently, they backed out trying to recover their lost energy. As they backed down, the ice mountain was also starting to collapse from the sharp blades flailing around from the center. THUDDUDUDUDUD!~ GRUGHGGH~ But just when Elric was about to issue the command to move away, he suddenly felt the earth carving down as if they were in the middle of a deep crater! "Earth shaping skills!?" THUDUDUDUDUD~! THUDUDUUDDUDDDD~! The massive Rock balls are back! Arthur was leading the thousands of Rock balls behind, they were just two hundred meters away from reaching Elric when Arthur suddenly broke out of his Rock ball and revealed his humungous body. ROOOOAR! The next moment, Arthur slammed towards the ground and activated his earth spell. BUMMMP!~ BUMMP!~ With the giant rock balls gaining momentum behind him, Arthur''s oversized frontal arms pressed the ground in front and a gigantic earth ramp was instantly formed before him! POOOM!~ POOOM!~ POPOPOPOOOM!~ And like giant marbles, these giant Rock balls started to fly in the air thanks to the ramp that Arthur created, their terrifying speed and momentum brought along an incredibly destructive might that is sure to squash their target into dust the moment they land! Lesse and Long saw the frightening number of the giant rock balls suddenly jumping out of the raised ground. Like massive meteors, they started to drop down towards them with increasing momentum! They were still trapped inside the collapsing ice and were still unable to break away quickly! What are they gonna do!? Elric was still not able to get a single breather when another attack followed after another. He could not help but be impressed at the meticulous planning they did just to make sure he would waste his defensive skills. The time seemed to stop as he quickly calmed his mind. The power of the calmed soul kicked in. His mind rewinded everything that happened so far as to give him a better picture of the enemy''s action. First, they went for a frontal fireball attack, then the Western Dragons turned into massive Rock balls only to feign their attack against the two eastern Dragon. Their real intention is for Elric to move closer beside the two Eastern Dragons to maximize their next attacks focus in one spot. Now that Elric was just meters away from the two Eastern Dragon, he will be forced to switch into the defensive. After achieving their desired reaction from Elric, the rolling giant Rock balls quickly turns around and the Northern Dragons flawlessly executed the Frozen Prison formation, instantly trapping Elric and his company inside a mountain-like of densely packed ice pillars. Elric reacted with full defensive fire barrier to survive the intense coldness inside the Frozen Prison formation, but with him engaged in keeping their defense up, the Southern Dragons managed to gather enough power to unleash a slicing attack since the rolling Rock balls would probably just bounce off from the extremely compressed ice mountain. After all, the southern Dragons are known to excel not in brute force nor magical spells, but with their unmatched cutting abilities. Not even pure steel is enough to stand against their wind blades! It just happens that Elric managed to prepare against it and bolstered up his fire defense in exchange for him losing around eighty percent of his fire Elemental essence just for that improved fire shield alone! Unfortunately, Elric''s move seems to be still under the enemy''s expectation. After the massive Wind blades failing to kill them inside the ice mountain, it proceeded to flail everywhere and broke the firm foundation of the ice mountain compressing them. Now that the ice mountain was on the edge of collapsing and its foundation shattering, it was the perfect time for the rolling Rock balls to do their demolition job with Elric and his crew as the focus! To maximize their impact, the King Dragon of the north even created a list minute ramp to give the rolling Rock balls a boost, making sure Elric will end up a meat paste on their feet! These Dragons are here to kill him, the eastern Dragons and they don''t mind squashing his grandma''s body as well! Elric opened his eyes. Time seemed to slow down still. He could see the small dust flailing aimlessly around. The unconscious Kahayag was tightly tucked comfortably in between the two Eastern Dragons behind him. He also could not help but notice the panicked look at the scaly face of Lesse and Long. They knew pretty much that despite having King and Queen Dragon bodies, getting crushed by tens of thousands of massive Rock balls means certain death! Not to mention, they were still not able to move freely because of the massive ice still binding them! Elric''s gaze moved back to his grandmother''s body. A longing smile crept in his face as a warm feeling came out of his heart. "I will protect you, grandma. Until I get to taste the breakfast you made again, I will never stop protecting you." Elric''s body started to explode in overwhelming light. SWOOOOOSH!~ . . BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!~ . . "They want us dead. It is death I shall reply." . . . ROOOOOOOOARR!~ 175 Arthurs Panic The earth trembled at the might of Elric''s roar. His Dragon form revealed a dominating might that sent shivers down the spine of every dragon nearby. His scales glistened at the shimmering hue of green and red with the fiery aura moving all over his surroundings. The combined attack of the Southern Dragons dissipated from the sheer might of Elric''s presence alone. His massive Dragon body slithered gracefully in the air like a floating snake but with a divine presence. Lesse watched everything with complicated emotions. It was not what she was expecting. Instead of having a snake-like Eastern Dragon body. Elric went to another level of transformation. His newfound ability to transform himself allowed him to choose whatever form he wanted. And in order to adapt to his current situation, he knew what kind of form he needed the most. Two sets of massive red and green scaled-wings sprouted out of his back. His body resembled more of a Western Dragon but not as bulky and heavy looking as the latter. He also has an extremely long tail that clearly revealed his original Eastern-Dragon body type. His face resembled that of a night''s helmet and glowing horns that extended outward like a graceful lighting trunk. It was a Dragon form they have never seen before! "This..." Leah could only gulp mouthful of saliva as she watched Elric''s silhouette. As a female Dragon who was easily attracted to powerful existence, she has the unexpected urges to kneel before Elric and ask for his forgiveness. However, her pride as a Queen Dragon does not allow her to do so. Rather, her proud voice wanted to make Elric kneel before her and use him as a stepping stone to plant her status as the true Queen of all Kings. However, in order to that, it seems she had to do better than what she had done so far. Arthur and Fargor on the other hand could also not stop themselves from shaking. "How come I am being intimidated from this one?!" Arthur mumbled to himself as his eyes were glued at Elric''s direction. "This aura... It was indeed the same as the Black Dragon from the past. The only difference is that he has a more refined and divine presence compared to the chaotic one before. Just what happened to him to achieve such a level that could surpass the King''s level? Could they really be the same Dragon after all?" Questions after questions continued to rain down on Fargor''s mind as he witnessed Elric at his current form. The mountain-like ice has been shattered and melted from Elric''s fiery aura. The Southern Dragon''s combined attack has been undone like it didn''t exist at all. Lesse and Long could only look up at Elric''s powerful figure as a complex feeling surged together in their hearts. "It was him. There is no doubt about it. It is him! The one who caused the demise of the entire Eastern Dragon race!" Long clutched his claws as he watched Elric from behind. He made himself a promise to find the Black Dragon who was the truly responsible suspect of the disaster ten years ago which led to the extinction of their once glorious Eastern bloodlines. Unfortunately for him, right now, it is because of the same Dragon that he is currently breathing! The moment he moves to attack him, he would only be aiding the other Dragon kings in successfully dealing with them. Not to mention, does he even have the strength to fight against Elric alone? Maybe in the future. For now, Long held himself. A hostile glint could not be hidden from his eyes as he made a quick promise to deal with Elric in the future. Right now, his sister''s security is his priority. Even if he had to help the Dragon bastard, he doesn''t mind. As long as they will survive, who cares about an individual''s pride anymore when it was your entire race''s wish that is at stake! Meanwhile, Lesse could also not help but shake instinctively from Elric''s extraordinary presence. It was just incredibly hard to believe for her, who knew how weak Elric was the first time she met him. Although the human was incredibly stupid and plainly a simp, she never expected that latter to achieve such power that even her could only end up but look up to. She never imagined in her wildest dreams that she would end up clutching for hope in the form of the same Dragon that caused their race''s destruction. "Just what in the hell did that old Heavenly Ancestral Dragon do to that young man? And how is he related to my dream?" Elric might have managed to fool them using a transformation skill, but his current aura betrayed him of his real identity. There was no denying it now! The chaotic Black Dragon that caused the disaster from ten years ago is really back! But is he really on their side? Lesse and Long could only hope. "Wait! We need a new plan!" Leah suddenly communicated to the rest of the Dragon Kings. Unfortunately for her, the western Dragons are already in the move before she could even stop them. DUDUDUDUDUDUD~ DUDUDUDUD~ Giant Rock balls continued to roll with terrifying force towards Elric. Despite the latter''s intimidating aura, the western Dragons that were inside the giant rock balls don''t seem to think so. "He is just fighting alone! We can crush him!" "So you were the one who killed our king! Pulverize him!" "I will turn you into minced meat!" As long as they could crush that single Dragon, they believe that he does not have the strength to resist their combined power and weight! The race of demolition and destruction! The power of the brute force! "Go!" Arthur led the whole Western Dragon race. He was the biggest and heaviest rock ball of all that is currently rolling unhesitantly towards the newly transformed Elric. With him at the front, everyone accompanying him was actually even more excited to claim the victory. While the Southern and Northern Dragons were hesitating to attack Elric, Arthur and his men are confident of dealing with Elric once and for all. With no guts, there is no glory after all! DUDUDUDUDUD~ DUDDUDU~ DUDDUDUDUD~ With increasing momentum, the power and force behind the massive rolling balls only continued to build up. And just when they were getting close at Elric... BOOOM!~ Arthur suddenly broke out of his massive rock ball! ROOOAR! SHOOOOSH!~ SHOOOOSH!~ The sharp and solidified shards of the massive rock balls suddenly became like small homing missiles, aiming to crush Elric. "Hmp!" Elric''s long tail swiftly defended by whipping the incoming sharp rocks with incredible flexibility and accuracy. In an instant, Arthur''s first attempt failed to put a single scratch against Elric. If it would have been any other Dragons, the sheer might and power behind those rock shards would have been strong enough to riddle their bodies with bloody holes! "As expected," Arthur simply smiled as he watched Elric easily defended himself. His body started to glow with yellowish aura as he swiftly landed and stomped the ground with his forepaws. SLAAAM!~ WOOOOOOM!~ CRUGHGGHGH~ Using his natural affinity to the earth element, Aurthur instantly created massive hills in front of him, just before the rest of the rolling balls passed by. DUDUDUDU-POOOOM!~ DDUDUDUD-POOOM!~ POOOOM!~ POOOM!~ And like jumping massive yellow billiard balls, the rest of Arthur''s company used the massive hills in front as a ramp to further increase the power of their attack, simply using the aid of gravity to amplify their force! Now they did not look like just simply rolling massive balls, rather, they look like massive meteors from the sky, threatening to crush everything into bits and pieces! And to make matter''s worst, Arthur suddenly followed up behind the airborne balls, with great speed and power, he whipped the rock balls with incredible force, sending them towards Elric with even more terrifying power! "Thats-!" Before Leah could even finish her words, the entire area succumbs to a series of deafening thuds and reverberations. BOOOOOOM!~DDUUDUD BOOOOM!~DUDUDUDU BOOOOM!BOOOOM!BOOOOM!BOOOOM!BOOOOM! With Arthur guiding the aim, he hurled countless massive rock balls towards Elric with incredible force. With blurring speed, the massive balls created cracks every time they landed to the ground, creating countless crater upon impact. Lesse and Long watched in horror. They thought they would have been a goner the moment they realized what those balls and the ramp was. As it turns out, the King Dragon of the west was really serious in literally crushing them into bits! BOOOM!~ SHOOOOSH~ BOOOOM! SHOOOSH~ Fortunately for them, Elric was on their side. With his massive Dragon body and empicabble speed, Elric redirected the massive balls with brute force, sometimes crushing them into pieces with his bare hands or whipping them away with his extremely long tail. "Waiwaitwait! Hey! Watch where you are hitting!" "Stupid Dragon! Everyone evasive maneuver!" "Crush them if you have to!" Of course, Elric did not hesitate to redirect the massive balls back to the rest of the incoming rock balls, but most of the time, he would send them towards the Dragons of the Southern and Northern Regions and let them crush the balls for him in hopes of surviving. RAH!RAH! RAH!~ Balls after balls, Arthur did his best to send them towards Elric with all his force. Unfortunately for him, Elric was just too strong and fast that before he could throw the next one, Elric has already crushed the last one. Slowly, he is running out of his priced "bullets". A subtle smile could be seen in Elric''s face. The latter seems to be enjoying the battle after all. And with a simple glare from Elric, Arthur felt a terrifying chill running down his spine. "Stop watching and help me!" Arthur bellowed to the other Dragon King and Queen. An obvious panic could be seen in his face together with his shaking voice. 176 The Dragon That Weilds A Sword The King and Queen Dragons have an unspoken rule. Due to their overwhelming pride, it is not an everyday scene you can see them asking for help nor stepping up to assist the fighting one. Once you take a bite, it is a Dragon''s task to chew it and finish the battle no matter the outcome. This is more especially to those who are at the higher ranks. The previous collaborative attacks were an agreed tactic first suggested by Leah the Queen Dragon of the North and helplessly agreed by the rest of the King Dragons provided they will stick to the plan. But the sudden rolling attack initiated by Arthur, the current King Dragon of the West, was not a part of their collaboration. Clearly it was an attempt to try and grab the trophy for himself knowing that Elric had spent quite enough of his energy trying to survive their last combined attack. But who could have thought that the latter still had more aces under its sleeve? Not only he completely confirmed his identity as the mad Black Dragon from the past, but he also seems to have acquired a different form of strength that made him even a more fearful being, clearly surpassing their expectation. The Rolling Rock strategy was one of their most destructive ability considering its sheer power and defense in the form of the solid Rock balls that even the Queen Dragon of the North and the King Dragon of South would find it hard to defend against. Surely, it would have been a brutal and splatter of blood that should be splattered everywhere. Basically speaking, if Arthur used the same attack against the rest of the Dragon Regions, hi chances of winning was actually almost guaranteed. But Elric was an exemption. A being that was slowly inching for complete control of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence. Paired by Elric''s fire and water Elemental abilities and an unexpected spiritual power made him a being that currently sits at the pinnacle of all creatures in the world. No wonder why almost all of the strongest beings and races are after him. The Shadows, the Ancient Humans, Arkhans, Guardians, and even the creeping Elementals are present not far from them - all waiting for a perfect opportunity to snatch Elric for themselves. The moment those creepers will successfully get Elric, the chances of them dominating the world would be closer in their grasp. As for the Dragons, Elric is an abomination that should be destroyed. But knowing the benefit of Elric''s current body and essence, he can also be considered as the most sought after "Elixer" for all Dragon hunters. Elric, in his massive Dragon form, had successfully deflected all the thousands of the Rock balls sent to him by Arthur. Unfortunately for the latter, Elric remained unscathed even after all his effort. The entire place was surrounded by huge chunks of crumbled earth with bodies of the Western Dragons lying feebly inside like newly hatched Dragons. SHOOOOSH!~ The next instant, Elric left a blurry line as he appeared before Arthur who is currently gasping for air, trying to recover his strength as fast as possible. Elric delivered a swift claw strike, aiming to cut the other into two. CRAASGGH!~ BOOOOOM!~ BOOOOOOOM!~ "Ugh!~ Too fast!" Fortunately, Arthur managed to summon his earth defense to cover his front, saving himself from getting clawed into pieces by Elric. Also, it was thanks to Leah and Fargo''s unexpected fireblast that Elric has to also defend himself, giving Arthur the time to back away. "We can''t afford to lose one more King Dragon at the moment. I know it is a stupid idea to help a stupid Dragon like you. But with the enemy like this one at the front and a reward waiting after, I am afraid we have to use everything at our disposal." Leah bellowed towards Arthur and the latter could only look down in shame. If it would have been before, he would have retorted in violence already. Unfortunately, right now, he is truly indebted to the two Dragon King and Queens. Else, he would have been a goner knowing Elric''s unexplainable strength. "Let''s move about how stupid you are for now. Let''s move ahead to the second plan." Leah added and the rest of the Dragon Kings nodded in reply. Leah was smart enough to devise a plan ahead with adjustments considering their current enemy. "What a shame, if only I could take him for myself, I could not imagine the terrifying power under my command... By then, finishing this two and dominating the whole world for myself would be really easy." Leah thought to herself as she locked her sight at Elric''s direction. The two fireblasts that Leah and Fargor were timed perfectly when Elric was in the middle of executing an attack against the massive yellow Dragon that is also known as the King Dragon of the North. By using his wings, Elric managed to cover himself and defend against their blow, the only downside is that he lost the other King Dragon. As much as he wanted to chase after the coward King, he is afraid that they would switch their attacks against the last two Eastern Dragons behind him and risking his grandma''s body along the way. His body craved for an all-out fight, but the moment he would go wild, he might just end up harming the people he is supposed to protect. Out of his conscience, he has decided to help Lesse and Long to get the Eastern Dragon''s former glory back. But in order to do so, he must help them survive first. Not to mention, he still had to go to the Realm of Darkness to find and save his grandma''s soul, possibly in the hands of the so-called emperor. Just when Elric was about to proceed and fight back, he noticed something weird at his enemy''s movement, all their heads were pointed towards a certain direction. Their mouth channeling their strongest fire blast that one could see the heat building up inside their wide mouths. A frown quickly formed at Elric''s face. "As expected." Leah smiled wickedly. Unfortunately, the subtle frown at Elric''s dragon face did not go unnoticed with her ever sharp eyes. It might have been a simple gesture but for her, it meant a lot. Elric''s biggest weakness was lying in an open area all this time! As it turns out, he seems to be protecting those last two Eastern Dragons. Not to mention, the human that is currently being hidden in between the massive snake-like bodies of the eastern Dragons seems to have something to do with Elric. Whatever the reason is behind, Leah''s suspicion is now almost guaranteed. She only needs one more thing to do to confirm it though. "Destroy those eastern Dragon abominations and don''t leave anyone alive! Now!" Leah suddenly commanded. And under the guidance of the two other King Dragons, they all unleashed their powerful fire blast towards the two Eastern Dragons coiled defensively inside their own barrier. The moment their defensive barrier shatters, the human hiding inside will be as good as cooked. Leah is pretty excited about how Elric would react until then. Will she see an unexpected weak side out of this powerful monster? Well, let the fireballs launched over tell the truth. BWAAAAH!~ SHOOOOSH~ BHAAAAA!~ SHRUUUUUSH~ BUWAAAAA!~ FROOOOOSH~ BWAAA!~ Thousands of fire with varying colors and brining forth destructive capacity were simultaneously launched towards Lesse and Long''s direction. Seeing the terrifying union of power inching closer to destroy them, Lesse could not help but panic. Quickly, he asked for help from Elric. "He-help! Help Us!" Lesse beckoned toward Elric. "I don''t think our barrier is strong enough to withstand this attack!" Long added with huge droplets of sweat popping out of his scaly face. "At this rate, we might be able to survive but I can''t be sure if the human with us will make it!" Time seems to slow down in Lesse''s perspective. She realized as the fire inched closer, she felt like death is inching slower as well. Her eyes looked for Elric only to see the latter not moving from his original location. "I guess it''s up to us then." Lesse weakly mumbled with disappointment clearly seen in her face. Guess it was too much for them to hope for now. They were, after all, just a burden to Elric anyway. Maybe if they are gone, he might be able to fight properly. It''s was just that, she actually hoped. That Elric would at least compensate by saving them this time. Lesse closed her eyes, prepared to face the incoming barrage of fire from the hundreds of thousands of Dragons from different regions. But unlike her, Long kept his eyes and guard up. Lesse waited for the explosions and scorching heat to barrel over. She waited with her eyes closed, but seconds went by and her expected attacks did not reach her. "No way...." Lesse heard her brother mumbled with awe lingering in his voice. Curious, Lesse opened her eyes only to see a massive stream of colorful fire forming a long curve. Instead of going straight to them, the terrifying amount of fire went to an unexpected u-turn, as if getting sucked, they all traveled towards Elric and slowly gathered in his hands. FWOOOONG~ Elric looked like a Fire God Dragon. He was at the very center of the colliding fire from all directions and his hands seem to have become a vortex sucking the fire unceasingly. Lesse, Long, Leah, Fargor, Arthur, and everyone else looked at Elric with unshakable shivering crawling in their knees. Two massive swords of colorful fire are currently burning with rapid sparks of blue lightning covering this flaming sword. FWOOOSH~ ROOOOOAAAAR!~ It was their first time to see a dual-sword wielding Dragon. "Why don''t you take a bite of your own medicine." Elric smiled wickedly as he fully spread his dark red and green wings under the bright shimmer of the sun. The two flaming swords are gripped tightly with both his hands while his long tail gracefully waved in the air. 177 The Real Reward The flaming sword that is currently burning brightly in Elric''s hands emitted a terrifying aura and heat. Judging from its constantly pulsating size, it appears to have the capacity to extend according to Elric''s will. It was a sword conjured using Elric''s authority of fire, and the fact that all the Dragons just used a fire elemental based attack, basically contributed to Elric''s power instead. From the distance, a dual sword-wielding Dragon flew with a domineering presence before the gazing the Dragons of North, West, and Southern region, its Kings and Queens included. "This..." "Just what kind of Dragon is that." "The fire elemental presence in him alone is scary enough, now that he sculpted it into a sword, just how terrifying could he get?" Leah could hear the mumbling of awe and fear between those who are under her. With Elric inching closer, she could also see her members slowly backing away. "Do not be afraid! Do not forget we are the Dragons of the North, water and ice is our natural affinity. Why are you afraid of a mere flaming sword?" Leah, with an authoritative voice, managed to bring her members back to their senses. "Now that you think of it..." "Our Queen Dragon is right! In the face of our true ability, he won''t stand a chance!" "Let''s do it!" And without hesitations, the Dragons of the northern region started to emit a freezing aura; they are switching to ice and water-based attack! Leah saw them and was about to stop her members, but before she could do, her members had already launched their own individual attacks! "Wait you fools!~" Leah tried to call her people but unfortunately, they were just too dumb and excited to unleash a barrage of ice and water attacks. She was about to suggest a change to the plan applying the different innate elemental properties, but before she could even finish her speech, her ignorant and excited members just started blowing on their own. "Take this!" BWAAAAHHH!~ "Freeze to death!" SHAAAAAAAAH!~ BWAAAAAAH~ SHAAAAAH!~ All their ice and water-based attacks poured down towards Elric from almost all directions. The other Dragons watched with a little anticipation, while Leah was quickly contacting the other Dragon Kings of their next move. With sharp eyes and advanced thinking, she could already tell that the attack of her members will just fail. And as expected, Elric flexibly swung his flaming sword and unleashed a slash that sent deadly heatwaves in an arc form, melting the ice attacks along the way and creating massive steam upon contact with the water-based Dragon skills. In an instant, the whole place was surrounded in hot steam caused by the sudden contact of fire and water attacks. Unfortunately for them, Elric''s attack did not just end there. With another quick follow up, he sent more deadly flaming arcs towards the Dragon surrounding him from all directions. At the same time, a sinister smile crept out of his mouth. KSSSSH~FWOOOOOOOSH!~ His bright flaming sword suddenly changed its color from bright orange to deep blue! FWOOOOSH!~ FWOOOOSH!~ FWOOOOSH!~ Like a mad sun, Elric sent down rains of the blue flaming arc that brought forth destructions Dragon could not contend against. They may be Dragons with a natural affinity with fire, but the one that Elric wields has an absolute destructive ability as it suddenly switched from bright orange to the destructive and purifying blue fire! "Blue fire!?" "F*ck!" BOOOOM! CRAAASH!~ WHAAAM!~ All the Dragons in range scrambled the moment Elric started his retaliation. They tried their best to defend, evade, and some even countered attack only to no avail. In an instant, hundreds of Dragons especially from the Northern regions had fallen from Elric''s merciless attack. AAAACKGGH!~ GRUUGGGH!~ WAAAAAHHKKG!~ The power of the Blue fire is basically the power of purification and true destruction. Unfortunately for them, aside from the natural fire Elementals, only those who have touched the realm of the Ancestral Dragon level has access to the purifying blue fire. In terms of sheer destructiveness and heat, their bright red, orange, and yellow fire are easily subdued by the blue one, giving them no choice but to avoid or defend against Elric''s attack. Those Dragons who managed to survive had extraordinary resilience and defensive ability. There are also those who relied on their natural element while some used a defensive artifact crafted by their best crafter of their own regions. With hundreds of thousands of years on their backing, although with some unwillingness, the Dragons have learned to use the artifact. But they hope not to depend on using it all the time since they value their own natural strength the most. With gritting teeth, Leah suddenly bellowed. "NOW!~" SWOOOOOSH!~ Elric was still in the middle of his attack when he felt a dangerous chill coming from his side. In the nick of time, Elric decisively halted his attacks midway and turned to his sides with his own counter slash! WHIIIISHK~ SLAAASH!~ AAGHK!~ OUGGH!~ ARGH!~ Leaving behind a sonic boom, three invisible Dragons of the Southern Region were quickly cut by Elric''s flaming sword. However, they actually managed to put a large gaping wound in one of his wings! Everything happened too quickly, if only Elric did not move his body, he would have lost his neck seconds ago! It was an attack that was almost impossible to evade! The three invisible Southern Dragons were in a certain formation that resembled a spiral missile. They first fly incredibly high and far from Elric in order to build enough momentum, while their arms extended and grew into what looked like a sharp long blade. Then, the three of them will coil into each other like a blade meeting another two blades to create a three-bladed missile with their bodies locked to each other and their tails and wings serving as a fin. The blade front also formed spiraling edges that allowed them to spin while moving. The reason that there were three of them is that the weight and the extra pushing power generated by two other Dragons will increase their solidity and penetrating power. Using their blending ability they managed to hide their presence, giving their enemy almost no time to react at all. Fortunately for Elric, his extraordinary instinct and powerful soul ability allowed him to see what normal dragon eyes could not see. From the looks of it, they all seemed like a well-organized unit despite the differences. Quickly his eyes, moved to a certain direction, locating Leah''s figure seemingly busy communicating with the other Dragon Kings. "Found you.." Elric was just about to head towards Leah to deal with her when another sonic boom clapped him from above. BOOOOOOM!~ SLAAAASH! AGHGGK!~ IUGGH!~ WAAAGH! With a sidestep, Elric managed to avoid another sonic attack from the Southern Dragons, not forgetting to finish them in one good hack, leaving them burning as they continued diving to the ground with burning divided bodies. BOOOOOOM!~SLAAAASH! IUGGH!~ WAAAGH! AGHGGK!~ Another group has fallen in Elric''s sword. Then finally Elric stopped, his warning signals bellowing wildly in his head. He instinctively looked above and saw what seemed like a wide dark cloud. His eyes squeezed to focus towards the dark cloud only to finally realize what it really was. Tens of thousands of Southern Dragons are coiling with each other to form the same spiral missile formation before they suddenly disappear with a blending skill. SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH! SWOOOSH!~ The next second, around fifty more invisible spiral bladed missiles, came down and made Elric dance in evasion. His mind might be fast enough to see them but his sheer body size was finally getting in his way of trying to avoid them. He may have successfully avoided nine out of ten attacks, but considering their sheer numbers, he could not help but get hit not just once, but twice and thrice! Thank''s to his impressive recovery ability, Elric managed to close his wounds in less than two seconds! It is also worth noting that he is more focused on avoiding attacks that will greatly impede his movement and senses. From the distance, Elric looked like a mad Dragon fighting a horde of invisible killer black wasps! Burning them with a blue flaming sword as if it was a torch! The King and Queen Dragons watched with gritted teeth as they watched their subordinates fall unhesitantly under Elric''s flaming sword. But as King and Queen Dragons, these are necessary sacrifices to their ultimate plan. Since they have already started it, they might as well just end it hoping to claim Elric''s most wanted body and essence as reward. If they could just finish Elric and harvest his meat and essence, imagine the benefits it would help the King and Queen Dragons. Right now, what they really want is not the deal of acquiring the Eastern Region if they killed the last Eastern Dragons, What they wanted is Elric! If they could have his essence, breaking through the Ancestral level will be within their grasp! Who cares about some measly Eastern dragons if their dreamed power is finally within their reach! 178 A Rain Of Dragon Corpse Every second, hundreds of Southern Dragons would fall to the ground, their bodies burning in scorching blue fire and cut in half! All in desperate effort to put Elric down and obtain his Dragon essence and body! As such, under the command of the Dragon Queens and Kings, the whole land appeared to be like a vast Dragon''s nest, Dragon can be seen in almost all directions, some are falling down while more are rising up in desperate effort to kill am abominable crow amidst them. SLAAASH! WHAAAM! AGHCK! ARGGH!~ SLAASH!~ WHAAAM!~ HAAAGHKGK!~ Elric wielded his flaming blue sword like a mad Dragon. With quick and flexible movements, he took down innumerable Dragons every second, leaving them falling down in burning anguish. However, despite his overwhelming power, he was still, after all, a solo fighter. Every time Elric closed one wound, another three of them will pierce through him! *** "This Dragon is the real monster. Just look at him fighting back despite being outnumbered hundred thousand against one!" Arthur, the western Dragon King could not help but gulp in awe as he watched Elric stand his ground from the distance. He imagined what would happen if it was him in Elric''s place. He may boast to have the strongest defense among all Dragons in the whole world, but to stand in the middle of the Southern Dragon''s deadly formation, he doubts he would last a second or two! As Dragon Kings and Queens, they would normally lead the battle at the front, but right now, they need to remain intact in order to focus commanding their army. If the worst comes, they would just lunge together with their people if needed. But right now is not the perfect time to be stupid. They must be patient and wait for a perfect opportunity. Obviously, they knew that they are losing more members with each passing second all because of their promise for tempting rewards back at their land. As long as it well helps in weakening Elric down, Leah, Arthur, and Fargor will not hesitate to spend the lives of their subordinates. One must also know that those who would back down under their command already knew what is waiting for them if they ever did so. "Is it because of his Ancestral Dragon essence? Or could it be because of that weird Elemental ability that he wields?" Leah had been trying to figure out Elric''s true source of abnormal strength. She lived more than ten thousand years in the world but she has never heard of a certain ability that allows a Dragon to naturally wield the Authority of Fire. Unless he is not a Dragon but a real Elemental instead. However, what also made her even more curious is Elric''s incredible adaptability and extraordinary senses against danger. With Leah''s sharp observation, it didn''t take long for her to realize that Elric''s injuries are purposely received by the latter just to avoid the more vital spots. These only add more to her surprise. "Wait...could this be soul observation!?" Leah came to a conclusion after watching Elric fight for quite some time. It was not a power of natural senses but an observation using a soul''s perspective! "It seems, he is not just a being that possesses the Ancestral Dragon essence, he also happens to have Fire and Water Elemental authority and a powerful soul that gives him an extraordinary observation ability and an unyielding will. "Arthur! Fargor!" Leah called for the two Dragon Kings. The two quickly replied with a turn of their head. Their faces flushed red from watching their people dying under Elric''s hand every second. As much as they wanted to fight, they might just end up just like their people, and the moment they fall is the same as a loss for their entire race. Right now, having the Dragon Kings or Queen charge forward is the stupidest thing to do against a terrifying foe like Elric. "Whatever it is, it better work this time. Do you know how many Dragons on my side are dead and injured at the moment?" Arthur beckoned angrily towards Leah. "..." Fargor did not utter a single word but the facial expression he is currently making is the same as Arthur. "You are not just the one losing people at the moment! Your Dragons dying is also partly your fault! Now listen to me if we want to end this on our favor." Leah quickly retorted with a cold tone. Arthur and Fargor could only helplessly listen. Among them, they knew that Leah is the smartest one, thus she makes the best strategy among all Dragon Kings. Seeing that Leah finally got the two King Dragon''s attention, she started with a serious tone. "Our members are dying every second and we can''t just stand idly at the back. Let''s be bold and do sacrifices if we must just defeat that abomination." Leah told them. "And what do you suggest?" Arthur coldly replied. "I am willing to cast aside half of my lifespan just to do the forbidden blood spells. Can I get the same effort from you two?" Hearing her suggestion, Arthur drops of sweat suddenly popped out of Arthur''s scaly head. "Are you crazy!? You do know what that means right?! Aren''t you supposed to be the smartest among us? Just what happened to your brain and-" "Losing half of my life span just to receive possible breakthrough to immortality, anyone who knows math should know what that means. But if it''s you, I don''t expect you will understand what that means anyway." Leah mockingly replied with a condescending glare towards Arthur. "That-" With hesitation in his face, Arthur was just about to talk back when he heard the usual silent Fargor talk. A forbidden Dragon blood spell is a wide area spell that would usually bring unbelievable buff effects to her subordinates. Boosting their power and giving her entire race another push to taking down Elric once and for all. The only downside of the forbidden Dragon blood spell is that it would take away lifespan in exchange for using such skill and only the Dragon Kings or Queens can do such spell. "I will do it too. I will give not just fifty percent of lifespan but ninety-five percent instead." Fargor replied immediately. His eyes glaring with an unyielding glare. "Ninety-are-you-kidding-me-five!?" Arthur felt like he just lost his balls from Fargor''s words. They knew how serious and determined the Southern Dragons are, but to willingly brush off almost all his lifespan just for this single opportunity. Has he gone mad? "I expect no less from you Fargor. Unlike that kid-King of the Western Region." Leah smiled towards Fargor. As expected of the Southern Dragon King. He is as determined as ever. "Very well. I will do my part as well, instead of fifty percent, I will do ninety-five as well." Not wanting to back down on this opportunity, Leah added. "You too are getting crazy..." Arthur felt like he was a kid in the middle of an adult stage. As a new Dragon King recently hailed ten years ago in place of his father, there are still plenty of things he needs to learn from the older ones. *** The longer the battle continued, the more bloody mess Elric became. The Southern Dragons may be weak compared to the Western and Northern Dragons in terms of defense and vitality, however, they sure made up to their mistake with terrifying offensive abilities that make even the Dragons of the West and North back down. "This is bad. I need to recover!" Elric is now completely covered in blood. Considering the unceasing offense brought over by the Southern Dragons even his natural Ancestral level healing was not enough to keep up with his stacking injuries. It was only thanks to his quick thinking on using his water elemental healing ability that he still managed to continue fighting, else he would have succumbed long ago! Elric finally realized the danger of continuing his current flight. He needs to do something that will settle everything quickly. Else that battle will continue until he finishes them all, and he is afraid he doesn''t have the stamina to wipe down three Dragon races in one go. If only it was only one race, it may have been possible with his current strength. Unfortunately, the western, northern, and southern Dragon races are in collaborations. There are times that the western Dragons and northern ones would hurl over offensive attacks that aimed to block his movements, cover his vision and even a single millisecond of stopping him is as dangerous him losing his head! From all directions, Elric hacked, block with his wings, claw them into pieces, whipped his long tail, bite and even shoot blue fireballs using his mouth. All kinds of offensive options, Elric did not hesitate to use just to survive. ROOOOOAR!~ The land was raining. Not with water droplets, but blood and body of fallen Dragons. Under Elric''s unyielding determination, he has decided to put an end to the three Dragon races. His eyes are in bloodshot from overexerting, but like a madman, he continued to smile and fought without any hesitation. Elric seems to be enjoying the battle. 179 The King And Queens Sacrifice Under Elric''s flying figure, a mountain of various Dragon corpse continued to pile up. For the Dragons, it was a scene of horror that they would never forget, but for the Dragon hunters, it was a pile of bloody golden loots just waiting for them as long as the battle ends. The Southern Dragons have locked their direction to Elric, thus he needs to start moving soon or he would end up dead meat the longer the fight continued. Then from his peripheral visions, he saw the three Dragon Kings and Queen suddenly started to glow. A powerful gush of colorful aura burst out of their body as blood started to drain out of their scales and dissolves to the air as if becoming fuel to their ever-expanding energy. Quickly, Elric felt extremely uneasy as he watched the three Dragon Kings and Queen exploding into various colorful lights. Curious, Elric immediately immersed himself to the Word Knowledge inside his consciousness, and fortunately it did not fail him. With a quick scan, he finally realized what the three authoritative Dragons were doing and the terrible disadvantaged situation he will suffer the moment they succeded. SWOOOOOSH!~ SLOOSHK!~ SLOOOSHK!~ Not minding his injuries from the raining blows of the Southern Dragons, Elric decisively moved to a safer location when he suddenly heard one of the commanding Dragons beckoned to her subordinates. "He is moving! Now!" Leah''s voice suddenly echoed to every Northern Dragon surrounding her. The Southern Dragons suddenly halted their attacks and started to fly higher to meet up with the rest of the surviving Southern Dragons above. Elric had only managed to barely cover ten meters when he suddenly felt a freezing sensation attacking every inch of his body. His five senses immediately dulled and his muscles froze in unexplainable coldness. In less than a second, he felt like his body was stuck inside an indestructible block of ice! He can''t move at all! Under the lead of Fargor, the Southern Dragons assumed into another spiraling formation, coiling into each other and slowly merging into a gigantic cone with the pointy tip directed towards Elric who was frozen locked near the ground. Then, in the middle of the massive cone, Fargor''s body immersed a dark smoke that seems to cover all the Dragons that were part of the formation. Under this smoke, all the Southern Dragons felt their body solidifying and the blades that were protruding outside are getting even sharper. It was as if they were a single body, they moved according to Fargor''s will, with no regard of what will happen after. They just want to crush Elric into smithereens! ROOOOAR!~ Elric tried his best to resist the ice block that was holding him off, sending his strength to all parts of his body, shaking off the unmoving freezing sensation that is locking him in place to no avail. He also did not forget to use his authority of fire to set himself ablaze but to surprises, the ice prison seems to interfere with his abilities, making it hard for him to conjure his elemental abilities. Unfortunately, it seems like the only way to push out of his ice prison is by brute force, but the Northern Dragons seem to have prepared for it as they all poured out freezing breath in efforts of keeping him at bay. Right now, Elric is literally inside a massive mountain of ice that seems to never stop growing due to the Northern Dragons''s freezing breath. In his fury, Elric''s third eye moved to scan his surroundings hoping to find the Queen Dragon of the north who was capable of doing the whole wide area spell and the ice block that was stopping him. It was only then that he realized that the whole messy land has actually turned into an ice world, except the Dragons under the three Kings and Queen, the whole area was just plainly covered in ice, while the Queen Dragon of the North seems to have moved incredibly far from him and is currently busy channeling her spell. The ground was frozen solid including the trees, the rocks, and the ocean not far from them. The whole land was turned into an ice kingdom in a matter of minutes! With the current condition, the Dragons of the Northern Region, who happens to have a natural affinity to ice and water, started to move faster, their defenses hardening while their offensive abilities have increased to almost double their original power. As a result, the mountain of ice that is currently stopping Elric is now multiple times more resilient than before. Uwaaaaghh~ Hidden far from Elric''s location, more blood started to ooze out of Leah''s body. She was channeling a wide-area spell with ninety-five percent of her lifespan as a cost to turn a massive land into an ice domain to aid the Dragons of the North and freeze Elric on spot. Next, massive pillars of diamond suddenly sprouted out from Elric''s sides, pushing away the mountain of dead frozen Dragons. Then, this massive pillars started to vibrate at insane frequency creating a dizzing sound that would interfere against Elric''s ability to using his Elemental authorities. It serves as an additional blockade to isolate Elric from the rest, blocking his only slim hope of escaping. This large chunk of solid diamond-like rocks continued to lock him down in place with more coming out and sticking to each other, giving Elric a harder time to move and think. It was one of the forbidden spells done by Arthur, the King Dragon of the West. No matter how hard Elric tried to struggle away, he can''t seem to move his body at all! "I really hate to do this, but I don''t want to lose from those two." With unwillingness to his face, Arthur started to push out blood from all over his scales as well, burning it into fuel to do the next part of his spell, buffing up his subordinates. The yellowish light created steam that expanded to the air; like guided snakes, the yellowish light entered the bodies of all the surviving Western Dragons in the area, sending them into a restless cry of agony. Then all the Western Dragons that are still alive started to shed their scales, with their bodies shaking, blood started to spurt out of their exposed skin and a new layer of black scales grew in place at a visible rate! All the Dragons are transforming from their normal colorful scales into black ones! Each and every single Western Dragon suddenly lost their golden yellow scales and were replaced with a black shimmering scale. A scale that reflected a metallic sheen and formidable defense. It is now safe to say that they are not just rock lizards but are now Metal Dragons! The Western Dragon race are known to have an exceptional defense among all the Dragon races. But with their newfound transformation, thanks to Arthur''s forbidden blood spell, not only did they became incredibly stronger, their defense is now basically strong enough to withstand against Elric''s blue fire! "Sister, what should we do!?" Long could not help anymore but panic as he watched Elric being locked down while their enemies are getting stronger. "How did they became that strong suddenly? I just don''t understand." He added. "I heard from father about a certain forbidden spell that only the King and Queen Dragons could use if I am not wrong, using this forbidden spell requires the blood and lifespan sacrifice from the King or Queen Dragon," Leah explained with a frown in her face. Her eyes are locked at Elric''s direction with anxious eyes. "So basically, those Kings and Queen are burning their lives just to defeat that Dragon?" Long replied with an unbelieving face. Leah nodded in confirmation and added, "With their life energy as a sacrifice, they will have access to ultimate spells that would greatly boost the Dragons under them and powerful spells that are normally not achievable by normal Dragon Kings and Queens. Normally, it is a last resort spell used in a large scale race war. But the fact that they are using it against him..." "They are now fully committed to bring him down no matter the cost..." Long now realized the severity of the situation. With Elric as their last hope of surviving, they are basically as good as dead the moment Elric dies. All the years of their struggle, he always thought that he would be that one who will take down the Black Dragon that caused the destruction of his race. But to think that it would actually take three whole Dragon races just to defeat the crazy bastard, he never felt so dumb of his himself as before! The effect of the forbidden blood spell is now in effect. With the sacrifices of the three King Dragons and Queen Dragon, they are now doing their final attack. The Northern and Western Dragons are holding Elric in place while the southern Dragons have made their biggest weapon ever just to deal with Elric. With both lives at risk in these final blows, only the results will tell. ROOOOAR!~ Elric struggled hard to no avail, he could see the gigantic cone made of black Dragons of the Southern Region, the massive cone started to spin with wild screeches and had finally moved at a terrifying acceleration towards him! 180 Window Of Opportunity The world was constantly shaking. Elric felt like he was being quizzed between five unmoving gigantic rocks, not to mention, his mind is constant disarray due to the dizzying sounds created by the vibrating pillars, messing up his ability to conjure his elemental and soul abilities. ZUZUZUZUZUHHH~ Like a compact gigantic metal, the cone formation formed by thousands of Southern Dragons was inching closer and closer building up with overwhelming might and weight generated that left Elric with chills running down to every part of his body. Elric knew, judging from its sheer size, speed, and solidity; he would be pierced and squashed into smithereens once these terrifying attacks reached him. Punching a hole towards the earth''s core could even be possible with the amount of momentum it has generated so far. But what could he do? Should he fully unleash the power of the Ancestral Dragon essence and go on a rampage again? Should he risk the whole world a second time just so he can survive? Elric''s mind and soul might have grown stronger than before, but he knew himself well that it is still not enough to fight the corruption again. Especially that the last will of his great ancestor Lapu-Lapu has been undone, he has no more ace sleeping in his sleeve that would save him from the corruption''s power this time! The farthest he could push himself is using only about forty percent of the total power of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence. Overusing the power and pushing himself farther would easily spark the corruption''s attack and he could not help but fear it especially this time that his mind and soul are being messed up by the diamond pillars! ZUZUZUZUZUHHH~ "Darn it!" Elric, like a paralyzed Dragon frozen inside the middle of a mountain of ice, could not help but curse at himself. The cone was still falling around ten kilometers above his head but he could already feel the push of the gravity locking him further with the incoming massive attack! As if the earth itself is preparing for the terrifying impact about to shake the earth''s mantle! Moments ago, he was too confident with his strength and abilities that the Dragon King and Queens manage to take him off guard. Now he could only accept his fate of getting punctured to bits by the incoming gigantic cone! *** "Sister, we should help him! We can''t just let them suffer alone!" Inside the bright barrier far away from Elric''s location, Long could not stand watching their last hope about to be executed before them. With anxious eyes, his long and beautiful Eastern Dragon body was just about to move away from his position when Lesse''s flexible tails managed to grab a hold of her little brother''s body. "Don''t be stupid! Focus your eyes on the surroundings and understand why we should not move out of our protective formation!" Lesse scolded. Upon hearing his sister''s reply, Long immediately focused his senses towards their surrounding, only then did he understand what Lesse''s words meant for. About hundreds of hidden Dragons from the different regions are expertly blended in their surroundings, their temperatures imitating their spot and like ninjas, they are incredibly silent as well. Not to mention, they were all at an Elder Dragon''s level, with fangs and eyes locked in their target''s direction. The hundreds of hidden Dragons are in a tight formation surrounding their defensive barrier from all directions. Under the command of the Leah, they were patiently holding themselves and their urges to fight Elric. Their eyes fixed to the next objective - the eastern Dragon''s and the old woman they are protecting. If only it was Lesse alone maintaining the defensive barrier, they might have forced their way inside with their sheer number, but with another King Dragon level keeping up the shield, they are afraid they have to wait for an opportunity to push in. And sensing the Long was moving and was just about to move, their muscles started to bulge instinctively waiting for the final signal to push through. Unfortunately, Lesse managed to stop her brother and so they have no choice but to keep lying in wait. Knowing that he was just inching closer to putting themselves in danger, huge drops of sweat popped out of Long''s scaly head. "I-I am sorry. I was too preoccupied with thinking what to do that I fail to notice them creeping in camouflage outside." Long apologetically mumbled. He now understands more why Elric told them to maintain the defensive barrier! It turns out it wasn''t just to protect the old woman with them, but also to save themselves from the hidden bastard lizards! Lesse did not bother replying to Long''s mumble and instead, she took a deep breath in contamination. She too could feel the sudden changes in the gravity that is weighing down everyone. It was part of the Southern Dragon King''s special ability through the forbidden blood spells, the ability to control the gravitational force according to his will! By paying ninety-five percent of his life span, temporary control of gravity to aid his next attack is basically an overkill already. But just to make sure that his attack will succeed, he must do what he can and bring an end to this stretching battle! As the massive cone was inching closer to the ground, a powerful magnetic force is starting to magnify the gravitational pull. Everyone could feel their feet and tails starting to push deeper to the ground as their weight changes at an unexpected rate. Obviously, it means that everyone in the whole area is affected by the sudden changes and even moving is extremely hard at the moment! A glint of hope flashed through Lesse''s eyes, "I have an idea." she quietly said to the curious anxious Long. "I don''t have much time to explain so I will only say it once and we can only do this once. Now listen..." *** There are now only about ten seconds before the impact. Everything that surrounded Elric felt like extremely heavy rocks. With the push of the extremely strong gravity, the ice below him had been crushed while his massive Dragon body was forced to be lying helplessly and openly in the ground. Like a chicken waiting for the butcher, he never felt so pathetic in his life ever since becoming a Dragon before. His eyes could see what used to be a pitch-black small dot from the sky growing into a massive piece of sharp cone coming his way. With his eyes closed, Elric started mumbling his last prayers. He also did not forget to try and contact Lesse and Long to run away if they could find the opportunity. Unfortunately, the massive diamond pillars surrounding him continued to interfere with his thoughts and abilities. At least, they should escape with his grandma''s body! Right now, he could only trust in his body''s natural ability to survive this ordeal! Five seconds before the impact, Lesse''s massive left arm is clutching granny Kahayag''s unconscious figure. Their eyes are locked at the falling cone, the gravity strengthening at a tremendous pace pushing everyone on their feet. "Now!" Lesse''s voice suddenly echoed in Long''s head. Two laser-focused fire were being spewed out from both of Long and Lesse''s mouth. It was a sudden attack that caught the surrounding Dragons hidden nearby, some are instantly scorched to death while others managed to react on time and managed to survive the two Eastern Dragon King and Queen''s attack. Nevertheless, most of the ambushers are disabled or killed on the spot. There were only few left with injuries and still have chance to fight back. BWOOOOOMMMM!~ BWOOOOMMMMM!~ Without wasting a single milisecond, both Long and Lesse''s body suddenly exploded in brilliant red and green glow. Their massive figures suddenly shrank back into their human form with Long expertly catching granny''s body; and with smaller bodies, their resistance against the gravitational pull has lightened. Long and Lesse''s body exploded into a blur. They have already left the are and all these happened in a single second! "This.." "What are they-" "Wait! They are-" Before the barely alive creeping ambushers could even react, Lesse and Long''s figure had already disappeared from their location. "CATCH THEM YOU FOOLS!~" Leah''s voice swiftly followed through with a bone-chilling threat. "CATCH THEM OR I WILL FREEZE YOU TO YOUR VERY SOUL YOU USELESS PIECE OF LIZARDS!" Leah''s angry voice echoed to the few surviving ambusher''s heads. Unfortunately for them, the timing was just perfect. The intense gravity was not letting them move as fast as usual. With only an Elder Dragon''s strength, they are like a newborn baby trying to chase an Olympic athlete at this rate! With granny''s body on Long''s back, the two last Eastern Dragons left behind hip-deep tracks in the frozen ground due to the overwhelming gravity. Fortunately, they were not the same as the normal humans as before; with the King and Queen Dragon''s strength pumping their muscles, they could still easily move even if their weight is multiplied a hundred times! ZWOOOSH~ ZWOOOSH~ Knowing that it is their life that is at stake in this rush, both of them did not dare to reserve any strength and speed. In less than three seconds, Lesse and Long managed to cover almost two kilometers of distance, safely moving out from the intense gravitational range and the frozen land. Then, without a single moment of relaxation, they transformed back to their Eastern Dragon form, activating their natural stealth ability, and dashed to a certain direction like a panicking snake - leaving the rest of the Dragons of other regions in helpless guess. "Please survive." Lesse mumbled as her long and beautiful Eastern Dragon figure completely disappeared on the horizon. One second before the impact. Elric''s eyes finally opened from his short prayer. His eyes were clear and a smile crept in his face. A little turtle head appeared in a minuscule interdimensional portal, followed by a cute voice that can be heard beside his head. "Missed me Hugon kid?" 181 One Down ZUGZUGZUG!~ All the Southern Dragons that had become a part of the gigantic cone were basically as hard as the strongest steel thanks to the buff given to them by Fargor''s unholy spell. And just went they were about to touch the ground and put a massive hole in Elric''s massive figure, something unexpected suddenly sprouted from Elric''s side. *** Leah watched Elric excitedly as the latter laid idly inside the mountain of ice that was about to be punctured by the massive cone formation of the Southern Dragons. As such, she was anticipating the loud crashing sound that would also represent their victory. But what she heard and saw next was something out of her expectation. BOOOOOOONNNNK!~ An unexpected defeaning sound of metal banging can be heard across the land as the cone formation landed. Unfortunately, the massive cone that was supposed to punch Elric down to the earth suddenly met an unexpected obstruction in the form of a gigantic turtle. Dash cute little figure exploded into its gigantic form, breaking down the ice barriers that were holding Elric down and pushing aside the diamond pillars that were obstructing Elric''s power. "Leave this little thorn to me!" Dash proudly beckoned as he continued to increase his size to an insane size. Using his shell, he singlehandedly stopped the cone from creating a massive hole to Elric''s gigantic Dragon body. Seeing this, Leah frowned slightly before switching back with a confident smile. "Fools." She scoffed. "AAGHK!!~ HEEELP!~HUGON KID!" Unfortunately, Dash only managed to hold the gigantic cone for a second before its full momentum finally sank in. CRAAAASH!~ Dash''s body was instantly planted back hard to the ground as the cone crashed at its massive back trying its best to puncture a hole on his gigantic shell. Fortunately, his turtle shell seems to have gone an unexpected upgrade considering its impenetrable defense. However, it was not strong enough to deflect the cone formation on track. Not to mention, his total weight caused him an unexpected shock with the sudden shift of insane gravity pulling on his massive size! Dash could barely move from the spot at all! "My bad~" Dash mumbled awkwardly, as his shell pushed Elric down like a massive turtle on top of a tiny winged lizard. Elric wanted to move away, but as the cone continued to crash hard while spinning on top of the giant turtle''s, he was still stuck at the bottom of the two! Fortunately, the diamond pillar formation had been disturbed by Dash, giving Elric as a small window to breath and think properly. Without hesitation, he shrank back to his human form and took slipped out between the tight gaps under Dash''s massive body. "FIX THE SILENCING PILLARS!" Leah''s voice echoed loudly at Arthur''s head. "I KNOW! DONT TELL ME WHAT TO DO. FREEZE THEM PROPERLY! THEY ARE ABOUT TO ESCAPE!" Arthur beckoned back. With a pale face from his blood sacrifice, Arthur pushed himself harder as he refocused on the silencing pillars he summoned. WOOOOONG~ Under Arthur''s power, the scattered diamond pillars swiftly moved back to their original position, instantly voiding Elric and Dash''s ability to use their elemental powers again. Even his transformation skills were instantly blocked! ZUGZUGZUG!~ AGGGGH!!~ In less than two seconds, bloodied cracks are starting to appear at the top of Dash''s turtle shell. The cone brought with it an unimaginable power that, if given enough time, could pierce Dash to bits. Seeing his savior now in his place, Elric was just about to transform back to his Dragon form when he realizes his transformation skills are locked again by the silencing diamond pillars. AAAGHHHH!~ Dash cried in agony as he was helplessly being drilled down by the massive cone formation of the Southern Dragons. The cracks in his shells are starting to expand and Elric felt so powerless without his Dragon skill. "Darn it!" Elric cursed as he tried his best to focus and give Dash the healing fire. Unfortunately, the unceasing vibrations from the diamond pillars continued to send painful reverberations to his body and mind that was messing up with his concentration. "Hurry! I am dying her Hugon kid!" Dash bellowed with weakening energy. "HAHAHAHA! Just die a fool! An elemental like you should have just remained in your own ugly land. Now that you are messing with us, don''t expect any mercy!" Leah laughed sinisterly as she watched blood started to ooze out of the cracking shell of Dash. Elric saw the bloody situation of his friend, the Lord of the Water Elemental realm came out straight from the dimensional portal just to help him in the final moment. He could not afford to lose him! "Hold on!" Elric suddenly turned around and sprinted out of the frozen mountain. Using his brute force, he pushed himself out of the frozen surroundings despite the constant barrage of freezing breath from the Northern Dragon, the dizzying vibrations from the diamond pillars, and the insane gravitational pull brought by the cone formation. But with his trusted friend on the light who was willing to sacrifice for himself, Elric has never been as determined as before. AAAAGGGGH!~ Dash''s agonizing cry echoed in his ears. Hearing it, Elric''s eyes burned with flaming resolve. His movements resisting the terrible pull of gravity and the disturbance in his surroundings. He left behind deep tracks in the frozen ground. "I will wipe you all." Seeing Elric, suddenly moving away from the turtle, Leah could not help but smile in mockery. "Can he even move past the diamond pillars with such a small human body? Stupid!" But the next moment, Leah''s Dragon eyes dilated as she suddenly lost track of Elric. Half a second later, a loud crashing sound exploded out from one of the diamond pillars. CRRAAAASH!~ BOOOOOOM!~ "Impossible!" Arthur was taken aback after witnessing Elric overcoming the paralyzing force against him. One of Elric''s hand had been completely messed up to pieces due to the overwhelming punch he had just landed to break the diamond pillar formation. As a result, one of the massive diamond pillars had been broken into two and created a gap between the circling pillars, causing the silencing pillar formation to lose a little bit of its effect. Elric was still covered in blood after doing so, but thanks to his natural healing ability, his body is starting to heal itself back at a very obvious rate! Without waiting for his other hand to heal, Elric, with his supernatural Ancestral Dragon strength, raised up the broken pillar with one arm. Elric pointed the sharp end of the broken diamond pillar towards Arthur''s direction, his eyes full of murderous gaze. Hurriedly, Arthur closed his eyes to concentrate and tried to summon another diamond pillar to mend up the failing silencing formation; when suddenly, he heard Leah shouting to him. "Watch out!" Leah hurriedly anxious voice ringed to Arthur''s head. He instinctively looked at Elric''s direction and that''s when he realized that the last broken pillar was actually flying towards his direction at insane speed! KSSSIOOOOOK!~ Before Arthur could even think, the pillar was already planted to his head! And unfortunately for him, it did not just stop there. Considering that he was facing Elric with his whole massive Western Dragon body lying on the ground, the long broken pillar continued to pierce straight to his body, instantly barbecuing him like a whole chicken! Arthur''s massive eastern Dragon body suddenly collapsed from the unexpected brutal spear of Elric. He had never expected that the proud and strong diamond pillars he used to silence Elric''s power will actually be used as a tool to kill him in the most inhumane way. Leah, Fargor, and the rest of the enemy Dragons in the surroundings watched Arthur''s death with gaping mouth and chills running down their thorny spines. There are also those hidden watchers who could not help but piss a little. Elric did not waste any single millisecond. Now that the host of the silencing diamond pillars are gone, they were now nothing but a piece of expensive rocks. Aside from the overwhelming gravity and cold, Elric''s elemental and soul powers started to surge flawlessly to every inch of his body like a water damn finally unleashed. BOOOOOOOOM!~ ROOOOOOOOAR!~ With the most annoying chain removed, Elric transformed back to his massive Dragon form, immediately took a deep breath and unleashed a concentrated Dragon breath straight towards the massive cone formation! Unlike the usually massive and furious torrent of fire that Dragons spew, Elric''s blue fire is now one of the most concentrated fire ever. Instead of looking like a bright wildfire, Elric''s current Dragon breath appeared more like a blazing lazer blade fizzing out of his open maw. "NO!~" Leah saw what Elric was about to do, she tried to cast more of her restricting frozen prison but to no avail, without the help of the silencing diamond pillars, her powers were nothing but snowflakes against a flaming hot metal that is Elric! 182 All Down Leah watched everything happened in less than five seconds. And in those five seconds, all her plans have collapsed, their formation broken and her people scrambling from fear. Not to mention, Leah has already spent the majority of her life energy trying to maintain the freezing formation on the land that boosted her subordinate''s power! Right now, with the strength she possesses, she is only a tad stronger than an Elder Dragon. The cone formation was a tight and solid one. Together with the forbidden spells of blood sacrifice, Fargor managed to fortify the formation to be stronger than the hardest metal. Unfortunately, fire is still the ultimate weakness of all metals. Especially if it is a hot blue concentrated pure fire that is enchanted with Elric''s spiritual energy! "Shit! Disperse!" Fargor saw the lazer-like flame coming his way. It was a solid focused lazer fire that brought forth a terrifying power and heat - ready to scorch him to his very soul. Unfortunately, he was in the middle of the cone formation and it would take a lot of time for him to free himself. Right now, he was basically trapped inside the massive cone, and just like what happened to Arthur, his own weapon is currently being used against him. POOOOOOOOOOOHM!~ A lazer solid fire effortlessly punctured through the center of the solid and massive cone formation. Dash was just about to finally gave up to the call of death when the drilling pain at the top of his shell suddenly vanished. AUECKCK~ Fargor''s body was the center of Elric''s lazer like breath attack. With him now scorched into black dust, the cone formation was basically now just a clumped pile of Southern Dragons. And like chains being broken, their tight and solid Dragon cone formation was shattered from the middle. Without the support of Fargor''s blood spell that helped in maintaining the formation, the Southern Dragons felt a painful backslash from every part of their body. One must know that the moment the Southern Dragon became part of the solid cone formation, they had basically become just like a solid brick glued with everyone else. The moment the glue was removed, they were basically a clump of bricks about to crash against each other under the middle of powerful gravitational pull! And like dizzy black crows, they all tried their best to regain their posture back and try to survive. Unfortunately, Elric had already set his eyes on them. Elric''s eyes glared without any mercy. With his face locked at the bustling Southern Dragons above Dash''s massive shell, his open mouth suddenly stretched wider and unleashed the real scope and density of his Dragon breath. FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHM!~ As wide as his eyes can see, all the Souther Dragons that were part of the cone formation before him was now subject to his merciless blue fire. AAHHHHKK!~ BRRGGGAAAAAHK! ROOOOAR!~ UWWWEKKK!~ KHAAAAAA!~ ROOOOOOAR!~ "Nooo!" Leah watched everything in horror. Her big dragon eyes were shaking in fear and anxiety as she watched thousands of the Southern Dragon being melted by the violent blue fire. From the distance, the intense blue light razed mercilessly from on the thousands of Southern Dragons, as if creating a mini blue sun using them as fuel! Blue light reflected in Leah and all the surviving Dragons nearby. Just like that, Elric wiped the Dragons of the Southern Region off the face of the earth with a single savage Dragon breath with the power of the Ancestral Dragon backing him. The lucky survivors could only be counted by hands and are basically considered as a race under the threat of extinction. The Western Dragon who have became metal Dragons and was supposed to be the finisher after the cone attack had basically become useless the moment their King Dragon was killed in one shot. Slowly, their feet are shaking with their tails in between their legs as they turned around - ready to flee! While Leah and her people stood frozen as they watched the mini blue sun bloom in the scorching heat, Elric has finally halted his attack as well. From the sheer heat that was emitted by his last dragon breath, the ice that was clumping together in his area had basically melted away. Without any hesitation, he transformed back to his human form, touched Dash''s brutally wounded body, and chanted his healing spell. Under Elric''s authority of Water, the forming river that came from the melted ice started to move. And like a living snail, it proceeded to cover Dash''s body. These water shone in the refreshing green light, washing over the oozing wounds, mending the cracked shells, and bringing back the fading vitality in Dash''s beady eyes. "Thank you, my friend. And don''t worry. Everything is gonna be okay now..." Elric whispered with a gentle smile to the giant turtle that saved his life. Dash replied with a faint nod. He was too weak to reply, nevertheless, Elric got his message and he could finally breathe. Then, Elric turned around to face the congregation of Northern Dragons from the distance. RUN! FWOOOSH~ SWOOOSH!~ SWFOOOOSH~ GET OUT OF MY WAY!~ ROOOOAR! BWAAAH!~ GROAAGHK!~ AAHKK! BWAAAHG!~ The moment Elric''s eyes switched from friendly to murderous look, all of the surviving white, yellow, and bluish Dragons of the Northern and Western Region felt their soul jumping out of their icy body. ZWOOOSH!~ ZWOOOSH!~ZWOOOSH!~ BWWAAAAH~ *Freeze "Move! Get out of my way!" Leah, with her superior body as a Dragon Queen and despite almost depleting her life span, left behind trails of afterimages after her as she rapidly flapped her slender wings in hope of escaping the mad Dragon coming. Without minding her people that she bumped into, she knew that she is as good as a melted ice Dragon the moment Elric catches her. So without reservation to her pride, conscience, and her subordinates, she would stomp, bite, and even freeze to death anyone who would try to stop her from fleeing. Meanwhile, Elric suddenly closed his eyes. With his focus now transferred to his spiritual senses, the entire area was presented in his mind like a map. He could see the thousands of dead Dragon''s soul scattered like grains of sand, all looking like tiny pail fire just waiting to be extinguished by time. But they are not Elric''s target. Not anymore. What he is interested is his grandma''s body and the two Eastern Dragons that fleed the area. Elric''s spiritual vision expanded like a wide area scanner. He was looking for traces of Lesse and Long''s energy to give him a clue of where they left. Elric can deal with the fleeing Northern Dragon later, right now, he must remain calm and do his priority - his grandma and the Eastern Dragon''s safety. "I will take care of you Northern Dragons after I secure those siblings first and my grandma first," Elric mumbled as he heightened up his spiritual focus. And finally, in less than a minute, Elric finally found a trace of Lesse and Long''s energy going in the east direction. "Go small. We have some kids to save." Elric told Dash that seems to be enjoying the benefit of healing water. Although he as well as the healing ability, Elric''s soul-cleansing pearl enchanted water was almost three times more effective than his own healing water spell. Obeying Elric''s command, the giant turtle swiftly transformed back to its pocket-size version and adorably crawled to Elric''s side. The latter quickly grabbed him and left the area in blurring speed. "Hah! I knew it! He is scared! I dare him to come to our land and I will crush him! Just wait! Once I recover my strength..." Without minding her people being left behind, Leah arrogantly laughed as she is the only one among the three Dragon Kings that managed to survive Elric''s madness. Although she hates to admit it, her heart is currently feeling incredibly disappointed and angry. They only came to hunt the last two Eastern Dragons and finally get to take over the Eastern Region, who would have thought that it was them who was almost wiped out instead, thanks to that mad Dragon with an overpowered legacy in his maw? "Once I recover my strength and take over the surviving Dragons, I will get back on him and since I already knew what he is truly capable of, I will make sure to plan better next time. Also, I must have that old woman that those two Eastern Dragons are protecting, he seems to be very protective of it. If only..." What she never expected, with her loud scoffing and laughing, is that Elric could actually still faintly hear her despite the long-distance she had covered already. Elric, on the other, heard suddenly stopped his sprinting towards the eastern region and slowly turned to the northern region. "You never learn huh..." Elric took a couple of breaths to rest before he suddenly revealed a cold and murderous look. WINGS OF FIRE! Beautiful fiery wings that span over ten meters across blazed radiantly behind Elric. Then, with a swift and forceful flaps, he reached a height of more than a thousand meters in less than ten seconds. The cloud was clear and it was cold above. He could see the wide curve of the horizon from the distance. He turned around in the northern direction with cold eyes locked in a certain direction. Then his arm muscles started to bulge at an incredible rate, his wings flapped to steady his balance, and a powerful surge of blue flame started to gather in his palm. SPEAR OF FIRE!~ 183 Fall Of The Dragons SSHHEEEESH~ The fleeing Dragons that Leah passed by where all frozen by her natural freezing aura. Even some of the surviving Elder Dragons of the north that is supposed to be one of those with incredible ice resistance were not spared from her overwhelming freezing spell. All of it was in hope that they became obstruction for the chasing Elric. As ruthless and brutal as Leah the Queen Dragon of the North, is, what matters for her the most is not her people but herself. She firmly believes that as long as she could survive, with her outstanding intelligence, she will be able to find a way in extending her life further using the countless treasures she possesses back at her kingdom. And right now, Leah could finally the body of seawater that is actually an entrance to a secret deep underwater cave that should protect her from Elric''s detection. The moment she touches the water, her natural speed and regeneration ability would obviously spike higher, giving her more chance of getting her out of these wretched battle. "I can see it! The water! The cave! I will survive! Hahahahaah!~" Leah''s slim and flexible semi-western Dragon body exploded into a blur, reaching its maximum speed on land, leaving behind trails of frozen ground, and shattered buildings or trees. The rest of her people are mercilessly left behind as blockages or lure to hopefully make Elric busy and stop chasing her as well. SHEEECK~ "That b*tch" "Agghk! I can''t move! I can''t move!" SHEEECK~ "Sh*t! I''m gonna die!" "Help me! I am stuck here! Why is she doing these to us?! Aren''t we on the same side?" Thousands of Dragons including her own subordinates were still being frozen still as long as they were on the reach of Leah''s merciless freezing aura. The latter on the other hand just continued to laugh, believing her survival is basically secured considering that no signs of Elric can be seen in her sight! "I can make it! Hahaha! I am alive~ I am alive!~ the Queen Dragon of the North~ I am alive~" Leah, with her cheerful mood, was just a few meters away from reaching the body of water when suddenly she felt a chilling sensation of terrible danger. SHOOOOOOOSH~ Instinctively, Leah raised her head to look above, and out of nowhere, a flash of bright spear suddenly assaulted her sight. But before she could even react, her body felt a stabbing pain that scorched her body into unbearable pain. AAAAAAGHK!~ Leah''s body was forced to skid forcefully on the ground as a long and bright flaming spear perfectly landed on her back, just in between her wings, instantly disabling her whole body while also igniting her entire figure like a skewed burning ice Dragon. The spear did not kill Leah right away, it took a few more painful seconds before the spear finally completely devoured the Queen Dragon''s body like a thin piece of paper reacting to blow torch. "No!~ AAAGH!~ NO! NO! NOOO~AAAGGGGGGHK~" With her last wriggling struggle, Leah could only end up touching the body of water in a form of scorched ash - the not-so-wise-anymore-Queen Dragon of North has been killed in one long-distance spear shot. What made Elric''s attack deadly, was not just because it was based in a fire element that perfectly counters an ice Dragon. It was the soul intent that Elric infused in the Spear of Fire that allowed it to act as a homing ability to accurately hit the fleeing Queen Dragon. In other words, she has no way of escaping the spear as Elric has already locked to her soul! There is the real power of the Dragon-Elemental-Spiritual hybrid. And the more Elric learns more about his true ability, the scarier and overpowered he becomes. Right now, only time can tell what level he could reach before he overcomes the whole Ancestral Dragon''s essence. All the few remaining Dragons watched in utter horror as they witnessed Elric''s true level of power. It turns out, the latter was preserving his strength from the start! Their eyes could not believe how a single flaming spear manages to catch one of the fastest and smartest Dragons of the world! What was worst is the fact that she did not die a quick death! The scorching pain she felt, the agonizing cry she bellowed as she wriggled at the ground like a worm being pierced by a stick. The slow process of melting her entire ice Dragon body like melting ice cream before a furious torchlight. Leah''s death can be considered as the most painful one amongst all the Dragon Kings today. All the Dragons have never felt this disoriented and down before. They were a race known for their strength, power, and legend. The one at the pinnacle of the food cycle. A feared existence among all creatures. And for their whole race to be done by a single overpowered Dragon with crazy Elemental and Spiritual abilities. Who would have thought that the reason for their entire extinction is a single human who was not even a real Dragon in the first place! The sky turned gray. The roar of the Dragons is gone. Thousands of Dragon corpse scattered in disfigured and charcoaled state. The once-proud race of legendary Dragons literally vanished in the face of the earth, not daring to show a single scale that would reveal themselves from Elric. Afraid of losing their lives, they all accepted defeat by fleeing away with their tails in between their knees from the land they thought they would claim by the end of the day. What turns out to be a hunting ground of two Eastern Dragons had become their unexpected burial. Truly it was a day all the few remaining Dragons in the world will never forget. The King Dragon of the West was killed by his own silencing Diamond Pillar, the King Dragon of the South was torched by a lazer-like fire, while the Queen Dragon of the North was pierced by a ruthless Spear of Flame. The so-called Kings and Queens are gone in the hand of a single man. It was a mark of their fall. And without their King and Queen Dragons, all the Dragons from the different regions had lost their initial bulging pride. In the face of the ultimate hunter, they felt like they were lost sheep in the eyes of a gigantic eagle. They hid in deep water caves, wide forests, and abandoned lands. All in the hope of escaping Elric''s deadly gaze. The Dragons have never felt these scared before! And finally, they knew how it feels to be in constant fear. The feeling of being hopeless prey was a feeling they never expected to experience in their entire life! The world was changing. Elric, after unleashing a single spear to finish the Queen Dragon of the North, did not bother chasing the fleeing Dragons anymore. The wound in their overbearing Dragon pride is enough to teach them a lesson never to touch him and show their faces from him ever again. Or else, they would experience a brutal death of who knows what method this time. While all the Dragons panicked on their way of fleeing, Elric had already left the high altitude to find the two remaining Eastern Dragons who happens to be holding his grandma. By swiftly scanning the sky in his Wings of Flame, Elric left behind a trail of blazing fire as he traced the faint spiritual energy tracks clues of Lesse and Long. And for some reason, Elric felt incredibly uneasy. "Hugon Kid, I could sense something that is not right." Dash, in his small cute little version suddenly popped out of Elric''s little side pocket. "I know, I could feel it too," Elric replied. For some reason, he could feel an unexpected familiar aura ahead. It did not take long for Elric and Dash to reach the edge of the vast barrier that was keeping the innocent land from the destruction of their battle. "Wait... This is..." Elric could see traces of another battle. Parts of wrecked advance ships of the Arkhan and Guardians can be found scattered from here to there. Smoke, sprouting from one mountain to another. "Those are black Arkhan ships, while those white once are from the Guardians who are responsible for protecting the innocent humans and covering up the mess left behind as well." And the more Elric traveled, the more he could see ravaged towns being turned into dust. "What is happening here..." Elric frowned upon passing through several towns that are no longer as peaceful and beautiful as it was. And the more Elric traveled, the more destruction he could see. However, Elric could not be bothered to do anything to help anyone right now. His priority is to find the two fleeing Eastern Dragon siblings. He could not help but feeling a looming danger just waiting ahead. But how could he back down now that he had basically become insanely strong? "Hugon Kid.. Can you feel it? It is getting close!" The little turtle finally jumped out of Elric''s pocket and transformed into a human-sized version. Dash''s eyes are locked in a certain direction, uneasiness is clear in its beady eyes. "This.. an Elemental Lord''s aura!? But who could it be?" Dash, as a Lord is quite sensitive to his fellow Elemental Lords. The only thing is that it was an aura he had never seen before. "I know this aura..." Elric could not help but frown as well. "It is a Lord and a Dragon''s aura?" Elric unhesitantly unleashed his Sword of Flame. Eyes are serious and stood ready to counter anytime. KSSSK~KSSK!~KSSK~ From the distance, Elric and Dash could see bright sparks that left behind booming thunder in its path. And it was getting close very fast towards their direction! 184 Lord Of The Lightning Realm "Hugon kid, leave now." Sensing the mysterious Elemental Lord''s aura inching closer every second, Dash finally decided to step in knowing that Elric''s priority right now is to find those two. Elric felt a headache. As if the world hates him, one enemy after another keeps popping out. What is really happening!? As much as Dash wanted to go with Elric, he had no choice but to volunteer this time. Especially that the incoming entity possessed the same Lord energy as him, he should be able to give it a fair fight if necessary. "Take care and thank you, Dash. I have to go now." Elric did not hesitate to accept Dash''s offer. He had been feeling incredibly uneasy for a while. A bad premonition is shouting to his instinct. Dash nodded in response as Elric continued moving, leaving behind the trusted friend to stop the incoming figure. SWOOOOOSH~ Elric left behind a long fiery trail as he flew across towns after towns. He could see burning houses and demolished buildings here and there. Bloody scenes welcomed him as dying people can be seen lying on the roads. Police and military personnel can be seen doing operations, seemingly on alert of something dangerous. Fast ambulances are wailing from the distance as they brought with it wounded innocent people. "Just what really happened here. I was too isolated because of the barrier and I couldn''t hear a thing from the outside." As it turns out, there was another war on going from the other side of the barrier. Elric''s sensitive ears could capture a lot of information even from his current distance. Using the clues of the people''s loud cries and bellowing, clues were quickly connected. It did not take long for him to finally understood what happened. "Arkhans..." Elric mumbled as his eyes burned with hatred. "I guess I should wipe your race too..." Elric added with a cold voice. It seems like the Arkhans decided to bring the fight against the Guardians on the ground, risking the lives of the innocent humans along the way. Based on the descriptions from the ordinary human''s chatter, there suddenly appeared about hundreds of advance-looking spaceships that were being chased by another group of smaller spaceships. Elric identified the pursuers as the Guardian''s special jets and they were mercilessly shooting down hundreds of fleeing bigger Arkhan ships. The Guardian advance ships were very small but they possess firepower that could take down Arkhan ships about five times bigger than theirs. The Arkhans finally decided to play the dirty game by bringing the fight in public eyes and even endangering the ordinary human lives knowing that the Guardians would not dare to harm the ordinary humans. And with the advantage on the Arkhan''s side, they wreaked on a wild rampage against the ordinary humans to force the Guardians to switch focus on defensive strategy trying to protect the innocent humans. The human was still in shock and eyes on utter disbelief could still be seen in their paranoid faces. It was a battle that shocked the humans, bringing forth an unexpected national emergency which is the reason he could see the armies being dispatched. Unfortunately, normal human weapons are merely tickling tools against advanced Arkhans. But aside from the messy traces of the battle. What Elric was worried about is the more obvious traces of Lesse and Long nearby! Elric was just about to burst far when he suddenly felt another dangerous aura coming from another direction. His instinct crying loudly of danger and Elric immediately heightened his senses. "This-" KRAAAAKAABOOOOM!~ And the next thing Elric knew, he was already deeply planted on the ground. Lying on a deep crater caused by an unexpected powerful lightning attack. Thank''s to Elric''s insane healing ability, it only took him a single second to recover back. His eyes were glaring with murderous intent towards a certain direction. A mysterious man finally revealed himself from the shadows as if a waiting bystander. The man''s fingers were still smoking from the last attack. His eyes covered in black shadow and a Dragon''s eye could be seen barely covered by his long hair. It was a black man with overwhelming killing intent. His eyes showed no signs of fearing Elric at all. "Long time no see mad Dragon from ten years ago. Did you enjoy your little showtime?" The mysterious black man said as he slowly revealed his hand transforming to a long black scythe. "Name''s Forgar by the way. I hope you can still remember me." The next moment, the man''s hand started to explode into a furious lightning spark. "Because it will be the name of the strongest Elemental Dragon who put a stop in your legend." Seeing this, Elric could not help but frown in surprise. It was a Dragon with lightning Elemental ability! *** Back at Dash''s location, the entire place that the turtle is now an utter mess. The town that used to bustle with thousands of people had become a desolate land due to the unexpected happenings. The merciless attacks of the Arkhan ships made all the human to run to their underground hideouts or to protection shelters hoping to survive the current situation. And to make it worst, loud rumblings of thunderbolts could be heard rampaging the entire towns. As if there were two gods fighting outside! Not one single soul dared to go out the moment the lightning attack from the mysterious creature rained a few minutes ago. Little did they knew, it was only the beginning. WOENG~WOENG~WOENG~ Dash is currently covered in healing water trying to mend the wounds that are bleeding profusely on many parts of his body. He is currently the size of a small car and was puffing heavily in black smoke. "That was just a warm-up and you are already down?" The echoing sound came from a bluish sparking wisp. Its center was just the size of a small basketball but the sparks that were furiously crackling around it could reach quite a long distance. From afar, the sparking wisp looked like a white octopus with hundreds of flashy lightning tentacles. It brought forth a terrifying presence that Dash could not help but feel incredibly scared of. Especially that it was an enemy with a natural affinity to lightning - the ultimate weakness of the Water Elementals! The sparking wisp did not have a face but its voice can be heard like an echoing thunder! And as it turns out, just based on its aura and power, Dash immediately identified the creature as the Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm - the most mysterious planet in the Elemental Realm. "You sent that Dragon away thinking that you can take me on alone? Fool!" the sparking wisp spoke with full confidence as it''s whole body started to bloom in flashy light. "Don''t worry. Your Dragon friend is as good as dead the moment he meets my new pet. But for now, let me send you to your grave!" And like a light bulb switched on, it unleashed a long line of tentacle-like lightning attack! KRAAAAKAABOOOOM!~ A flash of lightning temporarily illuminated the whole area as it successfully connected to Dash''s body - sending the turtle away in a rolling crash. KABOOOOM~ Struggling to get up, Dash felt like his body was being crushed by an incredibly hot and electrifying hammer. Not only was it incredibly painful, but the paralyzing effect and the feeling of utter dominance also overwhelmed him. However, Dash is not that easy to give up. "If I am gonna lose, I should at least last longer to give Hugon kid more time." Dash thought to himself as he pushed his muscles to fight the numbing feeling away. With determined beady eyes, he got back to his feet. "Oh? Do you still want to fight? Do you really think you stand a chance against me? You peasant from the lowly elements!" The sparking Wisp''s arrogant voice echoed to the surroundings. "Hmp! You are just like me, a Lord of the Elemental Realm! What makes you think you are more awesome and legendary than me!" Dash, recomposed himself and talked back like a big man towards the arrogant sparking wisp. "Oh! Did the last attack actually make your balls bigger? Let''s see it explode then!" Swiftly, his body exploded to a blinding light, ready to unleash another series of lightning attacks to punish the turtle before it. With unperturbed eyes, Dash''s figure suddenly shrank back to its mini baby turtle form. Dodging the lightning bolt with a swift cut. Then, Dash unleashed his own water cannon blast. "Oh you want to play with water on me!? HAHAH! Idiot!" The wisp said with a condescending laugh. However, what next thing that happened surprised the arrogant Lord of the Lightning Realm. Dash was not spewing the water blast towards him but to the opposite direction instead! SHOOOOOO~ The powerful water blast sent Dash''s little turtle body closer towards the arrogant wisp at a blurry speed! Instinctively, the Lord of the Elemental Realm unleashed a barrage of lightning bolt as retaliation but missed the little guy. Then Dash''s body suddenly burst in blue fire and unleashed it at the arrogant sparking wisp at point-blank range! The arrogant voice is now gone as the bluish wisp Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm was instantly covered in the purifying blue fire unleashed by Dash. "Wait-fire!? but you are-" BWAAAAAAAHHHHSSSS!~ 185 The Missing Elder Dragon Forgar Elric watched Forgar walked closer and closer with fuming confidence in the latter''s face. Elric on the other hand remained nonchalant despite taking the full brunt of the first attack. "I think I can recall you from ten years ago. Unfortunately, right now, I have no time to play with you." Elric told the tall and mysterious man in black leather clothes. "Oh, are you perhaps looking for the two Eastern Dragons that were fleeing away? I am afraid I have bad news for you." Hearing the reply, Elric frowned. "Heh. Why don''t you try using scanning abilities if you can still find them." Forgar smirked in repy. "I reckon, they were taking with them an unconscious woman. Do you perhaps have something to do with that woman? I am afraid it is too late for you-" BOOOOOOOOM!~ All of a sudden, the place where Fargor was standing second ago is now a deep scorching crater. A long line of deep cut can be seen lining on the ground towards Elric as well - hands holding unto a long flaming sword. Unfortunately, Fargor was not the same Dragon ten years ago. With lightning-fast speed, Fargor evaded Elric''s flaming sword slash and is now currently located about ten meters behind Elric. A confident smile can be seen in its cocky face. "Where did you take them?" Elric asked with a cold and murderous gaze as he turned around to face the Dragon. But instead of replying to Elric''s question, Fargor suddenly clenched his fist, his feet exploded with strength and speed as he left behind a powerful shockwave. KAPOOOM-POOOM!-POOOOM!~ Fargor unleashed a series of ultrafast punch and kicks that forced Elric to retaliate in return. With every single slash of Elric using his flaming sword, Fargor''s body would bend to an unimaginable angle in order to evade and return the favor with a kung-fu style counter. POWPOWPOW~ SLAAASH!~ POWPOWPOW~ SLAASH!-SLAASH!~ In the eyes of the normal people, the spot where Elric and Fargor are fighting appeared nothing but a land of exploding rocks and scorching blades. Their exchanging figures only revealed faint blurs as they were too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. With smaller bodies compared to their massive Dragon bodies, Elric and Fargor were able to unleash their speed to the maximum potential. Unfortunately, Fargor was getting more successful hits and none of Elric''s attack managed to hit at least once. POW! POW! POW!~ Elric staggered hard from the weird-angled-attacks that Forgar sends in. Fortunately, Elric possesses unbelievable healing abilities that not even the constant physical damages done by Forgar manage to last a few seconds before they are out healed. "You are strong, but it''s useless if you can''t hit me." Forgar halted his attack and squat at a top of a distant boulder. His eyes revealed an excited glance. "I am not even at my best form yet. Too bad you are just another over-glorified Dragon. You don''t even deserve his majesty''s praise at all!" Forgar beckoned with a condescending stare while his eyes revealed a deep hostility. Seeing that his enemy is really into fighting, Elric could only sigh. He had been fighting non-stop for a while ever since he arrived at the Water Realm. He wanted to have a little break at least for a while. Not to mention, Lesse and Long''s aura has long been gone. As if a disconnected rope, their traces suddenly vanished without a single trace in the place where he is currently standing. He waited for his enemy to attack but Forgar was just squatting at the top of a huge rock with a creepy smile while looking at him. Seeing this, Elric finally recomposed himself. "Why are you doing this? Where did you take them? Are you here to avenge your people?" Elric, with an unexpected calmness, unsummoned his Sword of Flame and stare back at Forgar as if an interviewer. "Who cares about those loser Dragons? Only his majesty is worthy of fighting. Those prideful Dragons deserve to die. They have never a slight idea of what real power is! Just a race of scaled fools!" Forgar gave Elric and answer he never expected. Without waiting for Elric to reply, Forgar added, "Ten years ago, I got the opportunity to fight you in your Black Ancestral Dragon form. It was such a shameful memory of how you managed to overpower all of us." Forgar closed his eyes, trying to reminiscent the past memories. He could recall the loud and dominating roar of the Black Ancestral Dragon. Forgar was hailed as the most dangerous and strongest Dragon during that time. He had yet to reach the King Dragon realm but thanks to his rare gifted constitution, he was able to become as strong as a King Dragon. Not even the past King Dragon of the West and East dared to mess with this Elder Dragon of the South. Forgar was the twin brother of Fargor, the real King Dragon of the Southern Region that Elric just killed not long ago. While Forgar was busy by training his body to the maximum to reach the highest natural potential he could go, Fargor went the shortcut by taking Elixers and treasures that boosted his power. But unlike his twin brother, Forgar wanted to become stronger in his own way and not depending to the treasures or cheat-like resources that boosted their strength significantly. For how many times he had held his breakthrough to the King Dragon realm just to build the ultimate foundation. With the sheer sharpness of his blades and the unbelievable speed and agility he possesses, taking down anyone who dares to stand in his way, may it be a Dragon hunter, an Ancien Human nor an Elemental, he was able to take them down with ease. Until that one night, the fated night of Elric''s madness. Before getting the dispatch order from his brother Fargor, he received a message from a certain individual who calls himself as part of a group called The Outsiders. He was secretly contacted and offered an opportunity for a power that would allow him to surpass all the Dragons of the world. But knowing his own creed, Forgar unhesitantly declined the offer and went to his mission to hunt down the rampaging Ancestral Dragon in the eastern region instead. "I don''t need your help. I will become stronger on my own." Forgar''s response to the mysterious figure before leaving. The mysterious figure did not even bother trying to win him back. It just faded to the dark together with a confident smirk on its dark face. Forgar just a couple of Elder Dragons to deal with Elric. Despite his brother''s command to bring a hundred Elder Dragons with him, Forgar ultimately disobeyed, firmly believing that even just him is enough to deal with the rampaging Ancestral Dragon. With sky-high confidence, Forgar unhesitantly engaged against Elric only to realize the mess he has done. Ancestral Dragons are known to be the existence that only belongs to heaven due to their overwhelming power and abilities. And since it was not in its right mind, Forgar thought that it there is hope in taking it down. Like a massive wild bull that can be easily taken down with a couple of ropes followed by a quick cut to its throat. But unfortunately, It did not take long for Forgar to waiver in his own stand. After seeing the mad Ancestral Dragon stomping, munching, and crushing everyone that tries to stop him. It was at that moment, that although the Ancestral Dragon was not able to hurt him because of his overwhelming speed, he was not doing any significant damage at all. It was safe to say he was just tickling the wild Elric at that time. He, a Dragon who was famous because of his overwhelming speed and offense, was just merely a little insect on the Ancestral Dragon''s foot! One by one, his subordinates were dying helplessly before his eyes. Like ants being squashed, all they could say is his name before their whole body broke in the relentless attack of the mad Dragon. Forgar was ashamed to himself. He never thought that his pride would actually be the reason for his fall. He felt sorry to his subordinates who did not hesitate to follow his orders to the last moment. But he could not even scratch his enemy properly! How much more saving his people!? He could still recall their pleading eyes as they gazed back at him hoping for his help. But no matter what he tried, Forgar was still an Elder Dragon! Even if he pushes for a breakthrough at that time, he would need a lot of time, even months, to recover his strength because of the Tribulation of Light. Forgar could not face his brother after this. His pride and shame made the worst mental damage he never expected to happen. He is basically ashamed of himself and felt like he deserves to leave the ranks and his position in the Southern Region. Forgar finally realized his weakness and backed down from the battle trying to rest after almost getting killed from one of Elric''s Dragon breaths. Unexpectedly, the same mysterious black robed figure appeared to him again. Giving him an offer that he could finally look forward. Every single word that the black-robed figure muttered gave light to the waning light in Fargor''s eyes. It was an offer he believes that will allow him to regain his name. "Follow me to the Lightning Elemental Realm." The cold voice of the black-robed figure was still fresh in his mind. A dimensional rift appeared before them as Forgar, the strongest and fastest Dragon from Southern Region left in the middle of a battle against the Ancestral Dragon. Ten years after, he revealed himself back to the human realm but not the same Dragon as before. Forgar is now a Wind and Lightning Elemental Dragon and the first one of its kind! Now facing Elric with overwhelming confidence, he suddenly vanished into a blur and before Elric could react, his fist was already planted at Elric''s stomach, sending the latter to hundreds of meters of hard skidding. 186 The True Strength Of Forgar A long deep line of skid marks can be seen along the road. At the end of it, Elric can be seen getting up without a single scratch. "I am gonna ask you one last time, where did you take them?" With his calm presence remained intact despite the attacks, Elric asked again. As usual, instead of answering Elric''s question, Forgar started smiling wickedly instead. "Heheh. Why don''t you show me your Black Ancestral Dragon form instead?" "You seem to be very confident in your strength. Unfortunately, I don''t need to do that. I can beat you without even showing a single Dragon scale out of my skin." Elric replied collected. "Hahahaha! I like that! I like that confidence of yours." Forgar laughed haughtily before his aura suddenly changed from playful to a cold hostility. His dragon eyes started to glow faint bluish sparks. His long black hair illuminated and flowed gracefully as if a glowing snake. Muscles bulging and destructive lightning bolts started to pulse out of his body, wrecking everything that it hits may it be a house, trees, cars, and even the cement roads were not spared at all. "Enough playing. Let me show you the real difference between our power. Unless you will go back on your rampaging Ancestral form, I will crush you to bits!" ZWOOOOOM~KRACKACRAKCRAKAAAKRACKAAAK~ With destructive lightning bolts dancing in his body, Forgar confidently dashed toward''s Elric with insane flashy speed, leaving behind sonic waves and wrecked surroundings due to the lightning bolts he emanated. Forgar''s incoming attack was too flashy that he literally is like a human-sized lightbulb. Blinding his opponents and catching them off guard. Elric on the other hand got on his position. He lowered his body stance, his arms on guard, and his eyes closed. Yes, eyes closed. Using his spiritual perception, Elric could see Forgar''s figure as clear as a day. Elric knew very well that the moment his enemy started to blast of intense light, he knew it would be hard to follow him using sheer eyes. Elric decided to fight him using this technique that he earned from awakening his Spiritual abilities thanks to his ancestor Lapu-Lapu. In Elric''s perspective, unlike the usual 3D dimension the normal human eyes an see, the Spiritual perception allows Elric to view his subject in all angles. Every single muscle movement can be detected and even the flow of energy and the mental intent can be seen as clear as a day. It was like eyes of truth that revealed his opponent''s weak spot, the timing of attacks, and the hostile intent. That''s why Elric managed to stand his ground despite being surrounded by thousands of Dragons in his last fight. A cheat like spiritual perspective was actually aiding him along the way! The time seems to have suddenly slowed down in both of the fighter''s perspectives as if in slow-motion, they could see each other''s attack without any difficulty! They are both fighting in hyper-dimension! Forgar''s hand had transformed into a sharp scythe that is emitting powerful electrical bolts. And just when his attack was about to land at Elric''s neck, the latter''s body suddenly moved with one step forward- accurately messing up with Forgar''s timing. Then Elric counter with a quick side jab to the right, aiming at Forgar''s chest aiming to use Forgar''s insane momentum against him. But Forgar was quick enough to react before he would land himself in the other''s fist. With a quick kick to the side, he changed direction and flexibly maneuvered in between Elric''s elbow, his other hand, also in a form of a sharp sparking scythe, carving upward, intending to cut Elric into two from the bottom! Elric''s other feet swiftly reacted with a simple kick at the side, successfully blocking the incoming upward scythe hack, Forgar answered with a quick back step and lunging with a double downward slash, Elric perfectly evaded to the side and countered a kick to the hips, Forgar used the force from the kick to cartwheel and countered another frontal sweep of his weapon, Elric jumped inside between the two sharp scythes as it was left open and successfully landing a palm strike at Forgar''s face. POM!~ BOOOOOM!~ It was an exchange that happened in a single second, everything was too fast and looked nothing but a blurry movement in a normal human''s perspective. But the obvious winner was Elric. "Impossible! How!? J-just how did you keep up!?" Forgar stood with an extremely agitated expression. Blood trickling down his mouth and his hair unkempt. His pride in his own speed has been broken by a quick exchange of blows and a successful palm strike in his head. Luckily, Elric did not put too much strength in his attack, else, Forgar would have already lost his head in a bloody palm of Elric. After all, the latter still had questions he wanted to be answered. How would this arrogant man answer him is he happens to blow his head? "Now that you lost, you should be able to answer me now right? Tell me where did you take them and I might be able to spare your miserable life here." Opening his eyes, Elric revealed a cold deathly aura that sent shivers down Forgar''s spine. It was a casual glance from Elric but he felt like all his secrets are being peeked open. His instinct screaming unto him with danger but his pride would not let him back down now. He is not gonna let the past happen again. He is stronger now! He is not backing down against anyone! A few moments ago, he received a report from the higher up about the Dragons being wiped slowly by a single man named Elric. It just happens that his mission has something to do with the Eastern Dragons that are somewhat related to Elric. His original mission was just to capture the two escaping Eastern Dragon King and Queens. With his insane speed, newfound lightning elemental abilities, and brute force, Forgar managed to capture the two and secured them including the old woman that was with them. Shortly, he got news of Elric coming to the same place where he captured the two escaping Eastern Dragons and without minding his superior''s warning, Forgar went back to the field to meet Elric. Excited to test his power against the Dragon who caused his misery ten years ago. But now that he is facing Elric, he can''t help but feel incredibly intimidated. Elric has not shown real threatening gaze ever since they met, but right now, the latter looked as if a different person. His eyes revealed bloodlust and terrifying spiritual energy is currently terminating from his aura. "Screw this. Let''s see what you really got!" Felling like he is being pushed in a corner and feeling incredibly intimidated, Forgar finally decided to go all out. "hehe. Now I will show you why you should fear an Elemental Dragon of the Lightning Elemental Realm!" Forgar''s figure suddenly started to float. His aura exploding with a terrifying might as he continued to ascent to the sky. Meanwhile, Elric''s bored eyes were glued at the floating Forgar. The clouds swiftly lost its white puff and shifted to darkness. Like a black ink poured to the sky and mixed with a paddle, the whole land is now covered in black clouds while it formed a massive vortex with Forgar at the center. KRAAAKAABOOOOOM!~ A loud and deafening rumble followed after a bright flash as thousands of lightning bolts had struck the man in the middle of the dark vortex of clouds. The loud screaming of thunder continued for a while as Forgar''s body expanded into a massive size, unveiling his true Dragon form. KRUGUGGGUGGH~ After a few more lightning show, the massive Dragon figure of Forgar has finally revealed his full power. His Dragon shape closely resembled the smaller and light built Southern Dragons. The only difference is the bluish cracks of glowing lightning that is constantly flowing in the gaps of his scales a sign of of Lightning Elemental Affinity. One must know that the Dragons of the Southern region has natural affinity with the wind. But now that he was given the natural ability of lightning on top of being at the peak level of a Dragon King with superb foundation, he is basically the strongest of all King Dragons if compared to the rest. Facing Elric with renewed vigor and power, Forgar smirked with a confident smile in his massive Lightning-Elemental Dragon form. From above, he looked like a Dragon God overflowing with power and dominance while Elric remained staring at him with a bored face. Seeing Elric''s reply, Forgar stared with a condescending gaze and suddenly dived down in exploding speed and lightning bolts! He ready to crush Elric in one go! "Now, witness the power of the true King Dragon! I am Forgar, and you will-" "KNEEL!~" "W-wha-oooof!" BOOOOOOOM!~ Before he knew it, Forgar''s sparking Dragon body has already crashed to the ground together with the last bit of his confidence. 187 The Lightning Elemental Realm Revealed As it turns out, the true strength of Forgar was actually not enough to really challenge Elric. With a mere command and with an application of the Ancestral Dragon''s aura, his body voluntarily followed Elric''s command as if his body was under its own control in the first place. "I-Impossible!" With struggling feet and limping body, Forgar stood back with indignant eyes. Despite all of the upgrades and the new elemental affinity he has acquired, it seems wasn''t still enough. He was so excited to unleash his full power and finally assert his dominance over all the Dragons in the world when he comes back. But before he could unleash his newfound power to the world, another Dragon came to take all the spotlight together with the hundreds of thousands of Dragon lives. He thought it was to work on his side since now that all he needs to do is take care of Elric alone. Beat him and show him who is the real Dragon at the top in this world. But to think he would actually be beaten by mere words. Raging fury boiled in his heart. ROOOOOOAR!~ Unable to hold his rage anymore, Forgar exploded into another flash of powerful lighting, unleashing his full potential, wrecking down everything in his surroundings including houses and the earth with simple lighting bolts that were emanating from his body. Like a lightning God, Forgar''s body was flashing brightly with powerful energy that could easily dominate all the other Dragons by the sheer weight of his presence. "I am not gonna lose that easy! I am not the old and weak Forgar of the Southern Dragon region. I am now Forgar the Lightning Dragon who is the first and only Lighting and Wind Elemental Dragon in the world! I am mighty! I am fast! A mere word is not enough to break me you fool!" KRAAKAKAKAKAK~ The next moment, Forgar''s figure turned into nothing but pure lighting. Like a crackling sword of a lighting bolt, he charged towards Elric with destruction spreading from his tail. KRAKAKAKAKAZWOOOOOOOM~ But away from his expectation of Elric dodging or escaping, the latter reacted by simply closing his eyes. Serene and unmoving, Elric''s mere presence is now like a deep blue ocean. No matter how much Forgar tried to dive, the latter just keeps getting deeper and deeper. His real presence was like a bottomless well - he can''t seem to reach the end! ROOOAA- "Soul shock!" O-OCKGH~ CRAAAASHHH~ Forgar missed Elric by a few inches as he suddenly lost control of his body. In the middle of his charge, Elric unveiled his orange-glowing third eye. A sudden outburst of soul energy assaulted Forgar through his soul, rendering him unable to control his body and energy together with a numbing sensation of dominance. Like a fighter jet suddenly losing its wings and fuel in the middle of turbulence, Forgar missed Elric and even suffered quite a few more kilometers of hard skidding, leaving behind a deep gorge on the ground while his Lighting Dragon body is riddled with broken bones, deep wounds, and a broken spirit. He never expected Elric to switch on using soul attacks in the middle of their battle. After all, who would have thought that he has access to soul attacks? He was so confident in his ability to defend against any physical from Elric using the sheer destructiveness of his overflowing lighting aura. Barely standing up in the deep crater, Forgar could only stare at the sky in utter disbelief. Just when did such a being that has access to the soul attacks? Is he even the same Dragon he was aiming in the first place? Could it be a different Dragon? He remembered clearly back on the Lighting Elemental realm, after his intense training and elemental affinity upgrades, he was overflowing with confidence. But one member of the so-called Outsiders came to warn him not to engage with Elric because, according to him, he would stand no chance at all. "I was so pissed. How could they underestimate my power!?" But now that reality has got on to him, those words from the mysterious figure were indeed true. No matter how fast he can get, a soul attack was something he could never avoid. Unless he has access to soul spells, he would never stand a chance at all! Forgar, with his body trying its best to recover, never felt so powerless in his life before. "I think it is time you answer my question." Elric''s voice suddenly came from behind. His hands clean and his composure remained unperturbed. Eyes showed no sign of fear, instead, deep in the light of his eyes revealed a condescending taste. Seeing this stare, Forgar felt like vomiting in hate. For a Dragon to be looked down upon by a human who just happens to acquire the Ancestral Dragon''s essence and a couple of lucky encounters, his pride is swooping in agony and jealousy! "Hmp! Make me!" Not willing to talk, Forgar remained stiff, focusing his energy trying to recover his body as soon as possible. He had too much-broken bones from the backlash of his missed attack before. Even if he would try to fight, he would be nothing but a limping lizard in front of this crazy man. However, it should not take long for him to reconnect those splintered bones and recover his strength. With this in mind, Forgar thought, "Just you wait. Give me a few more minutes and I will go again and-wait-what the-" Without minding the sparking electricity out of Forgar''s massive Dragonhead, Elric, like a curious little child atop on a Dragon''s head, unhesitantly touched Forgar''s head. And the next thing that Forgar realized is a series of his memories flashing his vision. "Wait- soul memory scan!?" Panicked, Forgar started to shake his body, wanting to push Elric away. He just has too much information that needs to be kept away from anyone, once that Elric gets hold of that information, he is screwed! Forgar''s Dragon body was like a paralyzed lizard, no matter how much he tried to shake Elric, he felt like his body is being bogged down by an unseen energy. While Elric is immersing himself in scanning his memories, Forgar''s body felt like being chained by an unbreakable chain. He couldn''t move at all! "No~NO! SH*T!" Elric''s eyes remained close, not minding the constant shaking of the massive Dragon he was standing at. His hands glowing with bluish glow, his spiritual perception going deeper and deeper in the Dragon''s soul. It was a bit blurry and bright but he could still see the memories flashing like a waterfall flowing into him. As usual, he saw how Forgar grew from a little Dragon until he reached the ranks of the King Dragons despite being an Elder. How he trained to the death and mercilessly killed his opponents. Elric witnessed the countless Arkhans, Dragons, even Elementals, and Ancient humans that dared to cross against him. His speed was truly exceptional and no other Dragons were able to match him. More and more, with each passing seconds, Elric got to knew Forgar more than the latter knew himself. However, he is not here to establish a Dragon romance, he is here trying to find clues of where the two Eastern Dragons left to with his grandma''s body. It took a while until finally, a certain scene caught Elric''s attention. Inside their dark Dragon castle of the Southern Regions, in a wide room, a figure in a black robe appeared before Forgar. And for some reason, Elric could see quite a resemblance to this black-robed figure. Although it was just rough guess, what Elric could see is a woman. And although her whole face and body were covered, judging from the voice and the glow in her eyes, Elric could not help but feel incredibly familiar from those certain eyes. But like a hazed memory, Elric wasn''t able to connect it. As if a block, he was just unable to really point it out! "Strange, I am pretty sure I have seen those eyes and heard those voices. I know I have met her." Elric frowned as he finally gave up trying to figure the woman''s true identity. He doesn''t have much time, he decided to leave the deduction later. "The Outsides again..." Elric mumbled as he learned more and more about their conversation. Unfortunately, the mysterious figure was very careful, not to let any more unnecessary words and kept the clues about her as minimal as possible. Then, as usual, Elric saw how his past mad self broke Forgar''s arrogance with an unexpected near-death experience from one of his Dragon breath. Then he saw how the figure appeared again, this time successfully bringing Forgar to the Lighting Elemental Realm. Under a certain condition to work for the Lightning Elemental Lord, he was given an opportunity to assimilate the Lightning Elemental Authority with the help of a certain Elemental Lord in the shape of a basketball-sized bluish wisp. There Elric saw the cloudy land of the Lighting Elemental realm. They were towering castles floating atop the vast massive black clouds were all the lighting Elemental beings live. Being that we''re nothing but faint colored wisps while the strongest one is bluish and constantly sparks in lighting energy. The most mysterious planet of all Elemental realm is now clearly revealed in him through the eyes of Forgar. Their secrets about to be revealed and their motives inching closer in Elric''s palm. "Grandma, just you wait... I am coming." 188 Kahayags Return More information came to Elric with regards to the world of the most secretive and bizarre elemental realm, however, most of them were not that significant for him. The reason the planet itself was not available via plain sight is because of an ominous dark cloud that has been covering the entire planet. It was too black that it was able to absorb light causing it to blend into the vast dark-violet sky of the Elemental realm. Not to mention, those clouds also serves as protection that will unhesitantly bombard anyone who dares to approach the planet from any side. Unless one had authority from the Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm, forcing one''s way inside is basically a suicide attempt. Elric continued to watch how Forgar was first introduced to the unique world, with the help of the Lord, he managed to adapt to the new place and power in no time. Then it was followed by intense training of him fully assimilating to the new power, breaking through the King Dragon realm with a perfect foundation and even reaching the peak level of a Dragon King. Until the present day finally came for him to go back to the human realm with a mission to catch the two Fleeing Eastern Dragons according to the command of the same mysterious woman in a black robe. Before the mysterious robed woman, Forgar and the Lord of the Lighting realm bowed with respect as if she was the real lord of the said realm. "Catch those two Eastern Dragons and bring me that old woman with them." The mission was given by the mysterious figure with full authority. Elric saw how Forgar, together with the Lord of the Lightning ELemental Realm went through the dimensional portal without any problems, it did not take long for them to appear right in front of the two weakened Lesse and Long on their badly wounded Dragon forms. But with their arrival, those bunch of opportunist swiftly escaped the moment they saw the overwhelming energy from Forgar and the small bluish wisp with him. "Who-F-Forgar?" Lesse immediately recognized Forgar as one of the two figures that popped out of a dimensional portal. She knew him based on the Dragon shape, his aura that he emanated, and the eyes that revealed the same arrogance and pride of the strongest Dragon from the Southern Region. The last time that Lesse saw Forgar was during the battle against the mad Elric ten years ago, right before Forgar suddenly disappeared in the middle of the battle. Seeing the hostile intentions in Forgar''s eyes, Long immediately moved in front to cover his sister. His face filled with burning determination together with an agitated body. "Are you here to stop us too? Hah! You came in just the perfect time. I had been holding back myself trying to get even against those Dragons! Don''t you ever think you can still bully us now that we have reached King Dragon realm!" Long, finally unable to hold himself after seeing one of the enemy Dragons, unleashed a powerful green fire without hesitation. BWAAAAAAHHH~ "Long wait!-" Lesse felt like something was wrong with regards to their newfound enemies, however, Long had already covered his opponent''s place with a destructive green fire that left behind a searing ground of inferno. Forgar on the other side just smirked in confidence. Before the blazing fire hit them, their body suddenly exploded in lightning-fast speed. Unlike the bluish wisp that chooses to stay away, his body moved forward swiftly advancing towards Long while dodging the fire like a snake flexibly twisting to avoid the hot burning rope. "So fast!" Long thought as his eyes struggled to keep up with his enemy''s movements. Realizing that he missed his enemy, Long immediately swiped his Dragon flame, in his final attempt trying to get Forgar, but the latter just keeps on advancing and before he could even finish casting, Forgar has already revealed his long sharp scythe, crackling in lightning, swooping to cut him into two! And the next moment, Lesse and Long saw a blinding lightning bolt that exploded from Forgar''s body. "Lightning affinity!?" KRKAKAKAAAABOOOOM!~ Lesse and Long did not last a single minute against the peak Forgar in his Lightning Elemental Dragon form. "These bastards!" Elric''s eyes suddenly opened in shock as he saw how they unhesitantly unleashed a series of merciless shocking bolts to the two Eastern Dragon that was trying to protect his grandma''s unconscious body. Despite their Dragon King realm stage, the two did not last long through the constant barrage of lightning from Forgar and the bluish wisp. However, something else caught Elric''s eyes that really caught him in questions. The real defeat of Long and Lesse was not caused by the lightning bolts, but by the spiritual shock from Kahayag who suddenly woke up in the middle of lightning attacks. Elric''s restraining spell on her was undone by the purifying lighting! The lightning attacks were not just meant to incapacitate the two Eastern Dragons but also to remove the soul restraining spell placed by Elric on Kahayag. One must know that despite Kahayag losing her power, her natural affinity to lightning energy is still present in her, thus the lighting attacks she had just experienced served as a charging opportunity for her to recover a little bit of her strength and the soul binding spell. THUD!~ THUD!~ Two loud crashing sound from the two unconscious Eastaern Dragons followed as Forgar and the bluish wisp finally halted their attacks. Standing unharmed between the two long Eastern Dragons is the old woman who Elric holds dear aside from the current soul residing inside. With an irritated look on Kahayag, who is currently controlling grandma''s body, she walked close to Forgar and the bluish wisp. "They are waiting for you." The wisp''s voice suddenly echoed. "Took you so long," Kahayag replied coldly without a hint of fear from the two. "It''s not our fault that you lost to your own great-grandchildren." the bluish wisp replied with a mocking tone. "Hmp!~" Kahayag turned around, trying to hide her irritated face. Elric, upon seeing this mumbled to himself, "That is weird. I scanned Kahayag''s soul memory but I have never got any clue regarding her connection to the Outsiders.. Or could it be... the soul memories were modified?!" She acted as if she knew them at the first place! Next, Kahayag lifted the two Eastern Dragons with her own psychic ability with ease, and with the help from the bluish wisp, a dimensional portal back to the lightning ELemental realm cracked open behind her. "Wait. Where is the cursed knife?" The voice of the bluish wisp halted Kahayag before she could jump into the portal. "What I knew is that you are supposed to present it back to his majesty." the bluish wisp added. Turning her head back to face the two, Kahayag replied, "It will be given to his majesty via premium package." Then what Elric saw next surprised him even more. Before forgar and the bluish wisp continued to go, Kahayag''s voice suddenly caught him. "Oh yeah Elric." before Kahayag steps into the realm portal, she looked back straight at Forgar''s eyes. Her gaze filled with assurance as if she knew Elric will get Forgar''s soul memory in the first place! "If you want to save your grandma and these siblings, you better bring the cursed knife with you when you come to the Lightning Elemental Realm. I will be waiting on our round two great-grandsons." Kahayag smiled with utter wickedness before her figure finally dipped into the dimensional portal followed by the two massive Eastern Dragon''s body before it closed, explaining the sudden disappearance of their trace. Elric finally stopped his soul search. His eyes were cold and glowing in enmity. "I have underestimated her." Elric was confident that Kahayag has been neutralized with a simple soul binding spell. But as it turns out, even her complete surrender and losing her power was part of her plan. He could not help but feel as if everything that has been happening so far was under her palms. Not to mention, even seems to have another ace under her sleeves. The moment she looked at Forgar''s eyes to send a message to Elric in the future, breaking the boundary of time, as if her message was already been fated. "An ability to see the future..." Elric mumbled to himself as his head started picking up the clues. Staring at the restrained Forgar, Elric immersed himself into deeper thoughts. "The voice of the mysterious woman, the figure, and those extremely familiar eyes. could it be?" Elric started to have suspensions. It seems like all this time, he is being used as a pawn. As if there was a bigger hand pushing the entire plate where he was playing. "The Outsiders... a conspiracy perhaps?" Elric''s eyes continued to show doubts and questions until a sudden flash of an idea came to his mind. "The Lord of the Elemental Realm knows more. I should be able to get the final piece of this puzzle..." Elric thought as his eyes started to glow with an unyielding spirit. Forgar on the other hand remained unmoving, his mind preparing to break free from Elric''s soul shackle spell. His bones have long recovered and his wounds are non to be found! What he needs is just a sudden full push and he should be able to get Elric off guard. With murderous intent bubbling out of his muscles, Forgar started gathering his strength to finally do his surprise counter attack! This time, he will make sure to kill Elric in one good blow! "Its time!" ROOOOAAA!-ACCGGHK!?~ But before Forgar could even raise his massive Dragonhead, a Spear of Fire had been plunged deep from the top of his skull. His eyes remained indignant and at shock of his loss while his life slowly faded out of his convulsing body. 189 The Strongest Lightning KRAKAKAKAABOOOM!~ BOOOOM!~ BOOOOM!~ The whole land had been turned into a crater field, looking like the moon''s surface from the outside thanks to the relentless rain of lightning bolt''s from the now house-size bluish wisp. In the middle of the messy land is a small car-sized turtle with blue flame flowing seamlessly in between his shell. "T-this is not working. I do not stand a chance at all." Wheezing hard from the shortness of his breath, Dash, struggled to keep up against his domineering opponent. "Is that all? Please do not disappoint me, fellow Lord." The echoing arrogance from the voice of the bluish wisp filled the air as its massive size continued to spark with destructive lightning in its surroundings. "I was hoping that you would actually put a more challenging fight considering you managed to surprise me with your fire elemental attribute despite being a water elemental." It added while it hovered closer to Dash with its intimidating presence. The wisp''s huge body was reflected at Dash''s beady eyes. True enough, all his attacks are rendered ineffective to a being who has no physical body. One must know that the-wisp is a pure energy-based elemental. A being completely invulnerable from all physical attacks. No matter how powerful Dash''s water current blast or his blue fire, the wisp would just glow in chaotic brightness for a while as it is capable of absorbing the energy and convert it as part of its power. It is safe to say that the more Dash fought back using elemental-based powers, the stronger the-wisp becomes. His forceful physical attacks and his proud super-stomping are even rendered useless, worst, it would only risk himself from getting closer to such a dangerous body of his enemy. Dash''s body was mostly built for defense, unfortunately for him, the electrical attack of the wisp overcomes his sheer overwhelming physical defense. Although he has such high vitality, little by little, he is starting to reach his limit. Few more direct hits from the lightning bolts and he would be a goner! "I must find a way to defeat him without using physical or elemental powers. But the question is how? How do I fight it?" Dash thought as he immersed himself in trying to find a way to survive the next incoming attacks. The massive bluish wisp is now starting to emit even brighter light as if a lightbulb increasing in its voltage, energy from the air starting to congregate as if an extra-powerful charging bolt is coming. "Now, before I finish you, I just happen to have one question." The wisp said as its body started to glow stronger, holding back the overwhelming charged lightning about to explode. Dash glared back with vigilant eyes. He could feel the sudden impulse of congregating energy towards the body of the massive bluish wisp. For some reason, Dash''s instinct keeps telling him to flee now. The clouds have completely turned pitch-black. The air was silent and the atmosphere was eerie. Dash felt like the angels of death are currently smirking on him. The next attack is probably something that he can''t take. "The blue elemental fire essence that you have, did that flaming bird gave it to you?" Asked the bluish wisp. "What about it?" Dash replied coldly. "Hmp! As I thought. I actually happen to know The Great Seer Mhata. In fact, we are very close to each other that everything you knew about her is most probably completely different from the truth." The wisp could not help but gave a mocking tone in his reply. "What do you mean? She gave me the essence of the blue fire as a parting gift of my service to her." "That''s what you thought. Although it is too late for you now since you are still gonna die anyway, let me let you in a little bit of the real ride here..." The wisp''s mocking voice declared, then with a hushed voice, it added, "Everything that happened, is all because of her." Dash replied with a doubtful look. Seeing this, the wisp could not help but add in a mocking tone, "Everything that happened since the past, the death of your past King, the attack in your water elemental realm, the tragedy of the eastern Dragons ten years ago, the mad Ancestral Dragon, you name it! Everything was under her control the entire time. Everything is part of the majesty''s grand plan! Huwahahaaha!~" "I do know that the great Seer Mhata has the ability to see the future. But I know her! She is a good Lord. And you expect me to believe you!?" Dash beckoned back with anger filling up his beady eyes. Remembering the life-changing help she did for him, he could not help but defend her name. Dash is a simple turtle, you help him once and he will be a faithful friend forever. Realizing that talking more about the plan is useless for Dash''s simple mind, the wisp could not care less. "Beleive me or not, I do not care! Farewell loser!" a mocking voice from the wisp was meant to say goodbye. "Ultimate Lightning! Waning Flash!" HHHHHKRAAAAKAKAKAAAABOOOOOOM~ And like a dam finally unleashed, thousands of arching lightning bolts crackled out of the massive wisp''s body towards the turtle below. The sheer brightness of the attack was good enough to light the whole area, reaching as far as twenty kilometers radius. The wisp is the Lord of the Lightning elemental realm, an embodiment of the lighting element itself, thus he had the authority to fully unleash every ounce of lightning energy in the whole land. Dash''s last thoughts as his view were completely covered in blinding light. His body was stuck in place unable to move from the sheer presence of the overwhelming lighting bolts. He was not a Dragon but why does he felt like he was facing a King Dragon''s ultimate Tribulation of Light? His thoughts carried him to the memories of him with Elric and everybody else? Those good and hard times. The adventures and the pain they shared together. "I guess this is it for me huh. I hope I brought you enough time Hugon kid.." Dash mumbled helplessly as he prepared himself to embrace the painful death by lightning bolts. As if a bright star has suddenly revealed itself in the middle of the land, a deafening roar of thunder followed forth, sending a heart-stopping shock to all the living beings from every direction. KRAKAKAKAKABOOOOOOM!~ BOOOM! BOOM!~ BOOOM!~ Unlike the previous lightning shower, this attack is about a hundred times more powerful than the wisp''s normal attack. It sends reverberations throughout the land while the humans that were too afraid to go out of their hidden bunkers suffered from the aftershocks that reached their fortified bunker. The old people and weak-hearted unfortunately did not survive the sheer weight of the lightning''s impact and shock wave. KRUGHGGUGHH~ From the space, one could see the lightning attack piercing the dark clouds supposedly covering it. The true power of the Lord of the Lightning realm was something not to laugh about. After all, among all the Elemental Lords, the bluish wisp who is the Lord of the Lightning elemental realm is known to have the most powerful offensive capabilities aside from its physical and elemental invulnerability. Even the fleeing Dragons who happens to survive Elric''s mad slaughter could feel the vibrations from hundreds of kilometer. The rogue elemental demons like Kapres and Mananangal who were hiding in the thick forests were also extremely afraid of the lightning. It took a while before the reverberations across the land have finally stopped. The dark clouds have dispersed, revealing the unfortunate mess the terrifying lightning attack left behind. The entire place is now a massive crater of about fifty meters deep. The scorching hot ground continued to blaze as trees, rocks and buildings had been shred into pieces, Fortunately, the human''s underground bunkers were still kilometers ahead. Nevertheless, few casualties were still made from the sheer impact and shock of the last attack. Hovering proudly in the sky is now a small-cup sized bluish wisp. Right after unleashing that massive lighting energy, his size has now shrunk to about a hundred times of his previous shape. It must have been feeling incredibly proud of the destruction it layed waste on human land. But instead of the voice of celebration, its first remark is of disbelief! "IMPOSSIBLE!" Dash slowly opened his eyes, still filling numb and blinded from the last blow, he started to realize that some were amiss. Although he was in disarray from the shock, he is still at least sane. He knew he was still alive! It took some time for Dash to recover his senses and the first thing he saw is a massive Dragon standing before him. It was Elric who came to defend and save his little turtle friend just on time. It''s massive hybrid Eastern and Western Dragon body has been filled by countless bloody holes. There also parts where his bones had been fully exposed. Even his tails and Wings had been shredded like pieces of papers. With a bloody face but calm eyes, Elric''s looked back to give assurance to the dumbstruck turtle behind him. "Sorry, I took too long, Dash. Everything will be alright now." 190 Veiled Truth The golden rule of life does really come around. Moments ago, it was Dash who saved Elric from the deadly edge of the gigantic cone formation by the Southern Dragons. But now, it was Elric''s turn to give the favor. Though Elric''s body has suffered a tremendous amount of damage from the last attack, fortunately, the overwhelming regenerative abilities were fast enough to keep Elric alive. Not to mention, his overflowing vitality gave him enough reserve to shock his enemy what a real Dragon with Ancestral essence can do. "No! I must finish him!" Seeing the messy state that Elric is in, the bluish wisp knew that time is not on his side. Elric is currently unable to move properly because of his hole-riddled body. Nevertheless, the latter still managed to smile despite receiving the full brunt of his strongest attack. Without hesitation, the bluish wisp started to gather energy furiously, sucking fast every clouds and electrical energy nearby. Slowly his body started to crackle with powerful lightning while expanding at a tremendous state. Sensing the changes in the environment and the pulsating energy from his enemy, Elric and Dash instinctively turned to look at the slowly-growing sparking orb at the sky. BZZT~BZZZT~BZZZT!~ And true enough, the wisp is preparing for the second round of his strongest lightning attack. Dash swiftly moved to the front and was about to stop the wisp when he remember how futile his attacks are against the Lord of the Lightning elemental. "Elric! He is coming!" Dash hurriedly said beside Elric who''se body is regenerating quickly from the outrageous damage. Elric, with the wounds in his faces now fixed, unhurriedly replied, "Calm down. It''s all good friend!" "But his lightning attacks! It is coming! I don''t know if I will be able to cover for you this time!" "Relax. Just let me finish healing up a bit." "But-" Then suddenly, the echoing voice of the crackling bluish wisp came. "ULTIMATE LIGHTNING! WANING FLA-" "SOUL SHOCK!" KRAKCKBOOOOOM!~ And like a blown tire, the bluish wisp exploded upon himself. The powerful channeling attack was easily countered by a powerful psychic and spiritual attack from Elric. "AAAGHK! N-no! T-this can-n-not be!!!~" Unfortunately, with the lightning energy backlash on itself, the bluish wisp immediately lost is overwhelming lightning reserve together with its massive sparking size. Judging from it''s suffering voice, it was clearly not expecting a soul attack to suddenly assault him in the middle of channeling his spell. Apparently, a simple soul shock is enough to interrupt and damage the proud Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm. Dash on the other side have his beak open in dumbstruck on the second time. "To be able to deal with the Lightning Lord that easy. I did not even see his attack in the first place! Just what did the Hugon kid do!?" Dash remained awestruck as he glanced at Elric beside him who has now completely recovered and back in his human form - stretching peacefully. "Your physical and elemental attacks are not effective on him because of his energy-based body. The only way to deal with that wisp is by another form of energy that has an affinity to physic powers." Elric calmly explained as he continued stretching his arms, trying to pull on the newly recovered muscles and warming them up. Dash could only nod in response as Eric''s explanation does makes sense after all. "But how did you obtain that power? The last time I saw you, you are only half as awesome and legendary as I am!" Dash asked with a little complaining in his tone. "It''s a long family story. Bottom line is that I happen to have the blood of a powerful Spiritualist and manage to awaken it by the stroke of luck." Elric replied as they started walking towards the now faintly glowing wisp. "Stroke of luck huh. I have some doubts about that." Dash mumbled in reply. "I do not really know if its just a stroke of luck though. Lately, I realized that everything that has been happening has been because of me. The powers that I gain, they always have sacrificed in return. I lost my family, my old identity, and even some new friends." Elric replied with a doubtful glare in his eyes that are currently locked on to the bluish wisp. Elric is not dumb. Knew that everything that has been going on has always something to do to him. With every battle, he would grow stronger than the last time and reaching new heights in his evolution. What makes him scared of is his doubts about his himself. Everything is too good to be just coincidence. It all started with lightning in the middle of the night. That time, Elric was facing the window and happens to see the Eastern Dragon dropping from the sky- glowing intensely caused by the Tribulation of light. Then everything else that followed seems to have been carefully laid down for him. Every enemy and challenge that comes would force him to unlock new potentials and discover more about himself. But it all leads to nothing but destruction. Blood and corpse of his friends and enemy would always be tailing him. And he is sick of it. Just moments ago, he made the whole Dragon race knock to the door of extinction. A little bit more and he would have completely wiped all the Dragons out. But if you think on a different perspective, what they were doing was just defending themselves. Perhaps they have gone a little bit too far but they were just basically beings trying to survive. The world was at peace if you really think of it. The Dragons are, in a way, maintaining the balance of powers between the worlds, keeping it safe from the unauthorized and destructive dark spirituals and elementals. The Elementals on the other side lived peacefully on their own realm, and so goes for the other races. The Arkhans causing trouble for Guardians while the Ancient humans just minding their own business. Some conflicts would arise from time to time, but not to the point of complete racial extermination. But ever since Elric got hold of the Dragon''s blood and power, the world was like a wheel finally picked up and shaken to the core. There was a bigger hand that was controlling everything. "I never asked for this." Elric''s eyes glared with coldness. He hated to be used. Like a puppet for someone else''s ambition. He will make sure to end this. All he wanted was just to live a simple life. There was nothing wrong with living as a simp for him. After all, peace of mind is a priceless treasure that not many people will be able to appreciate until they lost it. To live peacefully with his grandma, maybe find a wife later, make a family, and die old with a simple life. Of course, playing his favorite Dota from time to time would also spice his life a little. All he wanted is peace. A peace that is long gone because of his stupid curiosity that night. But the world seems to have a different path for him. Surely, the world is not going to make an overwhelming powerful Dragon out of him if there is no reason to do so. It is just too much for a coincidence. No matter whoever or whatever is behind those curtains, Elric will make sure to go to the bottom of these. He will find the true hands behind everything - the real enemy he needs to put down. "Today, I will be finding out the truth from you." Tuk~tuk~tuk~ THUD~THUD~THUD~ The now fainted bluish wisp was finally aware of the two tall creatures standing before it. From its massive size, it is now only as small as a cute little marble. "S-so the d-dog has finally come." Seeing Elric, the wisp forced an arrogant voice to mock him. Remembering something, Dash quickly said, "Hugon kid, I remember him saying something about the Great Seer Mhata... He claims that she is-" Elric interrupted Dash as his hands suddenly blurred to grab the weakened wisp. "I know. But there is only one thing to really find out." Elric said as he channeled a powerful spiritual energy to bound the-wisp in his palms. "L-let me g-go! Do you k-know w-who I am!? I am t-the Lord of the-" "Shut up." AAAGHGGK!~ With coldness in his eyes, Elric sent a weak spiritual shock towards the wisp and the latter was simply too weak to defend itself. The wisp Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm is truly an indestructible foe to those who could only use physical and elemental attacks. But against a powerful spiritualist, the bluish wisp is like a tiny fish in the strong hands of the fisherman. "My friend, I might need your protection again. I am going for a deeper soul scan this time. Can you protect me while I am in the middle of channeling?" Elric asked with serious eyes. "No problem Hugon kid," Dash unhesitantly replied as it swiftly created an energy barrier to protect the both of them. Seeing this, Elric smiled calmly before focusing on the weakened wisp trapped in his hands. "What are you doing? Are you going to do that Soul Memory scan on me!? Hahaha! Fool!" The wisp''s voice laughed in mockery as Elric paid him no attention. ZOOOOOM!~ Elric knew better now. The memories can be modified using a spiritual spell. And he just happens to know now what to do. Inside the soul''s memory of this wisp, Elric could feel the truth just waiving to him. 191 The Truth Of Lesses Fall Elric swiftly went through the memories of the wisp''s soul. Flashes of blurry scenes continued to play before his very eyes, a facade of countless years of experience flowing like an upstream river. "As usual huh..." Elric thought as they did not start immersing himself in the view. Elric knew better now how not to get fooled again. The scenes before him are nothing but a filtered memory, or more accurately a modified memory. There are more sensitive events that are being covered by a mysterious spiritual energy lingering inside the wisp''s soul. As if there is an even bigger secret widely sleeping behind the waterfall of memories. Though Elric had a clue with regards to who the spiritual modification comes from. "If I have to reveal the hidden pieces of memory, I have no choice but to go even deeper... Though, I would have to risk myself losing more senses from the outside world." Elric had some fears with full memory diving. It is simply another opportunity for his enemies to attack him since his body would be at the most vulnerable state with his soul''s consciousness detached. "I guess I have to do this. After all, I got Dash''s protection anyway." He thought to himself as he finally made up his mind. By completely detaching his soul away from his body, Elric went to a full soul dive despite the risk of dropping his physical body''s guard. He trusts his friend and he will never be at rest until he finds the truth. "First, I need to get rid of these fake scenes..." Elric''s soul is currently standing before walls of flashing memories. Then suddenly, he channeled his soul''s energy out as a burning stick pulled out of a campfire. "SHATTER!" The flame-like soul energy in his body swiftly expanded outwards, pushing away the flowing memories surrounding him and eventually shattering them like a bottle cracking from inside. "SHATTER!" WOOOOOM!~CRAAASH! And just like that, Elric managed to wipe out the traces of the mysterious foreign spiritual energy lying discreetly inside the wisp''s soul. And now, with the modifying spiritual energy gone, Elric has now complete unfiltered access of all the wisp''s memory. Unlike before, the flow of memories are nothing compared for the previous scene. Instead of flowing waterfall, what Elric could see now is an open ocean of thousand-years old memory of the wisp. All it takes is for Elric is to immerse himself in this ocean of memories and all that he is looking for will be answered. "I need to be careful though..." Elric remembered from the World Knowledge one of the most dangerous side effects of the Soul Memory scan, is the high chance of losing yourself in the middle of it. One must now that the more he indulges in the memories of a different being, the more those scenes would reflect him to the point that one could confuse which memory was his. The deeper one goes to the Soul Memory Scan, the higher the chances of one forgetting himself and might even take the personality of the one who owned the original memories. For this reason, a lot of spiritualist does not dare openly use this power. Unless one has an overwhelmingly powerful soul, doing this sort of soul spell is a good recipe for self-destruction. But the more that Elric ventured into the real memories of the wisp, the more determined he is to uncover more. Especially when he saw things that are extremely familiar to him. Without wasting any more time, his soul immersed itself into the deeper ocean of memories and like a flooding river to his head, all kinds of information started to rampage in his mind. Elric made sure to take note of everything until one particular moment caught his eyes. A scene that would forever change his life, a memory that explains all the coverups so far. *** The wisp is floating in front of a familiar figure. Elric identified it as the Great Seer Mhata. Behind her are few more silhouettes of mysterious figures. They were in the middle of a dark room completely void of any details. It was just complete darkness where one could only see the various forms of the mysterious figures but not their real faces. Some are tall, some are small, but one thing in common with them is the surge of dark energy flowing in their midst. "All the preparations are complete. The stars are in place and the time is ripe. I will live the rest to you Lord of the Lightning realm." The Great Seer Mhata, in her Phoenix form, gave very detailed instruction to the-wisp. It was so detailed that Elric could not help but gasp in shock and realization. Moments later, the meeting has been adjourned and the wisp is now back to the lightning elemental realm. For quite some time, it immersed itself in strengthening itself by devouring more lightning energy as if preparing for away. Years passed and the wisp finally made its move on a certain day. It cracked open a dimensional portal to the human realm and without hesitation, dived in. For fear against the hidden spirituals who happen to be the weakness of wisps like him, lightning elemental from the Lightning elemental realm does not dare to come to the human realm that bravely. But for the sake of its mission, the bluish wisp unhesitantly moved in between two worlds and appeared in the human world in the middle of the night. Its figure was kept hidden in the middle of the blackened skies. It''s aura minimized while stealthily sucking the energy in the atmosphere and charging itself. It is preparing for an attack. BZZT~BZZZT~ Minutes later, a wounded Eastern Dragon suddenly passed by under a thick black cloud in the middle of the night. It was Lesse who was undergoing an Elder Dragon''s tribulation of Light during that time. "Huh, huh...One more strike, huh, I should be able to finish this." Lesse, in her wounded but elegant Eastern Dragon form mumbled to herself. She had the old cold and condescending gaze that was overflowing with pride. As a princess of the Eastern Dragon region and hailed as the most talented Dragon in their race, she could not help but bravely take on the tribulation to reach the higher realm of Dragon''s evolution. It has been roughly eleven hours ever since she started taking on the Tribulation of Light that usually lasts for twelve hours. Every fifteen minutes, a couple of lightning will assault her to test the fortitude of her body, soul and determination in order to earn the final push to the Elder Dragon stage. Each lightning is far stronger from the last one. And now that she is on the last hour, Lesse''s eyes were glowing in burning determination, ready to meet the final strike of the tribulation and pass it with full confidence. Right now, all she need is a little more time to heal her countless injuries from the last strikes. "I can do these. I prepared too long for this day. I cannot fail and disappoint my father. I am a princess of the Eastern Dragon race, I must uphold our pride and pass these tests without a hitch!" Lesse cheered herself as she slowly came closer to extremely thick and dark clouds. "It is really coming, Elder Dragon stage, you are mine!" Lesse could feel powerful lightning energy growing from the middle of a dark cloud. The powerful pulsating aura of divine Tribulation of light. "five minutes.. Based on my calculations, the growing lightning energy around should reach a peak charge in less than five minutes. Until then, my body should be able to recover enough to endure the next at-" KRUGHGGHGUUG!!~ A rumbling sound of thunder caught Lesse off guard and she could not help but suddenly stop in the middle of her flight. "Wait, did I calculated wrong? Why is it starting to-" KRAAAKAAABOOOOOOOM!~ And just like that, Lesse''s half recovered body was suddenly assaulted by a bolt of extremely strong lightning that was simply out of her expectation. Little did she knew that it came from the Lord of the Lightning Elemental realm. And unlike the divine lightning of Tribulation of light, this one holds a killing intent of an elemental! "N-no! I-I can''t lose now- I ca-" It was so strong that the lightning energy continued to linger on Lesse''s body, causing it to heat up and glow brightly in the middle of the night -revealing her long Dragon body to the human eyes below. Then Elric saw it. He saw himself, ten years ago, how he runs excitedly out of their small nipa house in the middle of the night. Elric could hear the sound of his grandma calling him to go back to bed. But he was too stubborn. Immature, naive, and a complete simpleton running after his fantasy. It was starting to rain and the wind blows coldly, the thick dark clouds completely blocked the shining stars above. From the perspective of the wisp that was hiding from the thick black clouds, Elric witnessed how that night came to be. He saw the Mananggal flapping its wing''s through the forest, the Kapre revealing itself from its hiding place. And the fate that was unfolding before the running boy in the middle of a stormy night. All it takes is a perfectly timed lightning bolt to change the course of history. All it takes is one command from the Great Seer Mhata. It was a night to be remembered indeed. 192 Madness Of Khan What happened next was history. Through the wisp''s perspective, Elric saw how the rest of the story unfolded. How Elric fought the Manananggal trying to protect an Eastern Dragon in human disguise. How he continually knocked to the death''s door only to be saved by a dragon blood transfusion and eventually reaching the corrupted Ancestral form to start the biggest rampage in history. Elric was just too dumbfounded after knowing how it was all actually the Great Seer Mhata''s doing all along. "She mentioned that my fate was in my hands, as it turns out, she was the one pulling the strings after all!" Elric thought with growing fury in his heart. To sum it all for him, the real reason for his messy life was caused by her. The Ancestral Dragon mentioned that Lesse''s blood transfusion to save him was the trigger for the offer of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence. She happens to be the first one to break the real barrier that was the overwhelming pride of the Dragons. Did the Great Seer Mhata also foresee this? Is it the reason why she made those instructions with very specific details? Now one question remains in Elric''s mind, "Why the Great Seer Mhata? Is she really an enemy or a friend?" Elric clearly recalls that the reason for Dash''s sudden appearance to save him was under the Great Seer Mhata''s instruction. The blue fire essence the turtle got also happens to be from her. It was also under the guidance of the Greet Seer Mhata that Elric is still alive until now. But if so, why does she warn him of such a dangerous future? "I have too many questions on top of my current problems. I still have to save my grandma''s body and those siblings. I have to get back to the Elemental Realm as soon as possible!" Knowing that he doesn''t have much time left, Elric was just about to continue diving deeper to uncover more of the depths of the wisp''s memory when he suddenly felt a bad premonition. His dangerous instincts had been flashing red lights all along! Swiftly he pulled his soul out of the ocean of the wisp''s memory and back to his body only to be greeted by ear-shattering and eye-blinding show. CLAANG!~ BAAAM!BABABABABAAAM!~ BOOOM!~ CLANG! CLANG!~ BOOOOOOOM!~ "Hugo kid! Help!" Dash''s panicking voice together with the series of explosions throughout the surroundings greeted Elric''s return. Upon a quick glance, he realized they were in the middle of a barrage from countless Arkhan ships hovering above the sky. They sent over invisible missiles, lazer cannons, and even dropping bombs that are strong enough to wipe an entire large house in one pop - all in efforts of trying to break the shield barrier that Dash had set up to protect Elric''s body. Dash was just about to collapse from the Arkhan''s relentless attacks as his energy barrier was thinning down the more powerful their weapons are. "I only left for not less than 30 seconds and they managed to find us that fast?" The time is much different in the soul realm, but the fact was that channeling over and shattering the memory of the wisp takes time. Reviewing them also takes time and if only have more, he would have gone deeper to uncover more truth. Now, with the wisp pulsating weakly in his hand, Elric immediately lent a helping hand to Dash by channeling a healing spell to Dash''s gravely injured body. As expected of the Dragon hunting race, the Arkhans were still committed to hunting the best Dragon out there. Through various secret channels and their wide range of surveillance systems, it did not take long for them to track Elric. And the moment Elric put down his guard and his energy frequency calmed down, the Arkhans swiftly made their move to capture Elric. The only problem is the Lord of the Elemental realm, who happens to be capable of casting over a shielding spell for both of them. "You did a good job friend." Elric commended as he swiftly turned around to face their countless enemies. "Stay here. I will be back." Elric added before a sudden shift from friendly to cold eyes. *** "Report?" Khan, the supreme commander, and father of the Arkhan race is currently inside the black orb located inside the middle of the enormous Arkhan ship. He has a human form except for its pale white face and pure white eyes. There are glowing tattoo-like marks that resembled a circuit-chip embedded on the sides of his head. His eyes are sharp and are currently watching over the whole situation of the vast Arkhan mother ship. "We have tracked the current Alpha Dragon and found out that his energy frequency has dropped incredibly low. It may be that he had reached his limit and has finally collapsed from the previous fights with the Dragon kings and their subordinates." A reply came through the communication channel that was embedded in the circuit marks on the side of his face. "Continue." "We tried to capture him but there is a giant turtle protecting him. We tried to take it down but an energy shield is currently covering them." "Break it by force. That turtle had been fighting for quite a while now, he shouldn''t have much energy left. We are coming over so stale them while you can. We will get that Dragon no matter what." "Yes, supreme commander." Due to their last encounter with the Guardians, the current state of the Arkhan mother ship is far from its perfect state. The floating ship as big as a one-kilometer island is filled with towering buildings with an extremely futuristic military base design. Hundreds of defensive lazer cannons are and rail guns filled each corner of this futuristic ship. However, the Guardians that attacked them an hour ago still managed to put a good fight, damaging significant places responsible for the operation of the massive ship. "Those Guardian pilots did well in destroying our turbo engines and invisibility prism. However, at the end of the day, it is still I who will get that Dragon." Khan thought to himself as his white eyes glared with murderous intent. "The moment, I get my hands on him, it is your race that I will extinguish first." Visible from the outside, Arkhan citizens who happen to have an incredibly close resemblance to the Guardian race, are scrambling here and there at a rapid pace, doing their best to mend the damages and cooperating with the higher-ups in their current operation. The few ships that the Guardians sent were indeed incredibly skilled pilots. Despite their number and power disadvantage, they still managed to push the Arkhan mother ship on the corner while beating down his own men on their best fighter aircraft. He even has to drag the fight to the human eyes just to tilt the battle on their side, but in the end, those little critters still managed to break down one of the elephant''s legs. With the turbo engine down due to a Guardian pilot resorting to suicide diving, the massive Arkhan ship is now unable to escape its pursuers as easily as before. And with the invisibility prism responsible for the ship''s cloaking ability also shattered to pieces, their gigantic island mother ship is now visible from the public''s eyes - not to mention to the Guardian''s surveillance. Right now, Khan is controlling the entire massive ship with his own mind. Pushing it as fast as possible to Elric''s location and capture him for his final breakthrough. "How many minutes before the Guardians arrive?" Khan asked a certain member of his clan responsible for long-range surveillance and radar tracking. In just one second, a snappy replied came, "The closest incoming waves Guardians will arrive in exactly two minutes and three seconds. Next wave in four minutes and another wave in five. All coming from different directions." "And their main force?" "Ten minutes and thirty-five seconds before their arrival. Unless they start attacking us with long-range weapons according to our database, we only have eight minutes in that case. Our people are trying to buy is more time but I am afraid the Guardians are going full force this time. Our men don''t even last a second against their Alpha battleship." It took a moment before Khan gave his response from the report. "So small. But it should be enough. By the time they arrive here, only death is waiting for them. Tell everyone to initiate the overcharge. We are going to use the Red Line." "The red line?!" A fearful voice from the member on the other line came. It seems he happens to know the danger of using such a method. "But-but-" "I know the risk." "But we will lose-" "That is my final command." A cold and determined voice came out of Khan''s mouth as the communication has finally been cut. Seconds later, he could not help but smile wickedly while his mouth started to drool profusely. "WHAHAHAAHA!" Like a madman, he started laughing with excited shaking and eyes wide open in anticipation. "That Dragon is mine. And no one is gonna stop me! Even if I have to sacrifice all of my people, the path to the Godly ascension is mine!" 193 Khans Surprise *One minute before Elric wakes up from his soul memory scan... BABABABABAAAM!~ "Keep it up, everyone! Don''t give it space to repair the energy shield! Open fire! Open fire!" The voice of the elite fighter aircraft squad commander continued to ring to his subordinate''s communication channel. BOOOM!~ BABABABABABAA!~ At the same time, their barrels and weaponry are intensely smoking at their relentless attack against the glowing energy shield below - it was Dash protecting Elric. "Status of the shield?" The commander asked one of his members responsible for energy monitoring. "The energy shield has thinned down to five percent!" A snappy reply came. "Only five percent?! We have been bombarding them for more than three minutes now. My monitor could not even see what''s happening below because of the blinding explosions!" "The reason for the delay is the turtle itself. It seems it is an elemental with a shapeshifting ability. To lessen the burden of the energy shield, he chooses to fortify the whole shield with his massive shell as well! Although, I do not think he will last more than another minute with his accumulated injuries." "The founder is coming in less than three. I can already see the dot from the horizon! The shield must be broken before he arrives. Hurry! Focus on one spot!" The commander sternly told his men. "Update! The shield is now down to three percent! Two- wait! He''s awake! He''s awake!" Panicking voice "Shit!" "That dragon is awake!?" "But the shield is almost down!" "Just get back!" "Damn it! It is too late! Everyone full retreat now! Go full speed and activate stealth now!" The swarming aircraft responsible for bombarding Dash''s shield was quite hesitant before they finally moved away. They swiftly activated their stealth abilities and left behind afterimages as they flee at bursting speed. The commanding Arkhan pilot was holding the accelerator with a tense gaze at the monitor. With nervous tone, he thought, "It should take some time before he fully wakes up. Just five seconds and he should not be able to chase us- wait," His bright blue eyes quickly gazed at the hologram monitors that represented significant data. His eyeballs moved from one monitor and another before he finally got into realization. "This-" Then a hurried voice came to his communication channel, "Mayday! Mayday! Pilot five, six, and seven are down! The Dragon is taking us down! The Dragon is- ARGGH!" KSSSSK~ "Reporting team B here! Pilot fifteen and twelve is down! I repeat they are down and - Aghhhk!" KSSK~ The commander heard and watched in real-time how his comrade''s ships suddenly dotting out of his monitor. They were like ants, being squashed at a terrifying rate! Slowly, the grip of fear crawled down to his head like a black spider devouring his soul. He could feel it. The eminent death flag is waiving. Elric is chasing them down! "How the heck did he find us even though we are in stealth mode? Even those Guardians can''t find a single sniff of our position the moment we go full stealth mode!" large drop of sweats continued to trickle down to the commander''s face as he swiftly maneuvered his aircraft over large clouds. The speed is his currently at made the land below him looking like an extremely blurred waterfall passing by. Then the next thing he heard is alarm notification warning of him of an incoming enemy. ~Warning! Warning! Hostile energy signature detected. A possible pursuit on our position. Object approaching at five hundred ninety kilometers per hour. Expected contact in - fifteen seconds.~ "Activate illusion planes!" The commander finally started to unleash his trump cards. Just like the Guardians, they too have access to illusion crafts that can expand and mimic their aircraft signature, the appearance was a perfect reflection of the original one and is very effective every time they are trying to lose their pursuers. ~Illusion planes activated. - The enemy still on track. Expected contact in ten seconds~ "What!? So those reports of him capable of seeing his enemies from incredibly long-distance and even find out the real from fakes are true?!" He thought in an ever-increasing panic. He watched the monitors to get an update of his other comrades only to see their location completely untraceable. "Calculate fastest and safest route! Now!" ~Calculating. Not possible. Reasons: space too open, time, and fuel shortage." "Shit!" ~Contact in seven seconds.~ "Anyone of you still alive!? Report your position now!" But there was not a single reply that came to his communication channel. There were more than a hundred of them attacking the turtle''s shield a while ago but in less than twenty seconds, their numbers have swiftly dropped to only one. "I guess I have no choice then." He mumbled as he watched the live screen showing the view upfront. It was the massive one-kilometer size Arkhan mothership that is growing closer in his view. With a sigh in his face, he immediately pressed the communication button to connect to the founder''s communication channel to report. "Reporting to my lord! I need back up! The Alpha Dragon is tailing me. Requesting immediate backup!" Before he gave the command to flee away from Elric, he made sure the direction he have chosen will be towards the Arkhan mother ship. At the very least he would have a chance to maybe survive. ~Warning! Warning! Hostile contact in one second!"~ Instinctively, the commander''s eye gazed at the rear monitor only to see Elric in his human form. Soaring the sky with his magnificent wings at his back, a flaring blue and red sword on both arms and a pair of cold dragon eyes are watching him back! At that instant, the moment their eyes met, the commander felt like his soul just leapt out of his body. However, the attack that he was expecting from Elric did not come. Rather, his entire view suddenly turned red. The sky, the land, the sea, and even the air, was suddenly embraced by a reddish hue. The next thing he knew, his body and the ship he was piloting was instantly crushed like a mountain of sand fading to bits because of a sudden destructive wind. From outer space, one could see a bright red line suddenly blotting in contrast to the bluish earth. The sheer color of this red line spelled death along its way. Erasing everything in its path, may it be cities, mountains, or even the seas. They were all crushed and melted to nothingness the moment the red line contacts them. It was the Red Line of Destruction from the Arkhan mothership! The sheer force of this destructive beam was able to create a trench in the middle of the sea, a long and massive scorching gap between mountain ranges while creating vibrations that were strong enough to incite a man-made earthquake. Without hesitation and remorse to their comrade, they fired the Arkhan''s most powerful weapon against Elric in hopes of taking him down. *** "Report." Khan''s cold voice asked his monitoring personnel through the communication channel. "As you have predicted my Lord. The Alpha Dragon managed to avoid the full attack. We only grazed him, successfully eliminating his right hand as you mentioned." A quick reply with an obvious tone of respect came from the other line. "Switch to pattern two and proceed as planned." "Yes." *** SWOOOOOM!~ CRAAASH!~ Elric''s body crash landed on the ground due to his severe injuries. It was thanks to his protective instinct that he managed to avoid a full hit from the last lazer attack from the Arkhan ship far away. It was an outrageously dangerous weapon with a speed reaching the speed of light. Thank''s to his extremely Quick reaction, he only lost his right arm instead of his head. "Those Arkhans again..." Elric grumbled as he swiftly stood up the moment he recovered his senses in less than two seconds. The small Arkhan battleship he was chasing a while ago had lost a single ounce of its material trace. Before him, he could see the distant mountain range that was supposed to be covering his view is now gone. The ocean was raging in madness as a huge amount of its body had just been evaporated. Elric could even feel the earth''s vibration intensifying just from the sheer sound and power of the last attack. From the distance, Elric could hear the countless moaning and cry of innocent people, including animals, from death and shock. Hearing them, Elric felt his anger finally boiling to its peak. "So this is their strongest weapon." Elric mumbled as his right hand swiftly recovered at an unbelievable rate. In less than four seconds, a fresh new right arm is now fully functional as if he never lost them in the first place! Elric''s eyes glared back to the approaching massive Arkhan ship that was leaving behind an incredibly wide shadow under it. His eyes, sharp as it was, zoomed in to a certain spot in the Arkhan ship. WOOOOM~ And using his soul''s perspective, he scanned the entire ship of all the living souls like a 3D scanner. There in the middle, kept safe inside a black sphere, he saw a certain individual with an abnormal soul presence. "This..." Shocked eyes followed through Elric as he finally realized the full extinct of the certain individual''s power. What he saw was not an ordinary soul. Inside the man''s body was an incredibly weird and dangerous aura. "The crying essence of ten thousands of Dragons, and..." Elric''s soul eyes looked even more shock the moment he completely focused on the person. "an Ancestral Dragon''s essence!?" Back on the Arkhan''s ship, Khan, the Lord, and founder of the Arkhan race looked back at Elric''s direction as if he could see the latter despite the obstructions. The black circuit tattoos in the sides of his head had been connected to meet up in the center while leaving a pitch-black gap in the middle - it was a third eye created using the technology! "Surprised?" Khan proudly asked while he looked back at Elric at the soul dimension. 194 Khans Greed The third eye that Khan possesses was not a naturally achieved one. Originally belonging to the ancient race of the Guardians, they have natural mental prowess and incredibly high intelligence standard. In other words, they are a race that is governed by great science and logic. In order to attain a higher form of intelligence, they got rid of most of their emotions to give way to their logical advancement which eventually led to their incredible scientific and technological breakthrough. But in return for their overwhelming mental breakthrough is their loss to their soul''s true capacity. Unlike the Guardians, Khan''s own Arkhan race diverted to a different track which depends more on the use of the technology and logic. Using advanced technology and the thousand years old knowledge they have accumulated, he managed to find a way to get the same power as if having a third eye. Placed in the temple of Khan''s head is a technology that surpasses the limitation of the physical boundary, the Third Eye of Khan! Looking back at the glaring third eye of Khan, Elric mumbled to himself, "This is weird. Clearly, that is not a real third eye! But how come it emits the same soul function like a real one?" Elric still had more questions, but right now, his priority is to finish Khan and give an end to the ever destructive Arkhan race once and for all. "I know you are surprised Dragon, you think you are the only ones who has access to the soul powers? Take this!" SOUL SHOCK!~ "What!?" Elric A sudden wave of soul-freezing attack assaulted Elric via the soul realm. It was an attack that disregards the distance between each other, instantaneous damage to the target. "Hmp!" WOOOONG~ FLASH!~ With a sudden glow of his soul, the Soul attack from Khan was dispersed. Elric''s soul power is, after all, at an unusual level. With his spiritual gift being awakened by his ancestor Lapu-Lapu, a mere soul shock attack is not enough to faze him. However, Elric felt a sudden chill and warning from his protective instinct. Hurriedly, he returned to his physical awareness only to see another Red Line beam coming his way. "This.." Without wasting any single milisecond, Elric swiftly manuevered himself to avoid the incoming beam when it suddenly split into four, perfectly predicting his escape route and piercing his body from four different sides. "No- I can''t avoid it!" WHIIING~ WHIIING~ WHIIING~ WHIIING~ In a blink of an eye, Elric lost both his arms and legs. "I see. So that is why." The timing of the soul shock at the soul realm was only a cover-up for the real attack at the physical realm. Khan took the slight delay of transitioning between physical and spiritual realm and choose to blind Elric with the target. The true aim was not to kill him but to decapitate his body and disable his resistance! The Red Line was strong enough to perfectly cut through Elric''s overwhelming defense. The first shot a while ago was only a test to confirm if their attack is really capable of cutting his limbs seamlessly. "Ugh..." Elric grunted from the pain of losing both his arms and legs. Blood spurted out of his exposed flesh as he started channeling his water elemental healing spells. While his body dropped from the sky, his body was being covered in greenish water that swiftly repairs his body. With the help of the Ancestral Dragon''s essence to complement his healing spell, his body started to grow another pair of limbs at a visible rate! Seeing this, Khan simply reacted with a scoffing smile. "Activate Gravity Pull as planned!" "Activating Gravity Pull!" A swift reply came from one of his men in the control room. The next instant, the Arkhan mother ship started to release a soundwave that accurately covered Elric''s falling figure. Bzz-Wooo~Wooo~WOoom~ Upon contact to the sound wave, his body started to feel a weird weight shifting sensation. His gravity has been modified and his falling figure made an L-turn being pulled toward''s the Arkhan mother ship! With each second, his acceleration swiftly increased and it will only take another five seconds for him to reach the Arkhan mothership''s gate! Then, without a rest, Khan ordered the next move. "Bolt Cast!" "Bolt Cast activate!" KRAAAAKAAABOOOOOM!~ Two massive towers standing in front of the Arkhan mothership started to emit terrifying electric charge before unleashing it towards Elric''s incoming figure. Without his wings of fire, Elric is left with no choice but to receive the full brunt of the electric attack! "I need to heal fast!" Elric mumbled to himself as he continued to channel his healing ability to the fullest. BOOOOM!~ KRAACK!~ "Aaagh!" BZZZZZT! BZZT! BZZZT!~ Elric''s healing water surrounding him was used to further increase the electrifying damage from the electric attack. "Hahahaha! How does it feel!?" Khan laughed maniacally as he watched Elric in delight, getting hit by his attack with one hundred percent accuracy and anticipation. The soul shock, the red line, the gravity pull, and the bolted cast. All of them were prepared entire just to deal with him. They were all attacks that are meticulously calculated by Khan in advance according to the thousands of data regarding Elric. For a while, he and his people had been focused in preparation, not for the war but to capture Elric. With every fight that Elric engage, there would always be hidden Arkhan spies recording the details not far. All of Elric''s moves, his powers, reaction speed, recovery speed, transformations, and potentials are being tallied and analyzed. All sorts of data have been compiled and converted into the very special weapons that are installed at the mothership. Elric''s damaged body was not yet able to recover, not even half of it. The half-grown limbs were not given a chance to fully regenerate before they were destroyed at the cellular level by the Bolt Cast. His mind is still in disarray in pain and shock, his decapitated figure flailing lifelessly from the unusual pull of gravity caused by the ship. As Elric''s body was getting closer and closer to the wide-open gates of the Arkhan mothership, another set of twelve diamond pillars suddenly sprang up beside the electrifying towers and flew to form a square prison with Elric in the middle. BWAAANG~BWAAANG~BWAAANG~ An ear-shattering and soul compressing sound followed after from the twelve diamond pillars as their full activation finally took effect - instantly sealing off Elric''s mind and soul to conjure any of his abilities and elemental powers. These diamond pillars have the same shape and presence of the diamond pillars that the last King of the Western Dragon used to put a lock on Elric''s skills and abilities. The dizzying sound it created was caused by the rapid vibrations. Elric''s regeneration has been messed up by the powerful electricity and the vibrations, his soul spells and elemental powers had been blocked as well. Right now, he felt like an ordinary man, just bleeding himself to death. BAAAM!~ In less than five seconds, Elric''s body has been successfully secured by Khan! "No way..." "We really caught the alpha Dragon?" "Am I dreaming?" "The Lord truly lives his promise." The Arkhan citizens that had witnessed the capture of Elric were still in disbelief. The normal human who became a Dragon that broke through the ranks in ten years. The one is responsible for the near-extinction of the Dragon race. The only Dragon who had the Ancestral Dragon''s essence, the fire, and water elemental authority, and a natural spiritual! The strongest being currently alive is now finally in their grasp. And in no time, their lord Khan will finally indulge himself with these magnificent beings - pushing for the last step to his final breakthrough to Godlike! "Proceed with the essence and potential extraction!" Khan''s agitated voice awakened the dazed Arkhans in the control room. Snapping out of their awe, their excited bodies swiftly moved through places, hands rapidly tapping the activation buttons and their spirits to the highest stage. However, one of their monitoring personnel suddenly noticed a grave detail. "Reporting to Lord Khan, after the last series of our attack, I am afraid that our energy reserve has depleted to only ten percent. If we proceed with the extraction now, we won''t have enough energy to continue functioning properly later!" "I know! Continue the extraction! Who cares about low energy!? As long as I reached the final breakthrough, we won''t have to run away anymore!" Khan beckoned in reply. "But your lordship we-" "Let me do it then!" With cold glint in his eyes, Khan swiftly took over the ship''s control. "Wait, your lordship! If you do that we will be-" "Silence! Proceed Essence and Potential extraction to the Alpha Dragon now!" In a wide space inside the Arkhan ship where Elric was contained, massive advance and unique looking machines suddenly sprouted on the sides. Whiiiiing~ Wheeeezz~ Bzzt~ Bzzzt~ Countless blades, laser pens, and suctioning gadgets just to name a few, were installed in various parts of Elric''s weakened body. A reply from the system followed to give delight on Khan''s face. **Extracting host Alpha** **Sequence start. Connecting extracted essence** Countless glowing blue tube is currently connected at Khan''s body. They were the essence that the machine has extracted from Elric''s body. "Finally! Finally! The breakthrough here I come!" Khan excitedly said as he started feeling the overwhelming power and essence rushing through his entire body. But on the next moment, his excited voice was suddenly replaced by panic and fear. "wait. This-? No! No! Nooo! NooooOO!" SKA-POOOM!~ Khan''s body suddenly exploded into meat pastes, dyeing the entire black sphere with his own blue blood. 195 The Emperors Deligh Moments before Khan''s body exploded into a dead paste... "Yes!~ More essence... more power!" Khan''s body was shaking intensely as his muscles twitched and bulged at an abnormal pace. The veins inside his pale blue skin glowed underneath from the powerful essence rampaging throughout his body. And his bloodshot eyes, emanating with it was an utter mixture of utmost delight and craving. His aura surged at an abnormal rate, surpassing the combined power of all Dragon kings, while his soul presence was getting heavier and heavier. WHIIIIIING~ BZZZZZIIIIIIIIIITTTTT~ WOONNG~WOOONNNG~WOOOOONG~ KRUNG~KRUNG~KRUNG!~ All the advanced-looking machines that responsible for extracting blood, muscle bits, energy, and the essence out of Elric''s body, had been running at full speed to the point that they were in the edges of overheating. But while Khan is having the time of his life and the machine are at their full bolt, the monitoring staff, on the other side, were panicking at the energy level dropping swiftly like a drain! With Khan taking over the manual control, several of the ship''s functions have been disabled in order to spare enough power for the essence extracting process. "My Lord! We are reaching red levels! Please! Let us recover a bit of the system''s energy!" "Grave news my Lord! Engine one to ten has all stopped due to the power loss! We the ship is now tilting to a crash!" "My Lord! My Lord! The extracting machines are reaching their limit! The outgoing pressure is too much and the system is unable to carry the full brunt of transfer!" Khan''s telecommunication device had been bringing non-stop warning from his monitoring staff only to be ignored. "Who cares about your life and these dumb machines!? For me to reach Godhood, is the sole purpose of our clan! You are all just sacrifices, so shut up!" Khan''s crazed mind thought as the overwhelming feeling of pleasure and power made him the ruthless being that before. But despite the risk of the sudden crash and destruction of the Arkhan mothership and its people, Khan still, continued without any hesitation! Without an ounce of mercy and pity to his people. All for the accomplishment of his desire! "Yes more! More! Moooore! Nyahahahaaa!" Khan was reaching a power level that far surpasses his imagination. His mind is at euphoria, an intense surge of bright light assaulted his view. He felt like zooming through the stars! POP!~ Suddenly, one of his arms started to shaking uncontrollably, and glowing blood and essence burst out of the overly burdened veins. Although his body swiftly tried to fix it by healing, the overflowing pressure from the incoming essence made it impossible for the cells to reconnect. PLUP~PLUP~PLUP~ A series of small blobs started to come out his body while his mind was suddenly struck by an unexpected sight! Shaking in fear and struggling hard to maintain his focus, Khan finally realized that he had taken a bite more than he can chew, as Elric''s majestic figure appeared in his mind. "You..." Khan mumbled in pain. His eyes reflected deep hesitation and unwillingness to give up. However, no matter how strong he thinks he is, his body after all has a limitation. "I see. So you even thought through this after all. You took all the damage and willingly gave yourself knowing that taking over your essence is only a pipe dream." In his view, Elric''s figure exploded into a brilliant light, transforming into his Dragon form. "I see... So this is what he warned me about." Khan''s memory flashed back to the day that he left the Guardian''s headquarters and declaring his intent to create his own race - a race that will overcome their limitation with the help of the Dragon''s extremely beneficial body and essence. A race that will knock to the realm of Gods! He remembered very clearly, the parting words shared to him by a certain Guardian elder. "Your craving for power, will one day devour you. And with it, your entire race shall fall." Khan turned around laughing at his prophecy; but now, he could only laugh to himself. Back to his mental vision, Elric''s massive and magnificent Dragon figure suddenly charged forth. With its mouth wide open, it devoured Khan''s figure. "Sh*t" SHHHKAA-POOM!~ *** KRGUUUUGGH~ KABOOOOOOM!~ BOOOM!~ BOOOOOOOM!~ With the man responsible for the overall The massive Arkhan mothership had already started its descend at an increasing speed. As it fell, the vast white clouds in the sky had been sliced through like white cakes together with the unceasing explosions from its insides. The engines had failed, their defense system disabled and their hopes crushed. The remaining Arkhan people made their final escape through their individual aircraft in hopes of escaping the crash landing when they suddenly felt their fall stopping in the middle of the air. WOOOOOOOHM~ A net of blue light had been waived below the massive ship, catching the whole Arkhan race from its eminent fall. Unfortunately for those who are trying to escape, it was already too late for them. Hundreds of massive Guardian aircraft have already surrounded the entire Arkhan mothership from all angles. With their weapons charged and ready to fire whenever a slight resistance is spotted. Some of the massive Guardian ships are responsible for the glowing blue net that is currently securing the entire Arkhan mothership. Not to mention, it provides an energy field between the gaps that also prevents anyone from the inside to escape. "It is over... It is over..." "The hundreds of years of struggle ended, all because of a single Dragon..." "Perhaps, the Guardians have already calculated this far. No wonder why they never showed their main army until now. The tiger was just waiting for the monkey to fall from the branch from a single slip." The Arkhan people could only yield in surrender. Their founder is gone, their last resistance died just like that. Perhaps, being too greedy would always overshadow one''s intelligence. The Guardians won the age-long battle without lifting a finger. *** "How did it go?" A cold yet domineering voice suddenly sounded inside an incredibly wide yet dark room. Surrounding the entire area are massive statues of mysterious-looking angels with nine devil wings folded on their backs. The voice was from a tall looking figure whose body is completely covered in pure darkness and sitting comfortably on a ten feet throne made of human skulls. The aura it terminated brings forth a chilling and cold presence that weighs down on one''s soul. Only a pair of three red eyes and a red glowing crown atop of its head can be seen in its abyssal presence. With one look, a normal being would feel the sudden burst and overwhelming feeling of fear, agony, destruction, despair, and darkness. Like a dissolver of hope, leaving one helpless. A soft and respectful voice responded from below. It was from a Shadow that looked like the same as the last Lord of the Dark Realm that Elric had sealed. It was a servant holding onto a mirror that connects to a hidden Shadow in the human realm and reveals what its eyes is witnessing in real-time. "Paying respect to the Emperor! It is as the Great Seer has predicted. Everything went according to the plan." "Good. Good. And the siblings?" With a satisfied tone, the Emperor replied before adding another question. "How about the sacrificial blood?" "Kahayag had secured the last two Eastern Dragons, the rarity of their blood will suffice for the tribunal ceremony." The servant respectfully replied. "And the Southern Dragon and the Lord of the Lightning Elemental Realm?" "They never made it." "I see. It was still according to her prediction huh...poor creatures. Just when they thought they already knew everything. A pawn thinking he is a king will die like a thrash after all." The Emperor said with a mocking tone in his voice. "Prepare the army, the time has come for us to finally move." He added with excited gleam in his red eyes. Slowly, he raised his hand and a small bluish marble appeared in his hand. Inside this small marble is the soul of Elric''s grandma. Her faint and light bluish figure can be seen from the surface as it reflected to the Emperor''s red glowing eyes. "For a human to have such a blessed descendant. I must say you are indeed a worthy bait.", the emperor flicked the small marble containing grandma''s soul away behind him. But just when it was about to land on the dark solid ground, a woman covered in black robe caught it using her barefoot. She picked it up, and simply backed to the darkness as if she did not exist in the first place. "It is finally time to expand my kingdom. Aren''t you excited Kahilum?" The Emperor''s cold yet excited voice referred to the black-robed woman who caught the marble containing grandma''s soul. "I am only excited when I got my hand on that knife and finally get the chance to kill you, my Emperor." An emotionless reply came from the same black-robed woman, revealing her closed eyes filled with deep mystery and hatred. "Fantastic! I hope you do well in entertaining me." A confident reply came from the Emperor. 196 The Elders Trade Surrounding the massive Arkhan ship from all angles are the hundreds of Guardian aircraft. From afar, the scene looked like an alien invasion, with their spaceships hunting each other instead of the humans. Composing the Guardian air armies are the four larger ships that are responsible for channeling the web-like energy that secured the whole Arkhan ship and trapping the remaining Arkhans inside. Besides these ships are other smaller ships that are about fifty meters in length and width. KSSSSK~ Simultaneously, the exit hatch opened from different sides of the smaller aircraft, and Guardian soldiers, flying with antigravity boots and advance looking weapons on their arms, flew out and headed towards the Arkhan mothership. Each of these Guardian soldiers has tall and solidly built of about seven meters in height. A transparent helmet with glowing holograms reflecting before their heads can be seen. Like a Jarvis system of Tony Stark except without the helmet. Their skin tone is of the pale blue, their whole body is covered by a white flexible and bulletproof suit that seems to change colors whenever they liked while giving them an amazing blending ability. Like ants zerging out of the hundreds of hovering Guardianships, these soldiers have stiff and serious expressions as they further secured the whole Arkhan ship while pointing their gun at any signs of resistance from the trapped Arkhans. "Now where am I?" Elric''s first words after fully recovering and waking up. He is now standing in the middle of a messy room with advance looking machines making error beeping sounds from system overloading, while the rest are left to pieces of scorched devices. "That was a close one huh..." He mumbled as he observed the broken devices and getting a full view of the entire area. There are faint flickering lights from the distant rooms and sparks from broken electric devices everywhere. "Oh well..." It did not take long before Elric finally found an exit path. However, the moment he saw the exit door, he saw the energy field coating the entire Arkhan ship. As Elric went closer to the energy barrier, a distant shout from the outside immediately greeted him. "Don''t move Arkhan!" "Do not step further or we will have to end your miserable life right here, right now!" "Resisting is futile! Just surrender and you will still get the chance to live, although behind bars." Elric, with a tired face, looked at the floating Guardian soldiers thank''s to their anti-gravity boots. The moment they saw Elric, a surge of intimidating aura assaulted them, causing their instincts to stay on guard, raising their weapons and pointing them at Elric. "Can you let me pass? I am really not in the mood right now." Elric, without a hint of fear of worry, asked. "You can''t fool us Arkhan. We know how you are capable of changing your biological structure and imitate anyone as you will. That''s why we can''t let any single one of you go past the barrier." The one closer in front replied with a stern look. "Look. I really have to go. My turtle friend is waiting for me." "Turtle my ass! You think that lowly trick will work on us Guardians?" The one behind butted in, then with a whisper to his comrades, he asked, "He can''t be the Alpha Dragon right?" "I am not quite sure, but data reports from the headquarters reveal that the Alpha Dragon''s energy has suddenly weakened and dissapeared inside the middle of the ship." Replied the one floating further back. "Then it is really possible that the Alpha Dragon is dead?" "That is why securing the Arkhan ship and making sure that no one escapes is our priority. As for now, his body and energy frequency is not emanating any threat at all." Explained the leader in front. Unable to wait anymore, Elric started to step forward and closer to the energy barrier that is trapping him inside. Seeing Elric disregarding their warning, the floating soldiers immediately repointed their guns, charging it and ready to fire any second. "Last warning! One more step and you are as good as dead!" The leader declared with a threatening shout. But Elric still continued walking, not heeding an ounce of their threat. His hand is even poking his nose, trying to get rid of sticky dust inside his left nostril. The moment his body made contact with the barrier, it created a sharp cracking sound like a glass slowly being shattered. WOOOOM~BAASH! Elric popped out of the barrier without even feeling any strong resistance. Compared to an ordinary Arkhan or Guardian, leaving the energy barrier by brute strength is but a miracle for them. And witnessing Elric flawlessly breaking it left their mouths gaping in shock and eyes wide in disbelief. Finally, after seeing Elric leaving the barrier without any hard effort, the commander immediately issued his command. "Kill this Arkhan!" SLAASH! SLAASH!~ SLAASH!~ The three soldiers that were just about to fire their advanced weapons unexpectedly shit themselves instead. SHHEEEESH~ Elric''s movement was just too fast for their eyes to follow. All they saw is a Sword of Flaming, blazing fiercely in Elric''s hand. Their weapons are gone, and so did to the blood in their faces. "H-he r-really is the A-Alpha Dragon!?" "The one responsible for taking down the Arkhan and the three Dragon race..." "Did I just pointed my weapon to him?! Shiiiiiiit!" The three hovering soldiers felt like their body is melting in fear before the terrifying presence of Elric. Just moments ago, the latter looked like nothing but a tired young man just getting out of the bed. But right now, with the burning sword in his hand, he looks nothing but an angel of death! "Get out of my sight!" Elric, with a cold voice and a terrifying Dragon eyes, sent the soul of the three soldiers for about three seconds before they finally came back to their senses and burst their anti-gravity boots away from Elric. "Finally." Elric sighed as the annoying Guardian soldiers had already fled his front. He was just about to leave the place when another distant voice came. "As expected of the Alpha Dragon. You truly are far beyond our expectations." The sound came from a confident and noble-looking Guardian standing atop one of the bigger Guardian aircraft. Following behind him are a hundred more floating Guardian soldiers and fighter aircraft, ready to protect the latter the moment Elric revealed the slightest intention of harming the respected one. His eyes were deep blue that is filled with calmness and wisdom, a bald hair with a figure standing over eight meters tall. Covering his entire body is a plain white silk dress that looks incredibly breathable. And judging from his looks and presence, Elric recognized him as one of the founding Guardian Elders. Seeing the new incoming guardian coming with a creepy smile, Elric breathed a tired sigh before facing him. "You did well in using me to eliminate your own enemy," Elric told the still-smiling Elder Guardian. "You were supposed to arrive earlier but you choose to delay just for me to deal with Khan and the whole Arkhan race in one go. Am I correct?" Elric told him with a hint of coldness. The Elder dropped his smile and changed now with a solemn face. "It is inevitable and such unfortunate indeed. But we have no choice but to save as much of our people for the incoming Realm Wars." Hearing the reply, Elric immediately frowned. "I am too tired of fighting. I just fought Shadows, a puppet of Ancient Humans, three Dragon Races, and the Arkhans. Please do not drag me any further into these!" "I am afraid you have no choice Alpha Dragon," The Guardian Elder said with a weighty gaze, before adding, "...or should I call you Elric de la Cruz?" Hearing his full name after how many years, Elric felt an unexpected sense of renewing. "That name..no. That person does not exist anymore." Elric mumbled to the Elder before facing a certain direction. Eyes full of yearning and sadness. "Wings of Fire" Elric, not wanting to continue the conversation, revealed his flaming wings and was just about to leave when the Elder added, "Leaving too soon Alpha Dragon? I just happen to know vital information that might help you in saving your charming grandmother." Elric''s wings of fire went to a perfect halt. his eyes gleaming with interest as he turned to face the tall figure of the Guardian Elder. "I am listening." Seeing the interested eyes of Elric, the Elder smiled before pointing to the nearby Guardian aircraft. "You should know how we live our lives through science and endless calculations - all in hopes of protecting this human world. That is why we are called Guard-" "Get to the point." Elric, with a murderous gaze, interjected. "To tell you the truth, we wanted to kill you long before you obtained the Ancestral Dragon essence. But our calculations went to a different output we never expected... an inevitable is coming." For some reason, Elric felt like he is being used again. However, as long as they have what he needs, any clues regarding how to save his grandma, he is more than willing to take the risk. "We should talk inside." The Elder added before leading the way towards the inside of the bigger Guardian ship. 197 The Cockroach Among The Elders Under their own wide-area invisibility barrier, the massive Arkhan ship was being dragged by the large Guardianships using the blue energy net. Slowly but surely, they passed through numerous smaller islands below with utmost care not to be seen nor drop the gigantic ship accidentally. Meanwhile, left behind on the same spot is the main Guardian ship now with Elric inside. Along the way, the eyes of the Guardian soldiers, cadets, and the staffs are glued towards the one they called alpha Dragon. Gleaming in their eyes are mixed emotions of awe, fear, worry, and even hostility. They knew, just how dangerous Elric is. And to let him go inside their ship together with their highest Elder is like putting a bomb beside their own king. Some soldiers could not help but hold their weapons in preparation to the point that it would twitch in every time that Elric suddenly show even a slight hostile intention. After all, the Elder that is leading Elric at the moment is basically the head of all Guardians. It did not take long for them to pass by the control room and Elric could not help but be amaze about how neat and advance the whole area was. Contrary to Elric''s expectation, the inside of the main guardianship resembled a spacious cave room despite the smaller look of the entire ship outside. Scattered in every direction are the staffs with hovering holographic squares that represented different controls and data related to their works. Not to mention, the inside of the ship has its own modified gravity that allows everyone to walk in whatever angle they want, may it be by the walls or the ceiling, they can all walk everywhere as if their gravity is everywhere. It was an extremely spacious and advanced control room. In one spot, Elric could even see a holographic representation of himself and the many different forms he had transformed so far. From the normal version of himself to the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon and up to the latest one with Elemental abilities; may it be the flaming sword, the wings of fire and the flaming spear. However, Elric did not bother to comment at all. Knowing the capabilities of the intelligent species such as the Guardians, what he was seeing is already part of his expectation. Not to mention, the Guardians are bound to use those data in their own pursuits of protecting humankind. After all, even Elric himself is not that confident of fully controlling himself especially with the Ancestral Dragon''s essence inside. About two minutes of walking inside, Elric and the Elder had finally reached a certain room. The moment he entered, he could not help but remind of the entire scene as a board meeting room, except for the weird-looking luminous lights that are placed in many different corners and the neat looking marble stones where the rest of the Guardian Elders are sitting from. Just like the Ancient Humans, the Guardians had all the same exact faces except for the weird symbols in their head that actually represented different Ancient Human numbers and their identity as well. And as expected, their emotionless faces had the classic pale white complexion, deep blue eyes and figures covered in white long clothes. Glancing from their individual spots, Elric could feel an intimidating psychic aura from all of the Elders. Though they were not as strong as his, the moment that they all start to combine their attacks, he is afraid that his soul would be a goner in less than a second. These Elder Guardians are the ten commanding guardians coming from all parts of the world. And just for this day, they all decided to personally meet Elric as per instruction from the Head Elder Guardian. Fortunately, there was not an ounce of hostile intention in their aura. All of the ten Guardian elders, including the head, had their eyes glued at him with a spark of awe and curiosity that ultimately betrayed their stiff and emotionless faces. "Thank you for joining with us and apologies for those three ignorant soldiers a while ago." The head started as he hovered elegantly in the air before landing on the flat marble stone about three meters wide. "I do not have much time to waste here. Tell me, what is it that you know about my grandma''s situation?" Elric asked. Getting quick to his question. "Before I answer that, I have a few questions first that might need your enlightenment first." The head calmly replied. "I expected much. Spill it." Elric quickly responded. Knowing the Guardians who values information more than golds, he already expected that there is something that they wanted from him in exchange for information related to saving his grandma. "The Elemental abilities that you have. How did you get it?" One of the Elder sitting closest to the head quickly asked. Hearing it, Elric''s eyebrow could not help but twitch a little. "If I answer this question, will you -" In the middle of his words, Elric''s eyes switched from the calm and bored one to a cold and murderous one. "Elder Unom! Stop!" Sensing the sudden changes in their visitor''s mood, the Head elder immediately stood up, and with glowing blue eyes, he beckoned to the Elder that is sitting on the sixth marble stone from the left. THUD!~ The Elder Guardian sitting on the sixth marble stone suddenly collapsed from his seat. The deep blue eyes are now dilated and an expression of fear and shock still remained as his breathing slowly stopped. ~Gasp! ~what!? ~Elder Unom!? "He started it. I am just defending myself." Elric''s voice followed as his Dragon eyes revealed traces of overwhelming soul energy mixed with a murderous gaze. "Did he just killed one of us!? In front of our eyes!?" "Audacious! I do not care if he is an Alpha Dragon. Executing one of the Guardians Elders before our very eyes, this man is looking for death!" "Maybe, his constant win from the last battles made his confidence soar to the realm of stupidity. I doubt he would stand a chance if we attack him together." Threatening voices from the Elders immediately followed together with hostility in their eyes. Their psychic powers starting to emit in their forehead, ready to engage against Elric any second. "Hold your miscalculating logics!" The leading Elder in the middle immediately said as he waved his long arms and cast a psychic interrupting light before the angry Elders. "I told you, I am only defending myself. What? Do you want me to just let that member of yours forcibly read my mind? I dare anyone of you to do it again!" Elric replied with a cold and threatening voice. WHOOOOOM!~ BZZZZZZ~ His overwhelming spiritualist and Ancestral Dragon aura exploded from within, creating a sonic wave that sent powerful reverberations to the whole Guardianships. Alarmed, the soldiers, meant to protect the elders and are hidden inside the marble walls, finally revealed themselves, pointing their advance looking weapons to Elric''s spot. Sigh... The leading Elder touched his head in anger. "SILENCE!" With a sudden burst of his overwhelming psychic power, the leading Elder made everyone, except Elric, to get back to their original places. The soldier''s weapons crumpled to bits like a piece of thin paper due to the sheer pressure from his psychic powers while their bulky bodies were sent back inside their hiding position as if a scene running with a rewind button. As for the babbling Elders, they were all forced to sit back in the marble stones while their mouth was shut and unable to open while their psychic powers were locked. All of them revealed a terrified gaze towards their leader. The Head Elder, who was known for his calm demeanor, is considered to be the most powerful of all the Elder Guardians. Known to possess the power closest to the level of their mysterious original founder who''s real body and information remained elusive. Finally, with the quietness back inside the spacious room, Elric started by pointing at the lifeless body of the sixth Elder Guardian. "Not to mention, do you even really know that one?" Elric asked as everyone reacted with a gleam of confused eyes. "He is right my brothers. That one is not the real Unom. I have to apologize again and thank you Mr. Elric for exposing that traitor. This is all my fault." The Head Elder said in an apologetic manner. Elric did not bother replying. By taking a deep breath, he finally relaxed as the overflowing hostile energy finally left his aura. "Now, let me just clean this mess up and we can finally start on our real purpose of your presence here" The Head Elder, said as he lifted the lifeless body of the sixth Elder using his telekinetic powers and disposing it. "What?! He could just do that in front of us? We are not resisting at all!?" "There must be really something wrong here." "We are just gonna dispose the sixth Elder just like that?" The Elders were unable to voice out their words but their eyes and shaking body revealed their true feelings. Sensing their dissatisfied gaze, Elric suddenly lifted his hand and said, "Let me dispose it for you." FWOOASSH~ A concentrated blue fire seeped out of Elric''s raised arm and swiftly devoured the sixth Elder''s body. The moment the blue fire made contact, the purifying effect of the blue fire revealed the true appearance of the sixth Elder. Its pale white skin was scorched only to be replaced by another layer of light-bluish skin, and a different being was finally uncovered from its almost perfect disguise before finally turning into plain black dust - all this time, it was actually an Ancient Human pretending as Unom, the sixth Elder Guardian. Gasp!~ The faces of the Elder Guardians, except the Leader, revealed their full shocked faces for the first time. "Now that the roaches are gone. Can we start now?" Elric asked while wiping his hands from the black dust. "Most certainly." The Head Elder replied with a calm smile. But deep inside, he is greatly troubled on how did that Ancient Human managed to fool them perfectly disguised as the sixth Elder. It appears, their calculations have gone astray to the wrong path far earlier than they expected. 198 Elrics Chances The Head Elder appeared calm and confident, but deep inside, his mind has gone to a wild mess. The fact that a spy had infiltrated them for who knows when. Just how much of their internal meetings had been secretly recorded? The information and technology they have secure, and is the real sixth Elder even still alive? No wonder why the Ancient humans had been so silent for how many years! They were a selfish race who craves intelligence, to the point that they are responsible for the sudden disappearance of promising humans. Extracting their talents and intelligence before dispatching them like dead animals. And no matter how the Guardians would try to capture them, the suspects would always be one step ahead. Before they could even send their soldiers, the Ancient humans could swiftly react and escape! The scent, camera recording, footsteps, you name it - not an ounce of traces are left behind. Although he had suspicions of a possibility that there is a spy among them. But after several secret investigations, his people, including the elders, would always all turn out to be clean. Even to point that they would scan their minds. Never in his mind that the enemy would abduct the sixth Elder who happens to be one of their experts when it comes to mental prowess. If not for Elric''s move, they would remain under the laughing asses of the Ancient Humans until this day! "No wonder they have those kinds of technology..." The elder thought, thinking about the futuristic armor that Arkhoz used in his fight against Elric. Although it was not as refined with the one in their arsenal, the bases of such technology are still from them! Keeping a calm and peaceful facade, the Elder finally faced Elric and said, "Yes. On behalf of the Guardian race, I thank you. However, if you do not mind me asking, how did you know he was different from us?" Elric without hesitation replied, "The soul. No matter the disguise, your soul would always remain the same." "I see. So it is the soul, the one where we choose to abandon in pursuit of more worldly intelligence." Sighing, Elric added, "Unlike you guys who have plain gray souls that seem to have dwindled over time, that one has a much more different hue. It was a mixed color, probably from the numerous human essence he had absorbed. There was hostility in his aura and he even tried to slowly seep into my mind like an invisible Boa snake, slowly positioning its body before it strangles me to take control." Everyone in the room watched with curious eyes. Indeed, as races of superior intelligence, they have long got rid of the deeper study of their soul considering its unfathomable nature and chose the more tangible science and technology instead. It seems that the Ancient Humans are even working with the application of spiritual manipulation, maybe it is time for them to reconsider their study on the souls and its practical use again. "Actually, if it was anyone else, he could have easily overtaken their body. I just happen to have an extraordinary soul that is far bigger and stronger than anyone I know so far." Elric casually said with a tinge of bragging in his voice. "It appears to be so. Again, thank you. Now let us get back to the real purpose why we invited you here." The Head Elder said with an unbothered face. "I am only interested in saving my grandma and those two Eastern siblings." "We know. However, you saving your human family will be very crucial in the next events that are to come. After all, it is exactly for this reason why they have chosen to secure her amongst all the possible victims." The Head Elder said as he slowly sat down at the marble stone behind him. His hand gesture for Elric to sit down to another smooth and glistening stone in the middle. Elric found nothing wrong with the chair but he still cautiously sat down. The moment his body touched these marble stones, he could feel a surge of healing and warmth that seems to relax all of his senses without interrupting his focus. Furthermore, his mind became more relaxed and sensitive to his surroundings that he is able to think more clearly while sitting on it. "I assume you have been to the Elemental Realm. That is why you have those ability to conjure the fire and water elements according to your will. Am I right?" "It''s too obvious isn''t it?" Elric replied calmly. "Based on our analysis, you are actually holding off from using too much of your powers. Could it be related to the Ancestral Dragon''s essence that may start another rampage like before?" Elric nodded in confirmation. "Nevertheless, you still manage to control a part of it. If you do not mind telling us, how much can you control as of the moment?" "Is this a job interview? You keep asking me questions and not even bothering about mine." Standing up with a calm yet hostile voice, he added, " If you don''t mind telling me and before we continue, do you have a method for me to find and save my grandma''s body and soul? Can you start scribbling some figures and at least give me a clue?" Keeping his calm, the Head Elder answered, "I am sorry. But my questions are part of the solutions that we will be providing you later on. As you know, we are intelligent species who rely on factual data and real-time information. Our calculations, strategy, and technology, which where we excel the most, are all results of our thousands of years of your so-called ''scribbling figures.'' - the main reason that we manage to save humankind from the shadows." Keeping his cool, the Head Elder added, "To tell you the truth, if not for our works on this world, you normal humans would have been long extinct already five thousand years ago- your birth is basically because of us securing your world. Your selfishness, ego, abusive nature, and so-called identity are the few of the hundreds of reasons for your race deterioration." Then with a flick of its long pale hand, a hologram of an advance looking city appeared right above its palm. It expanded to a single meter and revealed a detailed exact graphical representation of the whole modern city they are currently passing by. Now with a slow and solemn voice, the Elder Guardian added, "You people, including the other races, were too busy fighting each other that you forgot the real threat coming your way. Like two small spiders flexing their legs and jaws just to outdo the other only to fail to see the bigger bird diving from above." "You fail to see your chances to unite because of your own selfish interest. Just like how you are too focused in trying to save your only family only to fail the thousands of innocent families dying under the trampling of your reckless tail. Some of them are not from you, but the point of its momentum traces back to your intention and will." Elric listened without any contradicting reaction. His eyes are focused on the scene that is currently being played in the holographic scene in the palm of the Head Elder. Rampaging and wrecking the whole holographic city is a massive Dragon. It''s size simply toppled down even the hundred-floored buildings. With its every step, cars, shops and even innocent people would end up in crushed paste. The loud roar, the destructive flames, and the overwhelming physical prowess itched in every muscle brought forth destruction in every angle. Evident in his surroundings, is the crushed lives of countless people and buildings ravaged beyond recognition. Elric could see himself on this Dragon. As a matter of fact, it was indeed him. Although it was far from the darker scene that the Great Seer Mhata showed him, but the meaning was still the same. He is the Dragon of Destruction. And right now, he has the power to trample the whole world. "The reason why I asked those questions is fairly simple. Unless you reached one hundred percent control of your Ancestral Dragon power, the probability of the scene to happen in actuality is at an absolute ninety-nine point seven percent." The Head Elder faced Elric with graveness in its eyes. Although their faces remained emotionless, his eyes betrayed him of the deep-seated sadness and fear through a glimpse of the light. Elric knew this too. It was for such reason that he is trying his best to find ways to fully controlling the Ancestral Dragon''s power. But with the things unfolding before he could even finish each journey, he is stuck with the current control level of only fifty percent. "And let me add this to you. I am willing to bet my life on this calculation - if you move now with your turtle friend to the Elemental Realm, you will be able to save your grandmother with a hundred ninety-six percent chance of success from the hands of your mysterious enemies." Hearing this, Elric''s eyes shone for a while before the next few words from the Elder shut him. "Unfortunately, by the time you did that, there is a five hundred-nine percent chance of you accidentally killing her in the next three seconds." 199 The Portal Of Chance Elric had a mixed reaction from the Elder''s words. While he does feel confident that he can take on the Shadow Warriors and even if he has to face Kahayag again, there is still this certain feeling of uneasiness with him. "I know that. That is why I came here thinking that you might offer me some pointers." "What you did is indeed the right choice." The Head Elder said as he smiled confidently before standing up and walked towards the wall behind him. He smiled calmly to the rest of the Elders and as if understanding his intention, they all stood up and left the room without any hesitation, leaving only Elric and the Head Elder behind. Then a moment later, the plain white wall suddenly moved and revealed a passage to a certain brighter area. Curious Elric walked closer to the newly opened passage just before the Head Elder. By the time Elric arrived what he saw inside gave him an unexpected shock and amazement. Inside the small passageway revealed a vast area that stretches to an unknown horizon. He could see weird looking plants of various sizes, mysterious gigantic animals that looked liked winged whales are moving across the yellowish skies, there are different bodies of waters and mountains. The only question that Elric has is how did such a vast space can fit inside the Guardian Aircraft that is not even wider than two hundred meters in radius? "What is this place?" Elric mumbled his question while his eyes remained puzzled and in awe at the same time. "It is my offer. A dimensional portal to another realm." The Head Elder said with a confident smile. Elric, now bound with curiosity, raised his hand and touched the space inside the passage only to feel like as if he was being pulled in. Seeing this, the Head Elder''s eye revealed an unexpected shock. As if it was his first time seeing it. "But just to let you in on the bigger picture on my offer, I just want to ask. Do you ever feel like everything that is happening so far in your life has been under the influence of someone aside from you? As if there is someone pulling the strings from the dark?" The Elder asked after calming himself as if nothing happened. Hearing the question, Elric gazed at the Head Elder with an interesting look. "I already know who is behind it," Elric replied with a cold expression in his eyes. Every time he remembers about Kahayag and the Great Seer Mhata, he could not help but feel an intense surge of resentment and curiosity. "Is it perhaps an Elemental with a foretelling ability?" The Head Guardian asked with his deduction. Elric nodded in reply as confirmation. "So that explains all of my unknown variables..." The Head Guardian said with sudden enlightenment in his eyes. And as if having a sudden information breakthrough, he swiftly sat down and crossed his legs before closing his eyes with unfathomable focus. "Please excuse me for the next 30 seconds." The Guardian said as his head started to glow. Elric was taken aback at the sudden brightness of the Head Guardian''s head. Woooooong~ In the next moment, holographic images of numbers, lines, mathematical figures, and symbols of unknown variety whizzed out of the Head Guardian''s temple. His eyes were closed but Elric could see the eyeball moving rapidly inside the lids, while his glowing head continued to project the complex holographic rendering before him- it was their so-called ''calculating''. ~Whooosh~ ~Wiiing~ ~Whooosh~ ~whooosh~ Elric watched as the numbers and symbols flickered into different values and presentation. The holographic lines created graphics, percentages, numerical values that were unbelievably long and hard to follow. Everything dashes, flicker, disappear and reappear somewhere at a pace more than Elric could keep up. Before Elric is a being capable of defeating all the supercomputers in the world when it comes to extremely complex calculations and processes. For some reason, Elric had the urge to touch the tall man before him but he resisted the idea. Who knows it might result in a mental backlash as the man before he seems to be completely immersed in his calculation. Ten seconds later, the rapid eye movement inside the lids hasten. Bluish blood started to fall out of their small nostrils, mouth, and even in their ears. The head-on the other hand started to emit hot steam as if a boiling pot of water. However, despite all the painful moan and sight, the Head Elder pushed on. Exactly 30 seconds later, the so-called calculation finished. The numerical values finally stopped moving and a highlighted number floated in bold before the Head Guardian''s face. The numerical value is one hundred percent. "Ten thousand and five hundred sixty-three years." The Head Guardian suddenly said as his eyes finally opened. The moment Elric saw the eyes, he was shocked to see the extreme bloodshot and the pale white pace almost reaching a ghastly level. Keeping his composure, Elric asked, "What do you mean about the ten-thousand-" "If you enter the dimensional realm before you, you will have an exact ten thousand and five hundred sixty-three years to train before you reach one hundred percent complete control of the Ancestral Black Dragon essence." The Head Guardian said while gasping in complete exhaustion. "That long!? Am I even alive after that such time?" Elric replied with a stupefied face. "It is possible if you get inside the Kaora''s realm." replied the Head Guardian as he finally stood up while wiping the bluish blood with a subtle wave of his hand, leaving no traces even from a single drop. "Kaora''s realm..." Elric mumbled the name of the dimensional door before him. For some reason, he gave a faint familiar feeling from such a name. Though he could not clearly trace it back, for some reason, he could feel his soul being called by the mysterious world before him. Is this still part of their trap? Or could this be actually fate? "But even if I go inside. A lot could happen here on earth within ten thousand years." Elric said, asking for clarification. "That''s what makes the dimension before us right now special. And to tell you the truth, it seems you are fated to this place." The Head Guardian said while his eyes glowed with the utmost admiration. Elric continued to listen, waiting for the explanation. "You see, just like the elemental realm where the flow of time is completely different from the Earth''s, ten thousand years of staying in the Kaora''s realm is only three months and ten days here on Earth. I am pretty sure you know what those days mean." The Head Guardians said, turning his head to Elric with a confident smile. "The Total Lunar Eclipse... the time when the gate to the Realm of Darkness will be opened. The time when I will get the chance to the Realm of Darkness and meet the Emperor." Elric replied with a resolute gaze. "However, I doubt you will find the Emperor on the Realm of Darkness." The Head Guardian interrupted. "What do you mean?" Elric asked, confused. "I had been observing them from the past thousands of years. Unfortunately for them, their secretive movements will never be able to escape our eyes. All their actions and motives, we are always ten steps ahead of them, that is why they never get the chance to fully take over as many humans as they wanted. However..." Then the Head Guardian''s face switched from confident to full urgency. "We made a miscalculation on our part. You mentioned the one who made everything possible. The confirmation itself is proof of our miscalculation. A being that can foresee the future and model it the way they want to be not a part of our calculations since we never accepted such fact without evidence. But now that you mentioned it, things are now completely different." Now facing Elric with traces of anxiety in his eyes, the Head Guardian said, "You obtaining the Ancestral Dragon''s blood, Taken to the Elemental Realm, Obtaining the Elemental abilities of destruction and healing, coming back to the human realm and wiping out the Arkhans and the Dragon clans. My calculations had reached a perfect solution that it was all according to their meticulous planning!" "Their? Do you mean..." "The Outsiders are coming." The Head Elder replied with a fearful look in its pale face before adding. "Now that the Dragons and Arkhans, who happens to have a great interest in the human realm and in another way helping us protect it from the invaders from the other realm are gone, our overall defensive capacity against an unknown invasion had plummeted to the button. The human weapons are far too outdated against the supernatural enemies." "Then why did you not warned me about it?!" Elric asked, irritated. "We have our own reason." The head Guardian replied with a resolute face. Elric did not pry further. As beings of logic and the human interest always in their book, he gave up questioning further. "What happens when I get inside? How do I know you are not lying to me?" Elric asked. "We guardians are not allowed to get inside The risk for him is just too much. What if the realm before him is just a trap to isolate him and holding him off while the invasion happens? Will he be able to save his family? The Eastern Dragons? What if? There were just too many doubts for him. However, Elric knew pretty much more about the Guardians when it comes to trust. "We Guardians do not lie. We value honesty and factual information. What I am doing is trying to help you overcome your limitation. It is up to you if you will believe me or not. Whatever your choice you will make has consequences that are yours to handle. Don''t blame me for not giving you the opportunity." He said as he glanced to the side. Elric felt it too, an incoming aura from a familiar friend. "Your Elemental Turtle friend will arrive in this spot in the next minute. He seems to be in a hurry. It seems the invasion is starting real soon." 200 Enlightenment Of Dash Elric, using his spiritual perspective, have long seen Dash coming his way more than two minutes ago. Even right now, he could tell the position of the other Elders and the hidden Guardian guards watching him from behind the walls. Soon enough, Dash arrived with an anxious look on its turtle face. "Let him in." Elric requested to the Guardian Elder and the latter quickly nodded before sending a telepathic message to the Guardians outside. "I know Elric is inside because I can feel his aura. What did you do to him?" Dash, who is currently as big as the Guardian ship itself asked with a threatening voice. "He is waiting for you inside. Please follow me Mr. Overwhelmingly Mighty Glorious Dash." The soldier replied promptly before the opening the entrance door. Hearing his self-titled name being spoken by a stranger, Dash felt an unexpected pride swelling up to his giant heart. However, he remained vigilant as he slowly transformed back to a smaller version and followed the Guardian soldier inside. Soon enough, Dash saw Elric standing on a dimensional door together with an incredibly tall Guardian. The moment he laid his eyes on the Head Elder, Dash felt an unexpected calmness but wariness in front of the Guardian in long white clothes. In other words, he could feel at peace before the latter but he also does not want to mess with it. He could see an intimidating eye and overflowing mental energy emanating from its head. A sign of an incredibly powerful psychic being. But remembering Dash''s purpose for coming he hurriedly flew before Elric''s face. "Hugon Kid, I am afraid I cannot stay any longer here in the human realm. Moments ago, I felt the call of the Elemental God." "You mean the Elemental bastard?" Elric said remembering how he almost got trapped inside the Toray, the destructive connecting space between different dimensions. "You''ve met him?" Dash inquired. "Not just ''met'' him. It was more than that. I fought with him on my way to the Earth Elemental Realm. He felt like I was threatening the balance of the Elemental realm and had to eliminate me. But the bastard is friggin weak and just when he was about to lose, he power tripped me by forcing me out of the Elemental Realm and sending me to the Toray." Elric explained his hatred towards the God of the Elemental Realm. Listening to him, the Head Elder Guardian could not hide his shock. ''Did he say he fought against the God of the Elemental Realm? And he had been to the Toray?! That extremely destructive space in between the dimensions!? So was he just pulling his punches all this time?'' The Head Elder thought in a series of questions. As much as he wanted to ask his questions, right now is a perfect time to gather more intelligence from the beings that had gone to the elemental realm. After all, as beings in pursuit of absolute knowledge, every single word that Elric and Dash muttered is extremely important for his calculations in the future. With more variables revealed, the more accurate his calculations will become, and the easier it is for him to anticipate future events! "No wonder why I cannot find you there," Dash said with an enlightened face before adding, "To tell you the truth, a day after you left, the whole Elemental realm was in utter chaos." "What do you mean?" Elric asked with a curious face. "Apparantly, the God of the Elemental Realm summoned all of the Elemental Lords." "And that includes the Great Seer Mhata and the rest of those Lords I haven''t met..." Elric mumbled. "Yes. At first, I thought it was just for a formality so I went to the proclaimed meeting place - the Dark Water planet. The matrix of Elemental passageways. However, when I got there in a form of a small turtle to not stand out at all, aside from the Elemental Lords, I saw a bunch of mysterious beings that I haven''t seen before. They were surrounding two Eastern Dragons that are bound in indestructible lightning chains a top on a certain wide table. For some reason, it looked like a sacrificial ceremony to me." "The Outsider. Those mysterious figures could probably be them. The people are responsible for everything that has happened.The wars in the Elemental Realm, the fall of the Eastern Dragon race, my rampage, and everything else... Te" Elric muttered as glanced at the Head Elder nodding understandably. Then Elric, looked back at Dash, "Tell me more." "I saw an old woman the closely resembles how you look when I first met you. Do you, by any chance know her?" Dash added in question. "That was my grandma," Elric said with a tightening fist. "But the soul inside that body is not my real grandma, rather, it is my distant ancestor who happens to be a powerful spiritualist from the Realm of Light." "Your grandma? And a powerful spiritualist is controlling it inside? But why was she there? And how come it seems like the rest of the mysterious figures are closely acquainted with her?" "Because she is part of them." "Your one controlling your grandma?" "Yes, and not just her. I think every other Elemental lord is also part of their big conspiracy. And the one leading them could be the Great Seer Mhata, under the command of the Emperor." Elric revealed his thoughts according to his deductions. As much as he hates the feeling of being used and betrayed, to keep a calm mind and counter the enemy''s plan properly is much more important than basking in sorrow and defeat. After all, as long as his grandma''s body is intact with the soul to follow later and the two Eastern Dragons still alive, his hope remains to be still alive. Feeling confused, Dash suddenly said, "To tell you the truth Hugon kid, I do not know now who to trust anymore. When I got to the meeting place, it seems like everyone do not like me. They gave me those condescending stares. As if I am a lower life form. I am a Lord too you know." Dash said in mumbling tone before adding, "Even the God of the Elemental Realm, who is supposed to be the strongest one and in authority, acted like a little child before those mysterious figures. There was just too much questions that I need answers..." Facing Elric, Dash said, "The Great Seer Mhata explained to me the situation. She said they were preparing to fight an incoming invasion of the Shadows who came from Realm of the Darkness, that is why we met in the Black Water. However, I have my own doubts from what she said." "What did you notice?" The Head Elder asked this time, completely curious while his head started to glow again albeit a more faint one compared to before. A sign that he is currently doing some calculations. "I noticed that there was not a mood of preparation for an attack. Everyone, except me, was in a merry mode as if expecting an incoming old friend! The main reason I came here is because The Great Seer Mhata foresaw an incoming death to Elric from the hands of the Dragons of the three Regions." Dash explained with a serious look on his turtle face. "And without hesitation, under the authority of the God of the Elemental Realm, I opened a dimensional portal, and just when I was about to dive in, The Great Seer Mhata told me..." Seeing the confused look on his friend, Elric went closer to the floating turtle before him with a serious gaze. "She told you what?" Dash revealed a struggling look of doubt and unbelieving. The face of someone who seems to have realized that he has been scammed for a long time. "She told me to bring you back since the Elemental Realm might need your help on the coming invasion. I gave her a quick nod since I was in hurry to think a lot about it. But now that I think it over, I realized that something was indeed amiss." With a frown in Dash''s eyes, he said, "When she mentioned your name, the rest of the Elemental Lords and the mysterious figures gave this excited glint in their eyes. I may look small and indeed a naive one, but I am not that dumb to fail in noticing their drooling mouth while holding off their laughter." "I knew it," Elric said as he faced the Head Elder. Dash, still not getting it added, "You mean..." "It''s a trap." The Head Elder explained as he looked at Elric with a more confident tone. "Remember my calculations that you will fail if you go now? I can prove it with the help of this young turtle here." Then, the Head Elder looked at the little turtle before tapping his finger to Dash''s head. "It will take us a whole day If I explain to you what is actually happening and what needs to be done. Allow me to aid you in understanding." Ting~ Suddenly, all the new information and revelations that they had realized surged to Dash''s mind like an overflowing waterfall. Dash fell down to the ground for a while from the dizzying information that had just surged in. Dash, felt a great headache still throbbing in his head and it took quite a long time for him to finally relax completely. The countless years of events and planning. From the day that Elric received the Ancestral''s power and up to today. It was all because of the Great Seer Mhata''s influence after all! Everything is now clear to him. Now Dash has an enlightened look. His eyes were as clear as the starry night, he faced Elric and the Head Elder Guardian with a resolute gaze. "How can I help you Hugon kid?" Elric looked at the Head Elder Guardian beside him, prompting him to give Dash their mutual instruction, "I have a plan to prove all our theories, the problem is that it is too risky. Are you willing?" 201 The Outsiders At the Elemental Realm, a crowd of mysterious figures together with a single human and two Eastern Dragons bounded in an unbreakable chain of light are standing before a certain pedestal. The place they were standing was a wide floating land summoned by the Lord of the Earth Elemental realm. "How could you do these to us? Our father trusted you!" Long, with a weakened Dragon body, beckoned before an old woman. It was Kahayag. As much as Long wanted to breathe fire to destroy her, the chain of light that bounded him seems to suppress his Dragon energy. He felt no less than a giant Dragon who can''t even lift a single leg. But despite his weakened state, his huge Dragon eyes burned with great anger and fury revealing the image of Kahayag reflected on them. "It is no use brother. She was just using us. The compassion and goodness that she gave to us were all part of her plans to fool us and Elric." Less, also greatly feeling depleted of her energy, told her brother. "Tell me. Was it you who also set everything that happened that day? " Lesse said with a murderous look towards Kahayag. The latter just gave her a scornful smile. Lesse could not believe that everything will suddenly turn out this way. She felt an incredible sense of regret as she recalled how Kahayag managed to control them despite being unconscious almost all the time. Just an hour ago, they were just dragging her flailing body in hopes of saving her from the terrible destruction waiting at the hands of the Dragons of the other Region while Elric is petting himself against the assault of all the Dragon Kings and Queens. Who would have thought that it was just all part of their plan? As if marbles falling down to a guided path, they met an unexpected numerous ambush as they pushed themselves further away. Without any hesitation, they brought down all their pursuers and ambushers with a good burst of Dragon breath, causing them to almost collapse from exhaustion. Right when they finally found a safe spot to finally rest their complaining body, a sudden dimensional crack appeared before their very eyes and a little blue wisp and a familiar Dragon came out of it. Sparing no time to introduce themselves, the wisp swiftly unleashed an ultimate attack that sent down terrifying lightning bolts towards the weary Dragons. With barely any strength to fight back, Lesse and Long instantly collapsed after a couple more hits from the destructive lightning bolts. Lesse, on the other hand, felt unexpectedly familiar with the lightning bolt. It was the same power and intensity of the unexpected Lightning tribulation that struck her during the last Tribulation of Light. She even used her body to guard Kahayag''s unconscious body from getting direct hits from the terrifying lightning attacks - only to realized that latter''s intention at the first place. The next thing they knew was that Kahayag was able to stand up with a renewed vigor after absorbing the essence from the lightning while they, the protectors had been used as a meat shield. A villainous smile appeared at Kahayag''s face as everything went according to their plan and the tables had been turned. The real enemy was the friend they were trying to save all along! Paying no heed to the two Dragon''s deadly gazes, Kahayag slowly walked towards the wide podium that apparently looked like a ceremonial base. Kahayag, with her cold eyes, turned around to look at one of the mysterious figures. Receiving the gaze, the mysterious figure slowly raised its pearly-white hand only to reveal the beautiful face of a mature woman with bright red hair, red lips, and fiery red eyes. It was the Great Seer Mhata. Unlike what Elric saw in his last meeting with the Lord of the Fire Elemental Realm, the one that is standing today is a version filled with deep mysterious presence and sinister aura. "Everything is according to the flow. You may reveal yourselves now." The Great Seer Mhata said, referring to the rest of the mysterious figures beside her. Then, following The Great Seer Mhata''s action, the rest of the four hooded beings removed their cover as well. One of them is a slim man with long flowing blond hair and bright yellow eyes. Despite the absence of air in the surroundings, this man''s hair continued to sway elegantly as if there was a gentle breeze combing it. His name is Huyop, the Lord of the Wind Elemental Realm. The other one is a bald dwarf with a beard that touches the ground. Despite his small stature, the short but bulky muscles that peeped out of its steel armor revealed its warrior nature. His eyes were dark brown and revealed an aura of unmoving mountain. He is the Lord of the Earth Elemental Realm - Gahi. Standing on the Great Seer Mhata''s right is a bluish merman with finned feet and hands. His face looked like a blue elf with long fin-like ears and pearly blue eyes that perfectly matched his thick and long royal blue hair that reaches up to his waist. A noble and elegant aura was exuded in his scaly body as he glanced at Kahayag with a tempting stare. His name is Sulog. An ancient merman that lived in the deep waters of the human realm for hundred thousand years. The undeclared Lord of the Human sea. Now floating in the Great Seer Mhata''s left side is a pure white wisp that is as small as a human baby fist. But despite its small size, this wisp brought forth a terrifying suppressing aura. Like a bomb ready to explode anytime. This wisp is another being that has been thrown to the Toray for being too destructive by the God of the Elemental realm. However, as time passed, the small wisp continued to gather dimensional energy from the Toray space itself and only grew stronger and stronger until it managed to break out the space prison by the sheer weight of its power, it was like an elephant breaking out of its thin wooden box. It was the first of the lightning wisps to undergo mutation by overcharging. No wonder why the Great Seer Mhata did not hesitate to use the bluish Lord of the Lightning realm, it turns out, they have a spare lord just waiting from the shadows. However, just when the God of the Elemental Realm was about to destroy this wisp for good, the Great Seer Mhata came to stop him and showed him the promising future awaiting for this mutated wisp. And for giving the wisp a second chance, it chooses to follow the Great Seer Mhata''s order and continued to live back in the realm of Toray and grow stronger until its next calling arrives. The Great Seer Mhata named the white wisp as Ping, because of the weird sound it created when it releases its overly destructive lightning bolts. Seeing the mysterious figure revealing their true self, Lesse and Long felt a powerful pressure that seems to suppress their will power and strength to the bottom. Just the wisp alone, despite its small and less intimidating appearance, the sheer weight of the pressure it eminated felt like a giant bomb is ready to explode any moment. ***************************************************** It was the Great Seer Mhata. Unlike what Elric saw in his last meeting with the Lord of the Fire Elemental Realm, the one that is standing today is a version filled with deep mysterious presence and sinister aura. "Everything is according to the flow. You may reveal yourselves now." The Great Seer Mhata said, referring to the rest of the mysterious figures beside her. Then, following The Great Seer Mhata''s action, the rest of the four hooded beings removed their cover as well. One of them is a slim man with long flowing blond hair and bright yellow eyes. Despite the absence of air in the surroundings, this man''s hair continued to sway elegantly as if there was a gentle breeze combing it. His name is Huyop, the Lord of the Wind Elemental Realm. The other one is a bald dwarf with a beard that touches the ground. Despite his small stature, the short but bulky muscles that peeped out of its steel armor revealed its warrior nature. His eyes were dark brown and revealed an aura of unmoving mountain. He is the Lord of the Earth Elemental Realm - Gahi. Standing on the Great Seer Mhata''s right is a bluish merman with finned feet and hands. His face looked like a blue elf with long fin-like ears and pearly blue eyes that perfectly matched his thick and long royal blue hair that reaches up to his waist. A noble and elegant aura was exuded in his scaly body as he glanced at Kahayag with a tempting stare. His name is Sulog. An ancient merman that lived in the deep waters of the human realm for hundred thousand years. The undeclared Lord of the Human sea. Now floating in the Great Seer Mhata''s left side is a pure white wisp that is as small as a human baby fist. But despite its small size, this wisp brought forth a terrifying suppressing aura. Like a bomb ready to explode anytime. This wisp is another being that has been thrown to the Toray for being too destructive by the God of the Elemental realm. However, as time passed, the small wisp continued to gather dimensional energy from the Toray space itself and only grew stronger and stronger until it managed to break out the space prison by the sheer weight of its power, it was like an elephant breaking out of its thin wooden box. It was the first of the lightning wisps to undergo mutation by overcharging. No wonder why the Great Seer Mhata did not hesitate to use the bluish Lord of the Lightning realm, it turns out, they have a spare lord just waiting from the shadows. However, just when the God of the Elemental Realm was about to destroy this wisp for good, the Great Seer Mhata came to stop him and showed him the promising future awaiting for this mutated wisp. And for giving the wisp a second chance, it chooses to follow the Great Seer Mhata''s order and continued to live back in the realm of Toray and grow stronger until its next calling arrives. The Great Seer Mhata named the white wisp as Ping, because of the weird sound it created when it releases its overly destructive lightning bolts. Seeing the mysterious figure revealing their true self, Lesse and Long felt a powerful pressure that seems to suppress their will power and strength to the bottom. Just the wisp alone, despite its small and less intimidating appearance, the sheer weight of the pressure it eminated felt like a giant bomb is ready to explode any moment. 202 Expectations VS Reality ROOOOOOOAR!~ Lesse''s painful roar echoed across the vast black sea as her long and massive body slowly crumpled down at the presence of the pure fire of the Great Seer Mhata. Before her is the helpless screaming Long, who had been squirming with all his might, trying to break out of the indestructible chain of light. A strong smell of burnt meat and Dragon essence as the fire continues to scorch her body from the outside, breaking down the elegant red and bluish scales particular only to the royal blooded Dragons of the past Eastern Region race. The fact that her Dragon body has outstanding natural healing ability allowed the painful struggle to even last longer. It was the only time when Lesse and Long cursed their own natural healing ability. Unfortunately, the Great Seer Mhata, does not seem to be intending to finish Lesse right away, she safely controlled the fire to not completely destroy her right away, but slowly and surely burn them to prolong the intense scent of the royal Dragon which is the only way to call the attention of the God of Dimensional Realms which is the immeasurable black giant serpent before them. "I will keep the summoning ritual, now do your thing," Mhata informed Kahayag as the pure red fire flowing out of her arms reached a stable state - delaying the inevitable death and suffering of the Eastern Dragon Queen. Seemingly enjoying the powerful scent of the sacrificial Dragon, the God of Dimensional Realms, moved closer as the swirling eyes that resembled a small black hole release a domineering pressure among all the smaller figure below. Seeing the legendary creature itching closer towards them, the rest of the figure bowed their heads in respect to the God of Dimensional Realms. The only being who has the power to freely move in between all the dimensions, capable of taming the destructive lightning of Toray and bypassing the supposed to be unbreakable barriers that protect the different dimensional realms. "We are thankful for your presence to our sudden call to you, the legendary Thagroz." Kahayag bowed down as she and the rest of her company bowed down before the legendary beast before them. Gazing at the squirming Lesse under the slow cook of the devouring red fire, Thagroz''s black hole eyes slowly expanded and revealed a dark red hue. "What a fine scent of the meat you brought me," Thagroz said in an imposing manner. "We hope you liked our present. It is a fresh and virgin Queen Dragon of the now-extinct species of Eastern Dragons. We believe you deserve the best of all the meat in the whole realms, of legendary Thagroz." Kahayag replied in a flattering voice. "However, do you think that is enough to satisfy me?" The deep and domineering voice of Thagroz followed. Hearing this, Kahayag and the rest of her company smiled confidently. Slowly, she stood up and waved her hand as Long''s restrained figure swiftly raised and was soon placed on the same solid pedestal. The moment the slow red pure fire in Lesse''s body made contact with Long''s, it swiftly expanded and covered the latter''s body like fuel being lit. GRRROAAR!~ GROOAOOOAHR!~ Now, there are two loud Dragons squirming and flailing their long Eastern Dragon bodies in slow and undescribable pain. "I know you were gonna say that. That is why we prepared another one. This time is a fresh King Eastern Dragon and, the last of his kind as well." Kahayag introduced with fresh and exciting energy. "All of these we have done in hopes of you granting us one favor," Kahayag added with a faint pleading voice. "Speak," Thagroz replied nonchalantly. Now, with two Dragons slowly being barbecued in front of the Legendary Beast, Kahayag revealed a victorious smile. "All we asked of you great and mighty Godly Beast of the Dimensional realms is for you to create a gateway for us from the Realm of Darkness to the Elemental Realm." Hearing this, Thagdoz stopped moving for a moment. Its blackhole face made it extremely hard for them to read its mood, but they were confident that they would be able to win this favor. "By creating a tunnel from the Realm of Darkness and to here; perhaps, do you want me to break the natural balance of the dimensional realms?" Kahayag turned around to look at the smiling face of the Great Seer Mhata. Her fiery red eyes are glowing intensely while giving Kahayag an assured look. Kahayag replied with a voice of utmost respect. "We do not wish to break the balance for that will be against your will oh great Beast. What we are aiming for is the unity and stability for those dimensional realms." "Unity and stability? By sending over the shadows here, are you intending to have the Emperor of the Dark Realm to take over this entire realm? You are fine with that God of the Elemental Realm?" Thagdoz said in his usual domineering voice, only he is now referring his question to the seemingly powerless God of the Elemental Realm who is standing silently behind the Great Seer Mhata and her company. Before answering to the legendary beast, the Elemental God first bowed down in respect before facing it. "As you have probably witnessed, the balance of this realm has long been in danger ever since the arrival of the human with the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon. It was me who personally asked for the emperor''s help in order to deal with the situation. Considering that even the Guardians and the mighty Dragons on the Human realm is not even in a match against this abomination, I now seek your understanding for this simple favor.." "Do you take me for a fool?" Thagdoz quickly replied with a hint of coldness. This time, the swirling black hole in its massive face suddenly grew larger and a powerful gravitational fluctuation can be felt among the nearby figures. With its eyes locked at the beautiful figure of the Great Seer Mhata, Thagdoz replied, "Do you think I do not know what you are up to? Everything of these is all according to that witch''s plan! Do you really think I will just accept your plead like that?" Now looking at the two squirming Dragons on the slow cook, Thagdoz''s voice further erupted. "And what is with this so-called best meat!? Do you really think I am dumb!? The best meat out there at the moment is that of the Corrupted Ancestral Dragon!" With a hint of panic in her voice, Kahayag looked behind her to ask for the Great Seer Mhata''s guidance only to see the latter still wearing that confident smile as before. There is no more questions to be asked. She decided to trust the guidance of Mhata. Just when Kahayag was about to speak, the domineering voice of the legendary beast before her suddenly came with a request. "How about let us make a deal. I will grant you the tunnel from the Realm of Darkness and here. In return, you must bring me that Dragon called Elric as payment and..." Just when Thagdoz was about to continue, an confident voice of the Great Seer Mhata suddenly came from behind. "Actually, you do not have to wait oh legendary beast. The Dragon you wanted will be coming in the next ten seconds to save the two Eastern Dragons." Hearing this, Thagdoz replied, "Oh, is he? Did you ''saw'' his coming? Is it why you secured these two?" Kahayag, on the other hand, still a little confused. This was not part of the given speech! "Indeed as you said great Thagdoz, the real reason we brought those small fishes here, is to present to you the white whale you have been craving for. In behold..." The Great Seer Mhata''s confident reply followed as she pointed her hand just below the wide pedestal floating in the black water. "You just relax oh great Thagdoz and let us catch the fish for you." With her eyes burning red, the Great Seer Mhata smiled as she signaled the Elemental Lords beside her. "Two seconds before they appear from below the pedestal." "Leave it to us." replied the blond-haired elf as the rest of the group''s members sprinted towards the stone pedestal in their own elemental fashion. Huyop, the Lord of the wind elemental realm, sprinted into a gust of wind. Sulog, the bluish merman dived to the black water and completely disappeared, his body has now blended perfectly as a part of the black water. Gahi, the dwarf Lord of the Earth Elemental realm, simply controlled the earth below its feet as if he was sliding in ice effortlessly. Without even lifting his foot while his hand is cupped behind his back, he managed to reach the stone pedestal in a blink of an eye. The little white wisp on the other hand simply soared high before dissipating like a droplet hitting solid ground. In the next moment, swiftly covering the whole sky is a pitch-black cloud. A powerful lightning charge started to accumulate on this massive black clouds as if a powerful storm is ready to unleash its wrath anytime. The Elemental Lords are all prepared to catch Elric from all directions the moment he appears. "The preparations are complete. Elric, you lost!" The Great Seer Mhata smiled excitedly as a small dimensional portal swiftly opened discreetly below the stone pedestal. "As expected." The Great Seer Mhata confidently thought before a frown unexpectedly followed in her beautiful fiery eyes. "Wait.. you!?" 203 EZ Entrance Everyone waited in the controlled breath as the portal slowly expanded, just enough for one person to come in. The different elemental Lords that had positioned themselves are also more than prepared to get hold of Elric the moment he comes in. Sulog, the representative for Water Element and the current unofficial Lord of the Water realm, has perfectly blended itself into the water, ready to meet the incoming Alpha Dragon anywhere through the vast black water. Huyop, the flashy Lord of the Air elemental realm, has also blended himself like the wind, ready to shoot Elric with his ultimate wind techniques. Gahi, the dwarfen Earth elemental lord is responsible for the solid-yet-floating ground they are currently standing. The main use of his skills is to trap Elric and suppress his body as fast as possible. On the other hand, the tiny wisp called Ping is not so tiny anymore as its body has already morphed now into a fully charged black clouds, ready to rain down against Elric''s resistance. His purpose is to offensively hold Elric. The Great Seer Mhata, on the other hand, is responsible for the fire that is barbequing the two Eastern Dragons and giving detailed instructions to her company using her ability to predict the future. Kahayag, the only human at the moment but a powerful spiritualist watched everything with full concentration. Her eyes are locked at the dimensional portal with mixed anticipation and intensity. And for some reason, she can''t help but feel uneasy as everything went incredibly smoothly. They have planned for hundreds of years for these. The conditions are set and according to the Great Seer Mhata, everything is according to the flow. Not to mention, she could predict the future. What is there to fear when you already know the future? Barely after a second when the portal opened, everyone felt like the time slowed. "Wait... This..." Kahayag mumbled to herself the moment that she realized something was amess. FWOOOOOOOHM~ "UGGH~" There was a heavy yet unseen sound that came from the opened portal. From her peripheral view, she saw the elegant figure of the Great Seer Mhata suddenly staggered as if she was suffering a terrifying mental attack. Obviously, as it happened, the fire she was casting over to the two Dragons was discontinued, giving the two feeble Eastern Dragons a little breather from the intensity of pain they were suffering from. Unfortunately, the bounding light was still present and they aren''t able to move an inch at all thanks to Kahayag''s undisrupted ability. "We are under attack!" "But we can''t see him!" "Where is the Alpha Dragon!? I thought he was supposed to come!?" The shocked and angry voices of the Elemental lords came from different angles. Their expected figure to appear did not show itself! "Is it invisible?" Huyop asked Kahayag urgently. "No. But I can feel his presence is here!" Kahayag replied as they all scanned the surroundings. Aside from the newly opened portal, there were no other changes in their surroundings. Not even a shadow of the Alpha Dragon that they were expecting! "Mhata! What happened Are you alri-" In the middle of Kahayag''s words, she too felt a sudden attack coming her way. Thanks to her heightened sensitivity to spiritual powers, she quickly shifted her perspective to the spiritual realm. WHOOOM~ And there he was. Elric did not come using his physical body but with his spiritual version instead! The main reason they could never spot him in the first place was that he was in his spiritual form after all! Elemental beings are not as sensitive to spiritual beings albeit their connection to the supernatural ability, being spiritualist is after all a different kind of mysterious special human race. And Lapu-Lapu, the man whom she happened to fall in love hundreds of years ago happened to be one. The moment Kahayag laid her eyes on Elric''s massive spiritual form, she saw the same cocky, yet confident smile from Lapu-Lapu now being reflected in his far descendant''s face. "But how? I thought he was gonna barged in like a madman as what the Great Seer Mhata has predicted! For her to actually fail on predicting this to happen, it has never happened before!" Kahayag swiftly thought as she prepared to fight against Elric in the spiritual form - leaving behind the body of Elric''s grandma in a sudden unconscious state. The other Lord saw this and swiftly thought that Kahayag, just like the Great Seer Mhata, has also lost to an unseen enemy. This made them even warier. But just before Kahayag could even complete her transition, Elric has already sent over his special spiritual shock toward her direction. PSYCHIC SHOCK!~ UGH!~ Kahayag''s spiritual form swiftly warped in overstretched form as she received the full brunt of Elric''s psychic attack. Although Elric had no intentions to kill her, the mere weight of his spiritual power was not something to mess with! Psychic Shock!~ Psychic Shock!~ Psychic Shock!~ Psychic Shock!~ AAGH!~ "Impossible! How come I am being pushed back by a mere descendant!?" Kahayag''s thoughts struggled to keep up as she received a couple more psychic attacks and not giving her enough time to breathe. Tsk!~ With a struggling face, Kahayag finally decided to retreat to the physical body. "Where do you think you are going?" Elric asked confidently, seemingly predicting this to happen. "Stay here and just watch," Elric added with confidence. Suddenly, Elric''s spiritual form expanded at an incredible rate, like a normal human transforming into a fifty-meter giant, together with his transformation, his soul''s aura exploded even more and surprised Kahayag''s soul with widely open eyes. Elric''s spiritual energy is like gigantic dynamite finally unleashed in the spiritual realm! FWHHHHOOOOOM!~ This sudden pressure in the spiritual realm did not go unnoticed to the rest of the Elemental Lords in the physical realm. Elrics overwhelming spiritual energy felt like a powerful underwater volcano explosion. The only difference is that they are safely hovering in the air and so they could not really feel the full defeaning and shocking pressure Elric''s spiritual power presented. Nevertheless, they felt it too. An explosion of spiritual aura that sent shivers down their elemental bodies. "Be careful everyone! They are fighting on the spiritual realm!" The dwarfen Lord of the earth elemental realm warned. On the other hand, Ping also felt the sudden explosion of spiritual energy. And as a wisp that has more sensitivity to spiritual energy compared to the rest of the elemental lords, he instinctively unleashed a powerful lightning bolt to the direction where the threatening Spiritual Energy came from as a defensive reaction. "Ping! What are you doing?! "Hey, you stupid wisp! Where do you think you are aiming your lightning fart?" Unfortunately for everyone, Ping''s mind is like that of a four-year-old child, he may be incredibly strong as an Elemental but is very easy to manipulate as well, one reason that the Great Seer Mhata managed to rope this simple beast easily. Ping''s powerful lightning bolt was already unleashed to a direction that they never expected - the stone pedestal! KRAAAAKAABOOOOOM!~ And like a poorly made cement hollow blocks, Ping''s casual lightning bolt was like a steel hammer crushing the stone pedestal into bits. However, Gahi was quick enough to react and secured the two Eastern Dragons and Kahayag with a makeshift pedestal. Unfortunately for the Great Seer Mhata, her staggering body at that time happened to sink into the black ocean together with the collapsing of the floating ground. And to add flavor to their confusion, the powerful Ping''s lightning did not just stop at crushing the stone pedestal but happened to penetrate to the black water as well - shocking the crippled Great Seer Mhata and Sulog who happens to have blended well to the black water! AAAGHAGHAGHAGHAGHA~ URRRGUUGHURGHURGUR~ The Lord of the Fire elemental realm and the Sulog tasted a friendly "lightning-fire" from their fellow comrade. In less than five seconds, the formation of the Outsiders had been broken by an almost effortless spiritual attack from Elric. Everyone was in shock. The timing, the angle, the strategy and everything else. This is not a mere movement from an Alpha Dragon, this is a movement of an extremely intelligent one! It was as if everything has been perfectly calculated from the very start! It took some time for them to slowly recover. And just when they were about to breathe, the small glowing dimensional portal suddenly expanded. And Elric, in his massive Dragon form finally emerged. Just moments ago, he came back to his physical body via the portal and swiftly came back with his real body. "I am back," Elric said as he scanned the whole place. His body apparently looked like an Eastern Dragon but with the majestic wings of the Western one. His eyes scanned the whole area and stopped to a certain being that remained unmoving until now - the God of the Elemental Realm. "Hello, missed me?" Seeing this, the Great Seer Mhata could not help but gasp in realization. There was indeed nothing wrong with the vision she had seen. Because what she is currently seeing is exactly what she saw in her future vision. However, there was a limitation to her precognitive ability and that is the unseen gaps in between them! Seeing the future doesn''t mean its all that there is. For some reason, Elric seems to have managed not to break her prediction, but modified the process in between! As Elric''s Dragon body finally revealed his full glory before the members of the Outsiders floating in the black water of the Elemental Realm, the massive being that is the God of the Dimensional Realm just continued to watch on the side. As if a spectator that has been enjoying the show so far, his voice reverberated across the black sea. "Interesting..." 204 A Fireball To The Coward While the God of the Dimensional Realms is enjoying the scene below him, the members of Kahayag''s party is in great disarray, except for the God of the Elemental realm. For some reason, this being who is supposed to be the strongest creature of the entire Elemental Realm has never made a single move so far. As if a stature, he have never made any significant effort at all. His eyes, on the other hand, revealed a certain kind of anxiety and fear as if he was just a normal human standing in front of a hungry wolf, ready to shred him into pieces. On the other side, Sulog and Kahayag happen to have received great damage from the last friendly fire among them. Perhaps they were dependent too much in the Great Seer Mhata''s prediction that never in mind have ever crossed that she would make an unexpected mistake, especially that they are just a realm ahead to reaching their goals in creating a tunnel that will connect the Elemental Realm to the Realm of Darkness. "So you finally decide to bite the hand that once saved you." FWOOOOOOSSSHH!!!~ ~QUIAAAAAAAH~ A majestic Phoenix has suddenly surged out of the deep black water, it was Kahayag''s true form. The two fiery ruby eyes glowed with furious anger while its elegant flaming feathers beautifully decorated every angle of its body. In an instant, two gigantic creatures, a Dragon and a Phoenix faced each other just above the pitch-black ocean that reflected their individual glorious body. The Phoenix''s body was extremely elegant and wide stretching as far as two hundred meters, while its fiery wings flapped slowly and elegantly bringing forth a mysterious kind of healing heat. As a result, the rest of her Elemental company started to heal from their unintended injuries at an incredible rate while her enemies could feel the opposite. Slowly, the red fire that was burning the two feeble Eastern Dragons came back, making the two roar in their renewed agony. Elric on the other hand cast his eyes to survey the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes stopped at his grandma''s unconscious body lying behind a certain dwarf with thick and long beard. Smiling, Elric''s aura suddenly burst out again together with an ear-shattering battle cry. ROOOOOOOAR!~ The moment that everyone heard his powerful howl, everyone felt like their strength has been suppressed and an uneasy feeling surged forcefully from their hearts. ~QUIAAAAAAAH~ The Phoenix on the other side reacted with its own version of the powerful call, reinstating the calm mind and peak strength of the other elemental lords. Suddenly, Elric dived down towards the stone pedestal, where the two Eastern Dragons and his grandma''s body were lying helplessly. But just barely a second after Elric''s move, the Phoenix followed in pursuit, leaving behind a trail of brilliant fire at the tips of its beautiful fiery tails. "Now!" The Phoenix''s voice echoed as she confirmed the signal everyone according to their agreed plan. Suddenly appearing atop the floating stone pedestal, Huyop, the Lord of the Wind elemental realm suddenly appeared. His blonde hair swayed flawlessly as he swiftly summoned his own wind Elemental authority. Elric, despite seeing his enemy, continued so soar down at a blurring speed. "It is finally my time to shine." Huyop excitedly said as he positioned his hands as if he was pulling an extremely heavy net from his back and swiping it towards Elric''s direction. HAAH!~ A hundred meters away from the stone pedestal, Huyop suddenly unleashed an extremely powerful and wide-ranged wind attack towards Elric. It has the power of a compressed level five cyclone and channeling it towards a certain direction. WHAAAM!~ The moment the wind blast made contact with Elric, he felt the full brunt of the wind Elemental Lord''s attack. Its power was the same as if a solid invisible hammer was smashed to his massive Dragon body, instantly stopping him on his trail and even successfully pushing him back! "How does it feel? Hahahaha!~" The loud laugh of the wind elemental Lord echoed as he watched how the shiny Dragon scales in Elric''s body were painfully uprooted due to the overwhelming wind speed from the front. It was just too powerful that even his wings and skin have been torn apart from the unbelievable pressure! ~QUIAAAAAAAH~ FWOOOOOOOAASH!~ Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Great Seer Mhata, on her Phoenix form, followed up with her own fire blast. From its wide-open beak, came a tornado-like red fire that countered Elric''s momentum. ROOOOAAAAR!~ Elric struggled hard as he tried to hold on against the two elemental powers sandwiching him from opposite directions. Before him is a relentless blow of wind power that is strong enough to crush his body while an extremely destructive fire continued to melt him from behind. "Keep it up! He shouldn''t last long!" beckoned by the Great Seer Mhata. As much as she wanted to finish Elric for good, she was afraid that it would affect the overall direction of their plan. What she needs to do is weaken Elric until he becomes unable to fight back, and even if he becomes the corrupted Ancestral Dragon, the God of the Elemental Realms is more than happy to devour him in one go - completing their agreement and getting the favorable position they were aiming at the first place! A few more seconds passed by and the Great Seer Mhata could feel Elric''s energy finally weakening. "Its time!" a glint of excitement flashed in the Phoenix''s ruby eyes as she communicated towards the black clouds above and the dark water from below. "Ping and Sulog, prepare to do your follow up attacks. The time is ripe!" "Yes." replied the voice coming from the black water below. Krrugggh!~ a sound of ping''s cloud that means he is ready. "Do it in the next five seconds." the Phoenix instructed and the two immediately started counting, charging their powers and ready to execute. However, suddenly Elric made an unexpected move that did not appear from the Great Seer Mhata''s vision. Elric''s mouth opened and forcefully shot a small fireball towards the unmoving God of the Elemental Realm. FLOOT~ The fireball was very small but extremely fast. Before the God of the elemental realm could even react, the fire has already reached his face and made a minuscule explosion, making his head stagger for a while. "You..." a cold and murderous voice came from the spectating God of the Elemental Realm. There was no visible damage to his pure white skin but a wave of unseen boiling anger can be felt from his murderous gaze. Seeing the reaction, Elric smirked haughtily and said, "Coward." As if lightning hit the phoenix''s brain, a series of flashing vision instantly narrated in her own perspective. Quickly, her ruby eyes glowed in panic and turned her head towards the direction where the God of the Elemental Realm was standing. "Wait! Dont!" Unfortunately for Mhata, the God of the Elemental Realm has already made his move. "DIE!" shouted the God of the Elemental realm. Behind his raging eyes was a mountain of pent up anger that he has been depressing for a while now. That word ''coward'' was just the perfect word to describe his failure of taking control of the Elemental Realm. Not long ago, right after he threw Elric to the Toray after almost succumbing to a humiliating defeat. For hundreds of thousands of years, he was the proud and most powerful being of the Elemental Realm for being able to wield the power of the five elements. Under his power, every being of the elemental realm would bow down on his every request, including the Lords of the different Elemental planes. Not until a couple of mysterious figures started to invade his realm. One of them is a being that was so powerful that is actually capable of subduing him. Unfortunately, these beings choosed to remain in his realm and no matter how hard he tried to fight them and expel them out of the Elemental Realm, they were just always one step ahead of him. Fortunately for him, they did not make any more hostile movements; and for him, as long as they don''t interfere with the balance of the elemental realm, he would let them stay as long as they want. After all, he doesn''t have the strength to back his authority anyway. Nevertheless, those mysterious beings remained a thorn in his eyes and a threat to his authority, making him uneasy all the time. Time passed by and Elric suddenly appeared on the Elemental Realm, creating wars, making miracles,and ultimately tilting the balance which he greatly feared. And just when the Dragon was about to go to the Earth Elemental Realm he chose to corner him and show him who''s the real boss of this realm only to humiliate himself and resort to his cowardly methods. And to make matters worst, the sudden revelation of the turncoat Elemental Lords that was led by the Great Seer Mhata under the backing of the mysterious figures with their aim so simple -they are trying to take over the Elemental Realm! Now with the cap of his patience finally removed, a long white flashy sword beaming with incredible light formed on his hand and without hesitation made a wide range hack that resembled a crescent moon flashed towards Elric at an astonishing rate. "Noooo!" the Phoenix screamed in fear. Reflected in its eyes is the vision of the future - a future that was about to tilt the world upside down. 205 Two Months To Live The Fire of Fate is the name of the Great Seer Mhata''s ability to foresee the future; and it is one of its abilities that made her stand out among all the elemental lords. Although her main offensive abilities are still based on the fire elemental authority that she wields, against a Dragon with access to Fire Elemental Authority while having the Ancestral Dragon''s essence and a body that has gone through multiple tempering, is not something her own fire can deal with anymore. What really made her confident in all her dealings is the future guidance that she could conceive. However there was a major drawback, and that is the mere fact that she could predict them, which also means the future could be modified. All these times, she made sure that every action of them are aligned to the perfect timing of fate''s track so as to keep the future that she wanted. However, she is not in complete control. For some reason, she could also feel as if Elric could see the future, not knowing how he managed on doing it. Though one thing is for sure, and that is the future is slowly leaning to Elric''s side! SLAAASSH!~ A brilliant flash of massive crescent energy swiftly covered the long distance between the sandwiched Elric and the God of the Elemental Realm. And as if looking forward to it, Elric made a cocky smile despite being attacked from both front and back. And before the incoming attack was about to hit him, his massive Dragon body suddenly transformed back to his human form, a spherical energy barrier was created to defend himself albeit lasting for less than a second. Unfortunately for the so-called God of the Elemental Realm, the sudden shift of Elric''s size allowed him to avoid the incoming energy flash with just an inch of distance from the attack''s range! The Great Seer Mhata watched these with horror in its ruby eyes; as much as she wanted to stop the attack herself, it is after all from the God of Elemental Realm and therefore, she would only end up cutting herself if she does! The attack missed Elric and went further upward without any signs of weakening. The massive black serpent being with black holes as its eyes, was just watching the entire show with interest until it saw a flash of crescent energy coming its way. "Youu-" BOOOOOM!~ The crescent slash hit the massive being from above. A deep long horizontal cut was revealed across its neck after the explosion from its impact. Though the damage was not enough to really hurt the massive beast, the sudden increase in its overwhelming aura means that it was not happy at all. "HOW DARE YOU DESPICABLE ANTS!" Together with an explosion of the overwhelming power from the God of the Dimensional Realms, everyone felt like their souls were sucked dry by its terrifying presence. WWWOOOOOOMMBB!~ In an instant, the world seems a little darker as the force of gravity suddenly increased a hundredfold, disrupting everyone''s position and sending them down like fallen birds to the depths of the mysterious black water. As if their face has been planted on the ground and their bodies are tied by an unbreakable chain, no matter how much the elemental Lord''s struggled, none of them could overcome the real might and anger of the God of the Dimensional Realms. Elric, the real target on the other hand, simply smiled in his human form. His body was not exempted from the wide-area effect of the God of Dimensional Realm''s gravity suppression, he is also being dragged down at a dizzying speed! However, unlike everyone who struggled with an anxious face, he was able to remain the cocky grin before shouting to the angry massive beast above. "See you around!" "WHERE DO YOU THINK ARE YOU GOING YOU PEST!?" The God of the Elemental realm beckoned angrily as it''s black hole eyes started to expand and a powerful reversed gravity was released to catch Elric alone. However, before the powerful pull could even reach Elric, a dimensional crack suddenly appeared just under him. Elric went inside the suddenly appeared dimensional crack before it swiftly closed-back - all in a matter of milliseconds! "YOU PEST THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME!? I AM THE GOD OF THE DIMENSIONAL REALMS! TO PLAY WITH ME WITH MY OWN FIRE!?HAHAHA~" With mixed feelings of anger and amusement, its pitch black body suddenly became transparent, and within its now transparent body are the scene of the universe and its stars, flowing like passing water. The single black hole eyes in the center of its head glowed like a giant star in the middle of pitch dark space. And before long, its gigantic body disappeared from the Elemental Realm as if a snake suddenly wearing a perfect camouflage. The moment the God of the Elemental Realm disappeared, the intense gravitational pressure had also subsided. The raging black water has found peace and the drowned elemental Lords have finally resurfaced after a minute or two. SPLAASH!~ SPLAAAAASH!~ SPLAASH!~ A fire phoenix, an old dwarf, a blonde-haired man, a German, and a small white wisp has emerged out of the now serene black water. Their faces were filled with mixed emotions of confusion and anger while looking at the fiery phoenix with blaming eyes. However, not minding their hateful gazes, the Great Seer Mhata quickly scanned the area with a frown on its face. "Where is the old woman and the two Eastern Dragons?" asked the Phoenix angrily. "Give me a minute." realizing their problem, the merman''s body quickly expanded and became a massive blue whale. It swiftly dived down to the depths of the black water and started using its echolocation ability underwater. It took a while for Sulog to return only to greet everyone with a disappointed face. Now everyone looked at the Great Seer Mhata with eyes asking her what to do next. "So they escaped... Where is that Spiritual?" The Great Seer Mhata asked with a furious voice after realizing that Kahayag is also missing. "I am here." replied by a certain black snake about ten meters long and a natural resident of the black water. Everyone looked in surprise at the weird aura that the black snake was emitting. With the spirit of Kahayag losing the body of Elric''s grandma, she is now left with the choice of entering the body of the closest creature she could find. After all, without the a physical body, how would everyone one know where she was? "Four seconds." The Great Seer Mhata suddenly said. Everyone stared at her with a conflicted look. "That''s how long it took him to actually save the two Eastern Dragons while securing the old woman''s body." added the Phoenix as its brilliant massive body flapped majestically above the black water. "You told us that everything was in place. We trusted your guidance since you know what was going to happen in the future." The Dwarf Lord of the Earth Elemental Realm said as he summoned another floating stage just good enough for him to stand. "I know you are disappointed but you can''t blame me. I was only following the guidance of the Flame of Fate! I already warned you before that the future can be predicted but our actions are not exempted from affecting it." The Great Seer Mhata explained. "Should we go to the human realm to hunt them?" The bluish merman asked. It''s eyes emitting a murderous intent. "It is too late for them! They have already offended the God of the Dimensional Realms, it wont be long for us to hear about them being sucked to nothingness by that beast!" The Dwarfen Elemental lord inserted. "No. I am afraid not." Kahayag swiftly added. "What do you mean? You can''t tell me there is someone who can escape the angry God of Dimensional realms!" retorted the Dwarf. "I am not sure what methods they used but that Dragon seems to have already predicted everything that was about to happen. As if they could see what we have prepared for them and just when we thought we got him, he pulled a couple of actions that completely changed to course of the future." Hearing these, everyone glared at the God of the Elemental Realms at the side with killing intent. The latter just looked down in regret. His face is hidden from shame and helplessness. The Great Seer Mhata looked at the distant colorful planets of the different elemental realms, before adding, "And based on the current future that I could see, the God of Dimensional Realms have still failed to find him after today. As if he completely disappeared no matter which dimensions the dimensional beast went. That Dragon just disappeared, not even leaving single dust of traces behind." Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say. Their hundreds of years of planning, spoiled by a simple action from their enemy. "And also..." a weak and hesitant voice continued from the massive phoenix. "I can only see a future not more than two months from now... Everything after that, its all blank." "What do you mean its all blank after that?" confused, the Dwarfin Lord asked. "It means, I could be dead in the next two months." 206 The First One To Fall Hovering swiftly across the clouds in the earth''s atmosphere is an unseen giant black snake with small blackholes as its eyes. The length of its entire transparent body easily stretched to more than five thousand meters and was moving at a blurring speed, leaving behind sonic waves along the trail. It is the proud God of dimensional realms looking for Elric. "Not here...not here..." It mumbled angrily. The creature''s black hole eyes glowed a strange color, scanning the world below as it passes. Minutes ago, this creature had been to the other realms trying to search for Elric only to fail in finding even a speck of single dust from the elusive man. Not even the old woman and the two Eastern Dragons who disappeared from the Elemental Realms could be found! As a God of dimensional realms, finding any creature across the different worlds is as easy blinking for him. Even if one would hide to the deepest of the sea or in the most distant stars, or use the most advance and mysterious cloaking technology, no one could escape his unstoppable authority. However, for some reason, Elric''s entire presence suddenly disappeared. Every second, the God of the Dimensional Realm''s extraordinary senses could scan more than a billion of beings. But among those creatures he could fully conceive, Elric seems to be the only one who can avoid his detection as if the man has never existed in the first place! An hour or more has passed and he was still unable to find Elric. "I WANT THAT DRAGON!" As a being who has been too used to being feared and respected, the God of the Dimensional Realms, who remained to be unnamed until now, could not help but feel incredibly insulted at Elric''s casual remark on him. It was as if he was being belittled by a being he considered an ant in his eyes! Suddenly, it remembered during the clash at the Elemental realm, there was a certain creature that was moving in secret while Elric was dealing with the elemental lords. "Perhaps that turtle has to do with him." It mumbled to himself as his eyes almost instinctively looked at a certain direction - it has already found the turtle. The main culprit of the sudden disappearance of the two Eastern Dragons and the old lady in the middle of the battle was a sneaky turtle. But, as a proud being who was too used to being served, even though he saw the sneaking turtle, he did not make any efforts to help the members of the Outsider''s or at least tell them. He saw it with his own eyes but he refused to pop a single word because he believed that it has nothing to do with him. It took less than three seconds for the sneaky invisible turtle to infiltrate the Elemental realm. The moment the friendly fired lightning from Ping broke through the stone pedestal and incapacitated the hidden Sulog in the water, Dash''s swiftly opened another dimensional portal and snatched the two Eastern Dragons and the unconscious body of Elric''s grandma and left as quietly as possible. All of it was made possible thanks to Elric''s bold move on kiting everyone''s attention for a very short moment. However, the real MVP of the entire event was the brilliant calculating mind behind their strategy. He who seems to have made a countermeasure against the Great Seer Mhata''s power to predict the future - the Elder Guardian. Facing the direction of his current target, the God of Dimensional Realms opened a dimensional crack before him, went in, and appeared at the other side of the globe. *** "WHERE IS HE!?". Powerful reverberation shook every inch of the massive Guardian Ship - it was the same ship that Elric previously went inside a while ago. Standing atop a floating circle metallic stage just above the Guardian Ship, the composed figure of the Elder Guardian looked up at the incredibly massive figure of the God of Elemental Realms. Beside him is Dash who has now transformed into its tiny turtle form. He too seems to have expected the arrival of the God of Dimensional Realms. "If you are looking for them, I am afraid you are too late," Dash replied with a cute little smugly face. "Tell me where are they now before I will start devouring these world starting from you too." said the massive snake with its black-hole-eyes starting to expand and emitting a threatening aura. "You can do that if you want. I don''t think you have what it takes to offend the heavenly beings." The Elder Guardian replied confidently. "Well, I can always start by crushing you too first. Now speak before I start to tilt this little world of yours!" added by the massive black snake while its incredibly long body started to coil across the entire Guardian Ship, holding it in place and blocking their escape route. The moment its massive snake body made contact with the Guardian Ship, an energy barrier swiftly wrapped around and protected them from any further crushing force. Unfortunately, the God of the Dimensional Realm possessed a strength that not even the highly advanced shield technology of the Guardians could keep up. But despite the threat, the Elder guardian remained an unchallenged look. Meanwhile, Dash on the other hand could not help but feel terrified with the overlapping body of the massive snake that has is about to crush them like a sponge. Its little turtle body is prepared to cast another dimensional crack to escape to the Elemental Realm even if it means facing the villains on the other side. With each passing seconds, the energy barrier started to crack and is getting close to completely shattering. "If you really wanted to get him you can start by finding Kaora''s realm." the Elder Guardian suddenly said which, in turn, made the massive Giant snake stop its attack. The moment the God of the Dimensional Realms heard the Elder Guardians'' answer, the furious coil of its body loosened and the expanding black hole in its eyes returned back to its normal size. A quiet moment passed for more than ten seconds before the massive black snake in the sky finally spoke. "What did you say?" "Kaora. Does the name ring a bell to you?" replied the Elder Guardian with a calm face. A name that made the furious beast stop its threatening action would surely bring a heavy background. "So that pest went to hide in another pest''s cave... No wonder why I can''t find him..." mumbled the giant black snake before adding, "Hahaha! Fools! Did he really think I could not find him? There may be trillions of trillions of alternate dimensions, but does he really think he could escape his fate on my devouring eyes?" Then suddenly, the massive snake face of the beast in the sky moved forward, just stopping about ten meters from the composed Elder Guardian and the panicking little turtle. They could feel that the gravity in their current place suddenly increased, planting them in their position and almost making them kneel. WOOOM~ The Elder Guardian swiftly resisted by creating his own shield that protected both him and the little turtle beside him. However, there was no sense of urgency in his face. It seems like the massive snake is trying to pressure them by showing his dominance. Knowing the Guardian''s natural tendency to never lie, the gigantic black snake decided to thicken its face and asked. "Since you are an Elder Guardian and are always honest to death, tell me. How long do you think it will take before I can find them?" Smiling confidently, the Elder Guardian looked towards the direction of the hidden door inside the Guardian Ship before gazing back at the massive snake''s face with a small and currently harmless black hole at the center as its eyes. "I know what you are capable of. Devouring realms is as easy as a walk in the park for you. But I have to say, unfortunately, no matter how long you will try to search for Kaora''s realm, you will never ever find it." "You seem confident of what you are spouting." the massive black snake replied. "You know we do not lie, or else we could die. Kaora, the first and original Guardian created that realm in anticipation of Elric''s coming." the Elder Guardian''s long and pale right arm suddenly raised and its fingers stretched, pointing in the eastern direction. "If you want a more specific answer, you will never be able to find them. Because it will be them who will find you first in two month''s time. And in that direction, they will appear during the eclipse and the Realm of the Darkness opens." Then slowly, its pointing hand moved from pointing to the east, and to the massive snake''s face. "When that time comes, Elric will reappear with full control of his Ancestral Dragon''s power." declared the Elder Guardian. Hearing it, Dash could not help but feel a sense of excitement and anticipation. Its little turtle face smiling reaching almost 180 degrees. "Then why are you pointing at me, are you a prophet now, you pest?" bellowed angrily by the God of the Dimensional realms, feeling uneasy at the simple hand gesture of the Elder Guardian. "My calculations are now perfect and they are more than just predictions." replied the Elder Guardian with a serious gaze. His eyes were not blinking, and a weird mysterious presence can be felt within its glowing white eyes. "That Dragon won''t be running anymore. And the reason I am pointing right now shows the first one to fall in his hands." 207 A Scared God In the middle of a certain island in the middle of the pacific ocean, a massive black serpent has its extremely long body currently coiled at a Guardian Ship. "HAHAHAHAHA!~" A crazed laugh came from the wide-open mouth of the black serpent in the sky. As he did so, the black hole that was spinning quietly in its massive face released crackles of terrifying lighting - releasing a terrifying presence and destructive aura. "Did I just heard you right? Two months? That''s long I have left? Hahahahaha!~" As the laughter continued, the gravity swiftly changed in direction and intensity. It was as if gravity has run crazy because of a joke! Meanwhile, the Guardian Ship was barely keeping up with its cracking energy shield at the outpour of the destructive lightning from the black hole and the intense erratic pulls of gravity. The Elder Guardian and Dash on the other hand, remained unharmed despite their closer proximity to the face of the God of Dimensional Realms - all thanks to the Elder Guardians'' shield bubble and incredible mental endurance. While Dash has been completely overwhelmed by the giant beast''s terrifying presence, the Elder Guardian remained calm and unfazed, finally, he pulled back his pointing hand and cupped it with the other in his back. It took a while before the beast finally calmed down. It''s gaze ever mysterious and domineering. After the black hole eyes stabilized, its presence suddenly shifted from being amused to a dead serious tone. With cold and domineering voice, he declared, "I have lived through the countless dimensional realms, faced creatures and even powerful beings only to end up as a fertilizer to the unbounded power of my eyes!" Then, slowly it retracted its face upward as the black hole eyes started to expand slowly and threateningly. "With my unrivaled power, I doubt even the heavenly beings would dare to touch me that easily, that is if they can come down! And now, you are telling me that a mere Dragon that is currently hiding from that bastard''s realm will come back to kill me in the coming next two months?!" ZIOOOM!~ Shuuuush~ Then like an unstoppable suction, everything across ten kilometers from the spot they were standing, suddenly disappeared faster than the eye can blink! The island, the sea, the corals and even the aquatic plants that was inside the ten kilometer radius disappeared - leaving behind a sphere of empty space, causing the water from the surroundings to quickly rush in and fill the sudden gaps in the ocean. SIIOOOOP~ The spinning black hole eyes of the black serpent finally stopped expanding and has now returned at its normal size and calmness. It was not a question anymore what happened to the entire lot that has suddenly vanished. And upon seeing these, Dash could not help but look at its surroundings with uneasiness and fear reflected in its black beady eyes. However, the Elder Guardian remained unmoving. Its eyes remained unfazed to the point that there was even a trace of boredom in its gaze. "Everything that has happened so far has been according to my calculations." The Elder Guardian thought. As the massive black serpent in the sky continued to threaten him, his mind was still focused on doing calculations - trying to anticipate the moves of the opponents from the other realms, including the one before him at the moment. After he got the data from Elric regarding the situation in the Elemental realms, he learned the various racial clashes, environment, geographical status and hostile intentions of the mysterious organizations called the Outsiders just to name a few, he immediately added them as variables and used the most otherworldly calculating skills to generate a strategy, anticipate enemy movements and maximize positive results on their end. All with the power of the overpowered calculating skills of the Guardians! "I wish I could see the face of the so-called Great Seer Mhata right now.." the Elder Guardian thought as he finally snapped from his calculations and turned his face above. "Why are you threatening us? Why don''t you just show us what you can actually do and deal with us right here right now? As a so-called God of Dimensional Realms, I am pretty sure you can do better than that." Hearing the Elder Guardians''s words, the massive snake''s coil slowly loosened. "As beings that excel in anticipating the future and avoiding dangerous situations using calculations, I am pretty sure you have already sort of predicted my next actions, and most probably think that I will not destroy you right now..." Then suddenly, the massive mouth of the giant beast opened widely before unhesitantly gobbled the Guardian Ship together with the Elder Guardian and Dash atop the metallic sphere over it. "HAHAHAHAA!" The triumphant laugh followed from the massive black serpent in the sky as finally took care of the Guardian Elder and swiftly rose above the atmosphere. Choosing to emprison the two in its belly for further assurance. "That little Dragon will kill me in the next two months? Now I am only getting more excited. In any case that is really to happen, then I am taking his friends inside me." Then after a while, it summoned a dimensional crack and swooped in, leaving not a trace behind. *** Back in the Elemental Realm currently standing atop a little island and surrounding a massive phoenix is a black snake, a long-bearded dwarf looking grumpy, a tall blonde man with a pair of a minuscule tornado in its foot keeping it suspended in the air, a bluish merman with deep blue eyes, and a small white wisp looking like a little ball of puffy light. "So you are saying that they have their own being that is capable of predicting the future too?" The grumpy dwarf asked the Phoenix in a rather disappointed tone. "We planned for hundreds or if not, thousands of years for this time to come. Are you really sure about what you are saying right now? Or are you just trying to blame your incompetence to someone else?" the dwarf added. While the two were bickering, the rest of the crew remains silent. The wisp was still feeling guilty after it misfired its attack, hurting the water, wind, earth elementals, and crushing the stone pedestal that made everything amiss. It was also that friendly attack that gave the enemy on the opportunity they need to steal the two Eastern Dragons while securing the old grandma. The bluish water elemental on the other hand, is still currently injured. Although it was healing incredibly fast from the its injuries, the sheer might of the strongest lightning bolt of the white wisp that had grown and absorbed the terrifying lightning from the Toray was not that easy to heal from. Right now, same with the blonde wind elemental Lord, he just doesn''t have the energy to argue with the Phoenix and the dwarf''s bickering at the side. "Dwarf, you have witnessed my past predictions and have benefitted a lot from my guidance. And now that I made a small smudge on my clean work, you criticize me like I have made dirt shit of my entire life!" The Phoenix''s fire started to grow bigger and hotter, giving a threatening aura towards the small dwarf standing on the side atop the small floating island surrounded by the black water. "What? You want to burn me with your fire that could not even bake no Dragon! I wanna see you try it on me then!" "I was holding off my power to not turn those two Eastern lizards into charcoal too fast and keep the negotiation with the Dimensional Beast going. But if you want to see me turn your minuscule figure into charcoal in less than five seconds, I will be more than happy to do so!" The Phoenix said as it summoned more flame in its body. "Oh yeah!? I wanna see you try to predict where my massive rocks are coming from then!" The little Dwarf''s body suddenly expanded, rocks, sand, and even tiny pebbles that were from his surrounding him were slowly dragged and filled his body. And in less than three seconds, his body grew from a one-meter dwarf to a twenty meters solid rock golem! KRUGGGH~KRUGG~ QUIIIIIOOOOAAH!~ Facing each other, the massive phoenix and the dwarfen was just about to clash against each other when the Phoenix suddenly stopped midway - a sudden frown on its head can be seen. Meanwhile, the massive rock golem is currently in the form of a gigantic ball, ready to squash the Phoenix only to miss miserably. "I MISSED?! NO NO NO! Not black water again!" The Dwarfen Earth Elemental cried as it was falling really fast towards the black water - it just happens that he hates water, not to mention, it is dark and with unknown things creeping down under! However, instead of dropping hard towards the black water, a sudden shift on the gravity pulled the massive rock ball upward and landed back to the floating island gently. "SOME THINGS HAVE CHANGED. I DO NOT NEED YOUR SACRIFICES NOW." The loud and domineering voice of the God of Dimensional Realm came out of nowhere. Next, a dimensional crack opened above the small island, a great black serpent with a single black hole as its eyes reemerged. "LET''S GET BACK TO BUSINESS SHALL WE?" The massive black snake added. "Your timing is just perfect, oh divine beast." The Phoenix respectfully replied. A flame of excitement and ecstasy currently burning in its gaze. A new future revealed in its eyes. 208 Miss Or Missed Moments before the Elder Guardian and Dash were being devoured by the God of Dimensional Realms, a massive Guardian Ship can be seen blitzing across the blue sky in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Suddenly, the ship stopped atop a small island as if it has reached its final destination. A door opened from one side and the Elder Guardian who was known to have the highest standing among all the Guardian leaders, came out while standing on a long mettalic platform connected to the ship. Though the Elder Guardian has a composed manner and calm face, one could see traces of nosebleed and bloodshot eyes on its face from being too overworked. Even its white long dress looked unkempt and as the pale white body underneath shook fervently from being too weak. A while ago, it took quite a long time for him to calculate the most possible actions of their enemies who were waiting on the side of the Elemental Realms. With his full capacity as the leader of an Ancient Human race who excelled in their absurd calculating abilities, he was able to deduce the enemy''s action using sheer math calculations. By extracting information from Elric''s descriptions of the Elemental Realm and his experiences while noticing subtle clues peeking in between, the Elder Guardian was able to verify his theories, thus, therefore, created the most strategic plan with the highest probability of success despite the danger included along with it. From Elric''s entrance to the dimensional realm, kiting the enemy, causing friendly fire, tanking the damage and provoking the now-wimpy- God of Elemental Realm - all of them were part of the Elder Guardian''s prophetic calculations. But what made the Elder Guardian feeling really depleted, is the fact that he was against a being that could also predict the future. Only after he made more than a hundred millions of extremely detailed timing and action plan were he was able to create the perfect counter out of a series of the most imperfect looking strategy. His face seemed to be tired, but there was a glint of excitement in between. A few seconds later, he raised his head and mumbled to the air as if talking to someone. "They are here. Get ready." WHIIIING~ A dimensional portal opened just before the Elder Guardian followed by a sudden surge of dark water poured out from within and landed on the wide metal disc that popped out from the Guardian Ship, catching the water on time. Along with the powerful gush were two drenched and dying Eastern Dragons that were just minutes before completely collapsing from their various burn caused by the terrifying pure fire of the Lord of Fire Elemental Realm. Fortunately, now that they were out of the Elemental Realm, and Kahayag who was responsible for the binding light in their bodies, is currently battling Elric on the other side, the white binding that was suppressing their body and power slowly disintegrated. Right after that was a massive turtle with its body completely camouflaged to the color of the dark water. Dash''s wide mouth slowly opened and safely placed down an old woman''s body - it was Elric''s grandma. Then, as if he was being chased, Dash turned around and was just about to enter on the dimensional door when he heard the Elder Guardian shouting. "Close the dimensional door, now!" the Elder Guardian hurriedly said with a commanding tone. "But Hugon kid is still there!" Dash quickly reasoned. "We talked about these!" beckoned the Elder Guardian with a serious gaze to the turtle. Swiftly he moved closer to the turtle, put his palms on its massive body, and poured in his energy to help the turtle recover quickly - this is in exchange for his own strength. There was a slight hesitation in the turtle''s beady eyes before it resigned to the Elder Guardian''s request. It was true, there was all part of the latter''s plan. To leave Elric behind, getting all the attention of the terrifying Elementals on the other side is basically a suicide mission. While all he did was just casually swoop in a few seconds after Elric, swoop the two Eastern Dragons and the old woman after the terrifying lightning strike - which was also anticipated according to the Elder Guardian''s calculation. "I know you are worried about him, but the moment we miss a single millisecond on our next action could potentially affect the sequence of the enemy''s reaction probability; thus, creating a domino effect and breaking down our entire plan." The Elder Guardian explained as multiple long tubes started sprouting out of the massive ship and furiously blew a fire extinguishing white fog - trying to erase the remnants of the ref fire from the Phoenix. Dash on the other hand quickly applied a healing spell on the two before looking at the Elder Guardian. "uh. I wasn''t really able to catch you on that." Dash said with a loading face. "Just focus on my instruction if you want him to survive." "I legendary understand." replied the turtle anxiously. Now slowly healing themselves thanks to the fire extinguishing machine and the turtle''s healing water atop the wide metal disk, the two Eastern Dragons were only able to weakly raise their heads slowly and look at the blurry images in front of them. Judging from the atmosphere, they could tell that they are now safe - albeit not totally sure. There were plenty of questions currently in their mind, but their priority at the moment is to recover as fast as they can and maybe get back to shape and help in any way they can to recover a little bit of their Dragon pride. "Get ready and remember the next coordinate. You do not have to go in this time. Just summon the dimensional portal on that specific spot on that exact moment and place." the hurried voice of the Elder Guardian came to instruct the turtle beside him. "W-what happens again if I m-miss the t-timing?" Dash asked with a stutter from too much pressure. "That Alpha Dragon will be surely caught by the God of Dimensional Realms and gets devoured in an instant. Making all our effort in vain. But if we happen to succeed, he has less than an hour to prepare for the next phase before the beast comes in our world looking for Elric." "I-I see..." Dash could feel the tremendous pressure of the current situation. Recalling their strategy just an hour ago, his next action would be the most vital part for their plan''s success. And it is exactly as what the Elder Guardian said, one missed timing an Elric would be a goner. Dash''s beady eyes are currently laser-focused. Fortunately, he still has the authority as a Lord of Water Elemental Realm which allows him to freely come and go in between the two realms without any further process compared to the other races. As long as he has enough energy, he could create a dimensional portal anytime he wants. The only thing that was making it extremely difficult is the expensive amount of elemental energy he needed to produce the dimensional portal. Originally, he would need at least a day of complete rest to be able to cast the dimensional portal and maintain it for as long as five seconds. However, right now, he could only open the portal but not really go through it. He barely has any energy left after his last operation. It was exactly for these reasons that the Elder Guardian is currently transferring his energy to him despite its dangerous backlash to the latter, it was to give him enough power to create another realm portal albeit for a very brief moment. "Thank you," mumbled Dash weakly. "The truth is I consider Hugon kid as my only family left." the turtle added as his mind wandered on his memories back when he was still a newborn turtle. His memories were too vague during those early times, but one thing he was sure of is that Elric is and will always be a family for him. And right now, the life of his Hugon Kid is now clinging on his ability. Miss the timing, and he will miss him forever. "That should be enough for a one-second exit portal." the voice of the Elder Guardian snapped the turtle back to the present. Dash looked at the latter only to shock himself from the Elder''s pale and extremely skinny body. Not minding the turtle''s shocked gaze, the Elder Guardian casually replied, "Do not worry, I can recover fast. Now focus and remember the coordinates." The turtle shook his head to clear his unnecessary thoughts before reclining back to his focused gazed. His eyes started to shine with a mysterious bright color - a sign that his authority as a water Elemental is being established between two worlds. "Steady..." The voice of the Elder Guardian was starting to fade in Dash''s ears due to his consciousness and body slowly shifting between to different realms, nevertheless, he could still hear him although very faintly. And before he completely loses them, a final shout can be heard. "Now!" WHIIIIINNNG!~ The portal opened before a blurry figure came out from it. WHOOOSH!~ BOOOOOOOOM!~ Dash returned back to his body and senses with an extremely weakened state. However, contrary to his weary body was a successful smile as his beady eyes saw Elric''s human figure falling down to the water out from the small and brief dimensional portal that he has summoned. 209 Ten Thousand Years On Kaoras Realm Elric is now standing atop the metallic sphere, slowly caressing the hair of his grandma''s unconscious body while sending in his own vital essence to keep his grandma''s body-safe and also to check on any unseen issues with her body. With a gentle smile, Elric observed his grandma''s sleeping face. As a soul-less body, his grandma''s physical condition has gone full ''mechanically automated''. As a person on deep sleep, only there was no reaction no matter the outside physical approach. "Don''t worry grandma, I will bring back your soul no matter what," he whispered gently and with hopeful eyes. A teary eye of great longing could be seen on the usual cold eyes of Elric as he laid them on the face of his only remaining family. The two Eastern Dragons are now standing beside Elric, watching him from the sides with sympathy. They too are longing for their family, especially Lang their father, the last King Dragon of the Eastern Region. A while ago, Elric has relieved their pain with his supernatural healing ability which seems to have grown more effective compared to Dash''s healing water. Slowly Elric stood up with his grandma''s body on his arms and together with Dash and the Elder Guardian, they walked towards the door platform leading deeper on the Guardian Ship. Elric''s eyes were determined yet confident. Like an eagle locking its sight on a human who has destroyed its eggs and nest. His talons stretching out, craving for the blood of his enemies. Lesse and Long followed behind with an unyielding look as well. After they have witnessed the real face and powers of their enemy, they have now fully realized just how weak they are despite reaching the King Dragon level. Perhaps on the Dragon''s culture, they might have long gained the recognition of the other Dragons and the King or Queen alike. Just when the Eastern Dragon region has finally recovered a little bit of their reputation, the other Dragon King and Queens, unfortunately, were not there anymore to fully witnessed their strength. However, if compared to the power of the Elemental Lords, even if all the Dragon King and Queens in the human realms will combine, would probably still not last that long on a frontal battle. Not to mention, those Elemental Lords have their own special elements and a whole planet of Elementals that backed them. Elric and his company has passed through a lot of corners and corridors that were looking incredibly futuristic. The inside of the Guardian Ship was extremely spacious and appeared to be bigger than how it actually looked from the outside. For some reason, they felt like they have just come into a massive futuristic castle despite going inside a hundred-square meter house. And just like before, they have now reached the former ''meeting room'' and a mysterious looking door with a warping scene of a different realm can be seen inside. The door''s edges itself was made of glowing blue stone and emitted a mysterious presence that makes one shudder in creeping silence. A while ago while walking, the Elder Guardian has discussed to them the presence and benefits of a certain realm called Kaora''s Realm. It was a special isolated realm that is free from the hostile eyes of the God of Dimensional Realm. Named after Kaora, a mysterious human who, according to the Elder Guardian, is the father of all Ancient Humans. Also known as the smartest, most talented, and most mysterious in every way - basically a legit perfect human. He was the so-called man who was after the Godly realm but on a mysterious turn of event, suddenly disappeared. Only traces of small clues, notes, and their outstanding abilities as Guardians itself remained as an obvious trace of his existence, which seems the latter to have purposely left behind. It was also revealed that all the Guardians and Ancient humans alike were actually based on a substandard clone of the great Kaora himself. Nevertheless, one way and the most solid proof of his existence is the door that is currently standing in front of them. This door which, the first Elder Guardian saw when it first gained proper awareness, was kept as their guide to their creator. In every Guardian''s head, while looking at the door, there was a sentence that is chanted almost like an ingrained instinct to them - "Only the three Dragons and an old woman can enter". It was a relic that the Guardians took with them together with a very specific instructions from Kaora himself. And as expected, the event did happen and the specific conditions were perfectly met. Three Dragons, referred to Elric, Lesse, and Long; while the old woman obviously means Elric''s grandma. It appears that Kaora has something to do with Elric''s family as well. But whatever it was, the Guardians are only here to fulfill their founder''s command. Among all the dimensional realms, only the Kaora''s realm is a realm that is never accessible by everyone who travels across the realms. Not even the God of Dimensional Realm can find it, which obviously made the latter desperate and wanting to find it more. Unfortunately for the giant black snake with black hole eyes, no matter how hard he tried, Kaora''s realm is just like a slippery invisible Eel. Now standing in front of the door leading to the Kaora''s realm, Elric was about to go in when he heard someone sobbing on the side. "sniff. I will wait for you here Hugon Kid. sniff." Dash, with a teary-beady eye said. He is currently standing beside the weird-looking realm door. "Just why did that Kaora-man did not include a turtle!?" Then Dash looked at the Elder Guardian on the side with pleading beady eyes, the latter just ignored him and stood beside the door opposite to the turtle. "Are you not doubting if these could be a trap against you?" The Elder Guardian asked Elric with slight curious eyes. "I know you, Guardians, more than you probably know yourself. You may be secretive, but you are honest, and would your head would instantly explode the moment you lie." Elric replied rather confidently. The Elder Guardian just smiled in return before saying, "May you find your way back." Elric nodded in reply. How they will come back is up to him. Fortunately, according to the Elder Guardian''s honest and highly accurate calculations, their chances of coming back were at fifty-six percent. How they will manage to pull on the positive side, depends on what''s waiting inside. Elric smiled as he gently rubbed the top of the turtle''s head. He gave a glance to the Elder Guardian who then replied with a respectful bow. "I will be back." Elric gently held his grandma''s body as he started walking towards the portal door to Kaora''s realm. Lesse and Long gave a nod to each other as they both followed Elric inside with a determined face. With the help of time difference inside, they decided that they will train too and will come back stronger in the next two months, though it could mean ten thousand years on the other end. As the figures of Elric and the rest completely disappeared from the ever warping door, sounds of cracking slowly followed. Dash, who although have expected it to happen still could not help but feel a little anxious. His turtle face looked at the tall Elder Guardian beside him who remained calm and watched everything with a glint of hope in its eyes. The latter still looked like a skeleton from his previous energy transfer. CRAAACK~ SSHHHHH~ And finally, the door to the Kaora''s realm has suddenly solidified like a white stone slab before slowly collapsing into fine sands. It was indeed a one time use portal prophetically designed only for this day to come - to provide a shelter for Elric and the others and push for the final breakthrough. "So that prophesized war is finally coming..." A sad and helpless voice came from behind. The other Elder Guardians finally revealed themselves from behind the white walls surrounding them. Their sudden appearance startled the little turtle, but fortunately, they do not give off any hostile vibe at all. "Kaora has predicted everything that was to happen in the next million years before he dissapeared Just what kind of level of intelligence have he reached..." said the Elder Guardian. Eyes of pure admiration can be seen in the cold blue eyes of the Guardian leaders. Then, with a soft and calm voice, the Elder Guardian suddenly said as he left towards the door leading outside. "The Beast is coming. Prepare the final preparation. Let''s go meet it outside." Dash nodded as he gulped a big one and followed the tallest one in front. The rest of the Guardians took left in different directions, seemingly having their own post to occupy. *** In a world where the vibrant orange skies are adorned with thousands of obviously colorful planets, weird-looking trees that towered for more than ten thousand meters and a vast land that was littered with various animals with incredibly weird species in different sizes was the view that greeted Elric and the rest of the crew. The moment they laid their eyes on Kaora''s realm, Lesse and Long could not help but gape in wonder and astonishment. "You have finally come." A gentle yet warm voice suddenly came from behind. Elric and the Eastern Dragon siblings instinctively jumped back, swiftly assuming a battle stance before shocked gazes reflected in their faces. Elric too watched the mysterious figure behind him and he could not help but gape in shock as well. "You..." Elric muttered in a daze. "Welcome to my world. Are you ready to stay here for the next ten thousand years?" The greetings came from a man that looked exactly as Elric''s great grandfather - Lapu-Lapu. The only difference is that the man has hair made of white light and glowing eyes of pure white, not to mention, he is currently sitting cross-legged at the top of pure white Dragon''s head the size of the entire planet earth. The man itself is a giant and even from incredibly long distance, his figure can be clearly seen. Even his voice felt like he was just talking beside them. 210 Return Of The Thagdas? Back on the Water Elemental Realm at the present time, a twelve-year-old looking mermaid princess with red royal tail is currently playing inside the spacious Golden Palace with a blue whale. It was Princess Diana and her pet. The dolphin who looked extra-ordinarily big has is extremely gentle and elegant as it allowed Diana to swim and across its massive body playfully. The sound of her cute giggles could be heard from time to time as they echoed across the golden halls of the gigantic shining castle. Tough looking merman guards in golden armor could be seen on every corner, holding a spear and a shield as they stood composed. On the windows, one could see the beautiful and colorful view of the water Elemental Kingdom. The weird-looking coral houses and various water elemental species peacefully minding their own lives created quite a stark contrast from the previous chaotic scene of the last battle. Bustling merfolks and sea creatures of different sizes and colors filled the entire land from all angles. Giant whales and glowing stones and shells have also made the entire kingdom looked like a children''s fairytale setting. Overall, the water realm is now back to its previous peak! "Did the Lord told you where he has gone to this time, sister Donna?" After feeling a little tired and settling down, inside a big empty golden scallop with red, soft, and fluffy beddings for the princess to sit comfortably. Donna, who happens to be sleeping idly on the opposite golden scallop, moved her tail and elegantly flipped her body to sit on the edge of the comfortable-looking scallop bed. Her sudden movements did not escape the attention of her pet below which is a golden dolphin. "I do not really know. The Lord Dash just said that the Great Seer Mhata asked for his presence. He should probably come back in the next few hours." The golden dolphin, which happens to still retain some of the battle scars from the last battle in the water Elemental Real, finally rose up from the smooth marble floors and landed on Donna''s red scally lap - it was asking for some head rub. Donna saw the faint scars on its head and gently massaged them slowly. The Dolphin made some satisfying squicky sounds as it calmed down. Looking at those scars, Donna could recall those moments that they were just steps closer on touching the water of death. The image of the Unholy Lord from the dark grounds of the south was her most terrifying experience. She was in search of Elric during that time when she accidentally ventured on the dangerous areas of the water realm. It was there where she and her pet''s bond were greatly tested. To make the story short for her, it was Elric who have found her instead. Though it was one of the most dangerous and hardest moments of their lives, it made their bond extremely stronger and more meaningful. Danna, the eldest mermaid princess among the three is currently immersed in reading a certain book written in their own ancient language. Her teacup-sized white jellyfish pet is roaming freely not far from her, seemingly drifting in its own momentum. The three pets of the mermaid princesses were more than just pets for them. After the life and death battle on the last tragedy on the Water Elemental realm, they have grown to give more value to the pets their father has entrusted them. Without the whale, the dolphin and the little jellyfish, who knows if the princesses could still be alive until this day. For the three beautiful ladies, they are now more like a family. Then Diana, with a bright sparkle in her eyes and a cheeky smile suddenly jumped from her own bed to her sister Donna''s back. "Tell me, do you think that Elric human dragon is gonna come back? What if the Lord Dash is just fetching him and they would suddenly surprise us?" Hearing her little sister''s question, Donna could not help but recall her unforgettable scene with Elric. Specifically, that moment when Elric unleashed a brilliantly long flame sword and cut the Coral Mountain Giant in half. Also, that moment when Elric unleashed his flaming spear and obliterated his enemies with every single throw. She could not help but blush as she recalls those bulging muscles of the young man, paired with its domineering power and aura. The only human who possessed Dragon and Elemental powers and the one who liberated the entire water realm from the greedy hands of the past Lord Aghus. Elric is unofficially the hero of the water realm, but because of the bad image of the humans and the damage he has brought with him, the merfolks was still finding it hard to really appreciate the human''s effort even though he managed to the saved majority of the lost lives with a healing wave. Unfortunately for Elric, the bad memories of knocking on the door of death and seeing your loved ones and property collapse to vain has overshadowed his effort to save them. Even though the destruction was not his intention but of the last Lord Aghus. She also could not forget the times when she was prejudicing the young man for being a human and weak, only to be saved by the latter in the next few hours from the power-hungry hands of the mutant Unholy Lord. Recalling those memories, Donna''s face has gone from pearly white to royal red due to her embarrassment. Nevertheless, seeing Elric again for the second time should not be a bad idea. Now seeing her elder sister''s tomato-like complexion, Diana gave her a cheeky gaze as she moved her face closer and whispered, "You have a crush on that human don''t you?" "What are you talking about? Why should I?" Like a snapped wired, Donna reacted with a rather more panicked voice. "He may have Dragon and Elemental powers and good body but he still is a human! You must be overthinking! Me? Liking that beast? Not a chance at all!" Diana on the other hand replied with a wide mocking smile as her hand covered her mouth, trying her best not to laugh. After all, Donna has the most quick-tempered among them three. "Hah! Well in that case, since you already said that, then if he will ever come back, I might have to ask him to marry me right away! After all, he is a hero!" Diana energetically replied with pure innocence. Taken aback by her wild and honest youngest sister, Donna recomposed herself and smiled confidently, "Haha! How are you gonna marry that man with your petite body? Not to mention you are still young! If there is someone who should marry that man then... it could only be Danna!" "I may be small but I am already two hundred years old!" "Unfortunately for you young mermaid princess, it takes a full three hundred years for us to reach full maturity! You are still a hundred years to go before dreaming that big! Hahaha!" "You..." Hearing the two sisters bickering, Danna who has been reading silently atop her own comfortable clam-bed blushed. She may be the toughest and the most serious of the three, however, she is a kind of mermaid who would easily feel shy from such indirect compliments. Tough from the outside but incredibly soft inside. Deep inside, Danna too could not help but recall Elric''s jaw-dropping performance and power. And for her to end up marrying that man... Unknowingly, Danna has raised her book to hide her blushing face while the two from the other side continued their own childish mockery. Right on this moment, a royal merman soldier atop a three-meter whale shark has suddenly barged in with a hurried face. His usual light blue face has gone to pale white and a trace of horror still reflected in its eyes. The shark on the other hand has suddenly collapsed from too much exhaustion. "Princess! Forgive me, for with me is bad news from the Outer Water!" The outer water that the soldier mentioned, is the dark blue water that can be seen from the outside of the planet. As recalled, the Water Elemental Realm is like a different water world hidden inside the water Elemental Planet and can only be accessed via tunnel guarded by the gigantic Eels. Seeing the soldier bowing down with such expression while gasping for air, Danna swiftly recovered from her blushing and rose highly just meters before the golden throne where Dash is supposed to be situated. As the eldest of the three remaining Royal princesses and the longest one to endure the Holy Providence aside from Dash, the authority of the next Lordship is obviously long decided on Danna''s hand. Not to mention, Danna has the perfect attitude and foundation suitable to become the next Lord of the Water Elemental Realm. With a commanding yet feminine voice, Danna replied to the merman soldier, "Speak, what is it for you to look like you have seen a ghost." Trying his best to calm himself, the merman soldier gulped a mouthful of saliva before raising his head with a fearful gaze. "It is those Thagdas! Those dark creatures are back!" 211 The Emperor Of The Dark Realm Arrives Hearing the reply from the exhausted soldier, a frown swiftly itched on the three mermaid princesses'' faces. Then while gasping for more air, the merman solder added in an even graver tone, "But what''s really weird though is that those creatures don''t really look like the Thagdas we fought before, I just can''t find the right way to describe them. As I fought one of them, I realized that they are faster, more adaptable to our attacks that those Thagdas, and even have the ability to take over one''s body! Not to mention they can blend to the shadows like it was a door for them! As long as there are shadows connected, they can instantly move whenever they want!" The soldier gasped for more air as he continued. The royal guards that were on standby on the sides also could not help but frown in alarm. "They are also capable of going through solid objects and materialize anytime they want! Our whole squad was almost wiped out when the commander has given me an issue to go back and report of the situation while he lured the enemies away." Hearing the description, Danna quickly recalled something in one of the books she has read before. "Dark creatures that are capable of blending to the shadows and materializing... Aren''t those Shadows from the Realm of Darkness!?" While Danna and the rest of the mermaid princesses were discussing their next move to fight the incoming surge of the Shadows, little did they know that the entire Elemental realm is currently undergoing a revolution! Back on the planet of black water, the main entrance to the realm of the Elementals, a massive black serpent with a body that stretches far towards the horizon is currently watching a certain dimensional portal where the Shadow armies arrived from. The portal''s size, was far from Elemental Lord''s ability to create one in terms of size that stretches as wide as one hundred meters in its actual radius. Apparantly, the one that the God of Dimensional Realms made was an open realm tunnel that connects the Realm of Darkness to the Elemental Realm which was specially created to honor his agreement with the members of the Outsiders. Watching on the side, the eyes of the Phoenix glittered as watched the scene of hundreds of Shadow soldiers pouring out from the wide-open portal every second. Besides the Lord of the Fire elemental realm are a black snake, a dwarf, a winged blond man, a small white wisp, and a blue merman with a mixed emotion in their faces. These event has finally come after thousands of years of planning and effort. To take over the human realm which is full of treasures in the form of humans, knowledge, and rare resources has been their long time dream. But more than those benefits ar the individual intentions of every member. For the Dwarfen Lord of the Earth Elemental realm, he was after the humans who have abused the natural resources of the earth, with every glittering gems and stone the human''s collect, a crumpled land of destruction and toxic waste followed. And to make matters worst, the unstoppable human encroachment that wiped out green and healthy forest and sacred earth grounds became an unexpected garbage dumpster. As an Earth Elemental Lord, he was aware of the destructive capacities of humans. And as much as he wanted to retaliate against them, he was afraid of the unexplainable powers of the Guardians, cunning ancient humans, the greedy Arkhans, and even the prideful Dragons. Thus it was the main aim of the Great Seer Mhata to guide the Alpha Dragon, to develop Elric''s potential and use him in weakening the defensive forces of the Human realm. However, it never crossed in their mind that Elric would have become so strong that he was able to almost wipe to extinction the four Dragon tribes and could even single-handedly take down even a King-level Shadow figure. Though it was all part of their expectation, witnessing Elric''s power first hand was really something that brings down cold chills on their bare elemental backs. Meanwhile, the rest of the members of the Outsiders also has their own grudge against the human realms. The Shadows wanted to take over human bodies and experience the pleasure of carnal desires they lack in their own realm. The blue merman wanted to get rid of the ancient resistance hiding in the deep sea of the human realm. The winged blonde man is sick of the polluted air of the human realm. The Great Seer Mhata happens to have complete control of the overpowered yet innocent and child-minded white wisp. And her only desire is to freely devour the sun, which the elemental realm lacks, and become the most powerful Elemental. No matter what their intentions are, it all boils down to one specific aim - to take over the human realm. As for the God of the Elemental Realms, he is afraid that resisting the Outsider''s power would result in his destruction as well. Not to mention, they have the backing of the Shadow Emperor of the Dark Realm and the Godly beast of Dimensional Realms. Two terrifying presences are enough for him to act like an obedient child. Although it was hard for him to swallow everything that has been going on despite his authority, as long as he is alive, he was willing to eat the title of the cowardly God. Unfortunately for him, with each Shadow creature that has safely landed on his realm, the weaker and faint his authority has become. "He is coming. Everyone on your knees!" A hurried shout came from the gracefully flapping Phoenix in the sky. Hearing Mhata''s command, the Dwarf, the blue Merman, the winged blonde man, and the black snake on bowed their heads in respect of the incoming figure. A few seconds later, the lively Shadow creatures that were rushing out of the dimensional portal has suddenly seized as they swiftly turned their heads on the portal and bowed as well. Aside from the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms and the little wisp, everyone else has bowed their heads on the direction of the warping dimensional portal. WOOOUUUWMMB~ It was only the right foot that has come out of the portal but the God of the Dimensional Realm suddenly felt like the light and vibrance of the world has suddenly grayed. From the dark marble-like foot of the Emperor, one could feel a terrifying pressure that seems to suck the energy of everyone nearby. And as more parts of the emperor''s body are revealed, they could no help but shudder in utter fear and helplessness. Finally, the dark figure has fully warped out of the portal and faced the kneeling Elemental Lords and the countless Shadows floating atop the black water. Judging from the vast area they have covered including the deep parts of the black sea, an estimate of about ten million Shadows are currently present while being led by eleven bigger and stronger looking ones called Kings. The Emperor silently scan the area as it finally stopped just ten meters away from the portal, Three red glowing eyes and a red crown that looked like thorns are the only things that can be seen in its head. No nose, ears nor mouth. The rest of its body shaped like an incredibly tall and bulky human, except it, was made from pure darkness. A long crimson cape that looked like a shredded beast corpse can be seen hanging on its back touching the ground. Like a black hole, mysterious and deep. Unlike the creepy body of the King Shadow that Elric faced, this one has a more graceful yet terrifying aura. "What a beautiful realm this place indeed." A cold yet excited tone can be heard from the mouthless face of the Emperor. "It is a good place for your burial." A frank and condescending reply came from behind the Emperor and everyone could not help but curiously stare at the source of the voice. A beautiful and young woman covered in a black robe followed the Emperor from the portal and stopped beside the latter. Hearing the voice, Kahayag who is currently using the form of a black snake, watched the figure with a cold and hateful expression. Noticing the black snake''s hostile stare, the black-robed woman felt turned her head and a faint realization on her cold dark eyes appeared. "Long time no see Kahayag. I must say, looks like you have finally taken on your real form! Indeed, that black snake is just a perfect body for a loser and traitor of her race like you." "Kahilum, the b*tch who couldn''t even defeat me on a one on one is now talking like a big shot. Let me guess, are you still thinking of defeating that monster beside you when you can''t even cut a single hair of mine?" "You''re the one to talk when your own distant descendent can knock you out like a helpless worm!" And just like that, a flash of spiritual pressure increased in the area, Kahayag and Kahilum had switched on the spiritual plane and had started their spiritual clash. Fortunately, the powerful spiritual clashes are only limited on spiritual realm, or else everyone would have gone running from the two strongest-yet-lost Spirituals. The emperor on the other hand breathed deeply as if enjoying the green nature''s air. "What a lively world." Then its three red eyes suddenly thinned in excitement. "Let the fun begin." 211 The Dark Emperor Arrives Hearing the reply from the exhausted soldier, a frown swiftly itched on the three mermaid princesses'' faces. Then while gasping for more air, the merman solder added in an even graver tone, "But what''s really weird though is that those creatures don''t really look like the Thagdas we fought before, I just can''t find the right way to describe them. As I fought one of them, I realized that they are faster, more adaptable to our attacks that those Thagdas, and even have the ability to take over one''s body! Not to mention they can blend to the shadows like it was a door for them! As long as there are shadows connected, they can instantly move whenever they want!" The soldier gasped for more air as he continued. The royal guards that were on standby on the sides also could not help but frown in alarm. "They are also capable of going through solid objects and materialize anytime they want! Our whole squad was almost wiped out when the commander has given me an issue to go back and report of the situation while he lured the enemies away." Hearing the description, Danna quickly recalled something in one of the books she has read before. "Dark creatures that are capable of blending to the shadows and materializing... Aren''t those Shadows from the Realm of Darkness!?" While Danna and the rest of the mermaid princesses were discussing their next move to fight the incoming surge of the Shadows, little did they know that the entire Elemental realm is currently undergoing a revolution! Back on the planet of black water, the main entrance to the realm of the Elementals, a massive black serpent with a body that stretches far towards the horizon is currently watching a certain dimensional portal where the Shadow armies arrived from. The portal''s size, was far from Elemental Lord''s ability to create one in terms of size that stretches as wide as one hundred meters in its actual radius. Apparantly, the one that the God of Dimensional Realms made was an open realm tunnel that connects the Realm of Darkness to the Elemental Realm which was specially created to honor his agreement with the members of the Outsiders. Watching on the side, the eyes of the Phoenix glittered as watched the scene of hundreds of Shadow soldiers pouring out from the wide-open portal every second. Besides the Lord of the Fire elemental realm are a black snake, a dwarf, a winged blond man, a small white wisp, and a blue merman with a mixed emotion in their faces. These event has finally come after thousands of years of planning and effort. To take over the human realm which is full of treasures in the form of humans, knowledge, and rare resources has been their long time dream. But more than those benefits ar the individual intentions of every member. For the Dwarfen Lord of the Earth Elemental realm, he was after the humans who have abused the natural resources of the earth, with every glittering gems and stone the human''s collect, a crumpled land of destruction and toxic waste followed. And to make matters worst, the unstoppable human encroachment that wiped out green and healthy forest and sacred earth grounds became an unexpected garbage dumpster. As an Earth Elemental Lord, he was aware of the destructive capacities of humans. And as much as he wanted to retaliate against them, he was afraid of the unexplainable powers of the Guardians, cunning ancient humans, the greedy Arkhans, and even the prideful Dragons. Thus it was the main aim of the Great Seer Mhata to guide the Alpha Dragon, to develop Elric''s potential and use him in weakening the defensive forces of the Human realm. However, it never crossed in their mind that Elric would have become so strong that he was able to almost wipe to extinction the four Dragon tribes and could even single-handedly take down even a King-level Shadow figure. Though it was all part of their expectation, witnessing Elric''s power first hand was really something that brings down cold chills on their bare elemental backs. Meanwhile, the rest of the members of the Outsiders also has their own grudge against the human realms. The Shadows wanted to take over human bodies and experience the pleasure of carnal desires they lack in their own realm. The blue merman wanted to get rid of the ancient resistance hiding in the deep sea of the human realm. The winged blonde man is sick of the polluted air of the human realm. The Great Seer Mhata happens to have complete control of the overpowered yet innocent and child-minded white wisp. And her only desire is to freely devour the sun, which the elemental realm lacks, and become the most powerful Elemental. No matter what their intentions are, it all boils down to one specific aim - to take over the human realm. As for the God of the Elemental Realms, he is afraid that resisting the Outsider''s power would result in his destruction as well. Not to mention, they have the backing of the Shadow Emperor of the Dark Realm and the Godly beast of Dimensional Realms. Two terrifying presences are enough for him to act like an obedient child. Although it was hard for him to swallow everything that has been going on despite his authority, as long as he is alive, he was willing to eat the title of the cowardly God. Unfortunately for him, with each Shadow creature that has safely landed on his realm, the weaker and faint his authority has become. "He is coming. Everyone on your knees!" A hurried shout came from the gracefully flapping Phoenix in the sky. Hearing Mhata''s command, the Dwarf, the blue Merman, the winged blonde man, and the black snake on bowed their heads in respect of the incoming figure. A few seconds later, the lively Shadow creatures that were rushing out of the dimensional portal has suddenly seized as they swiftly turned their heads on the portal and bowed as well. Aside from the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms and the little wisp, everyone else has bowed their heads on the direction of the warping dimensional portal. WOOOUUUWMMB~ It was only the right foot that has come out of the portal but the God of the Dimensional Realm suddenly felt like the light and vibrance of the world has suddenly grayed. From the dark marble-like foot of the Emperor, one could feel a terrifying pressure that seems to suck the energy of everyone nearby. And as more parts of the emperor''s body are revealed, they could no help but shudder in utter fear and helplessness. Finally, the dark figure has fully warped out of the portal and faced the kneeling Elemental Lords and the countless Shadows floating atop the black water. Judging from the vast area they have covered including the deep parts of the black sea, an estimate of about ten million Shadows are currently present while being led by eleven bigger and stronger looking ones called Kings. The Emperor silently scan the area as it finally stopped just ten meters away from the portal, Three red glowing eyes and a red crown that looked like thorns are the only things that can be seen in its head. No nose, ears nor mouth. The rest of its body shaped like an incredibly tall and bulky human, except it, was made from pure darkness. A long crimson cape that looked like a shredded beast corpse can be seen hanging on its back touching the ground. Like a black hole, mysterious and deep. Unlike the creepy body of the King Shadow that Elric faced, this one has a more graceful yet terrifying aura. "What a beautiful realm this place indeed." A cold yet excited tone can be heard from the mouthless face of the Emperor. "It is a good place for your burial." A frank and condescending reply came from behind the Emperor and everyone could not help but curiously stare at the source of the voice. A beautiful and young woman covered in a black robe followed the Emperor from the portal and stopped beside the latter. Hearing the voice, Kahayag who is currently using the form of a black snake, watched the figure with a cold and hateful expression. Noticing the black snake''s hostile stare, the black-robed woman felt turned her head and a faint realization on her cold dark eyes appeared. "Long time no see Kahayag. I must say, looks like you have finally taken on your real form! Indeed, that black snake is just a perfect body for a loser and traitor of her race like you." "Kahilum, the b*tch who couldn''t even defeat me on a one on one is now talking like a big shot. Let me guess, are you still thinking of defeating that monster beside you when you can''t even cut a single hair of mine?" "You''re the one to talk when your own distant descendent can knock you out like a helpless worm!" And just like that, a flash of spiritual pressure increased in the area, Kahayag and Kahilum had switched on the spiritual plane and had started their spiritual clash. Fortunately, the powerful spiritual clashes are only limited on spiritual realm, or else everyone would have gone running from the two strongest-yet-lost Spirituals. The emperor on the other hand breathed deeply as if enjoying the green nature''s air. "What a lively world." Then its three red eyes suddenly thinned in excitement. "Let the fun begin." 212 Tunnel Defend With the arrival of the Dark emperor and a few mysterious figures at the Elemental Realm, a new wave of revolution is brewing. Now, the peaceful times are over and it is up to the Elementals whether to bow down on the new power or join the resistance. Watching the millions of Shadows, splitting and flying their way towards the five Elemental Planets like an endless dark cloud hovering on the purple sky, the three red eyes of the Emperor glowed with excitement. He turned around and faced the massive black serpent with rapidly warping black hole eyes and said, "I appreciate your assistance with this opportunity to take over this entire realm. You may close the tunnel now." Hearing the latter, the giant serpent''s black hole eyes finally calmed down while the dimensional tunnel closed like a quickly stitched open wound. Then, its loud and domineering voice echoed, "And how about those bigger ones?" "They are reserved for a very special purpose.", replied the Emperor with a murderous gaze. Apparantly, not all of the Shadow armies from the Realm of Darkness have been moved to the Elemental Realm. There are a few special ones that are left behind intended for later purposes. Then the massive black serpent faced the Emperor together with the conspiring Elemental Lords and a black-robed woman. A certain black snake can also be seen floating on the side, shaking like an electrified worm after its last fight with the black-robed woman called Kahilum. "As long as you keep to your promise that you can help me find a trace of Kaora or that dragon called Elric within two days. Else, I don''t mind having you and your people as an added flavor as I devour this realm as well." Added the massive black serpent. The Emperor calmly stare at the flying Phoenix and the latter seems to have understood its intention. Swiftly, the Phoenix''s high-pitched voice came, "Rest assured oh Godly Beast, the moment I recover enough of my strength in the next two days, I will immediately cast the Fire of Future and will give you the best advice on when and how to catch those elusive ones." the massive Phoenix respectfully explained. The Great Seer''s ability to see a vision of the future is a unique skill that she was born with. It was also for this reason that she was able to climb the pinnacle of Fire Elemental''s power and become the majestic firebird that she is now. Unfortunately, though her power was special, a single glance at the future would always consume about eighty percent of her Elemental powers. Making her incredibly weak and risking being devoured by the other Fire Elementals while her consciousness and power are taken over. "Then I will be back in the next two days. Until then, enjoy your time." The massive black serpent''s body rose up while a dimensional crack opened above and the snake''s extremely long body went in at an accelerated rate, like a black spaghetti strand being sucked by a hungry dimensional mouth. Now that the heavy pressure caused by the Godly beast is gone, everyone''s gaze instinctively followed a single figure - the Emperor of the Realm Darkness. "What now?" asked the black-robed woman standing behind the Emperor. "We have two days to take over this entire realm." The emperor replied confidently as he gazed at the purple sky filled by the Shadow army. With just one look, he could tell just how excited those dark creatures to finally have a taste of the colorful world of the Elementals, and for later, the Human realm. "I''d say two days is too long. Let''s take over this entire realm now!" KYHIAAAAA!~ KHIAAAA!~ KHIAAAAAAH!~ The Emperor bellowed eagerly as his dark warriors replied with their own weird agitated sounds. And with a single wave of the Emperor''s hand, the Elemental Lords, the Shadow Kings, and the millions of Shadow figure started their full march towards the four colorful planets of the Elemental Realm. *** An hour after the invasion... At the tunnel entrance that leads to the hollow world of the Water Elemental Realm, the numerous guardian Eels are currently having the busiest day of their lives as they struggled to fend off the unending numbers of the Shadow creatures. The Shadows are currently taking the form of tailed slithering Shadow critters as their adaptive means to the liquid world. Their bodies have adjusted to look like Shadow mermen but with an extremely agile body and can blend to the shadows on contact. BZZT!~ BZZZT!~ KHIAAAAH!~ KHIAAAH!~ The sound of the countless Shadows echoed across the dark long tunnel guarded by the Eels. KRAAAKAABOOOM!~ KRAAK!BOOOM!~ A couple of lightning explosions would also rattle the area from time to time with every attempt of the dark creatures. The guardian Eels have already evolved to their electric Eel forms, trying their best to stop the Shadows. The lightning bolts that these creatures managed to create apparently worked just perfect against these creatures of darkness. BOOOM! KRAKAABOOOM!~ Unfortunately, their electrical capacity are extremely limited and the longer the battle lasts, the weaker their lightning powers become. "Keep going. Those Eels are starting to slow down. They are reaching their limit! Just imagine the beautiful and delicious colorful creatures waiting for us from behind that tunnel!" A certain Shadow that stood out from the rest is a King level Shadow creature called Koto. He is currently taking the form of a bigger merman with two forked tails behind. His face resembled a black inked praying mantis, its two circle eyes reflected a different kind of warped view of the area. "Do not forget the delicious meat and body of those water Elementals that has greeted us! Go! Do not hesitate! No more boring black world for us! No more dull and lifeless atmosphere! This is the time! Its the meat and life to die for!" Following under his command are more than five hundred thousand of Shadow army passing over him like a flood of black rampaging water. He is responsible for the first wave of attack in taking over the Water Elemental Realm. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! KRAKAABOOOM!~ More lightning explosions came from the entrance of the tunnel. The crazed and hungry Shadow creatures that were caught by the powerful lightning were all shattered into black dust, the same as what happened to the Shadow creatures that Elric has destroyed. Though the Shadows are extremely weak against lightning attacks, the other form of the Eel''s physical offense proved to be worthless against the creatures of darkness. The Shadows have the innate ability to dematerialize their body as long as their were no lightning elements interrupting the air. And right now, the electrical transformation of the Eel guardians was just a perfect deterrent against these creatures. But the question remains, until when? KHIAAA!~ BOOOOM!~ KHIAAAA!~ KHIAAA!~ KHIAAAAA! With every ten Shadows falling on the lightning attacks of the Eel guardians, more than fifty others will replace. CHIIIAAAAA!~ A loud cry came from of the gigantic Eels on the entrance, one has finally taken a bite on the dust. A celebratory shout from the King Shadow followed, "Finally! Feast on them! Enjoy! Enjoy! This realm is ours now!" CHIIIAAAAA!~ CHIIIAAAAA!~ And it did not take long, as two more of the Eels have finally collapsed from the Shadow''s relentless attack. It turns out that these poor guardian has finally used up all of its electrical charges and is now back to just being a gigantic Eels being peeled slowly by the thousands of black Shadows. The moment a Shadow grabs a hold of the Eels'' body, their mouth would suddenly stretch far too much from their face''s proportion and bite a chunk full of fresh Eel''s meat - a delicacy never ever found on the dull and gloomy Realm of Darkness where they came from. Soon enough as expected, the rest of the Eel guardians has fallen into the hungry mouths of the furious Shadows. Chomp! KRAMB!~ Chomp!~Chomp! KRAMB!~ Like speeding black army ants, the Shadows would cover every nook and cranny of the Eel''s massive body, munching on them until not even a bone is left! A few minutes later, the tunnel entrance to the hollow world of the water Elemental Realm is finally cleared from its Elemental Guardians. And without further hesitation, the pitch-black wave of the hundred thousand Shadows flowed in like a torrent of black water, not even a trace of the Eels'' bone was left behind! SHHOOOOOOOOGH!~ TUDUDUDDUUDUDUD!~ On the other end of the tunnel, thousands of merman soldiers are standing on guard. Each wielding a golden spear while a heavy golden armor protected their bodies. Their eyes revealed a fearful yet determined gaze. SHHOOOOOOOOGH!~ The huge number and speed of the incoming Shadows created loud reverberations on the receiving end. The mermen soldiers could already feel their scales tingling up for the incoming battle. Their mind has long decided that they will defend their realm even if they have to die. The tunnel was incredibly long, a good twenty kilometers is a good estimate. The Shadows were incredibly fast especially that the tunnel was incredibly dark, and they can freely move their way around however they likes. 212 Tunnel Defence With the arrival of the Dark emperor and a few mysterious figures at the Elemental Realm, a new wave of revolution is brewing. Now, the peaceful times are over and it is up to the Elementals whether to bow down on the new power or join the resistance. Watching the millions of Shadows, splitting and flying their way towards the five Elemental Planets like an endless dark cloud hovering on the purple sky, the three red eyes of the Emperor glowed with excitement. He turned around and faced the massive black serpent with rapidly warping black hole eyes and said, "I appreciate your assistance with this opportunity to take over this entire realm. You may close the tunnel now." Hearing the latter, the giant serpent''s black hole eyes finally calmed down while the dimensional tunnel closed like a quickly stitched open wound. Then, its loud and domineering voice echoed, "And how about those bigger ones?" "They are reserved for a very special purpose.", replied the Emperor with a murderous gaze. Apparantly, not all of the Shadow armies from the Realm of Darkness have been moved to the Elemental Realm. There are a few special ones that are left behind intended for later purposes. Then the massive black serpent faced the Emperor together with the conspiring Elemental Lords and a black-robed woman. A certain black snake can also be seen floating on the side, shaking like an electrified worm after its last fight with the black-robed woman called Kahilum. "As long as you keep to your promise that you can help me find a trace of Kaora or that dragon called Elric within two days. Else, I don''t mind having you and your people as an added flavor as I devour this realm as well." Added the massive black serpent. The Emperor calmly stare at the flying Phoenix and the latter seems to have understood its intention. Swiftly, the Phoenix''s high-pitched voice came, "Rest assured oh Godly Beast, the moment I recover enough of my strength in the next two days, I will immediately cast the Fire of Future and will give you the best advice on when and how to catch those elusive ones." the massive Phoenix respectfully explained. The Great Seer''s ability to see a vision of the future is a unique skill that she was born with. It was also for this reason that she was able to climb the pinnacle of Fire Elemental''s power and become the majestic firebird that she is now. Unfortunately, though her power was special, a single glance at the future would always consume about eighty percent of her Elemental powers. Making her incredibly weak and risking being devoured by the other Fire Elementals while her consciousness and power are taken over. "Then I will be back in the next two days. Until then, enjoy your time." The massive black serpent''s body rose up while a dimensional crack opened above and the snake''s extremely long body went in at an accelerated rate, like a black spaghetti strand being sucked by a hungry dimensional mouth. Now that the heavy pressure caused by the Godly beast is gone, everyone''s gaze instinctively followed a single figure - the Emperor of the Realm Darkness. "What now?" asked the black-robed woman standing behind the Emperor. "We have two days to take over this entire realm." The emperor replied confidently as he gazed at the purple sky filled by the Shadow army. With just one look, he could tell just how excited those dark creatures to finally have a taste of the colorful world of the Elementals, and for later, the Human realm. "I''d say two days is too long. Let''s take over this entire realm now!" KYHIAAAAA!~ KHIAAAA!~ KHIAAAAAAH!~ The Emperor bellowed eagerly as his dark warriors replied with their own weird agitated sounds. And with a single wave of the Emperor''s hand, the Elemental Lords, the Shadow Kings, and the millions of Shadow figure started their full march towards the four colorful planets of the Elemental Realm. *** An hour after the invasion... At the tunnel entrance that leads to the hollow world of the Water Elemental Realm, the numerous guardian Eels are currently having the busiest day of their lives as they struggled to fend off the unending numbers of the Shadow creatures. The Shadows are currently taking the form of tailed slithering Shadow critters as their adaptive means to the liquid world. Their bodies have adjusted to look like Shadow mermen but with an extremely agile body and can blend to the shadows on contact. BZZT!~ BZZZT!~ KHIAAAAH!~ KHIAAAH!~ The sound of the countless Shadows echoed across the dark long tunnel guarded by the Eels. KRAAAKAABOOOM!~ KRAAK!BOOOM!~ A couple of lightning explosions would also rattle the area from time to time with every attempt of the dark creatures. The guardian Eels have already evolved to their electric Eel forms, trying their best to stop the Shadows. The lightning bolts that these creatures managed to create apparently worked just perfect against these creatures of darkness. BOOOM! KRAKAABOOOM!~ Unfortunately, their electrical capacity are extremely limited and the longer the battle lasts, the weaker their lightning powers become. "Keep going. Those Eels are starting to slow down. They are reaching their limit! Just imagine the beautiful and delicious colorful creatures waiting for us from behind that tunnel!" A certain Shadow that stood out from the rest is a King level Shadow creature called Koto. He is currently taking the form of a bigger merman with two forked tails behind. His face resembled a black inked praying mantis, its two circle eyes reflected a different kind of warped view of the area. "Do not forget the delicious meat and body of those water Elementals that has greeted us! Go! Do not hesitate! No more boring black world for us! No more dull and lifeless atmosphere! This is the time! Its the meat and life to die for!" Following under his command are more than five hundred thousand of Shadow army passing over him like a flood of black rampaging water. He is responsible for the first wave of attack in taking over the Water Elemental Realm. BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! KRAKAABOOOM!~ More lightning explosions came from the entrance of the tunnel. The crazed and hungry Shadow creatures that were caught by the powerful lightning were all shattered into black dust, the same as what happened to the Shadow creatures that Elric has destroyed. Though the Shadows are extremely weak against lightning attacks, the other form of the Eel''s physical offense proved to be worthless against the creatures of darkness. The Shadows have the innate ability to dematerialize their body as long as their were no lightning elements interrupting the air. And right now, the electrical transformation of the Eel guardians was just a perfect deterrent against these creatures. But the question remains, until when? KHIAAA!~ BOOOOM!~ KHIAAAA!~ KHIAAA!~ KHIAAAAA! With every ten Shadows falling on the lightning attacks of the Eel guardians, more than fifty others will replace. CHIIIAAAAA!~ A loud cry came from of the gigantic Eels on the entrance, one has finally taken a bite on the dust. A celebratory shout from the King Shadow followed, "Finally! Feast on them! Enjoy! Enjoy! This realm is ours now!" CHIIIAAAAA!~ CHIIIAAAAA!~ And it did not take long, as two more of the Eels have finally collapsed from the Shadow''s relentless attack. It turns out that these poor guardian has finally used up all of its electrical charges and is now back to just being a gigantic Eels being peeled slowly by the thousands of black Shadows. The moment a Shadow grabs a hold of the Eels'' body, their mouth would suddenly stretch far too much from their face''s proportion and bite a chunk full of fresh Eel''s meat - a delicacy never ever found on the dull and gloomy Realm of Darkness where they came from. Soon enough as expected, the rest of the Eel guardians has fallen into the hungry mouths of the furious Shadows. Chomp! KRAMB!~ Chomp!~Chomp! KRAMB!~ Like speeding black army ants, the Shadows would cover every nook and cranny of the Eel''s massive body, munching on them until not even a bone is left! A few minutes later, the tunnel entrance to the hollow world of the water Elemental Realm is finally cleared from its Elemental Guardians. And without further hesitation, the pitch-black wave of the hundred thousand Shadows flowed in like a torrent of black water, not even a trace of the Eels'' bone was left behind! SHHOOOOOOOOGH!~ TUDUDUDDUUDUDUD!~ On the other end of the tunnel, thousands of merman soldiers are standing on guard. Each wielding a golden spear while a heavy golden armor protected their bodies. Their eyes revealed a fearful yet determined gaze. SHHOOOOOOOOGH!~ The huge number and speed of the incoming Shadows created loud reverberations on the receiving end. The mermen soldiers could already feel their scales tingling up for the incoming battle. Their mind has long decided that they will defend their realm even if they have to die. The tunnel was incredibly long, a good twenty kilometers is a good estimate. The Shadows were incredibly fast especially that the tunnel was incredibly dark, and they can freely move their way around however they likes. 213 Misdirection The tunnel exit that leads to the hollow land of the Water Elemental realm now appeared like a busted tube end. The merman army standing at the back could still feel the faint tremors from the previous explosion of light. Truly knowledge is a deadly weapon, if not for Danna stumbling about a book that mentioned the Shadow creatures from the realm of Darkness, she would probably have gone to a state of panic a while ago. But now, with knowledge about the weird nature and abilities of the Shadows, she is just the perfect commander for this battle. The two younger mermaid princess has already moved to evacuate their people back on the golden cave. Considering that they are fighting powerful creatures that are extremely advantageous with shady places, the golden cave just happens to provide a perfect form of shelter. On the other side of the wrecked tunnel, Koto, the King Shadow that was leading the army against the Water realm had managed to survive the Flash arrow. As it turns out, the tip of the arrow was made from a rare crystal called Silaw stones. It was extremely rare crystals that are only found from the minuscule sun found at the center of the hollow world. The truth is that the mini-sun that was giving light to the hollow land of the water realm is actually a giant Silaw stone that is able to store light as long as it remained intact. An ancient magical formation is also responsible for its unmovable position at the center of the water elemental realm. It was a valuable treasure that would sometimes drop tiny shards every hundred years, which the ancient merman blacksmiths would pick up and use to create the flash arrows and was specifically prepared to fight against creatures with dark elemental attributes. The arrow that is tipped with the silaw stone is incredibly powerful but also rare, and by adding a sliver of magical essence, one would be able to control its direction and the trigger the flash explosion from the distance. As much as they wanted more of it, the sheer rarity of the stone itself only allowed them to be able to create less than ten pieces of the special arrow. Thus, it is incredibly crucial for Danna to maximize the result of each shot. Koto waited for a while just in case another arrow coming will follow. For a minute the Shadow creatures lingered outside, staring at the now widened tunnel with a look of hesitation. They could see the tiny light opening from the distance which was the exit. And from there, they could see the golden armored defenders of the water realm, holding a golden spear and prepared to meet them while a certain mermaid that was holding a golden bow stood up from the rear. The flash arrow came in too suddenly and exploded in the middle of the tunnel, catching them off-guard and instantly wiping out every single shadow inside the tunnel, except the King who happens to have stronger light resistance. A frown can be seen on his face as he observed the surroundings and thinking of other ways to push through. A while later, Kotos suddenly smiled wickedly. He raised his palm, sending a halt signal to the rushing Shadow armies that have just arrived. He waved to some strong looking Shadows that actually happens to be his trusted officers and they quickly made their way towards the King. The King Shadow quickly started mental a secret communication with his trusted subordinates and their eyes quickly became even more excited before backing out of the congregation silently bringing with them a few stronger Shadows with bulky bodies. Seeing them off, Koto turned his gaze to the incredibly large crowd of Shadows waiting for his command. Behind Koto is a thick and almost endless black line of more incoming Shadows. The one that came and died a while ago where the faster and excited ones who does not listen to the command from the higher-ups. As creatures of the empty and gloomy Dark realm, the vibrant and lively environment of the water elemental realm is like a banquet of extremely delicious elemental foods. Thus, it is completely understandable for their cravings to overwhelm their defensive instincts. With the more disciplined and smarter Shadows on Koto''s side, an idea emerged from the latter. With a loud and authoritative voice, Koto''s voice echoed across the outer sea of the water realm that is slowly filled by more Shadow. "Do not be afraid of their light! It is just a piece of bright stone that lacks the purifying power of the real sun and nothing else!" Upon hearing the King Shadow''s word, the hesitation at their faces has quickly been replaced with thrill. "Rush them! Meld to the shadows! Use everyone as a cover! Do not forget there is a world of delicious seafood waiting on the other side! Do you want to go back to the Realm of Darkness and stay hungry!? Breakthrough and have as much mortal flesh as you like! This is our time! Our world! Now!" Everyone listened with even more pumped expression. The moment they imagined the colorful and tempting flesh of the water elementals, most of the Shadows were starting to droll like mad dogs. Koto knows that leading the front would only risk himself in getting the full brunt of the water elementals. Thus, he decided to play with his tongue and urge the easily fooled Shadow warriors to become his meat shield. KHIAAAAA!~ KHIIIAAAAAAA! KHIAAAAAA!~ SWOOOOSH-SWOOOSH-SWOOOSH! Soon enough, it did not take long for some Shadows to finally give up on their defensive instinct and swiftly rushed on the tunnel with drooling mouth. Their eyes blood red and their muscles shaking in excitement. They left behind long trails of bubbles from their incredible speed. KHIAAA!~ KHIAAAA!~ - Swooosh!~ SWOOOOSH~ Meanwhile, seeing that some Shadows have started their move, the crowd mentality from the rest has started to kick in and unhesitantly made they way in as well together with their incredible speed and loud shriek of excitement. From the distance, they looked like black ink pouring into a tight funnel. In a moment, the whole tunnel area was jam-packed and the smarter Shadows decided to blend to the shadows on the wall, making the actual number of the incoming Shadows more than what the eye could perceive. And just when the few ones were about to reach the end of the tunnel, another bright arrow suddenly pierced its way through before making another explosion of blinding light in the middle of the tunnel. FLAAAAAASH!~BOOOOOM! Seeing the expanding black-dust-filled tunnel, Koto quickly added more fuel to the Shadow''s rage. "Go! Do not be afraid! Avenge our brothers by eating them until the last drop of their spirit!" KHIAAAAA!~ SWOOOOSH~ KHIAAAAH!~ SWOOOOOOSH!~ Without even waiting for Koto''s sentence to finish, the hungry and furious Shadows from the back unhesitantly rushed in. Now that the tunnel is much wider due to the rock shattering explosions, more and more Shadows were able to fit inside while giving them more space to move. On the other side of the tunnel, the merman armies watched with dumbstruck faces the fearless Shadow creatures. Despite knowing that rushing in means instant death, their eyes still revealed a hint of hopeful pride, probably thinking that they could survive the flashing arrow until they turn into the black dust. Danna, on the other hand, pulled each arrow shots with unhindered focus and determination. Every shot was fired to maximize the damage and not letting even a single one escape from its explosive range. Each at the expense of her own magical essence to control the arrow''s explosion. Not to mention, only Danna is capable of wielding the legendary bow and arrow thanks to its exuberant cost of magical essence required. FLAAAASH~FOOOOM! FLAAAAASH!~FOOOOM!~ On the eight arrows, Danna suddenly fell on her knees with a pained expression. "Princess! Are you alright!?" Asked one of the commanding Army officers who was standing on guard at her side. "It is probably a magical backlash. Do not worry. I can still continue." Danna replied as she quickly came back to her position, ignoring the terrifying pain and refocused on the darkening tunnel. "Prepare to engage, I am down to my last two arrows!" She added while pulling out one of the last two gold plated arrow with a blue crystal tip. The merman army at the front also tightened their grip on their golden spears and shield, some are wielding a golden sword and others are holding a heavy hammer. With a pained expression, Danna took a deep breath and channeled her magical essence from her body, across the arrow shaft until it reached the blue crystal tip - activating the stored light like a small bright cloud of lightning inside a crystal arrowhead. The next wave of the incoming Shadows was just approaching the mid part of the tunnel when a hurried voice suddenly came from behind. "Sister Danna! The Golden cave! It is under attack!" Danna quickly stopped her channeling and turned from the source of the voice. It was from Donna who is currently riding her Dolphin pet. Her eyes are filled with panic and fear as she quickly added. "Those Shadows, they created more tunnels on the other side! The whole kingdom is currently a mess!" 214 Got His Balls Back Danna immediately swam higher to see the real situation of the Kingdom behind her. Upon reaching enough height, her eyes widened in shock at the realization of the enemy''s ability. It seems that her arrows have scared the enemy too much and that they decided to dig their own tunnels on the other sides by breaking the thick mantle of the planet with brute force. "If only the Lord Dash is here..." Danna mumbled helplessly. A while ago, she has instructed her sisters on what to do in case of the enemy''s successful breakthrough. Though Donna and Diana were not allowing her to leave, it was unfortunate for them that it was Danna''s responsibility to lead the army as second on power. She has explained to them as well about Dash''s business to the fire elemental realm and there is a good chance that the latter is probably fighting countless Shadows at the moment. From far away, Danna could make out about ten holes that had suddenly opened; and out from it came about a hundred or so of powerful-looking Shadows, unlike the smaller ones that were trying to squeeze their way thru the main tunnel entrance. These Shadows were incredibly big but fast and flexible. They were able to engage the second defensive lines that were stationed to protect the Kingdom''s premises. Fortunately, the bright giant Silaw stone hovering in the middle of the hollow space was able to suppress the Shadow''s movement. Though it was not as effective as the Earth''s sun, the sheer light property that the giant stone emitted was still able to deal damage to the Shadows the longer they stay in the open light. For now, the Shadows would attack their victims and the kingdom guards by crossing between the shades of any solid objects. They could only fight in the open for as long as ten seconds; longer than that would finally ignite them into a dark blue fire before scattering to the current as black dust. If the Shadows wanted to have the complete liberty in moving as much as they wanted, they have to take down their victims either by knocking them off or killing them before they could start taking over their victim''s water elemental body. Fortunately, the location of the Golden cave is found just behind the Golden castle. It was an extremely wide and bright open space with an entrance that is secured by a sturdy golden gate. The location of the newly sprouted holes were still a good long hundred kilometers before reaching the center of the kingdom. If the enemies are aiming for the castle, then judging from their speed, they would reach it in the next fifteen minutes. Fortunately, the main entrance is closer to the Kingdom and her soldiers should be able to make it to the golden cave in less than five minutes at full speed. Danna heaved a sigh. Though the enemies have already infiltrated, the mere presence of the massive Silaw stone provided her a glimpse of hope. As long as that giant glowing stone remained shining brightly at the center of the hollow space, they still have the advantage to fight back. Danna looked at the last two silaw-crystal-tipped arrows on her hand. A frown on her face formed as she quickly thought of a plan. Her brain whirred to its maximum ability and in the next three seconds, she sprinted down back to her armies. SHOOOOOHHM~ Danna''s figure flashed through and reached the tunnel entrance ni no time. She could still see the countless Shadows rushing from the outside with red furious eyes and gritting wide mouths. In the next twenty seconds, those creatures would probably reach the gate exit and start havoc more than her army could take. "Everyone! This is my order. Go back to the golden cave! Protect the citizen hiding at the golden cave." Danna commanded with a cold voice. Her eyes gleamed with unyielding courage as she started to reload her golden bow and raised aim towards the tunnel again. "But your majesty! How can we do that when it is us who is supposed to protect you!" One of the few commanding merman soldier officers immediately reacted with a shaking voice. "That''s a good joke, Princess. Now please go back and leave us here. We will defend this place even until the last breath." Another one of the most loyal soldiers chimed in, they were both survivors of the last war against the Thagdas invasion. "A good joke indeed, the princess is left behind while her soldiers are running away? that''s a good one." said another soldier. "Do I sounded like joking?" Danna suddenly replied. Her eyes were cold and a murderous aura emerged out of her quite beautiful figure. Seeing her eyes, the soldiers were reminded of the late King Mahar''s rage. The last King was indeed a kind one, but the moment some soldiers would disobey his command and cost the lives of the other in return, the King would never hesitate to kill those disobedient soldiers. It was one of those rare cases when the King becomes a cold-blooded ruler despite his usual kind and bubbly behavior. And right now, the princess is revealing those same cold and dark eyes. Watching her, a few old soldiers gulped a good big one. Truly she is an heir to the throne. "I will not repeat myself again. The lives of people are more important than mine. I still have two strong sisters who could take my position in the future so do not be afraid if this is the last time you will see me. I still have two shots left. I will buy you time to go and secure the people. I will follow immediately after my last shot." Danna added resolutely. Seeing that the princess was really serious about her order, the soldiers stood around with hesitation. "The Princess is right. I and the rest of the elite squad will stay here and protect the princess. The moment she released the last arrow, we will drag her with us back to the castle." One of the previous commanding officers said as he and his bulky looking squad stood beside the princess. Stepping forward with the same commanding gaze, Danna ordered, "Follow Princess Donna and escort her safely to the Golden Cave! There are already few Shadows that has managed to infiltrate the Kingdom so do your best in clearing them along the way and provide assistance to those who need it. That is my final order." "Men move out!" "Yes!"~ "Yes!"~ Hearing the Princess''s last request, one of the leading officers shouted, and about thousands of merfolks soldiers immediately left with him. Now left with only about twenty strong-looking merman soldiers on her side, Danna finally recomposed herself and channeled her magical essence. The Shadows are just around two kilometers away from the tunnel exit and she could already hear their loud screeching together with the increasing vibrations on the ground from their countless stomping foot. "Four....three..two..." Danna was counting every second in order to maximize the explosion''s range and damage output. But just when she was about to release the arrow, one particular Shadow suddenly sprinted out of the rushing dark crowd like black lightning. This huge Shadow suddenly summoned a long dark spear about seven meters long and sparing not even a second before it effortlessly left his huge dark hands, leaving behind a long black ink-like trail. That Shadow was the Second strongest Shadow King from the Realm of Darkness - Koto. SHIIOOOONNG!~ Danna was taken aback at the sudden range attack of the particular Shadow. The spear was launched with incredible strength and accuracy that before she could even react, the black long spear was already just ten meters away from her. "Princess!!!" Fortunately, the closest Elite commander was able to react faster and pushed the princess on the side while he got on the spear''s line in return. THAAAANG!~ Though the Elite merman commander was fast, the sheer power driving the spear was just too much, not even the thick golden shield was able to stop it! SLOOOOSHHCK! "Nooo!" Danna cried in shock as she saw the black spear that was supposed to be meant for her had effortlessly pierced through the Commander''s thick golden shield and even went through the forearm then to the chest. "Princess! Duck!" But just when Danna was able to recover from her shock, the rest of the Elite soldiers beside her hurriedly shouted in unison. They formed a protective formation and protected her from all sides. SHIIOOOONNG!~SHIIOOOONNG!~SHIIOOOONNG!~ THAAAANG!~ THOOONG!~ SLOOOOSHHCK! THAAAANG!~ The hand of the incoming Koto moved in blurring speed as he hurled over more black spears faster than the blink of an eye. THOOONG!~ SLOOOOSHHCK! "Secure the princess!" "Drag her away!" "AAAHCCK!~" THAAAANG!~ SLOOOOSHHCK! The Elite soldiers tried their best to protect the shocked Danna. The princess''s eyes were locked while her body was paralyzed at the silhouette of the brave soldiers dying one by one as they defended her with their lives. NYAHAHAHAH!~ Koto on the other hand was laughing maniacally as he watched the golden armored merman soldiers dropping down to death from his own spear. In less than five seconds, Koto was able to reach the end of the tunnel with overwhelming pride and agitation. He watched the dazed mermaid princess with lust and disdain. Swiftly, he raised his extraordinarily long black arms, created another black spear, and unhesitantly hurled it towards the paralyzed princess. BOOOOOOM!~ The next thing Koto realized, is that his body has been planted deep on a massive wall crater. His head on the other hand has been severed from it and was also planted not far from the main body. He raised his weird insect-like eyes on the direction where he was supposed to be standing and saw a familiar figure in his place instead. "You... What is the meaning of these?!" Koto beckoned angrily. "It is called retribution of my Realm." The God of the Elemental Ream replied with determined white burning eyes. Holding two long bright swords, he stood before the shocked mermaid princess who seems to have lost her senses. 215 Darkness Taking Over Koto''s mutilated body suddenly melted like a black liquid before crawling back to the body like a magnetized dark liquid. It quizzed in between the large wall cracks like a black slippery snake before finally forming back to its former insect-like face. "So you have decided to betray them. Now, this is more interesting." The mouth of the insect faced Koto clung as it revealed a horrendous smile from the other mouth behind its larger front clipping fangs. Then the next moment, the surge of the incoming Shadows from the outside has also finally reached the exit, the moment the hungry and restless Shadows came out, they were greeted by the burning light of the Silaw strong and immediately shrieked in pain. However, the moment they saw the dazed beautiful mermaid princess lying on the ground, who also happens to have a voluptuous body, their mind went out of their reasoning as they ignored the scorching light and sprinted towards the princess with their salivating mouth. "How dare you bring your dirty flesh in my realm!" SLAAASH!~ But before they could even move closer, a sudden burst of white energy slash assaulted them from their supposed to ally standing beside the mermaid princess. The God of the Elemental Realm, wielding his two bright swords that emitted a radiant light, unhesitantly hacked through the incoming crowd of hungry Shadows. FWWWOOOOOOM!~ The moment the Shadows made contact with the Elemental God''s beaming slash, their swift and agile body instantly evaporated like an extremely thin piece of paper against the full brunt of blazing fire. The power was just too strong that the white beam of light managed to go through even to the outer water and continued incinerating more Shadows from far distances. The bright energy attack that came out of the Elemental God has the combined attribute of all elemental essence. Fire, water, earth, wind, and even lightning was perfectly mixed to attain its current divine form only an Elemental God can control. Paired with the Elemental God''s powerful swordsmanship and perfect control of the elemental authorities, Koto felt a headache starting to throb in his insect head. "I will tell you this for one last time. Pull out your troops from here and I will spare your lives." the Elemental God spoke as he started to float while his radiant sword started to glow brighter and length expanding. Cold and unhesitant eyes glared in his white radiant face. The Elemental God''s body is covered in a white flowing dress that seems to perfectly fit his slim yet well-toned body. Behind him can be seen a couple of long white straps that moved stylishly like a white glowing tail dancing elegantly on the wind. "I am afraid I cannot do that Mister God of this realm. In fact, not even one us cared. Even if I tell them, I doubt they would listen to me right now! The temptation of your colorful lives is just too much eye candy for us creatures of the Dark realm. And as for your request, I am afraid you have you are only delaying the inevitable." After Koto said these, the entire water realm suddenly quaked from all directions. THHHUDDDD~ZSS Then a few moments later, hundreds of Shadow-made holes erupted from all sides of the hollow world of the Water Realm. Each hole was created using the manpower of almost endless Shadows. A couple of them would die along the way as they pounded their way in with brute force. But with each fallen Shadow, a couple of hundred more are eager enough to replace them, hoping to force their way in first just to have a bite of the delicious water elemental rewards waiting on the other side. CRAACK!~BOOOOOOM!~ CRAACKKKK!~BOOOOOOM!~ CRAAKCKCK!~BOOOOOOM!~ More and more holes have suddenly sprouted from all sides and with each explosive entrance made the eyes of the Elemental God frown in displeasure. Outside the water elemental realm, one could see the previous deep blue and peaceful state of the planet has long gone, as it is now replaced with pitch-black shade from all sides due to the overwhelming numbers of the Shadows. These seen is not only exclusive to the water elemental realm. Except for the lightning elemental realm, the earth, wind and fire elemental realms are also currently under attack. They too were taken aback as their own Lords have never revealed a hint of coming for help. In contrast, it seems like their Elemental Lords have already betrayed them, allowing the Shadows to take over their realm with the least resistance as possible. To describe the current situation of the Elemental realm, a chaotic hell is a word of an understatement. Back on the water elemental realm, the thick black crowd of the Shadows excitedly pounced out from the tunnel, grabbing along the way every colorful and moving life forms and stuffing them greedily in their wide mouths. CRUUUNCH!~ KRAACK! CRUB! CRUB!~ Though some of them have mistaken the moving colorful corals as food, to their ignorance they just continued munching them and moved on to the next life-form they think is edible. Fortunately, the majority of the water elementals pretty much knew what to do as this is not the first time they were under attack. With every tunnel they dug, hundreds of thousands of Shadows poured out. "WHAHAHAHAHAHA!" watching the scene unfolding, Koto laughed maniacally as he started moving closer to the Elemental God. "Don''t you see it? This realm and the rest of the other realms are already out of your control. We have the backing of the Emperor of Dark Realm and the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms. You might be able to kill a couple of thousands from us but what difference thus that makes compared to the millions still waiting outside?!" "You have underestimated me too much. It seems you lot have forgotten how terrifying one can be ones he has nothing to lose." replied the Elemental God as he panned his eyes across the hollow realm. A hint of regret and helplessness can be seen in them. "What are you gonna do? Save them!? I told you it is too late! Hahahahaha!~" But the next moment, the white figure of the Elemental God suddenly blurred before it exploded into a countless rays of light. FWHOOOM!~SHHH~ With each ray of light, another Elemental God is created, and in less than five seconds, the place was already filled by more than thousands of duplicates of the Elemental God. Though they look and sound the same, the only difference is the various forms of white weapons they were holding. Some were holding a bow, some were holding a spear, a hammer, a long pole, claw blades, daggers, and so forth. All in various sizes, shapes, and versions. Danna, whos was still in shock after everything, watched the bright replicates of the Elemental God in awe and admiration. "Kill all the shadows." SHOOOSH~ SHOOOSH~ SHOOOSH~ And before Koto could utter a single word, those thousands of different versions of the Elemental God swiftly moved to all directions. Flinging their bright weapons and wiping out crowds of Shadows in every second. WHAAAAM!~ AAAGHGK!~ AAAAAGHGK!~ SLOOSHKK~ AAAGHGK!~ AAAAAAGHGK!~ BOOOM! BOOOM!~ AAAAAGHGK!~ AAAGHGK!~ Without stopping, these clones of the Elemental God pushed through with unfazed courage. Soon enough, the entire hollow land of the water realm has become a battleground of white and black figures. On the other side, the Merman army near the border of the Golden cave was just about to collapse from the Shadow''s attack when the Elemental God''s clone arrived. Knowing that it was the most elusive Elemental God, the water elemental Soldiers were suddenly empowered, getting a healing and power buffs and aiding them just enough strength to fight back against the never-ending surge of creeping Shadows. Some Elemental Gods has also divided themselves as if they were all thinking the same, each of them created a warp hole, teleporting themselves to the other Elemental Realms and providing help on them as well. The Elemental Gods'' clone were extremely powerful, wherever they go, the Shadows have to either flee or the fight. But the cunning ones know how to avoid the stronger creature and aim for their objectives. They are here for the food, not to fight against God. At the moment, aside from the lightning elemental realm, only the four elemental realms are currently under attack. Thus, the Elemental God divided his clone and sent approximately two hundred fifty clones in each realm, providing them help despite the incredible disparity in terms of numbers. HAHAHAHA!~ Overlooking the whole events through a certain mirror artifact before him, the Emperor laughed in glee as he watched the struggle of the Elemental God and the rest of the Elemental residents. The scene of their pleading eyes, helpless struggle, and burning hatred were like a comedy show for him. Chaos is indeed pleasing in his eyes. "This is just too hilarious! Look at him force his way! What a funny Elemental guy." The rest of the Elemental Lords were just listening at the back, with a conflicted eye as they watched their own realm getting devoured by the darkness. Unfortunately for them, this has been their agreement. For their ultimate purpose, this is just a small price to pay. The loud laughter of the Emperor suddenly stopped as he revealed an evil grin. "Now why don''t we play..." And the next moment, he turned into a black blur before instantly arriving at the water Elemental realm without sparing any effort. The moment he arrived, the Elemental God''s clone suddenly felt a powerful pressure and chill that runs down their spine. They uniformly gazed in a certain direction, a frown formed on their eyes and continued what they were doing. "What brings you here?" The original body of the Elemental God stood before the dark and tool figure of the Emperor. "Your place is too bright. Should tone it down." "What do you-" But before the Elemental God could finish his sentence, the emperor has already flicked his finger. BOOOOOOOOM!!!!!~ The Giant Silaw stone hanging in the middle of the sky suddenly shattered before the Elemental God''s white unbelieving eyes. In an instant, darkness has taken over the Water Realm. KHIAAAAA!~ KHIAAAAAAA!~ KHIAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAH~!~ The loud and cheerful shriek of the Shadows followed. It was like the wolves call for dinner time. 216 Blotting A Hole The massive Silaw stone that was hanging brightly in the middle of the hollow planet has shattered under the flick of the Emperor. The moment it crumbled, the bright light it emitted waned like a bulb that has lost its power. The stored light was released in one good flash before it completely disappeared. And under the pull of the gravity from all sides, a sudden rain of the shattered crystal rocks bombarded the Water elemental realm from the inside. DDDUUUUDDGGGH!~ DUUUDGH!~ DUUUDGHHHH!~ From the distance, one could hear the deafening impact of the shards of the broken sun, creating powerful tremors before a shock wave assaulted those who were at least a kilometer away from the center. AAAAHGH!~ KHIAAAAHHH!~ UGGGH!~ The Emperor watched and listened as he witnessed the chaotic event inciting fear and anxiety to the residents of the water realm, even if it means that losing some of his people along the way. "Do you hear this right now?" The Emperor suddenly spoke while closing his eyes, seemingly enjoying the sound as if he was in a live orchestra while facing the Elemental God. "This is the sound of life and harmony." He added as he opened his eyes with a pleased gleam in his three red demonic eyes. After saying these, the flickering lights from the fallen shards of the giant Silaw stone which was barely keeping the brightness of the whole Water realm has finally disappeared. Darkness has completely covered the Kingdom. Its plains and mountains are hidden in the pitch blanket of the night. Only the Golden Castle and cave behind it together with the bioluminescent lifeforms, that have their own light and the Elemental God is currently the last source of light. KHIAAAAHAHAHA!~ KHIAAAAAHAHAAHA!~ KHIAAAAHAHAAAA~ And true enough, what followed was a series of excited cries of the Shadow creatures. Now that the bright Silaw stone that was hindering them from moving openly is gone, they could finally unleash the true power of a Shadow. With the cover of the darkness, their power and speed were greatly boosted. With unrestrained strength the laid waste to the Kingdom and those water elementals who were caught along the way. Munching on them, crushing those that can''t be eaten and taking over the bodies that took their interest. The moment that a Shadow takes over a certain body, it becomes filled with the odor and essence of Darkness, thus keeping the other Shadow creatures from snatching it away from the first one who got it. As a small car, it was a first come first serve. Those Shadows that were hungry did not spare any water elementals that have fallen victim, they lunged to them with the greedy mouth, devouring them until there was nothing left before moving on to find more. While there are smarter and more choosy Shadows who would rather keep those strong looking water elementals who seemed to have potentials, aiming to blend with them completely and earn the elemental essence to become a stronger version of themselves. A hybrid of Shadow and Water elementals, the Shadow Elementals. They are looking forward to having an unrestrained feast in the human realm, which happens to have a sun that was an effective threat against them. And the best way to counter the sun''s effect is by using a human or an elemental''s body as cover. Soon enough, the hollow land of the water realm is filled with some Shadow Elementals in different forms. There are weird and powerful looking sharks that emitted a Shadows aura as a result. Some had taken the form of a black jellyfish, black merfolk, a black whale, a black Swordfish, just to name a few. FLAAASH!~ KHIAAA!~ UGGGHAAAH!!~ In the meantime, the clones of the Elemental God continued fighting against the endless surge of the Shadows. Though they were a powerful force that effectively wiped a group of Shadows in less than a seconds, the sheer number of the incoming Shadows rendered all of their effort to futility. It felt like they were trying to unload the seawater of a sinking boat only to be filled back by a tidal wave on the other side. SLAAAAASH!~ HAAAAHGH!~ SLAAASH!~ The merfolk warriors, armed with now glowing weapons after receiving the blessings from the Elemental God''s, fought side by side with the clones. One particular group that was fighting skillfully were the few members of the elite force that has safely escorted Donna back to the Golden Cave. Unfortunately for them, the sudden presence of the Emperor and his casual move of breaking the restraining Silaw stone has brought a different level of boost to the Shadows. With their unhindered movements and unending number, they has slowly manage to tilt back the battle on their side, slowly pushing the Elemental God clones and the water elemental warriors with them back the Golden Castle. The Warriors hacked like there was no tomorrow while the bow users unleashed a barrage of arrows without even sparing any more focus. With the glowing weapon on their hands, the Shadow creatures where like black balloons popping in pain, however, the Shadows also brought forth terrifying strength in their body. Once you missed an attack, the Shadows would quickly seize the opening which also means game over for the poor elemental warrior. All of these happened while a quieter scene is currently ongoing on the other side. Back to the main tunnel''s exit, the Elemental God is currently facing the Emperor with a deadly gaze. Not far from them, an endless surge of the Shadow creatures continued to arrive through the widened tunnel. The moment these creatures saw the Emperor nearby, not one of them dared to stay any longer knowing the latter''s chaos-loving nature and proceeded to the main feast represented by the Golden Castle from the distance. Not minding the Elemental God before him, the Emperor suddenly started walking calmly towards the mermaid princess. His mouth stretched widely and revealed creepy and lustful eyes. HAAAAH!~ WHAAAAAM!~BOOOOOM!~ Without any warning, the Elemental God swung at a blurring speed at the Emperor with his radiant dual swords. The latter on the other hand did not dare to underestimate the Elemental God knowing he has complete control of the lighting elemental authority that is incredibly damaging for him. "Where do you think you are going?" The Elemental God asked as he stood guard of the mermaid princess. "T-thank you," Danna said with a stutter. Right now she is still trembling in fear while holding on the golden bow and the last two pieces of the silaw-stone-tipped arrow. Tightening his grip on the radiant swords on both his arms, the Elemental God replied, "I am the God of this realm. It is my duty to protect this realm and its citizen, though I have already failed from the start; I am just sparing the little ounce of responsibility and conscience left on me." "Now now. Don''t get in the way of my first mermaid dinner." said the Emperor who has suddenly revealed his domineering aura. FWOOOWM~ It was only a casual wave of the Emperor''s aura but the Elemental God was pushed a good few meters as the latter immediately unleashed a wind wall to counter the impact of the aura''s release. Sensing the incoming danger, the Elemental God quickly covered the mermaid princess in a golden protected glow. "Stay here, you need to survive cause I have a favor to ask." the Elemental God said. "A favor?" Danna replied anxiously but before she could get a reply, the Elemental God has already left, leaving behind a sonic boom due to his unbelievable speed. A white trail was left as he reached the Emperor in the blink of an eye, his radiate dual swords just meters away from cutting the latter. "Then I will play with you then!" the Emperor suddenly revealed six arms with a long yet weird looking swords at each grip. ZOOOSH~ CLANNGG!~ FWOOOSH~ CLAAANG!~ CLAAANG!~ CLAAANG!~ And just like that, the two most powerful being currently in the water realm danced with each other''s blade. The Elemental God wielded his swords with incredible skills, accuracy, and timing while the Emperor would deflect them using the advantage of his multiple arms presented. Danna watched everything as the two fought at a terrifying pace. Not even her fast eyes were enough to follow the movements of the two overwhelming creatures. All she saw was that the whole place was slowly being ravaged by a storm of flashy sword attacks and impact. It was a scene that reminded her of Elric. Perhaps, if Elric was here, maybe he can take on that Emperor as well! However, it did not take long for the fierce battle between the Elemental God and the Emperor to show the result. "Darn it! If only I have all my clones, I could have fought fairly." The disparity between the two was just too big. Especially that the Elemental God could not exert his real power since he has divided his powers to each of his clones. If he wants to fight the Emperor at full force, he would have to retract his scattered clones at the stake of the lives of more Elementals! It is just not possible for him! He had decided to stand on the Elemental''s side. He would at least protect them tell the end! "I have no choice..." the Elemental God mumbled to himself as his eyes revealed a determined look. "there was no choice in the first place." He added as he suddenly clapped the two radiant swords before it turned into one longer and bigger version. "Sundering Flash!" And without any warning, the Elemental God pushed the larger radiant sword before a terrifying burst of light covered the Emperors entire field of view. FLAAAAAAAAAAASSSSH!~ It was a wide range attack that took the Emperor off guard, causing him to feel the full brunt of the attack. BOOOOOOOOOOOOM~ A white beam of light suddenly pierced out of the now dark covered planet of the water realm. As a result, the hollow world of the water realm was exposed openly from the outside. It was more of a planet piercing attack! 217 Escape To The Human Realm! The Shadows that were still traveling across the vast space in between the elemental planets suddenly stopped as their gazes were attracted at the bright beam of light that pierced out from the insides of the Water Elemental realm. The ultimate attack of the Elemental God has managed to cover an incredibly wide range, dissolving all the Shadows that were caught in surprise. The Elemental God poured out almost all of his power in this single blast. As a result, he gasped in too much exhaustion. The water and the land were dissolved together with his attack, thus before he is the current world of the water realm that looked like a halved eggshell. The Emperor took the full brunt of the attack, considering that it was an attack that was mixed by all the elemental attributes including lightning itself, he was able to receive tremendous damage that ripped his body into bits and pieces. "We...won?" Dann finally spoke after regaining her full senses. The Shadows that were not included in the last attack did not dare to come closer to her due to the presence of the Elemental God standing beside her. Gasping hardly while standing up, the Elemental God replied, "No. It takes more than that to kill the Emperor. My power may be strong enough to pierce his body but it is the dark soul that holds his essence that really needs to be destroyed. Unfortunately, only a powerful soul type attack is truly effective against them." True enough, though the Shadow minions was not able to recover from the last blast, the Emperor holds a tremendous amount of recovery abilities. Slowly, they could see the scattered black dust that resembled the fined parts of the Emperor slowly returning despite being blown from far away. It was like black clouds of black dusts are being pulled over into a certain spot, the Emperor is trying to rebuild itself. Witnessing this, Danna immediately reacted by pointing her bow. However, the Elemental God knows better. Not even the silaw stone will be able to destroy him completely. What they needed the most right now is to escape! "Hold it for a minute." the Elemental Lord suddenly grabbed the mermaid princess as they burst out of their current location, their destination is towards the Golden Cave. A while later, just when the body of the Emperor has started to take shape, an arrow from incredibly far suddenly arrived and exploded at the center of the congregation of black dust. FWOOWWWHM!~BOOOOOM!~ And just like that, the black dusts were blasted away from each other and the slowly reformed body was shattered. "HAHAHAHAHAAA!~" Suddenly, the loud and seemingly entertained voice of the Emperor reverberated throughout the water realm, "That''s it! Run! Run for your lives! Wait until I recover and prepare for your nightmare! Hahahaha!" Hearing the maddened echoing voice, the residents of the Elemental realm and Danna herself felt a cold chill as fear swept over their mind. The Elemental God dragged Danna while shattering in pieces those Shadows who stood on their way. They are nearing the Golden Cave in less than a minute thanks to the Elemental Gods speed. "Prepare your people. You are going out of here." A resolute voice of the Elemental God suddenly followed. Danna looked at the Elemental God with a confused gaze. "Out of here?" With a sad and helpless tone, the Elemental God replied, "The Elemental Realm has been taken over by the Realm of Darkness thanks to the Godly Beast of the Dimensional Realms and the rest of the Elemental Lords and some powerful entities. Staying here in this wretched realm will only mean a living nightmare for everyone as they seek to devour and take over the whole elemental realms." With a disappointed gaze, Dann asked, "Is the Lord Dash... included?" "No. He was devoured by the Godly Beast together with a certain Guardian and they are probably trying to find their way out of it. The fact that the Divine Providence has not been activated means that he could still be alive." The Elemental God replied thanks to his connections to the lost elementals at the human realm who witnessed the actual event. "Then... what are we gonna do?" "I will be sending everyone out to the human realm. Those Shadows won''t be able to follow you there considering that there is a real sun over there, not to mention the several powerful groups that will willingly defend the human realm, in any case, those Shadows will openly invade." A couple of Shadows has spotted the mermaid princess and dare to stand in the way only to be shredded in half from the Elemental God''s sword. Casually, the Elemental God continued, "Not to mention the body of water in the human realm is around five times the size of this hollow world, so there should be enough space for water elementals to move there, though conflicts from the Anaks that dwell under the ocean is inevitable, I hope you will lead your people." "I see..." Danna mumbled as her eyes panned the hollow land of the water Elemental Realm. The colorful coral mountains and the vibrant life that used to cover the entire place is now gone. Only Shadows that acted like the destructive waves of locusts can be seen from every angle. WOOOM~ A powerful explosion of aura was suddenly felt by Danna and the Elemental God. It was the sign of the Emperor''s power slowly coming back. "We do not have much time." said the Elemental God as they finally reached the Golden cave that was being protected by the clones and the Merman soldiers. *** "Sister Danna!" "Where have you been!?" "Princess!" "Princess! I am glad you are alright!" Everyone including the rest of the mermaid princesses, greeted Danna excitedly the moment they saw her coming back. However, Danna wore a gloomy expression as if she had just made a terrible mistake. Then the Elemental God appeared beside her and everyone swiftly kneeled down the moment they realized the Elemental God''s presence. "Stand up. Get ready to move." the Elemental God urgently said as he channeled his power and created a dimensional portal directly leading to the dimensional portal. Now that he is not using the Dimensional Planet of Blackwater as a bridge, he had to use more amount of energy in order to connect all the portals and transfer everyone directly to the human realm from their current location. "NOW!" The Elemental God beckoned with a deafening authority. Everyone was stunned at the Elemental God''s sudden command. The Elemental God is a respectable being but he was not that worthy of being followed due to his slacking personality. However, Danna immediately explained as she stood beside the portal. "Everyone please get inside the portal. As you can see, our Realm is currently under attack by the Shadows and we have no choice but to escape to the human realm. More Shadow creatures are coming this way and wanted to devour everyone!" "Aren''t we supposed to defend our realm?" some of the brave looking water elementals spoke. "Isn''t that human gonna come and defend us?" "Where is the Lord Dash? How come we do not see him?" "Did he abandoned us?" "Everyone! Please I beg you. Listen to me and just get in! We do not have much time! I will explain more later! Hurry before the Emperor of the Dark Realm arrives!" Trusting Danna''s judgment, the merfolks and other water elementals immediately rushed towards the realm portal. The moment they get it, they were immediately transported to the deep ocean of the human realm and a huge commotion followed after as the creatures of the Human''s ocean were taken aback at the sudden arrival of the water elementals. At the same time, the same event is currently happening on the other realms. On the earth, an elemental realm, for example, the dwarfs, tree creatures, mud golems, and various other earth elemental creatures were currently being transported to human realm via several portals created by the clones of the Elemental Gods. The same scene can be witnessed at the Fire and wind elemental realm, the fire elementals are transported to the massive underground caves, volcanoes and so forth as long as they are places where fire could thrive. While the wind elementals are able to soar to the vast open sky and mountains. Back on the elemental realm, the faces of the Elemental God''s clone are currently withering as they continued to channel their energy to maintain the dimensional portals; all while the rest of the clones defended against the Shadows from all surroundings. Diana, Donna, and Danna are currently standing beside the portal encouraging everyone to move faster when the voice of the Elemental God suddenly came. "I am reaching my limit. Hurry!" The portal was as big as one kilometer, allowing thousands of water elementals pass through at the same time. But just when the thousand elementals where about to pass a powerful reverberation shook the entire water realm. SHOOOOOK!~ The Elemental God suddenly collapsed as a couple of bloody holes suddenly appeared on his body. The portal beside him started shrinking at a rapid rate! "UGGH!~" "Whah!!" "Why are yo-" Then the dolphin, the blue whale, and the white jellyfish that were floating beside the mermaid princesses suddenly pushed their masters towards the shrinking portal just before it completely vanished. SHAAAAAHHH!~ Then two seconds later, a wide black shade of darkness covered the entire water realm devouring all surviving water elementals including those who missed the portal - including the pets of the mermaid princesses and the powerless Elemental God. Right at this moment, the entire water elemental realm has fallen together with its so-called Elemental God. 218 Alliance Of Hope A month after the elementals arrived at the human realm. An isolated mysterious island has suddenly emerged in the middle of the pacific ocean. This island spanned for more than fifty thousand square kilometers and is completely covered by a magical barrier that hides and protects it from the eyes of the normal humans including their technologies. This island is called Bantayan and is currently used as the base of operations for the Human realms'' final resistance against the incoming invasion of the Shadows. Currently inside this massive island are the various representatives of the different races responsible for defending the human realm. At the centermost is a massive circular grandstand where the representatives meet. Under the power and authority of the Guardians, the final resistance has been gathered. On the right side are the groups of the water, wind, and earth elementals except for the fire and lightning elementals whose nature is of pure destruction. Currently leading them is the mermaid princess Danna of the water elementals, an earth fairy elemental called Katri, and a massive golden eagle with golden claws and beaks called Unos. On the left side of the massive grandstand are a group of the last remaining Dragons who were forced to attend due to the severity of the situation. Right now, the strongest Dragon alive are on a level of an Elder Dragons since their last confrontation against Elric. Completing the triangle formations are the various tribes of the elusive Ancient humans including the last survivors of the Arkhans and the Guardians. While not far from the Ancient humans are a couple of representatives from the modern humans, mostly are powerful presidents, army generals, and CIA agents that were aware of the true situation of the human realm. There was great animosity in the air as the various group stares at each other. However, in order to survive the coming invasion, the powerhouses have decided to push aside their differences and strive to work on the security of their future for now. "As we have told you beforehand, in the next fifteen days, the longest total lunar eclipse will happen and the Emperor of the Dark Realm has been waiting for that specific day to start his full invasion." The voice from the second-ranking Elder who is currently leading the union echoed throughout the grandstand. Everyone snapped out of their hostile gazes and finally focused their full attention on the tall and composed figure of the Second Guardian Elder. A month ago, the elemental has arrived to the human realm, causing a great uproar to the current residents of the human realm. The arrival of the weird-looking elementals together with their inherited abilities was considered a threat to the balance of the human realm thus igniting the locals to defend. However, before another war could greet the newly arrived elementals, the Guardians suddenly intervene using the brute force of their advanced technology. The Dragons, Ancient Humans, and even the powerful secret human agencies have to bow down at the overpowered abilities and technology used by the Guardians. Fortunately, the Guardians remained committed to upholding their duty in protecting the human realm. Under their initiation and influence, these current union was born. "As the number one race in terms of accurate calculations, tell us, how much is our chance of winning against the invasion?" A familiar figure suddenly spoke from the direction of the Ancient humans. These men stood out from the rest of his companions since he is the only Arkhan who preferred to stand together with the Ancient humans instead of being with his fellow Arkhans on the other side. It was Arkhoz, the Dragon Hunter who fought Elric for several occasions and survived. With his superior body that has consumed countless Dragons and the mind of the Ancient Humans, he is the current representative of the Ancient Humans instead of the Arkhans. ROOOOAR!~ ROOOARRR~ ROOOOOOOOAR!~ The moment Arkhoz spoke, the Dragons on the opposite side could not help but release some hateful roar to the Dragon Hunter. Some Dragons remembered their close encounter with him and decided to jump out of their place in an attempt to harm him only to feel a sudden mental shock before fainting on the spot. THUDDD!~ It was a psychic attack from the Guardians who are placed on every side and responsible of keeping the event peaceful. Seeing the Dragons finally calming down, the second Elder Guardian continued. "As of our latest calculations from the data provided by the Elementals, our chances of winning is currently less than two percent." Hearing the host''s reply, everyone could not help but grumble at the result. "Two percent? Are those bastard Guardians looking down too much on us? We might be few but we are Dragons! I have faced those ant Shadows one time and they die on my breath like tiny insects being roasted!" "No matter how many those Shadows are, as long as they are not as strong as that Alpha one, I doubt an army of thousand would last a single breath of mine!" The Dragons, fueled by their overwhelming pride, reacted at the Elder Guardian''s answer with skepticism. Meanwhile, Humans, Elementals, and Ancient Humans had a different reaction. They know better than letting their pride control their tongue and emotion. "It is true. Even the God of the Elemental realm has fallen under the hands of the Shadows. Specifically, the Emperor''s power is just beyond our imagination." Danna interjected with a distressed look. The two mermaid princesses were beside her. "Indeed. We have witnessed them ourselves. Those Shadows are hungry and endless. They are able to blend their bodies to our brothers making them more powerful with an extra elemental attribute." Katri, the Earth fairy elemental added. "Not even our land of the wind was able to escape their grasp. Their body are incredibly adaptable and are almost unstoppable. It only took less than an hour before our wind elemental realm has fallen. If not for the help of the Elemental God, I doubt we could even last more than thirty minutes." said the massive brown eagle called Unos. The normal humans on the other side remained unmoving, their eyes are gazing from one side to another while trying to remain calm and learning as much as possible about the real situation. "We may have a very small chance of winning, but we can effectively raise the probability if we work together. That is the main purpose of why we are currently gathered." The second Elder Guardian proceeded as he pulled out a small mettalic disc. Then from the small metallic disc, came out a massive screen revealing a certain video. It was the last moment before Elric went inside the dimensional door to Kaora''s realm. Then the voice of the second Elder came, " This is our final hope." Everyone watched in curiosity as Elric, together with an unconscious old woman in his arm and two familiar Chinese looking siblings followed him as they entered the warping dimensional door. Upon seeing the mysterious door, Arkhoz could not help but stand in shock. "The Kaora''s realm. The legendary door to the Fabled space. So they have it all along..." Arkhoz mumbled in disbelief as he recalled the rumored legend of the mysterious door left behind by their so-called "original" Guardian. "It''s him!" Its Elric!" Diana grabbed Danna and Donna''s arm with excitement the moment they saw Elric''s back. "Isn''t that turtle Lord Dash!? So he was here?" Donna said while watching the little turtle floating beside the mysterious door. "It is indeed them..." Danna muttered with a little relief in her voice. "The Alpha Dragon is currently inside the legendary Kaora''s realm. A place where not even the Godly Beast of the Dimensional Realms could never find." Explained the second Elder Guardian. Everyone listened attentively knowing that what''s gonna follow is probably their next step. "The Kaora''s realm is an unreachable realm for everyone indeed unless specific conditions are met. The door leading there is one-time use only and will instantly shatter to useless bricks the moment it is used. However, going out of that realm would only be dependent on them and us. There is a strict timing that must be followed in order for a passage to open and bring them back." Then the second Elder paused for a moment, scanned the entire place before nodding as if confirming something from someone. A mental message suddenly came to the host. "Everything and everyone is cleared. Not a single shadow is present." "Good." replied the host telepathically as he calmly switched back to his loud voice. "On behalf of the Guardians, we are willing to provide you with our latest tools, weapons, and technology to defend against the Shadow''s invasion." Hearing the news, the Ancient Humans and the Arkhans smiled excitedly. They knew just how valuable and powerful the Guardian''s technology is. "However, we have already made calculations and despite equipping everyone with our weapons, our resources would not be enough to completely stop the enemies. Rather, its main purpose is to buy our hope the time they need to get out of the Kaora''s realm." Then with a hopeless sigh, he added. "That is if we can survive and find the Key to Kaora''s gate." 219 Shadow Elemental Hybrids Back at the Elemental Realm, at the water realm''s kingdom... Standing at the front of the golden cave is the Emperor with a wide smile in his face. At the moment, all of the elemental planets has been taken over by his Shadow minions and are currently having a feast of their lives. "After countless years of preparation, finally this realm is mine..." the Emperor closed his three eyes and immersed himself at the chaotic sound of events happening around him. Chaos, death, darkness, and destruction! The sound of the agony and the helpless scream of the dying elementals is like a beautiful song in his ears. "You will regret this..." A faint struggling sound came from the back. The Emperor smoothly turned around as he cheerfully eyed the collapsed figure of the Elemental God. His Shadow minions are currently busy munching on their victims on the background. The Elemental God''s eyes are currently waning like a flashlight struggling with its battery. His muscles are skinny like a dried branch of a brown tree while the previous imposing aura has been completely erased. The usual radiant glow of his skin has dimmed to dark gray while even maintaining his head up high was very painful. However, the Elemental God does not want to die while bowing to the ground. He wanted to raise his head and die facing his enemy head-on. "You did well saving your people. Unfortunately, that is not enough of a security to save them. Any time from now, the total solar eclipse will happen and that''s when the real party will start." He walked closer to the weakened Elemental God and sat before the latter''s raised head like a curious kid watching a dying insect. His three red eyes gazed at the Elemental Lords'' with a magnified presence. A wide creepy smile also revealed. "Do not worry. To make it more interesting, I will be destroying them using your own hand." The eyes of the Elemental Lord opened widely as he realized what the Emperor meant. His weak muscles trembled while he beckoned furiously. "Don''t you dare... You devil! No! Noooo!" CHOMP!~ The mouth of the Emperor suddenly stretched widely before extending forward like a massive mouth of a crocodile devouring a small white chicken. The Emperor revealed a satisfied face while he happily gnawed on his highest-quality victim so far. FWOOOHMMM~ The moment he gulped the Elemental God''s body, the Emperor''s aura suddenly surged like a dam finally collapsing.. GRUZZHHZGGGGH!~ The water elemental''s ground shook at the sudden presence of a power that was never there moments ago. SHOOOOSH~ SHOOOOSH~ SHOOOOOSH~ Lights started to blaze out of the Emperor''s back as his body morphed to accommodate the new power he has obtained. The Shadow minions, who couldn''t care less about them before are now staring at the morphing figure of their supreme leader. The terrifying trasformation fully unleashed at the front of their red eyes. *** Meanwhile on the other side of the elemental realms, at the endless horizon of the black water, Kahayag is currently staring at the black-robed woman with utter hostility. The rest of the Elemental Lords are also currently standing at a piece of a small floating land the Earth Elemental Lord created. SHHH~ A cold wind has suddenly washed everyone as if a soul had just passed nearby. "So he still fought till the end huh..." a sad murmur came from the mouth of the dwarf. "He knew he doesn''t stand a chance from the beginning. Ever since we revealed our plan and the backing force behind us, he became nothing but like a cop without a gun. He probably was overtaken by his guilt and decided to save the remaining elementals in exchange for his last bit of pride." said the Great Seer Mhata. The Elemental Lords, who are supposed to be defending this realm from the invaders, suddenly felt a cold chill touch them as if giving them a farewell. The Dwarfen Earth Elemental Lord, the Great Seer Mhata, and the rest gazed at the direction of the water elemental realm with complicated emotion. "Apology if I made you wait my trusted Elemental Lords." Everyone was taken aback at the sudden voice of the Emperor from behind. Instinctively, everyone turned around to look at the source of the voice only to be surprised at the new look of the Emperor. Six long white energy has sprouted at the back of the Emperor which made him look like a dark being with white tentacles as his wings. And for some reason, they could feel the aura of the Elemental God from this tentacle wings. "His power has not only grown stronger, his resistance against light has also increased!" "Powerful. We haven''t even noticed him standing behind if not for him revealing himself by speaking." "He devoured even the Elemental God? Does it mean that if I fail or resist him, would he devour me as well?" The thoughts of the few Elemental Lords where currently mixed. Some are in awe, while others are anxious. Meanwhile, the Great Seer Mhata has her own thought. "If the Elemental God is gone, then who''s going to be the next Elemental God?" Mhata stares at a couple of Elemental Lords currently with her. Judging from their strength, the most powerful Elemental Lord at the moment should be the white wisp of the Lightning Elemental realm. "It should not take long before the divine providence of the new Elemental Lord will happen. I must get full control of that white wisp. This was not part of my first prediction, but it is expected considering that they have manage to alter the original path of fate." Mhata thought to herself as she started to device a new plan. "What took you so long?" Kahilom, the mysterious woman in black robe complained. Aside from her, no one else has noticed that the Emperor has already arrived. "Oh, I already apologized haven''t I? Some patriotic glowing guy tried to defend this land and blasted me away so I have no choice but to get a little delayed. Nevertheless, his powers are now mine." the Emperor calmly pointed at the long glowing tentacles behind him. "Great Emperor, How long do you think will it take for our next move?" The Dwarf asked respectfully. Although the Emperor has a very approachable attitude, they knew better not to get to the latter''s bad side. Taking out their life is as easy as snapping a finger for the Emperor alone. "The Great Seer bird''s last revelation to us was that we must wait for the realm gate to open itself on the total lunar eclipse." The Emperor said as he stares intently at the Great Seer Mhata, who is currently in her human form trying to recover her powers. "I''d say its bullsh*t." added the Emperor with a wide grin. Suddenly, his right arm was raised before pointing at a specific direction. The curious Elemental Lords traced the hand''s target and were shock at the scene of thousands of Shadows that had successfully blended their bodies to powerful looking Elementals. Coming their way to the Black Water is a colorful flood of Shadow-Elemental hybrids. Fire Golems that had traces of Shadows in their eyes, strong-looking merman soldiers equipped with golden armors, massive sea and mountain serpents, and winged beasts from the wind elemental realm are included to the latest upgraded Shadow warriors. These are just to name a few. Not to mention, these Shadow hybrids have a natural inclination to their new elements. Thus, giving them a cover to resist the power of the light - a perfect body to bring to the human realm! It is also worth mentioning, that only those Shadows that have higher intellect and control were able to preserve their target elemental''s body. Most of them were the high ranking Shadow warriors while some King Shadows have also chosen their own special elemental bodies. The Emperor gazed at the incoming wave of colorful Shadow warriors with a delighted look. While the Elemental Lords on the other hand could not help but feel a chill run down their backs. Though they have already abandoned their positions as Elemental Lords, seeing their own kind getting devoured and taken over by the Shadows were still enough to spark their hatred. Especially the proud Earth Elemental Lord. One of the massive Diamond Golem that has been taken over by one Shadow King is actually one of his strongest creations that took him several hundred years to make. It would be lying to say he was not affected at all. While the Elemental Lords struggled to keep their emotions in check, the Emperor suddenly said, "Prepare yourselves. We are going to the human realm in the next few hours." Hearing him, the fire elemental Great Seer Mhata suddenly spoke, "Aren''t we supposed to wait for the opening of the realm gate that will happen on the next day?" "That is exactly what your failed prediction has revealed. If we wait for the next day, that means a whole two months have passed ever since they left. That is exactly what your last prediction has said which gives them the advantage to prepare. Waiting is not fun." Then facing the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realm, he added, "My plan is simple. Let''s give them a surprise visit with my new homeboys." 220 Rights Or Regre Two days after the union meeting at Bantayan Island, the Earth''s present defenders are in the middle of their production for the tools and weapons that are said to be effective against the incoming Shadows. Using the combined advanced technologies and the rarest minerals that can be found in the human realm, the union was able to come up with various designs and tools. Particularly for the ancient humans and Guardians, their advanced fighter planes had been installed with anti-Shadow weapons and facilities. While the ordinary human is not yet prepared for the shock the incoming battle could bring, the world government has warned them, in cooperation with the Guardians, has issued a priority project to create fortified bunkers equipped with incredible lightings. One of the bunker''s requirements is that it must be brightly lit. Fake news has been issued of a possible nuclear attack from unknown beings using the traces of the last battle with Elric. And true enough, the people were starting to panic and various public and private construction companies decided to make their own shelters with the best lighting possible. The proud Dragons, on the other hand, are also equipped with anti-Shadow armors that provide additional skills and boosters that will aid them in the incoming battle. It was the first time for the Dragons to embrace the power of technology and true enough, it didn''t take long for the proud lizards to discover a new way of power once they are equipped with the high-tech armors made by the Guardians just for them. As for the Elementals, they have also received some handy and bulky weapons that would at least allow them to fight the Shadows, a good example is Light Blasters that can be equipped by those elementals that are capable, while for the bigger elementals, they are given melee weapons that possess lightning attribute using the technology. The production of the anti-Shadow tools, weapons, and armors has only begun one day ago. Thank''s to the brilliant minds behind the design and the quick responses from all sides, they were able to produce the first batch of the defensive supplies on the first day. However, judging from the possible number of incoming invaders, in order to completely provide supplies for every race; it would probably take them about three months or more. Indeed, time was not on their side. The Elder Guardians kept telling everyone that there is a 70% probability that the enemy might launch their attack earlier than anticipated. Thus not a single side dared to relax and are staying on guard while working. Right now, only five percent of their targeted supplies have been made and distributed despite their maximum effort. If the enemy will attack, it would be a brutal massacre, especially to the defenseless humans. At the Bantayan island, the Union''s headquarters has been established thanks to the cooperation of the Earth Elementals and the Guardians. There, the few representatives from the different races together with the Guardian Elders are currently overseeing the whole operations. Specifically, Danna is currently the leader of the Water Elementals while the fairy elemental called Katri represented the Earth Elementals and so does for the golden beaked Eagle called Unos. The humans also have their representatives from the United Nations. As for the Ancient Humans and the last survivors of the Arkanz, Arkhoz was chosen to represent both sides. The Dragons on the other hand are currently represented by Palos, an Elder Dragon from the Northern Region who is also known as a wise advisor for the late Queen Dragon. It has been known that the latter has ignored Palos''s advice of backing out early which, as expected, resulted to her untimely death on the hands of Elric. It is also in the Headquarters where the council members and representatives are making timely reports based on the latest data and events. The experts make real-time adjustments as long as the Guardians see it fit according to their calculations. The entire headquarters was wide and were filled by beings of different races. The eyes of the monitoring Guardian staff are currently focused and surrounded by the massive holographic globe that shows real-time energy fluctuations all over the earth. The second Elder Guardians are currently leading the entire operations of the headquarter. Every decision has to go through his final strenuous calculations before implemented. Her gaze was focused on the large holographic globe and had a frown deeply itched in his face. BEEEP~BEEEP~BEEEP~ A sound of beeping sound suddenly rang from the direction of the holographic image. The monitoring staff swiftly responded with their specific reports. "Second Elder! Bad news! Multiple abnormal energy fluctuations has been detected all over the globe!" "Reporting to Second Elder! Energy compositions revealed traces of spacial elements. A possible channeled teleportation phenomenon." "Reporting to Second Elder! More abnormal energy fluctuations have been detected! Currently, we have detected more than 700 fluctuations from all around the world that are slowly forming like a wormhole-" The Second Elder Guardian listened to the reports and he could not help but finally stand up from his seat. "Initiate emergency evacuation sequence! Send the Alpha Kite, launch the first defensive wave! Dragons, Elementals, Humans, and Ancient Humans, get your soldiers and prepare for a defensive war!" *** New York, United States. The Statue of Liberty stood proudly with the famous city on its background. The time is currently 7 p.m. and the dark night had just started. The city was like a bustling star from the distance as the lights from the tall and small buildings illuminated the famous place. Humans of different colors and walks of life minded their own business together with the lively background noise of a booming city. However, one could see thousands of police and armies currently scattered throughout the city, urging the people to go home or stay on public bunkers - as expected, most people are fighting back. Yesterday, the government made an unexpected announcement of the sudden construction of the nuclear blast-proof bunkers and urgently requesting everyone to stay in their home or in their safe spots for security purposes. At the moment, the news and social media are focused about the government''s sudden warning of possible nuclear attacks from unknown beings that are forcing massive amounts of budgets to be curved towards this sudden project. Speculations flooded that it will be an attack from aliens but the government just doesn''t want to admit it to avoid social panic. For some people, the government''s warning was just a way to suppress their freedom and a lot of them have decided to openly stage a rally in the name of their liberty. Chaotic rallies and activist are on the move, resisting the government forces and standing for their so-called rights. "Who you tryin'' to fool yah?!" "Fvck the police! Fvck the government! Go hide yo'' ass on yo'' own bunker and give us back the taxes you use to your stupid game!" "This is the land of the free! Not bunkers! Those who want to mess with us will taste our superweapons!" Meanwhile, the smarter and more disciplines citizen did not think twice and followed the government''s request to hide in their private shelters or bunkers. They would rather secure themselves and trust the government''s warning that regretting it later. Unfortunately, there are still more people who would rather go to work and dismiss government warnings to build or seek secured shelters or bunkers since they thought it was just too absurd. After all, life is too good to be afraid all the time right? woooooOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGG~ Then the city alarm came. The police and ordinary people alike raised their heads to the direction of the warning wail. Everyone stayed silent at the duration of the alarm, trying to figure out what the warning is all about. For some reason, everyone felt a chill suddenly running down their spine. The atmosphere has suddenly become quiet except for the sound of the loud sirene and someone gulping their own saliva. There was no earthquake nor a terrible storm. The night clouds were pitch black that seems to hide the stars. Not even a glimpse of the moon can be seen, only the lights of the city have maintained the light. It was an eerie feeling that they could not explain. As if the God of death is singing a silent song, the hairs in their skin suddenly stood like tiny needles. Suddenly, the pitch dark cloud started to swirl as if a tornado is coming. It spun faster and faster as if God is stirring the black clouds. ZWOOOOOMMB!!!~ "Huggh!? "Aaagk!" "Ouch!" The gravity near the swirling clouds suddenly increased at a terrifying rate. Everyone who was caught off-guard was forced to kneel, others fell on the ground, while some people got it worst and has fallen from tall places. Then, the swirling clouds opened as if a black hole was emerging at the center. ZOOOOOM~ KABOOOOM!~ A streak of light suddenly dashed out of the dark hole in the middle of the swirling dark clouds and instantly crushed the Statue of Liberty as if a hammer struck a tiny gray pebble. "Surprise, mother fvckers!" excitedly shouted the Shadow Emperor as a rain of the hybrid Shadow-Elementals poured out from the swirling clouds. The same event is currently happening across the globe. 221 Emperors Warm Up ****************************** *Warning: This chapter has heavy and dark content. If you have a faint heart or a minor, I suggest you skip this chapter. There will be some explicit scenes you might not want to think about. ************************************ "Fire!" Ratatatatatatat!~ "It''s coming! It''s coming!" "Team Bravo needs more back up!" "Hostile creatures coming at 8''oclock! Shoot to kill!" Babababababa!~ "aaagggk!" "No...what are these creatures?" "Guns don''t work! Retreat! I repeat retreat!" "They got steve! Help steve! Aggh! Help me!" Kaboooom!~ The world''s defense force was taken aback at the sudden appearance of the Shadows. The swirling realm hole continued to expand while more Shadow-Elemental Hybrids are falling from the sky. "Kuekuekuek!~ Finally! Humans! Human meats! The most delicious one!" "Look at that crowd! That is mine!" "Move away! Those are mine!" KHIIAAAAHK!- KHIIAAAAAAHK!~ While the humans were trying their best to escape, the hybrid Shadows immediately went on a full rampage, stuffing humans with every dive while crushing anything that stands in its way. KabooooM!~ The Emperor was smart enough to make the situation more favorable in their end. He sent powerful hybrid Shadows to sabotage the city''s source of power supply, which resulted in the unexpected darkness. As a result, the hybrid Shadows became even more aggressive. "Aaggghh!" "Nonononono!~" With no place to hide, every human that was caught outside was instantly eaten or killed for fun. Those Shadows that had plans already in mind immediately went to action. Fortunately, the Shadows that have arrived have already blended their bodies with the Elementals. Those normal Shadows that are capable of taking over a human body has not yet given the go signal to come by the Emperor. Simply speaking, the first wave of Shadow Elementals are sent was just a warmup for the real invasion. "Have your fill, my children! Eat, go merry, and eat more! This realm is ours! Tonight will be a long one! Whahaha!" beckoned the emperor as he stood atop of the One World Trade Center building, the tallest building in America. He is currently taking a form of "Freeze!" "This is security! " "Put your hands on the air, now! Wait, what the fvck is tha-aack" Aggkuuhhg~ AAhuhghu~ It didn''t take long for the security of the said building to notice a weird creature at the rooftop. Unfortunately for them, they were gobbled down before they could even run away. "The human meat is truly the best. Tender and juicy. Worth a thousand years of wait indeed. kuekuekek~" The Emperor''s plan was simple, eat the humans and mercilessly kill those who resist! While chewing the security Then barely two minutes after the Shadow''s arrival, a sudden bright light suddenly exploded from a certain area like a super flash from a massive camera. Ziiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! Agghhk!~ Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! Rooarrghk~ Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! Khiaaaghk~ A floating ball that glows brightly like a sun suddenly came out of nowhere. Its ability to fly was due to anti-gravity technology. It is the size of a small car with a Guardian pilot inside, shooting lazer beams along the way that explodes into a blinding flash in contact - a perfect weapon against the Shadows. "Reporting, these Shadows are capable of withstanding an attack or two. I repeat, they are stronger than anticipated!" the Guardian pilot inside relayed to the headquarters. "Hold on as much as you can. Backups are coming in less than thirty seconds." "Roger that." Based on their initial design, the beam weapons are capable of killing a single shadow in one shot. The beam shots are compressed light and wind that don''t just explode into a bright flash but also have a penetrative power stronger than a tank''s armor-piercing shell. Unfortunately, their enemy was not just a Shadow, rather it was a hybrid of Shadow and Elementals. The added attribute of the Elementals gave them extra ability to survive the powerful assault of light, especially to those who have taken over an earth elementals. Their solid body was a perfect counter to the light attribute of the beam shots. However, thank''s to the beam''s penetrative effect, the Hybrids were still dying one after another although it would take more shots than necessary. KHIAAAAHK~ SLAAAM!~ Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiip!~Flash! KRuuuggh~ There are also some fearless hybrid Shadows that know how to fight back. Though the brightness of the ship itself was interfering with their sight, somewhere able to find ways and get close in an effort to shut down the Guardian. WHAAM!~ Whooosh~ Ziiiip!~Flash! The city was in utter chaos. The presence of the glowing ball and its terrifying power was able to suppress the hybrids at a certain level. In response, some hybrids used the buildings as covers while others are enraged and decided to fight back. While obtaining the elemental bodies, most of them are now capable of wielding their elemental powers. Soon enough, fireballs, water currents, and solid earth balls were used to fight against the lone Guardian. Other hybrids decided to throw anything solid they can grab on. Cars, lamposts, solid doors, and even bricks, as long as its heavy, they relentlessly threw it towards the glowing sphere like a mad man. Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! "Damn it! There is no end to them!" The Guardian struggled to keep up against the barrage from the hybrids from all sides. The rain from the hybrid elementals was not a joke. WHAAM!~ Ziiiip!~Flash! CRAASSSH!~ Ziiiip!~Flash! BAAAMM!~ WHAAAAM!~ BAAAANG!~ The Glowing ball was made from advanced minerals that boosted terrifying durability and speed. However, it doesn''t mean it is unbreakable. "Warning! Warning!~ Accumulated damage is reaching 40%... Damage...39%! Damage 37%!" The Guardian pilot swiftly maneuvered his ship upward, avoiding the range attacks as much as he can while taking down those hybrid elementals one at a time. KHIAAAAAH~ "It is running away!" "Don''t let it escape!" KHIAAAAAH!~ Quickly, the elementals chased after the guardian using the building walls like a gecko while spouting their elemental attacks furiously. Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! "Where do you think you are going!?" The Guardian pilot suddenly felt his hair stood up at the sound from the figure above. "Above!" ~ "Warning! Warning! Powerful hostile being detected!-" the ship''s computer system tried to warn the pilot but it was already too late. "And down you go!" SLAAAAAM!~ The glowing sphere was planted on the concrete road as if it was hit by a solid hammer. Standing atop it is the Emperor of the Dark Realm wearing a smug look. Its three red eyes looked down at the eyes of the Guardian pilot with a condescending gaze while the octopus-like wings wiggled on the background like a happy cat''s tail. "I really wonder how does the Guardian meat taste. Could it be at a premium quality?" slobbered the Emperor. The Guardian pilot struggled to open his eyes. Bluish blood started to bleed out of his nose and head due to the powerful impact of his crash landing. The angry hybrids maintained their distance, not daring to come close and interrupt the Emperor''s fun. After all, there is a saying in the Dark realm, that they would rather kill themselves than offending the Emperor. The glowing sphere the Guardian was piloting is now currently unresponsive. Even the bright light it possessed a while ago is gone and his ship is now nothing but a dented mess of blue metals and sparking devices on the verge of explosion. His eyes revealed a terrified look as the long dark arms of the Emperor suddenly reached in to pull him out of his junked capsule. The Emperor''s mouth was drooling in excitement as he slowly lowered down his hand. "Interesting..." But just when the latter''s hand was about to touch the pilot, the Emperor''s hand suddenly stopped midway as the bright octopus-like wings swiftly wrapped his entire body. Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! BOOOOMM~ BOOOOM!~ BOOOOOM!~ At point-blank range, ten other glowing spheres suddenly revealed themselves while firing a relentless assault to the Emperor. The sheer repulsive force of their weapon immediately sent the Emperor crashing on the wall. "Don''t stop! Keep shooting! Number One-o-six, secure One-three-five and back out!" the captain of the newly arrived Guardians commanded as they continued their barrage against the Emperor. The combined brightness of ten glowing spheres brought along a tremendous light to the city. As if a tiny sun is being born in the middle of the street. As a result, the hybrid Elementals where not able to take it and decided to back away. As much as the Guardians wanted to deal with the hybrids, taking down the Emperor is the utmost priority. Thus, they made sure to destroy the latter as fast as they could. Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! Ziiiip!~Flash! BOOOOMM~ BOOOOM!~ Due to the Guardian''s relentless attack, the tightly wrapped Emperor was like a ball of light being pushed over by ten Guardians using their relentless barrage of light. It didn''t take long, for the energy bars of their weapon to finally deplete and they immediately backed away in a defensive formation while activating stealth, causing the utter darkness to return instantly. At the moment, the only source of light is the overwhelmingly hot orange-colored ball planted in the middle of the melting concrete road. While their ship are charging for another round, the Guardian pilots gazed at the hot ball with an anxious look. At the same time, everyone was sending a live video and data feed to the headquarters. The second Elder Guardian together with the representatives of the various races watched the whole event with an anxious gaze. Right now, on the giant monitor, they could see the hot glowing ball that is the Emperor of the Dark Realm. They were hoping for the latter to be destroyed right away. Kue.kue.kueh~ Suddenly, the hot orange ball split like an orange peel, slowly revealing the unharmed dark figure inside. It''s three red eyes glowed menacingly as a creepy crescent smile followed. "My turn." The next thing everyone knew, the screen was swallowed by a humungous dark mouth of the Emperor. 222 Invading HQ While the Emperor of the Dark Realm was having rampaging at the New York City, more places around the world are being ravaged by the sudden arrival of the hybrid Shadows. With the help of their Elemental bodies, these Shadows were able to resist the power of the sunlight and allowing them to flexibly wield the power of Elementals as well. Although it was not to the point of complete safeguard from the sun, at the maximum, they could stay open at the sunlight for as long as an hour; after that, they have to find a dark shade to recover their disintegrating cover before going out again. AAAAAAH!!~ KHIAAAAHK~ Fire! Open fire! BOOOOOM!~ Rataatatatatatat!~ As expected, the military, including the navy and the special forces were able to react quickly as well. The various cities, especially in the most progressive countries like China, Japan, Korea, and so on, we''re able to deploy their army in less than ten minutes. The quick response of the military and various resistance was thanks to the previous warning passed down from the higher-ups during the Alliance meeting at the Bantayan Island headquarters. At the moment, the whole world is a mess. Police, soldiers, tanks, fighter jets, and helicopters are in a constant battle against the Elementals. "Keep shooting, aim for the eyes, and the joints of those golems!" "Remember! The moment they collapse, throw those special flash grenades to finish them off!" BAAAM!~ "For those fire monsters, don''t bother wasting your bullets, let the firemen deal with them" "Captain! More flying monsters have appeared at the plaza!" Ratatatatataat! KABOOM!~ "Sh*t! That''s where those fucking activists was rallying a while ago!" "They deserve it. They laughed at the government''s warning. Focus on saving those civilians!" "Still, we must save them, Captain!" "Do not follow them to the building! Its suicide!" KABOOM!~ "Five o''clock! Five o''clock! Incoming rock monsters!" "Copy that!" "Roger!" Ratatatatataat! KABOOM!~ "Careful of that ro-agghk!~" "Look at those white balls! Are those aliens?" Ziiip!~Flash! "Don''t shoot! Those are the secret weapons of the state. It is here to deal with these creatures and they are on our side. Work together with them." KABOOM!~ The Guardians are now openly working together with the human''s defense force. After all, clearing their memories about the Guardians well be done later on. Thanks to the Elemental''s information and the Guardian''s help, the humans received a new technology and were able to create a new type of flash grenade that is effective against the hybrids. However, a condition must be met before its use and that is, the elemental body the Shadow is currently occupying must be shattered to pieces first in order to expose the dark creature inside. Unfortunately, with the Shadow''s fast reaction and speed, the rate of successfully finishing off a hybrid is only down to five percent. Perfect timing and execution of the advance Flashbang blast must be met, else it would be just a wasted effort which also means more wasted life on the human''s end. Back at the Alliance headquarters, multiple screens are playing live relay of the situation of various cities. The second Elder Guardian maintained a calm expression as he watched everything unfold. "The humans are barely fighting back. The casualties have continued to spike and the dimensional portal doesn''t seem to stop dropping more hybrids. According to the fugitive Elementals, there''s is an estimated five hundred million Shadows waiting on the other end. At this rate, we will run out of resources by the end of the week." mumbled the second Elder Guardian. "Reporting to the Second Elder, we have detected a new portal just outside the defensive barrier of the island. The exact location is located six hundred meters deep on the ocean." one of the monitoring staff reported snappily. "Water elemental hybrids..." "Exactly Elder. Should we engage them?" "Reserve our energy. Let the barrier hold them for now. I have concluded that there is more coming, until then, we will start to fight back with wide range Flash Cannons to deal them in one go.." Barely ten seconds after the Elder''s reply, another monitoring staff entered their communication channel and reported, "Reporting to the Second Elder, five more portals have been opened on the north, south, southeast and southwest direction. Two of them are located underwater while three more are hoverings above spouting winged hybrids and massive golems. It is confirmed that they are aiming for our position." The second Elder sighed. " It was really fortunate that the Head Elder was able to predict this exact pattern before disappearing..." the Second Elder said with a helpless gaze. Indeed, before the Head Elder was devoured by the Dimensional Beast, the rest of the Guardian Elders were able to receive extremely detailed instructions on the incoming events. Though it was only able to cover the events that were about to happen one month prior, it was still a big help for their preparations and realize their priorities. It was also stated on the Head Elder''s description of the high probability of the enemy attacking before two months. Unfortunately, there was nothing they could do but prepare as much as they can in those days. The second Elder''s eyes moved at the screen that shows a digitized bird''s eyes view of the island. There, he could see the multiplying red dots that are steadily increasing from six different sources. They were the hybrid ELemetals sent to attack the Alliance headquarters s and an estimate of one million powerful hybrids is already a generous count. Not to mention, the portals seem to never stop sending over new hybrids. Then another monitoring staff reported, "Reporting to the Second Elder, the hybrids are currently trying to break the barrier. The energy core''s reserve is quickly depleting. At their current speed, we have more or less thirty minutes before the barrier starts to give in. "Initiate the Flash Cannons and prepare to fight." *** Approximately, thirty minutes later... Outside the energy barrier of the Alliance Headquarters, various kinds of hybrid Elementals are currently smashing the energy wall before them. Rock Golems, massive sea serpents, winged beasts, weird-looking sharks, and more, are relentlessly hammering the shield that protected the Headquarters. The sheer impact of their attack was enough to create powerful earthquakes and gigantic waves that towered over the island and drown it from time to time. BAAAAM!~ BAAAM!~ KHIAAAAAHK!~ KHIIIAAAAHK!~ BAAAM!~ KHIAAAAAHK!~ "I heard the most delicious meats this realm can offer are behind these barriers." "That'' what those Lord''s said..." "Kuekuekuek~ I am excited. I intentionally ate less at the water elemental realm cause I know that the real party is in the human realm." "What human realm? This is our realm now! The only thing I hate about this world is that itchy sun above." "You are right. Kuekuekuek!" "Now, hit harder! This barrier should collapse soon! I heard the last remaining Dragons are also hidden inside. They are the most delicious meat of all!" "I want Dragon meat! And Guardian meats! All meats!" BAAAM!~ BAAAAM!~ Craacck~ ~ Suddenly, the barrier that was blocking them suddenly started to wane as cracks finally appeared on the energy barrier. "Kuek!? KuekuekuekKHIAAAAA!" Elated cries of the hybrid Shadows echoed across the ocean. Soon enough, the barrier that was holding them off has finally shattered and the exciting creatures from the Dark realm rushed in towards the island just a few kilometers away. "Attack!" KHIAAA!~ "Dragon meat! Guardian meat! Human meat! All meat!" "I want to switch to a Dragon''s body!" KHIAA!~ *** The second Elder watched the bird''s eye view of the current event in the Headquarters. The entire island is currently isolated and no outside activities can be seen at all. Everyone seems to be waiting inside the massive headquarters, just waiting for the command to let loose. "Second Elder, they are approaching the Flash Cannon''s range in ten seconds." reported one of the staff. "Standby. How much can we cover on this attack?" "Twenty percent if we fire in the next fifteen seconds." "Delay firing for another seven seconds." "As you command." "Then prepare the next charge. Ready to fire on my command." *** The excited crowd of the hybrid Elementals is just two hundred meters away from the shore when suddenly, hundreds of metallic pillars sprouted from the seabed in the middle of the rushing Elementals. Most of them were too occupied trying to reach the shore and only a few of them where able to notice the sudden emergence of these metallic pillars. BZZZT!~BZZZT~ "Kuek!?" one, weird-looking shark hybrid Shadow noticed the sparks that came out of the metallic pillars. A chill crawled upon the hybrid''s spine as it hurriedly moved its body to move away when. BZZZT~BZZZT!~ BZZZZKRRRRAAAAKAAAABOOOOOM!~ The metallic pillars suddenly discharged lightning bolts that shook the entire sea surrounding the island. The hybrids that were near those metallic pillars instantly shocked and incapacitated as the terrifying power of five-hundred thousand mA of electricity combined with the seawater. Most of them instantly died. However, more water elementals has higher vitality and resistance. The first defense was only able to kill an estimate of one hundred fifty thousand hybrids. And to escape the electrocution, the hybrids decided to rush to the shore and avoid the metallic pillars as much as possible. "Meat! Minee!" Two minutes later, the island''s shore was full of Hybrids, their mouth was starting to drool at the thought of the victims waiting inside the headquarters. Their speed allowed them to reach the island''s center in no time, dying the whole island with countless hybrid Elementals rushing to the middle. Suddenly, a bright light flashed from the center of the island, covering the entire view of the Hybrids. FFFFFAAAAAAASSSH!~BOOOOOM!~ It was the Flash Cannon that wiped out every single Elemental that had just arrived. 223 Crazed Emperor Two months of earth time, according to the Elder Guardian, it was the amount of time it would take for the death of the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms. "This should be enough." After a while, the Godly Beast finally stopped channeling the portal that connects the Elemental Realm to the human realm. As a result, the flow of the transferring hybrids has finally stopped and they could not help but curse for being too slow. As much as they wanted to berate the Godly Beast, they know much that offending the latter would only result to their death so the Shadows remained quite. "It should be enough. Thank you Godly Beast." One of the Shadow Kings that was left bowed. The Beast did not respond and just turned around, created another portal, and went in. While traveling to the unwelcoming world of Toray, the beast recalled the unsettling pressure he had after hearing the prediction of his death in the coming two months. The Elder Guardian stare at him with eyes filled with assurance and confidence. It was as if he have seen it himself. As a result, he devoured the Elder Guardian together with the Elemental Lord turtle that was beside him at that time. Then just to make sure, unconditionally worked together with the Emperor''s request to advance their attack one month ahead of schedule. Although they could not send over all the Shadows right away, the power of the hybrid Elementals should be enough to stir trouble to the human realm. And for some reason, he also hopes that it will affect the variable of his death, just in case the Elder Guardian''s prediction will do come true. The Godly beast has an eye capable of watching over different dimensional realms at the same time. As an overseer of realms, he could freely cross the Toray, the harmful boundaries that separated the various realms from each other. He had been watching the chaotic event that was unfolding at the human realm in real-time. He witnessed the destruction of various cities and smaller villages. He watched how the Guardians, humans, Dragons, and Elementals worked together to defend the planet from the invading hybrids and the merciless wrath of the Emperor. The battle that was currently happening seemed to bring him no interest. After living for time immemorial and witnessing all sorts of events, this puny war of realms had become too trivial for him. If there is something that interests him, there is only one being and that is Kaora and his mysterious realm which till now, the Godly Beast can''t find. "That Alpha Dragon had suddenly disappeared and I cannot detect his presence from all realms. If there is a place where a certain being can hide from my eyes, that should be Kaora''s realm." Then his giant body coiled as if a snake preparing for his attack. "Kaora... how long do you think you can hide from me?" *** KHIAAAAH!~ KHIAAAAAH!~ - ROOOOAR!~ SHAAAAA!~ GROOOOOAR!~ The Dragons, Elementals, and Ancient Humans riding in massive Mechas has finally come out of the Alliance HQ. They are approaching the incoming wave of the hybrid Elementals that have successfully landed on the isolated island. Behind them are countless corpses of their fallen brethren that have been hit by the relentless Flash Cannons a while ago. A while ago, the realm portal that was responsible for supplying more hybrid enemies from the rear has suddenly vanished. Thus, the Second Elder Guardian was able to create a rough estimate of their enemy''s power and gave the go signal to confront their invaders. The whole island has a total land size of about fifty square kilometers. And at present, 70% of the island is covered by the hybrids who are inching closer to the center of the island where the Alliance HQ was located. The defensive force of the alliance has been separated into four sides. Defending the west side of the island are the last remaining Dragons of the earth who are only numbering around ten thousand. Despite their regional differences, the ten thousand Dragons decided to work together for the future of their kind and this world. It is also worth noting that their bodies are now covered with light armors and secondary weapons that they can freely control using their own power. Not to mention, the fact that they have to defend the west alone was enough to fire their competitive spirit/pride against the other race. On the Eastside, the last remaining pure elementals have also made their stand. Their bodies are covered in glowing armors and advance looking range and melee weapons. Various survivor warriors from the elemental realm are now equipped with different weapons design by the Guardians to deal with the hybrids. From massive rock golems to tiny wood fairies, there is always a weapon designed for each of them. As for the South Side, the Ancient Humans did not require the Guardian''s help in terms of technology. They have their own versions of weapons though it closely resembled those designed by the Guardians. The Mech they were using was incredibly eye-catching as it was capable of various movements and weapons that brought forth an unexpected power. And lastly, the northern side of the island was defended by the Guardians. Glowing balls just about three meters in size hovered in the air and fired their own flashy weapons to the incoming enemies. At the rear, the Flash Cannon was constantly charging and fired at the massive congregation behind the enemy lines. Unfortunately, Flash Cannon''s energy requirement was too huge and they could only do less than five shots, after that, they have to wait for a long time for complete energy recovery. It was also at the command of the Second Elder Guardian to reserve the remaining shots. At the moment, the current number of the hybrids in the island is estimated to be around four million, this is considering that after almost 30% of them have been wiped out while still at the water. ROOOOAR!~ "Die! Ants!" KHIAAAA!~ BWAAAAH!~ KHIAAAAH!~ The whole island was a mess. Fortunately, the Dragons showed the most promising power in terms of suppressing the invaders. The Dragon''s terrifying presence topped with their powerful magic resistance allowed them to trample on the weaker hybrids. Not to mention, the fire that they spew was incredibly effective against the Shadows hiding inside the bodies of the corrupted Elementals. The second Elder watched the event while constantly communicating with the commanding fighters on the front. The rest of the Guardian Elder has also participated in monitoring while giving the best advice and strategies at the warriors on the field. The harmony in their command was thanks to their synched minds as well. "Team twenty, go assist the Elementals on your right, coordinates 56, 108, now!" "Team twenty roger that." "Team six, focus on the giant rock golem at coordinates 145:186, team nine, there is a Southern Dragon on your north about to collapse. go assist" "Team Six, got it, we are on the move." "Team Nine, received." An hour since the battle has started, the result was slowly tilting on the Alliance side. Though the hybrids showed a terrifying number, excellent speed, and adaptability, their reckless craze for meat and lack of strategy was the reason of their declining number. Not to mention, the second Elder Guardian together with the rest of the Elders was able to capitalize on their intelligence, minimizing they''re loss and maximizing their damage against the enemy. The island itself was perfectly designed to defend against the invaders. Not even those winged Hybrids were able to put a scratch at the headquarters sitting at the middle of the island. After another hour, the four million hybrids have dwindled to less than one million while the alliance side only lost about five percent of their total force. "That''s it! Just a few more!" "We actually managed to defend against that much of hybrids?" "Amazing what the alliance can actually do." "Hah! We were too afraid for nothing!" Just when the staff and the warriors were about to relax at their advantage, the Second Elder suddenly beckoned. "Do not relax! Charge the Flash Cannon! Aim to the northeast and standby!" The eyes of the Second Elder was serious and gloomy. He was monitoring a certain being for a while and it has finally moved. "The Emperor is coming.." Far on the Northeast side of the island, a certain black being is currently flying several times faster than the speed of sound. The bodies of water he passed were sliced into a massive wave due to the tremendous speed. The Emperor is currently on his way towards the Alliance''s HQ after turning the new york city into a crumbled mess. He destroyed every guardian that was resisting the place for fun and eventually detected the dying call of his people. He was getting closer and closer to the island when a white flash suddenly came from a distance and assaulted him at front. FLAASH!~ BOOOOOOM!~ The wide range of the Flash Cannon was compressed to create a single solid beam with ten times the normal power compared to before. As a result, the Emperor was covered into a bright explosion. However, seconds later, the Emperor suddenly flew out of the bright explosion - unharmed. The white tentacles was finally revealed and is currently wiggling as if an excited cat''s tail. FLAAAASH!~ FLAAAASH!~ BOOOOOM!~ BOOOOOM!~ Another two shots from the Flash Cannon came and the emperor finally showed signs of damage. However, his face was grinning wickedly instead as if enjoying the attack from the distance. "That''s it. Resist me! Don''t let me come! Or else! Haahahaha!" 224 Backed At The Corner Flash!~ BOOOOOM!~ A blinding explosion of light was seen at the northeast side of the island where the Alliance was hidden. The eyes of those who are inside the Alliance HQ had there gaze locked at the direction of the explosion. A frown can be seen in everyone''s face, hoping for a positive result after successfully hitting the Emperor for more than six times using the Flash Cannon. At the moment, Flash Cannon has already exhausted its energy reserve. The target was perfectly hit but it seems it was rendered ineffective against the Emperor. With a helpless sigh, the Second Elder suddenly declared, "Everyone, get ready for plan Exudos." *** The battle against the earth''s defender against the hybrid Elementals was still ongoing at the background as a dark figure with long white tails unfolding behind. It was the Emperor of the Dark Realm. A wicked smile formed at its pitch blackface, a cold and chilling presence was felt by the fighters nearby including the hybrid Elementals. The Emperor scanned the area with a confident gaze. Everyone who meets his eyes immediately backed away while some had subconsciously turned their face away. The white glowing tails at his back contained the essence of the Elemental God that he has devoured. Thanks to it, he was able to resist the powerful Flash Cannon shots and other light attributed attacks. Unlike the normal Emperor where those under him bows down in respect, the Emperor of the Dark Realm is known for his very unpredictable attitude and the tendency of killing those who were near him as if they were bugs. Thus, those who stood by his side tried to keep their presence as silent as possible and only those who are not afraid of death were able to stare directly at his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes stopped at the direction where the Alliance HQ is located; and as if talking directly to someone, he asked, "Where did you hide the Alpha?" The Second Elder inside the HQ frowned at the monitoring screen. The three red eyes of the Emperor was staring straight at their direction, specifically at the long-range real-time camera that was relaying the image. The Second Elder knew that the Emperor''s question was directed to him. "And why should I answer you?" the Second Elder responded with a whisper. The Emperor heard the Second Elder''s answer despite the kilometer gap between them. As beings who were far beyond the normal, there was a specific wavelength that allowed them to talk no matter how far they are from each other. "You have no choice but to answer me. Unless you want everyone here to perish." "I do not think you have what it takes." "Oh really?" Then suddenly, the Emperor''s figure melted like a black liquid and fell to the ground before being absorbed by the earth like a super sponge. The next he appeared, the Emperor was already standing behind the Second Elder Guardian inside the Alliance HQ. And as if the Second Elder has already predicted the sudden arrival of the Emperor, there was no one else with him inside at the moment. "Hehe, I see you are prepared!~," said the Emperor as he stepped closer to the composed Elder Guardian. "Your cheap trick won''t win." the Second Elder Guardian calmly replied. "Let''s see about that!" BOOOOOM!!!!~ And without any warning, the Alliance HQ suddenly exploded from the inside. Huge blackthorn that sprouted from within was responsible for the sudden collapse of the metallic building. "Hahahahaha! How is that!? You call this your alliance''s headquarters? It crumbled like a sandcastle!" The Emperor laughed victoriously as the massive thorn that destroyed the whole Alliance HQ shrunk and returned to the normal shape of the Emperor. The remaining defenders at the field saw it and talked to their comrades. "It was just as the Second Elder has predicted..." "So, what''s next?" "Let''s back out now and wait for it." The members of the Alliance knew that this is part of their plan and proceeded to their next action. The Elementals, Dragons, Ancient Humans, and Arkhans swiftly backed out from their individual fights. KHIAAAA!~ "Their base has crumbled!" "Look! They are backing away!" "Get them!" KHIAAAA!~ And just when the hybrids were about to grab their targets, a sudden pillar of light came from above and pulled they supposed to be victims towards the sky. The eyes of the hybrid Elementals instinctively rose up only to see a massive Guardian space ship the size of the whole island suddenly appeared. This massive Guardianship looked like a hovering giant cross that glowed brightly. What followed after was an outpour of powerful brilliant light that covered the entire island. SHAAAAAAAAAHH!!!~ FWOOOOOM!~ The terrifying power of light instantly pulverized every singe Elemental hybrids that were left on the island- including the Emperor himself. K-KHIIIIAAAAAGGHHHGK~ KHAIIAAAAAHGGK~ Ahhhggk!~ . . . . BGHHHHGHHZZZ~ The earth trembled and the sea soared to the sky as an island was instantly wiped out off the face of the earth. The disintegrating beam from the glowing gigantic Guardian Ship was one of the secret weapons of the Guardians specifically designed for mass transportation and mass destruction. The complete annihilation of the island and the hybrid Elementals left behind happened before they could even react. The Emperor received the rain of light with a smiling face. "Hahahaha! So this is why you were so cocky!" At the same time around the world, more than thousands of gigantic Cross-shaped Guardian spaceship has just finished absorbing the rest of the humans including the innocent animals. Along the way, the hybrid Elementals that were near the cross-shaped spaceship also fell victim to its burst of blinding light. However, the total damage these spaceships could do is considered to be just a drop to the sea of hybrid Elementals currently rampaging around the world. Fortunately, their objective was not to wipe out the Shadows but to rescue the humans, animals, and even endangered plants around the world. Inside these glowing cross-shaped spaceships, in order to maximize the ship''s capacity, the rescued humans and animals were wrapped in a weird liquid that shrank their body to 1/10th of their original size while also freezing their consciousness. It is only possible to use a Guardian''s advanced technology. About an hour later, about thousands of massive Guardian spaceships have finally converged at the Earth''s outer space, where there are no hybrid Shadows could reach. Not to mention, these giant spaceships were constantly glowing brightly which is an enemy of the Shadows. Their destination was not another planet nor another universe but the sun considering that it is the earth''s sun is the ultimate source of Shadow''s weakness. There, the spaceships stopped and are currently on standby as if waiting for a miracle to happen. At the moment, the earth is now under the control of the Shadows. There are those hybrids that have long shed their Elemental bodies and switched to humans, animals, even Dragons, and Ancient Humans just to experience their intense craving for their carnal greed and desires. Their total number at the moment far surpassed a hundred million considering that some of them have an ability to multiply and expand. "So you are leaving this beautiful planet to us? We will gladly take it hahaha!" The Emperor is currently hovering at the sky and is staring at the barely visible distant lights created by the cross-shaped spaceships. The sun is currently shining brightly before him causing his dark body to constantly sizzle from pain. However, the Emperor happens to have a masochist tendency. Pain, struggle, chaos is a flavor he truly enjoys as a being of darkness. Unfortunately for him, as much as he wanted to chase after the escaping earthlings, the power of the sun remains an absolute weakness by the creature of the darkness. About fifteen minutes later, the now burning body of the Emperor has finally descended to the ground. The latter could not help but feel a little disappointed with the Guardians for not giving him a real challenge at all. *** Staring at the distant Earth before him, the Second Elder is currently standing at the control room of one of the spaceship, "Damage report?" "We managed to save about 35% of the world''s total population, all ethnicities and races are covered. As for the flora and fauna, we managed to secure at least 95% of all species, future development is guaranteed." reported by one of the monitoring staff nearby. The Second Elder nodded. The answer was already under his anticipation. Their last resort, the cross-shaped spaceship was specifically designed for emergencies such as the Shadow''s sudden attack. If only they were given enough time, the would have developed more weapons and tools to fight back. The Head Elder''s calculations were correct, unfortunately it was too late. The variables made everything possible but not enough to avoid the most possible future. "So is this it? Are we going to another realm or planet?" Danna, who happens to represent all the water elementals at the moment spoke. Everyone else listened, the human representatives, Dragons, Arkhans, and so on; their eyes revealed that they have the same questions as the mermaid princess. "The First Elder anticipated this to happen so of course, we have a plan." Then the Second Elder pointed to a couple of figures before him. "You, you, you and you." he pointed at Danna, Arkhoz, the earth elemental fairy and a Dragon from the north region before adding, "Twelve days from now, you will be sent back to the ground. Your mission is to find the key to the last Kaora''s door hidden in Tunga." "Why twelve days?" asked Arkhoz. "Twelve days from now, the Realm of Darkness opens and the real Shadows can freely come to the world." And after a short pause, he added "It is also the day when the road to the Tunga, the realm of light, opens". 225 Entrance Of Hope Light, the ultimate, and yet the simplest form of energy. One belief says that everything started with light; everything else followed using this special energy as a foundation. From the tiniest sand to the biggest planet, all of it has something to do with light - the purist color of life energy. Thus it is also considered that the most powerful element is the Light itself. It is a common fact, that the earth has a certain solid core in the center called inner core. This hot solid magnetic sphere that caused the earth''s gravity and responsible for maintaining the earth''s life is also the gate to the realm of light. The Realm of Light, the mysterious land of the Emperor''s ultimate weakness is known to be a neutral realm and unreachable. However, little did they knew that one human was able to do so. Kaora, the legendary human who surpassed the mortal limitation was able to reach the Realm of Light thousands of years ago. As proof, his journey to this supposed to be unreachable realm has been passed on to Guardians he made in a form of an unforgettable memory. This mysterious realm is known to be where the most powerful yet peaceful creatures of lights lived. They have technology and abilities that far surpassed the human capacities. A way of life that deviated to the norms. It was a world that greatly opened the eyes of Kaora. And as if Kaora has already known the earth''s crisis in the future, the legendary man has placed a certain dimensional door only found in the middle of the Realm of Lights. For unknown reasons, this door once opened will open a portal out of Kaora''s realm. And opening Kaora''s realm will also bring forth the hope of humanity - it was the will of Kaora placed inside the memories of all Guardians. And now, this will have finally been in place. However, the question is will they be able to make it? 13 days have passed ever since the Earth has been abandoned by its true dwellers. In the coming two days, the earth will be completely taken over by the creatures of Darkness since the natural gate from the realm of Darkness to the human realm will finally open, not to mention it will be a two-hour long full lunar eclipse. Standing at the moment while facing the earth before them are four creatures that represented the different races: Danna of the water elemental realm, Arkhoz will represent the human realm, the ancient humans and Arkhans, the fairy Katri of the earth elemental realm, and the golden beaked eagle called Unos of the wind elemental realm. "Accept the guide." the long pale hands of the Second Elder Guardian glowed brightly as four tiny circles of light entered the temple of the four representatives. "Ughk~" "Quiaa!~" "Agh." "Hmmg!" Once the tiny balls of light have settled in their mind, a rush of mysterious memory flowed inside their heads. Together with the memory rush is an intense pain that felt like hundreds of tiny needles are stabbing their brain. As a result, all the representatives grunted in pain. It took a while before they managed to calm their selves as the memory has been fully merged within. It contained faint clues and directions of the path Kaora took in order to reach the mysterious world of the Realm of Light and open the Last Door of Kaora''s Realm which contained the hope of humanity according to the First Elder''s calculation. At the moment, what they could see is a glimpse of the center of realm of light, a certain glowing door is seen standing alone in a place surrounded by white glowing stones - it was their objective. In the background, they could see white glowing beings that have no definite shape moving around gracefully. They were like dandelions gracefully dancing on the air. Although they can only see it through the blurry memory, for some reason, they could feel a soothing presence as they watched those white beings of pure energy. Unfortunately, that was all that they could see from the inside of the realm of light. The rest of the memories are fainter versions of Kaora''s struggle. But before they could dive in, the voice of the other representative came. "The Tunga...its beautiful" commented Danna as she recalled the memory she had just received. "Tunga..." mumbled Arkhoz while his eyes revealed anticipation. For some reason, he could not help but feel excited at the wonderful scene he had just witnessed despite it being too blurry. "So that''s the Realm of Light? Those beings looked like fairies from far away," said Katri, the tiny fairy "Interesting place indeed. I want to test my wings there." said the golden beaked eagle. The Second Elder panned his eyes to the four representatives and nodded in satisfaction. It seems they have yet to grasp the true nature of their mission. "Remember the guides of Kaora''s memory. May its clues lead you to the right path..." "I have a question." the voice of the golden beaked eagle''s quickly asked, "Why have you not gone there yourselves? Considering that you live in this realm and have access to those clues ever since you were born. don''t you think it''s stupid? Not to mention you are the kind of species who craves information." "All Guardians that dare to go to the realm of light or even explore those paths have one hundred percent chance of dying on the way." calmly replied by the Second Elder. "D-die along the way? W-what do you m-mean?" inquired the little fairy with a shaky voice. Fear can be seen in her beady green eyes. The rest also felt some uncomfortable fear from the Elder''s words except for Akrhoz. "Look deeper into the memory I just gave you." replied the Guardian Elder. The four representatives quickly closed their eyes to focus on the faint memories of Kaora and it didn''t even take a minute later, huge beads of sweat dripped down from everyone''s face. The little Fairy looked extremely pale at the moment from fear. The visions they are currently seeing was just too much. The struggle and the journey was something they never expected. "Uhh, is it possible for me to back out on this mission?" the little fairy asked with panic in its pale face. "Unfortunately no. Everything has been preplanned. Your survival of the invasion and until today, everything was under the First Elder''s calculation. You backing out now will greatly reduce the chances of everyone reaching the destination." And with a firmer voice, the Elder Guardian added, "Katri, the earth elemental fairy. Your excellent control of power and smart wits will greatly help the team to survive and complete the mission. In your tiny hands, the world greatly depends." "Have faith little one. I will protect you. I will not let a single one of those worms touch a single clip of your wings." assured the golden beaked eagle. It''s eyes revealed an unfazed courage. "We will work together. For the future of humanity and all realms, we will succeed. Trust us." added by Danna who sent over a drop of light green water which immediately calmed down the little fairy. "Okay..." the little fairy bowed down its head, inhaled deeply, and raised it with a renewed vigor. "I will do my best." Arkhoz, with a serious gaze, suddenly asked the second Elder, "Why us? And how much is our chances of succeeding?" Although Arkhoz is an ancient human and Arkhan who boasted advanced intelligence, compared to the Guardian''s probability calculating abilities, it would be like comparing a tiny hill to a massive mountian. "The reason, we have chosen you four is because you have the most compatible combination and the highest chances of successfully reaching that place." "Just exactly how much?" "It''s approximately 25% with a 0.1% margin of error." "25% is not enough for me to do this. How about the rest?" "We did other rounds of calculation applying the strength and weaknesses, attitudes, natures, and all kinds of variables for every single being currently with us. Aside from your team, the rest of the team combination is only less than 2%. That''s why 25% is the best we can pull out right now." "So, at the end of the day, it is still up to our effort if we make it huh... You Guardians are still useless as usual." scoffed Arkhoz, still feeling the grudges of their racial conflict. The rest of the representatives was about to reprimand Arkhoz when they notice the calm gaze and warm smile of the Second Elder Guardian. It was a kind of gaze that made them realize just how pointless it is to talk back to people who have already made up their judgment no matter the explanation. In the end, everyone took a deep breath to calm themselves. Right now, the world and the different realms are currently in danger, and arguing with each other would reap no positive result. "Prepare yourselves, we are about to reach the starting point of the mission. Arkhoz will be leading the team. We hope for your safe return." The Second Elder said. Then everyone''s eyes were glued to the giant screen at the front. What they saw was the vast ice cap the covered the whole north pole. After a while, the massive ship removed its stealth ability and hovered at a certain spot somewhere in the middle of the north pole. "We are here." declared the Elder Guardian. Danna, Arkhoz, Katri, and Unos swiftly left the command room to prepare for exit. FAAAASH!~ A bright beam of light suddenly fired from the bottom of the cross-shaped Guardian spaceship. The white frozen land that was hit quickly evaporated into white dust revealing a dark wide hole about five hundred meters in diameter. It was the entrance to Tunga, the Realm of Light where the last Door of Kaora is hidden. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 226 Rushing Down Shoooosh~ A giant white mecha can be seen leaving a long white streak from the massive cross-shaped Guardianship. The mecha''s body closely resembled a human body except for its six jet boosters that sprouted from his back. Two big bracers can be seen in both its hands while it dived down towards the massive hole that leads to the land of Tunga. Piloting the massive Mech is the expert Arkhan warrior Arkhoz. His eyes glowed with utmost focus as he watched the expanding hole relayed through the crystal glass before him. "We are about to enter the hole in ten seconds. Prepare for the encounter." Arkhoz calmly declared. "yes!" Danna, Katri, and the golden beaked Eagle replied simultaneously. The four of them are currently placed in a division inside a crystal sphere. This unbreakable crystal sphere is made by the Guardians and has been securely planted in the middle of the Mecha''s chest. The sole controller of the entire mech is the team''s captain, Arkhoz; while the rest are there for a different purpose later on. The location of the massive hole is in the middle of Northpole, far from the civilization and human reach, thus there was not a single Shadow present. "Now remember, not a single word when we get inside." reminded Arkhoz. It was an instruction that was learned from the recorded journey of Kaora. "Understood." "Yes." "Yeah..." The three swiftly replied. Just when they were about to reach the massive hole entrance, Arkhoz immediately activated the mech''s stealth ability, instantly hiding their presence from the naked eyes. At the same time, the whole team suddenly plunged to an eerie silence. Whiiiish~ The mech is equipped with anti-gravity function, the moment they went in, the jet boosters that were furiously spewing white steam at the back quickly retracted. Slowly, the massive robot''s figure blended in the dark. "Heuk!~" the scared fairy almost burst into a shout. Her eyes are currently watching the countless holes scattered throughout the walls of the vast hole. Although they are currently invisible, on their side, everything looked like it was a day thanks to the Guardian''s advance design. The crystal window that covered them allowed them to see everything outside as if it was a day. Unfortunately for the little fairy, she would rather not see what she is witnessing at the moment. The holes on the frozen wall were about twenty meters in diameter while carefully hiding from inside, everyone could see a worm-like creature that looked like a white snake that is seemingly prepared to ambush them. Their eyes glowed like a yellow bulb while a sound-sensitive thorn can be seen at the top of their heads. It seems like the previous disturbance of the shattered ice covering has made these creatures aware of the existence of the intruders and made them hide to these holes. "Wheew.. huek?!." sighed the little fairy before she noticed the eagle and Arkhoz''s hostile gaze and quickly bowed to say sorry. The faint sound she made have just made everyone wary. She was also thankful that the crystal sphere was soundproof. Fortunately, the memories from the last adventure of Kaora has warned them about these creatures. It was also the reason why the Guardians, who designed this advance mech, have made plenty of preparations just for these days. Thanks to the mech''s stealth ability and silence, they were able to avoid the attacks of the wall snakes and safely moved deeper. Time flows by and it has been five hours since they entered the hole. The longer they traveled, they could not help but feel sleepy from the cold and breezy silence. However, what made them stay on alert are the bigger holes and creatures inside the deeper they go. They were really fortunate that they have come prepared. Another hour later, the mech have finally traveled about 10000 meters below the earth''s frozen surface when the ice wall suddenly started shaking. The holographic data that was moving before Arkhoz warned them of a certain energy fluctuation coming from below. The sound of the vibration was increasing with each passing seconds as if an unknown train is coming from below! Everyone''s gaze quickly followed the source of the sound and immediately got confused. "That...." "Ice...cap?" QUIAAA!~ What they saw was a rushing mountain of white ice that seems to be coming from below. It''s the sheer speed and compactness obviously meant that they would be pushed back to the outside or worst, the mech would crumble upon impact. It was like a geyser of solid ice! Arkhoz quickly calculated the situation and judged that the mech will crumble upon impact. "Stay silent. We can''t afford to go back." "What should we do?~" "Shall we go back?~" QUIAAA!~ The incoming geyser of ice was coming at a tremendous force and speed, Arkhoz did not bother answering their questions as he maneuvered the mech to hide into one of the holes in the wall where the white giant worms are staying. Upon seeing Arkhoz''s action, the eagle quickly panicked, "Wait! What are you doing in this pla-" "Silence or we are gonna die!" Arkhoz shouted to the shaking brown bird. The little fairy on the side was just barely maintaining her sanity while blocking her mouth with her own hands. SHOOOOOOOOOOSHHHH!~ The mech had just found the safest hole in the wall and swiftly went in. Two seconds later, the geyser of ice rushed from their back at a terrifying speed. Only then when they realized that it was not a geyser of ice but the mother worm trying to close the broken entrance. Compared to the sizes of the hiding worm in the wall holes this worm is about fifty times their normal size. It also appears that the worm is responsible for creating this entrance and covering it with ice from the outside. The white mother worm has a bluish metallic sheen on its skin while thousands of rapidly moving fork-like arms allowed it to travel through the tight space. Everyone was taken in surprise by the sudden existence of these creatures considering that it was not included in Kaora''s memory. Everyone watched the rushing body of the mother worm with wariness. SHOOOOOOOOOOOSH~ After about ten minutes, the entire body of the mother worm has finally passed by. "I did the math if that giant worm''s destination is the surface, then we have exactly fifteen minutes and five seconds before it comes down and reaches this spot. Let''s go and take this chance to advance deeper while we can." Arkhoz told them as he controlled the mech to move out of the hole. "Can''t we just wait here until that giant worm comes down before we start moving?" asked the little fairy. "We can''t. We must stick to the schedule or we will not make it on the time of the full lunar eclipse." Arkhoz replied as the mech released a silent lazer flash that scanned the area below. "Think about it. Don''t you think going down now is suicide? That beast''s speed is about ten times faster that we this giant robot moves!" the brown eagle added, in support of the fairy''s suggestion. "If you wan''t I can just drop you here." Arkhoz replied frankly. "..." the fairy fell into silence. The thought of being left behind in this abyss of ice sends a shiver down her tiny spine. Danna, as calm as ever, tried to mediate, "Uhm.. can everyone please calm down-" "Aren''t you being too cocky? Just because you get to control this robot, you think you can boast me around?" scoffed the brown eagle. "Follow me or get out. It''s that simple..." Arkhoz gave the brown eagle with a condescending gaze. "Uhm.. guys..." "You think I am afraid? Huh? Who do you think I am? Do I look like just another bird to you?" "Aren''t you?!" "I am Unos! The Golden Pride of the Wind Elemental Realm! The Unstoppable wind! The Master of Sound Breaking Wings! The Breeze of Destruction! The Air of Ki-" "Get out!" "Make me! I heard you got your ass whipped by the Alpha, why should I follow a loser like you?" "You asked for it!" "GUYS!" Little did they know, as the commotion inside the crystal sphere continued, the faint noise that came from the crystal sphere did not escape the super sensitive horn of the white worm staying inside the hole. GWAAAA!~KWOWOWOOWOWOWWOOONG!!!!~ The commotion inside the crystal sphere immediately fell into silence as their volume was overtaken by the weird cry of the white worm behind them. KWOWOWOWOWOOOO~ Everyone''s gaze immediately locked to the shredder like the mouth of the white worm. Apparantly, its spinning mouth was made of thousands of diamond teeth and was coming to grind them into pieces! At the tail of the white worm are like massive hooks that seems to lock them in place, now that it was loosened, they sprang to their prey like a white flash. Arkhoz, swiftly took control of the mecha, barely dodging the sudden charge of the worm, and proceeded below. CRAAAASH!~ The powerful crashing sound of the white worm caused a loud noise that immediately garnered the unintended attention of the giant wall worms. And like squizzed worms, the silent and spacious hole was immediately swarmed by hundreds of white worms, their actions are guided by the sound of the last impact. Like hungry beasts, these massive worms did not choose between their own kind, as long as it made a sound, they will eat it using their grinding mouth. As a result, it created a chain of worm massacre having an unexpected feast of their own kind. At the same time, Arkhoz skillfully maneuvered the mech, dodging all the incoming worms while trying its best to escape. KWOWOWOWOWOWOOOO~ Unfortunately, the loud sound of the commotion attracted the mother worm and is now approaching below. It''s kilometer-sized mouth spun at a terrifying rate which effortlessly sucked all of those white worms that came out of their holes. SLUURP! GZGZGZZG!~ SLUUUURP! GZGZGZGZG!~ The reason they remained hidden and locked by the hook-like tails inside was to avoid the powerful suction ability of the mother worm. And right now, it seems that the mother worm is about to taste a new flavor aside from her usual diet. "Sh*t!" Arkhoz, finally activated the turbo boosters and frantically moved away from the mother worm. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 227 Holy Providence Of The New Elemental God While the human realm is currently under the ruthless domination of the Emperor, the Lords of various elemental realms are currently in gathering in a certain place found in a certain realm. At the center of the vast black water of the elemental realm, a faint magical array can be found while slowly spinning like a black water''s lily. Hovering above this magical array are the remaining Lords of the Elemental realm. Their eyes are locked at the faintly-glowing magical array as if looking at a precious gold. "We have been waiting for it to come out for quite a long time now while the Elemental God has died a few days ago. Do you think we already missed it?" an impatient voice of Gahi, the dwarf Lord of the earth elemental realm, suddenly spoke. "Calm down. It should come out soon. The holy providence takes time to form and grow. For a new Lord of a certain elemental realm, it only takes a day or two for the holy providence to come out; however, in case of an Elemental God." Huyop, the present Lord of the wind elemental realm replied. His glowing yellow wings flapped behind with utmost elegance. Ping is at its usual calm state, little sparks continued to emit in the little wisp''s surroundings. On the other hand, Sulog, the current water realm representative who actually came from the human realm, is standing silently inside the array. His deep blue eyes in constant observation of his surroundings. "We have no solid proof when it will come out since this is the first time that an Elemental God has been eliminated. The best we can do is to wait, or else end up regretting missing this chance to become an Elemental God." the Great Seer Mhata added with a calm gaze. Right now, they are waiting for the appointment of the new Elemental God through the Holy Providence to be sent by heaven. WOOONG~ WOOONG~ WOOONG~ The sound of the spinning magical array gave a heavy humming sound. As time goes on, the brightness of the array continued to increase which only means that the Holy Providence will be coming out anytime soon. Standing beside them are the current unofficial Lords of the other realms: Sulog of the Earth realm, and Ping who is a lightning elemental wisp who grew at the environment of Toray. Standing outside the array is the two spiritualists, Kahayag who is currently in the form of a black snake and Kahilom who represented the Emperor. They are standing guard to verify the status of the next Elemental God. "Tell me, who do you think will be the new Elemental God?" the curious question of the dwarf Earth Elemental Lord. "I believe that the Holy Providence would choose the one who boosted the strongest power among us." calmly replied from the Phoenix. "Why don''t you use your ability to see the future and so the rest can go instead of waiting her for who knows eternity," said Huyop. "As much as I wanted to use my power to peek on the future, I am afraid that it would take two more days for me to fully recover my energy and cast the Fire of Fate again." Hearing the reply, the dwarfen elemental Lord smiled confidently, "So that means, it will choose me" "You think yourself as the strongest? Do you even have what it takes to stand against me?" Huyop quickly interjected, his face revealed that he does not agree with the dwarf''s proclamation. "I honestly think I do. You are just lucky you haven''t tasted my real strength. With my defensive and offensive ability, do you think you will last a single minute against me? How? By slapping me with your girly wings?" "You asked for it!" SHAAASH!~ Ugghk!~ Aggh!~ Before the two Elemental Lords could even start their brawl, a powerful spiritual shock swiftly assaulted them from the sides and caused both of them to squirm of pain. "You..." "You dare..." "Behave your selves or you will never get to see the coming of the Holy Providence." Kahilom, the one responsible of the sudden attack spoke. Her eyes that were hidden under the hood''s shade glowed with a menacing light. "Do you want me to trim down the numbers of the possible Elemental God candidate?" Terrifying spiritual energy exploded from her that caused the two restless Lords to instantly behave like good little children. "We will wait! We will wait!" "Yeah... Please spare us." The two immediately bowed down and spoke with a fearful yet respectful tone. As they lowered their heads, contempt appeared as they thought of the moment they would receive the power of the Elemental God. Yes, the main reason the Elemental Lords agreed to the plans of the Emperor of the Dark Realm is simply that they covet the power of the Elemental God. However, considering the all-rounded power of the Elemental God, they knew that their chances of winning against the latter are close to impossible. Thus, when an offer of unity from the Emperor of the Dark Realm came, they swiftly agreed on the condition of eliminating the Elemental God along the way. They knew that sacrifices will be made in their people''s side. But for them who greeds power, the lives of their people are merely a tool for achieving their ambition. After all, the moment they become the Elemental God, restoring the Elemental Realm back to its original state should not be difficult... or is it? And while they were contemplating the possibility of restoring the Elemental realm, the glowing magical array they were standing on suddenly brightened. "This..." "Finally, it is coming!" "Here comes the fruit of our sacrifice!" Huyop, Gahi, and Mhata excitedly braced themselves. The brightness of the magical array continued to increase and a powerful presence of divine power can be felt in their surroundings. It was the sign of the Holy Providence that came from the heavenly realm to choose the next Elemental God. "Come on. Come out! Give it to me! I am gonna show that b*tch spiritual who''s the real boss here." a creepy smile came emerged from the dwarfen Lord. "The moment I get that power, I am gonna pound that good for nothing dwarf and make him admit his mistakes. After that, I am gonna make that hooded woman into my slave. I don''t care if she''s the Emperor''s assistant. I will wield the Elemental God''s power better than the previous one!" the ambitious thoughts of Huyop. ZOOONG! ZOONG! ZOONG!~ The magical array continued to grow brighter and brighter which swiftly revealed everyone''s figure. The black sea under them was slowly brightened, revealing underneath the countless silhouette of the giant wriggling monsters of the Black Sea. FLAAASH!~ And finally, the intense brightness has finally disappeared and compressed into tiny ball of golden light. The sheer presence of the glowing tiny ball made everyone feel restless and excited. Emitted from the tiny golden ball was a powerful divine presence. The power it wields were tempting enough for everyone to droll. "The Holy Providence has finally come!" Flying above the magical array, Mhata''s ruby eyes reflected the golden lights from the Holy Providence. However, just as she was appreciated the beauty of the tiny ball of light, the rest of the Elemental Lords were not able to control themselves. "It''s mine!" "No mine!" A dwarf and a blond-haired birdman, both were standing opposite from each other. Their eyes were glowing in greed as they watched the Holy Providence hovering in the middle. "Why is it not moving?! Does it not see me?!" asked the agitated dwarf elemental Lord. "Are we going to wait another eternity for it to choose?!" Huyop added, his clawed arms and legs are twitching to grab the tiny golden ball of light. "That''s it! It is mine! No one will stop me!" "I dare you to move one step!" SHOOOSH~ FWOOOOOSH!~ Then finally, the two Elemental Lords could not wait anymore. They had fallen to the temptation of greed and did not wait for the Holy Providence to choose. WIND WALL!!! Flap! Flap! Flap! Flap! BOULDER SMASH! CRUGGGH~FWAAASH! The huyop flapped his wings rapidly while staying the same spot, his wings send over a powerful gush of wind that formed like a massive wall aiming to push Gahi and the rest away from the golden ball of Holy Providence. However, Gahi was quick to respond by leaping upward to avoid the massive wind wall, his short hands raised and a massive solid boulder was created above him before smashing it down towards the birdman and creating a powerful impact that shook the peaceful black water. CRAAAAAAASH! "You!" "WHy include me!?" "You dare to touch me!" "Silence!" "GRAAAAH!" Bzzzzt! Bzzzt! An unintended attack turned into a ripple of destruction. The Elemental Lords and the two spirituals are now on each other''s neck in hopes of obtaining the Holy Providence. *** Meanwhile, in a mysterious place full of warping darkness, a familiar voice suddenly echoed. "Turtle wake up. It is your time." Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 228 Barrier Against The Proud One day before the day full lunar eclipse and the opening of the realm gates to the Dark Elemental Realm, the team led by Arkhoz has finally reached the border of the mysterious world of Tunga. This is after barely escaping countless difficult challenges along the way. THUD!~ Along with Danna, Katri, and Unos, the once shimmering mech that Arkhoz was piloting is now looking like a pile of a mutilated robot. The joints are barely connected, the shining light from the robotic face is long gone - no, in fact, the whole face is gone! The six booster thrusters hanging at the back is now down to one, while the left arm is missing. The only things that remained in the whole piece are the bluish crystal found at the center of the mech though it is currently filled with countless cracks and the four passengers inside. Their faces are unkempt while dark eyelids surrounded their dead-tired eyes. Before them is the wide expanse of land filled with nothing but golden grass. And yes, it was a real grass made with gold despite its unusual flexibility. grass leaf stood as long as 12 inches and swayed gracefully to the calm wind. The land they are currently standing is called the Golden Border of Tunga. According to the explanation in Kaora''s memory, it was a safe land filled with golden grass. After witnessing the view before them, everyone''s'' eyes finally gleamed with awe despite their current pathetic looks. Their haggard images were caused by the unbelievable journey they went through the long dark abyss to the land of the Tunga. "Are...we finally here?" asked the tired Danna whos complexion has become pale after exhausting herself. "Judging from those bright buildings from afar and the golden grassess, I think we have reached the border of Tunga." the little fairy replied. Her usual pink glow has faded a little due to her drained energy. "Piok~ughu! I want to die." the previous beautiful golden brown feather of Unos are mostly gone after being stressed beyond his expectation. Not to mention, his voice has gone husky after shouting almost all the time. "If you really want to die, I can go back yourself. I am tired of your endless yapping." Arkhoz coldly replied. His eyes had gone bloodshot after overexerting his focus throughout the journey. His eyes checked the overall condition of the mech and sighed. After being spotted by the mother worm, they were forced to move faster down to the bottom trying to escape the ruthless grinding mouth of the mother worm. Thanks to Arkhoz''s skillful control and smart judgment, they were able to avoid getting caught by the mother worm by forcefully creating their own hole and hide. With the help of the mother worm, their next journey downward was much safer and quite because the lurking white worms were attracted to the mech''s booster sound only to be sucked by the chasing mother worm. As a result, the mother worm never came back, probably due to its full belly. An hour after that, they have to cross a cave of glowing hot lava. Fortunately, the mech was equipped with extreme heat resistance and was able to pass through the hot magma unscathed. It was then followed by more lava caves and underground waters. However, their peaceful journey was only shortlived after they crossed paths with a rainbow-colored giant crab that can shoot a homing claw that was harder than steel. After being cornered, Arkhoz decided to engage the rainbow-colored giant crab in a close combat fight. It was a thrilling battle that made Danna, Katri, and the golden beaked eagle dizzy to the extent of falling unconscious. Thirty minutes later, Arkhoz managed to win against the massive creature after a close battle. This is in exchange for expending about thirty percent of their total allotted energy for the whole travel. Unfortunately, Kaora was lucky enough not to meet this creature, else they could have prepared a lot better. To make matters worst, their supposed to be path has been blocked by the falling rocks and they were forced to take more detours which means, more giant and weird creatures to face. Thus, the current state of the mech is the result of those battles. Fortunately, they were able to make it alive, although they are not sure if they will be able to make it out back to the surface. "I guess this is where we have to start walking." Arkhoz pressed the open button and the crystal sphere that was covering them finally open up. "Can''t the giant robot take us any further? To be honest, I am too afraid to go out right now. Not after what we have just gone through." Katri said with pleading eyes. "I am afraid that was the last of the fuel we got. We wasted too much of our energy thanks to the multiple detours we have to do after going through the worm land''s labyrinth. At the moment, it would take another forty-eight-hour before the mech can fully recharge." Arkhoz explained while gearing up. He put on his gloves, weapons, and the cool-looking Arkhan armor. His eyes gazed at the remaining hours for their target day and heigved a deep breath before continuing. "Too bad we do not have that much free time since the full moon is about to commence in the next twenty-four hours. I am not even sure how to get back to the surface with the current condition of our ride." Arkhoz looked at the area scanner monitor before him and confirmed, "The system found no hostile creatures two kilometers from our current position, at least we are safe that far. I am not sure what happens when we finally crossed the border." Stomp! Arkhoz landed at the golden-grass-filled ground. He is wearing the white Arkhan armor that looked like a mixed set between a Kamen rider and a ninja. A half-meter glowing red knife can be seen hovering on his side which has the ability to extend to as long three meters. "What are you waiting for? Let''s go," he said as he started walking towards the distant border of Tunga. "heok!~ Are you sure we are safe?" "Thank''s to that stupid rainbow crab, those stupid fish and stupid mother worm, we diverged to the original path that we are supposed to take!" mumbled the little fairy. Seeing that Arkhoz was not keen on waiting for them, everyone else hurried to pick up their items and hurriedly followed the snobbish Arkhan. Danna summoned water out of a small conch shell necklace. This shell is actually a magical artifact that can store a terrifying amount of water despite its small size. The water that Danna pulled out of her shell necklace instantly coated her entire body and provided her the mobility she needs without moving her body to swim. The little fairy, on the other hand, summoned five gray rock golem about three meters in height using a magical incantation. These golems swiftly moved in a square formation with the little fairy resting on the shoulder of the center golem. They acted like bodyguards protecting the little fairy in the middle. Meanwhile, the golden beaked eagle rose to the sky and acted as a scout. However, he did not dare to go too far just in case he met a powerful hostile being also capable of flight. Who knows it might just go after him. Though he is a proud one, after witnessing the terrifying creatures of these underground land, he dares not to be as loud and proud as before. Everyone hurried to get close and follow Arkhoz, the one leading in front. With a vigilant attitude, the whole team left behind the helpless mech and proceeded towards the brightly glowing land of the Tunga, which is also known as the Land of the Light. About an hour later, the team has finally reached the edge of the border. Before them is a wall of light that flows like a water, except the direction of its flow was going to upward instead of the normal downward flow. Behind them, they could make up the blurry scene of a beautiful City filled with Light. An exciting yet mysterious feeling filled their hearts. The vision that was shared through Kaora''s memory was too hazy and unclear. Like a movie where 90% of the whole parts are removed. The whole memory only served as clues and guides of the scenes they need to follow. Aside from the two-second scene of the Kaora''s door in the center of the Tunga, there were no more clear clues related to the actual view of the mysterious world before them. What the world of Tunga actually looks like remained a mystery to them. Danna, Katri, and Unos marveled at the wall of light but did not dare to step ahead. "Follow me quickly. Don''t make me come back just to get your scared ass." Arkhoz coldly said. WHAAAM!!!!~ AAHGK!!~ Everyone watched the latter confidently stepped forward only to see him rebound like a man hit by a massive hammer made of light. Danna, Katri, and Unos gulped a mouthful of saliva as they witnessed the proud Arkahn''s ass got sent a good twenty behind. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 229 Arkhozs Dilemma Arkhoz remained stunned for a while before finally standing up after a minute or two. Danna and the rest watched him recomposed himself and patted off the golden yellow grasses stuck on his back and sides. "What... just happened?" The little fairy asked Arkhoz. A mixture of fear and anxiety-filled her green beady eyes. "Tunga is probably not welcome to outside visitors. Should we go back?" "It seems like entering the land of Tunga is not as easy as we originally think. Perhaps there is a condition to enter." Danna said while slowly approaching the wall of light. Her beautiful blue eyes reflected the brilliant light from the wall while her royal red hair and tail created a vibrant contrast on her total image. Slowly, her pearly white hands raised up and were about to gently touch the wall of light. Seeing this, Arkhoz and everyone else warned her. "Wait! What are you doing? Do you want to get thrown away just like what happened to Arkhoz?" the scared little fairy shouted. "I know you water elemental excel in healing spells. But who knows how powerful the repulsive force will be next time?" Unos, the wind elemental eagle warned as well. Meanwhile, Arkhoz decided to leave the innocent mermaid princess alone. "These weaklings who depended on me all the time thinks they can get inside before me huh... Idiots." A conceitful smile emerged as he prepares to witness the mermaid princess come flying hard. "For some reason, I feel like I am being drawn to the light..." Danna mumbled faintly. She calmed herself and thought of the reason why they came. The lives of the elementals and the humans are currently dependent on the return of Elric who should be inside the Last Kaora''s Door. She recalled the helpless faces of her people and the destruction of the Water realm. She realized that getting pushed away is just a minor issue compared to the lives that have been lost because of the invasion. With a steeled heart and mind, and despite the constant warning of her company, she finally pushed her smooth and elegant webbed-fingers slowly to the wall of light before her. Ziom~ "What!?" "uho!~" "waa!" Contrary to everyone''s expectation, Danna''s smooth fingers went inside the wall of light without any powerful repulsive force against her. "It''s warm and... relaxing!?" Danna was surprised by the unexpected sensation she felt from the other side. She could feel the unusual warmth of the atmosphere inside the Tunga. From inside, she felt a tremendous healing warmth that relaxes and clears her mind. Her pale complexion swiftly recovered her reddish hue, while the royal red scales and her long curly hair had reached their perfect state. With just her fingers dipped inside the Tunga, Danna felt like all her worries and fears are gone. An unexplainable comfort and peace have washed her very soul. It was the effect of the cleansing world of Tunga. "Everyone, I think it is safe. Just come gently." after regaining her perfect state, Danna calmly invited the rest with a graceful wave before she completely went inside. Seeing the sudden positive changes to the overall condition of the mermaid princess before she finally went in, Katri and Unos cautiously came forward and slowly touched the wall of light as well, their eyes were closed and prepared to get pushed back in any case. Ziom!~ "Yeeey!" I am in!" Ziom!~ Quiaaa! And just like that, Arkhoz was left behind. "What!? Those weakling baggage are accepted?!" Arkhoz felt an unexpected frustration after witnessing the so-called weakling-baggages not getting the same harsh response he tasted a while ago. "Impossible! Then why can''t I?!" Arkhoz grabbed back his weapons and sword before sprinting towards the wall of light. This time, he gave it his all with his veins slowly bulging out of his skin. "Let. me. in!" Arkhoz, not wanting to lose against the three, smashed through the wall of light. ZIIIISHAAANG!~ Aaaaaghk!~ Ugh!~ Agh!~Ghk!~Pwaaah!~ This time, Arkhoz''s body was sent back about five times longer than his past record. Along the way, he managed to bounce five times like a rugby ball before finally skidding to a stop. Pueh!~ After a while, Arkhoz recovered from his dazed state, spat the golden grass he accidentally munched along the way and stood up with utmost frustration. "Do not force yourself. You need to calm down first and let go of your negative emotions. It seems like those negativity has no place in this land." Danna''s rejuvenated figure reemerged out of the wall of light. "It is true. It seems that is the only way if you really want to get in. I was prepared to get rejected when I touched the wall, but my heart was calm and at peace." the little fairy added. QUIAAA!~ The golden beaked eagle confirmed with an energetic call. "Shut. Up!" Arkhoz returned with an enraged look. His pride was gravely hit at the sight of the three joyful weaklings. As a proud Arkhan, Dragon Hunter, and Ancient Human warrior, he has been leading his own countless teams for quite a long time. It is him who makes the decision and is always ahead of everyone in terms of power, position, and strategy. However, these three elementals seem to not know the true level in their gap and he is keen to show them just how big the difference between them on all aspects. Arkhoz pulled out his advance looking guns and aimed at the wall of light. "Wait what are you doing!?" a surprised Danna quickly shouted. "Don''t do it!" Katri also cried in panic. "Heok! Stop you fool!" However, before they could even stop him, Arkhoz has already pulled the trigger. Pezz! Pepezz! Pezz! Pepepezz! "What!?" A barrage of sizzling red lazer beams bombarded the wall of light by Akrhoz only to see his own shots coming back at him at double the normal speed! Wheeez~ Wheez~ Wheeez!~ Fortunately, Arkhoz was a natural warrior with incredibly fast reflexes. Out of the ten lazer beams he shot and came back, he managed to avoid almost all of it. Wheez!~Pohk! Aaggghk!~ One-shot managed to hit him on his right shoulder and cause Arkhoz to kneel in pain. "Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!" Arkhoz angrily hammered the lazer gun twice before throwing it away. His total image is now a mess. He swiftly pulled a healing gel out of his first aid packet, crushed it, and stuffed the gel in his sizzling wound. It was one of the advanced products produced by the Guardians. And amazingly enough, the horrendous wound on his shoulder swiftly recovered at a visible rate thanks to the healing gel! Arkhoz smiled albeit shortlived. A panicked call came before he could even relax. "Arkhoz!" "Arkhoz!" QUIIAAA! "Run fool!" Arkhoz, frowned as he raised his head to look at the poking heads of the three ''weakling'' elementals. Their faces were covered in horror while shouting towards him. "Run! Behind you!" Danna''s voice echoed louder. "Sh*t!" a cold chill swiftly washed over his back. Arkhoz turned his head before his eyes shifted from a frown to terrified. This time, coming towards him from behind are countless carnivorous dinosaurs that are twice as big as a Tyrannosaurus Rex. However, what made them incredibly terrifying are the odd shapes and extraordinary fangs that are as long as four meters on each teeth. GROOOOOOAR!~ KHIOOOOOOOONGG!~ KRAAAAAAAGGGH!~ Hungry looking giant dinosaurs that were never found on the records are currently chasing the Arkhoz. Some are dashing bipedal, others fly and more weird looking ones are crawling swiftly towards him. Arkhoz''s gaze swiftly scanned his surroundings and realized that he is completely covered on all sides except the golden field towards the wall of light. Shooosh! Without any more thoughts of fighting, Arkhoz sprinted with all his might towards the wall. This time with a desperate attitude. GROOOARR!~ KHIIIIIIIIAAGGH!~ Unfortunately, the giant underground dinosaurs were unexpectedly fast. Despite Arkhoz running at a speed that can quickly overtake an Olympic gold medalist in two seconds, the chasing dinosaurs were on a different league despite their massive sizes! Arkhoz finally dropped his pride and gazed at Danna''s poking head from the wall of light. With huge sweats and pleading eyes, Arkhoz shouted, "H-h-help!" "Drop your weapons! Clear your mind and remove your negativity if you want to get inside!" Danna swiftly instructed based on what she has realized. GROOOOAR!!!~ THUD!THUD!THUD!~ Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!~ Slowly, the massive hungry creature was just twenty meters away from Arkhoz. Arkoz originally wanted to keep the sword and other explosives for one last resistance. However, that train of thought will be the same as giving up. And that is something that Akrhoz hated. Clank!~Sthaagh!~ ClanK!~ Arkhoz made up his mind and immediately dropped the heavy weapon dragging him down. Immediately, he started to increase his speed and slowly increase the gap between his pursuits. He heigved a deep sigh and decided to trust the so-called weaklings at least this once. "Remove negativity. Do not force, do not resist. Calm down and breathe." Arkhoz ran while mumbling to himself. As a warrior who has been to many dangerous situations, he was able to quickly readjust his mind just before making contact with the wall of light. "Here goes nothing." Arkhoz has only two outcomes at the moment. Either he gets inside the safe wall of light, or bounce back at the hungry mouth of the weird-looking dinosaurs. Ziooom!~ Thud!~ Arkhoz tiredly collapsed to the warm gentle ground. An honest and true smile that he has never shown after a hundred years has finally appeared in his scar-filled face. "Now that you are all here. Let''s go. Kaora''s door is waiting for your arrival." An unfamiliar voice of a woman caught Arkhoz off guard. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 230 The Tree Of Temptation "Hello surface dwellers, welcome to Tunga. I apologize if I surprised you from my sudden appearance." Everyone was surprised to realize the presence of a certain unexpected very welcoming being. Apparantly, the calming voice they have just heard came from a woman with a body so white that looks as if her entire body is made of snow. Even the eyes, hair, and even the lips are completely white. It was a being that glows warmly and a beauty that mesmerizes even the women. From the outside, they could feel an overwhelming peace and calming presence which made them felt incredibly safe. But now that they''re thinking about safety, everyone''s attention snapped out of their daze and remembered the terrifying dinosaurs that was chasing Arkhoz. Swiftly, their heads turned to look behind the wall of light before releasing a sigh of relief. True enough, the hungry giant creatures of the past are not able to pass through the wall of light. They could only stare at the four fresh new creatures from the outside and after a long staredown, they finally turned around before going back to their massive caves from the distance. Of course, along the way, they did not forget to fight over the broken mecha at the entrance. It made quite a commotion before they finally ripped the robot apart after countless biting and pulling. "Our ride home..." mumbled the little fairy. "Do not worry, I am pretty sure there is another way to go back. Let''s trust the process and believe in each other." Danna patted Katri''s little head gently. Now that their options to go back are now gone, their gazes are now fixed at the mysterious white figure before them. The white woman smiled warmly at Kaora first. There was a tinge of familiarity in her eyes before she moved her gaze to the rest and said, "I know you came for the Door. I will lead you there." Then, without any delay, the white figured woman''s feet rose gently from the white marbled ground. It was a natural flight ability. "My name is Siga, and I have been sent over to lead you." "Uhm.. you were expecting us?" Danna asked politely. "Yes. This specific time, a surface dweller from a very long time ago has given us a heads up of your arrival." Realizing something, Danna quickly pointed at Arkhoz and asked another question. "The surface dweller from a long time ago, does he resembled him?" The head of Siga turned around and gave Arkhoz a subtle look before responding, "Yes, he does. Except for those irregular Dragon scales and scars. The last surface dweller who came has a defined, smart, and noble manner." Then, she gently waved her hand, urging them to follow her. "Wait." Arkhoz''s voice came from farthest behind. There was a tinge of confusion and doubt in his voice. "Why should we trust you?" Katri and the golden-beaked eagle, who now happens to have regained his feathers, quickly turned to face Arkhoz with a look of irritation. "Heok~really? You have doubts about the ''beings of light''?" Unos asked with a sarcastic remark. Ignoring everyone''s pathetic gaze towards him, Arkhoz continued. "You probably know Kaora. He is one way or another my ancestor since my genes are based on him... I want to know how did he get out of this place." "As much as I wanted to answer your question, unfortunately, I do not know the answers. The Kaora you mentioned might be the surface dwellers who came here a long time ago. How he left this land, we do not really know." answered the white figured woman without stopping at all. They were moving at a fast pace and the view of the pure white world of the Tunga was revealed before them. There were no buildings except the pure white obelisk that stand from here and there. Creatures of light would get inside that obelisk as if these solid white stones are portals. There are also pure white trees of various sizes and shapes. Weird looking, yet harmless animals roam the land with utmost harmony to everyone. The beings of light looked exactly the same as the normal humans, except their overwhelmingly white total complexion. They were like humans made of pure white snow. The land of Tunga is like a snow land made of purely white people, animals, and trees. The ground was made of indestructible white marbles. There were also small mountains and hills that gracefully complemented the land while a long winding white river that flows with white-hued water can be seen on the right. They traveled for many hours and have seen countless views that left them in surprise every time. The creatures, trees, and environment of Tunga were just too weird and mysterious to grasp. Remembering something, Arkhoz hastened his steps and asked Siga. "I can see that you are beings of light, do you know that the surface is currently being invaded by the beings of Darkness? Do you know the catastrophe currently going on outside? What if they will come here. I am pretty sure you have the means to fight the darkness but-" Before Arkhoz could even continue, Siga interrupted. "There is perfect timing for everything. The reason you folks are sent here has something to do with that. There is no need to interrupt the peaceful land of Tunga for the sake of the surface dwellers." Arkhoz frowned at the answer. He felt it was irresponsible. After all, they were both living on the same planet and realm. Sooner or later, those dark creeps would also probably reach this land. Just when he was about to comment on Siga''s answer, the latter suddenly raised her hand and pointed before him. Everyone''s gaze quickly followed the finger''s aim and a massive colorful tree can be seen somewhere in the middle. This Tree is the only object that has different colors which created quite a contrast compared to the pure white land of Tunga. It stood proudly about one hundred meters in height and covered a total of at least five hundred square meters. These massive never-before-seen Tree stood majestically at the center of an island situated in the middle of a the rushing white river. Hanging on its golden branches are mysterious fruits of different shapes and colors. Not to mention, some of them even glowed brightly while there are those who emitted a faint dark smoke. It was an absurdly mysterious and colorful Tree. And upon closer look, everyone could feel a tremendous aura coming from those fruits. Like a divine or corrupting power pulsating within those crunchy and juicy looking natural delicacies. With one look at these fruits, Danna and the rest had a sudden unexplainable urge to jump to the pure white river and grab one of those fruits. Luckily, they were not foolish enough to fall that easily. Not to mention, who knows what will happen if they picked one of those fruits. "The Door that you are looking for is currently hidden in one of the Divine Fruits hanging on that tree," Siga explained gracefully and everyone, except Unos, nodded in response before she continued. "Do you mean that a three-meter door is currently hidden in those fist-sized fruits?" Unos asked with a confused look. Siga smiled in reply as if expecting those questions. "That tree transcends the logic of the universe. You will know what I mean later on." Then her expression changed from a warm smiling face to a serious one. "But please be warned. You are only allowed to pick one fruit. Which one holds the Kaora''s Door is something you have to look for yourselves. May your light guides you." And after saying those words, Siga''s figure suddenly glowed brilliantly before turning into a glowing white wisp. After completing her transformation, the little white wisp floated towards the nearest white obelisk and disappeared upon contact on its hard surface. Now that their guide is gone, Arkhoz and the rest gave each other a serious look. Their heads are whirring at their unanswered questions "Everyone, we are finally here. Do not forget the real reason why we came here in the first place. Judging from the last words from the Siga, that tree over there probably can offer something that will really tempt us. Or maybe, something even more." Arkhoz said a hint of greed appeared in his eyes while looking at those fruits. "I agree with that. I could not help but feel very afraid, yet at the same time, curious and excited to check those fruits." Katri anxiously added. "Heok, but why can''t we just pick everything? Looking at those delicious looking fruits, even I am starting to get hungry! Who cares what those fruits can do? My wings are ready to fly and my claws itching to pick them all!" Unos said with agitation. "Everyone please calm down. Let us not get hasty and remember our purpose. Do not forget that the world outside is currently under the control of Darkness and as the Elder Guardian and even Kaora have prophesied, only the Alpha Dragon can bring the balance back to the realms." Danna reminded everyone. Arkhoz checked the remaining time through the implanted contact lense and said, "We only have less than an hour left before the full lunar eclipse arrives. Let''s use these time to find the clues of the Kaora''s door. With four of us, it means we have four chances of finding the door from those fruits. Now, what we need to do is- what the heck are you doing!?" Before Akrhoz could even finish explaining their plan, the golden-beaked eagle has already flown towards the colorful Tree. Its eyes were filled with uncontrollable greed as its claws swiftly grabbed two delicious-looking fruits from the top. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 231 Hidden Door "heok!~ What am I doing? Why is my body moving? Help!!" Unos, the golden beaked eagle, is currently under the intense spell of temptation. For some reason, his body just started moving on its own after looking for a long time at the fruits of the mysterious tree found in the middle of the white river. "Hurry! Please!" Unos beckoned as he slowly battled against his own will. At the moment, his body is moving on its own, trying to swallow the two colorful fruits as big as a fist. Fortunately, his will was stronger and managed to resist the urges of his own body. However, the way the hungry beak is getting closer and closer to the fruits, it won''t take long before he would lose to the greed of his own body. And with that single bite, they would lose the only four chances they have to find the right fruit, not to mention going against the agreed condition by Siga that they are only to pick one for each. Unfortunately, he picked two, and this could probably threaten the success of their mission. "Throw me!" Arkhoz swiftly commanded the little fairy beside him. Understanding his intentions, Katri immediately summoned a rock golem out of nowhere. Grgggh!~ Upon being completely formed, the golem immediately picked up Arkhoz and threw him forcefully towards the top of the mysterious tree where the self-battling Unos is currently located. "Hurry! I am losing myself!" cried the helpless bird before finally losing to his own urge. The golden beak is now wide open, he was about to swallow the two colorful fruits when Arkhoz finally came and immediately gave him a sweeping kick. ShooopAAAK!~ Arkhoz''s body has been tempered by the countless Dragon meat and blood he has hunted for a long time. At the moment, he possesses the natural strength of a hundred humans combined with amazing flexibility and reaction speed. His combat skills are topnotch that can easily take on more than ten skilled men at the same time. His fist and kicks are as solid as steel, and getting a direct hit would feel like one has been hit by a speeding car. This sweeping kick alone, caused Unos to dive straight to the ground while securing the two fruits safely. Arkhoz landed to the ground below the tree with amazing control. He glanced at the knocked bird with cold eyes and immediately betrayed, "You stupid bird! Cant, you control your self proper- sh*t" Before Arkhoz could even continue, his body started to feel weird and an uncontrollable hunger surged from within him. His eyes instinctively looked at the two fist-sized fruits on his hand. One looked like a mixture of an apple and pearl. A light pinkish swirl covered the entire sparkling fruit, reminiscent of a pink fading storm inside the little fruit. Not to mention, the smell of this little fruit was incredibly tempting, causing Arkhoz to involuntarily droll like a mad dog. The other fruit looked like a purple coconut, except for its incredibly tender shell. One could hear a little jiggling sound of water inside that can make one gulp out of curiosity about the water''s taste. It also possessed an extremely aromatic smell that made his own senses dull. The world was dark and gray, all Arkhoz could see are the two mysterious fruits in his palms. They were calling out on him. "Eat us." His hands were trembling and his eyes are bloodshot. Thanks to his powerful will, he managed to control himself and avoid falling on the temptation. However, judging from the increasing strength of the fruit''s allure, taking a forced bite on these delicious looking fruits won''t take long. TOne thing that was really making him hold on the fruits are the pleasant voices that came from these natural delicacies. "You want power, do you? Eat me. You will transcend everything and everyone. No one will stop you. Strength unlimited swells inside me. Bite me and become the king that tramples on everyone." An alluring voice came from one of the fruits. "Do you want to live forever? Overcome the limitations of your life. Drink the water inside and get an undying body. Just a single sip is enough. Come on. Peel me and take a tiny little bit of me." It was both a pleasant, soothing and tempting voice of a woman. ~drip~drip~ "I must resist... I can''t fool to these petty tricks!...or maybe why not? No! What am I thinking?... Power, I want power! Why find the door when the answer to our problem is right in front of me!?.. just a single bite.... just a single... NO! Wake up! This is a trap! There is a reason why we can only have one for each of us. If I take two..who cares? This is power! No No! NO!!" Arkhoz felt like the time has stopped. He was in a constant battle of his will and desire. His judgment was being clouded and he could feel unexpected greed for power. Unconsciously, Arkhoz drooled intensely. Now he understands what Unos had just struggled from. "Arkhoz! Don''t fall for it!" "Heok!~ Throw it! Throw it! Not to me though. Throw it to the river!" "Let''s go! It seems he can''t hear us!" Arkhoz could not even hear the warning cries of his company. And true enough, his mouth has started to slowly open up, saliva flowing without stop and his eyes are bloodshot due from his internal battle. Both his hands are trembling as it struggled against himself, unfortunately no matter how hard he tried, his own body wanted it so much. His veins popped bulged out from too much resistance. Gaaaaah... As Danna and the rest were getting closer, the fruits were just inches away from Arkhoz''s mouth. SPLAAASH!~ SPLAAASH!~ Suddenly, two serpents that are covered in pure white scales and with eyes that glowed like the morning sun emerged out behind Arkhoz. These massive snakes of light were about a hundred meters long and completely coiled from the edges of the entire island. They are the Light Guardian Serpents of the island. They have no teeth nor mouth, it was just a white serpent with two glowing eyes. Both their gazes are locked at the trembling Arkhoz who still doesn''t seem to notice the two white-scaled beasts behind him. "eat me!" "Taste it! Taste the power!" "Undying body! Undying potential!" "Take everything! Take it!" The tempting voices kept urging Arkhoz and only a sliver of his will was just keeping him from taking the bite. The fruits were already in his mouth, but he refused to bite it. gaaaaah~ slowly his mouth is closing. He knew that the moment he took a bite also means they have lost. "Arkhoz! No!" "Heok! NO fool!" "Golem go!" Katri''s summoned golem was about to jump over the river when the white serpent suddenly flicked its tail. GRRGGHH~ A massive white diamond sword was revealed at the end of the mysterious snake, which quickly sliced the rock golem effortlessly. SWAASH~SWAASH!~ Katri summoned more golems to fight against the white serpents guarding the island, only to end up into cut into two. Unos took the opportunity to cross the river only to see another sword coming his way! SLAAASH!~ "Heok! That was close!" "We do not have much time! Arkhoz is about to bite!" Danna shouted to everyone and their eyes suddenly shifted from fear to serious. The world is currently at stake and the only way for them to save it is by summoning Kaora''s door. And right now, their chance of finding the door is slowly disappearing thanks to the temptation of the fruits. "Heehlgh~" the faint and struggling voice of Arkhoz which means ''help''. Danna, Katri, and Unos heard it and immediately realized Arkhoz''s wish and hope for them. It is time to get serious. "He is still there! We still have a chance!" Danna declared. She tried to use the white water of the river a while ago only to fail. It''s like all the elements in this realm are not under the control of their elemental abilities. "Any plans?" Unos asked trying to find a gap where he can pass through. There is an obvious cut in his tail feathers. Unfortunately, the white serpent''s tail is high enough to cover the range of the entire tree. The moment he comes inside their range, the swordtail was prepared to accurately welcome him with a quick slash. "At the moment, getting inside the island is considered suicide thanks to those guardian serpents. My magical water has a healing and cleansing ability so I should be able to send him back to his senses. What I need is for you guys to attract the white serpent''s attention." Danna explained briefly her plans and the team immediately went to action. Arkhoz is doing a good job resisting himself, however, it should not take more than ten seconds before he finally gave in. QUIAAAAAA!~ The body of Unos suddenly started to expand. From a two-meter eagle to a ten-meter one. His entire feather has turned to a golden hue while his speed increased significantly. He left a blurry image behind wherever he goes. Then, he started flapping his wings, sending a focused steady stream of powerful wind towards the island aiming for the serpent''s body that was surrounding it. Of course, he made sure to control the wind not daring to hit the tree itself. Katri on the other hand, by using almost all her earth elemental power, summoned another bigger golem. This time with a body made of pure diamond. Upon completion, it immediately threw itself towards the island. The serpents replied with a harsh slash as greetings. Fortunately, the golem was strong and hard enough to grab the bladed tail and grabbed one of the serpents by its tail away from the island. "My turn," Danna mumbled as her red royal hair started to raise as if gravity has been switched. The conch shell necklace hanging on her neck suddenly spews a stream of cold blue water. Her hands raised and fingers danced elegantly as she focused on controlling her water elemental ability. SHOOOOOSH~ She formed the surrounding blue water into a single horizontal water current and sent it forward. And like a guided water snake, it crossed the river, passed through the gaps in between the serpent''s body before accurately hitting Arkhoz''s body and pushing him away from the tree. Arkhoz landed on the white river with a renewed mind. His eyes widened upon seeing a fuzzy door that was hidden deep under the mysterious tree. "Is that Kaora''s door? I thought it was hidden in one of those fruits?" Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 232 The Faint Voice Of Kaora Arkhoz concentrated his gaze at the direction of the door and true enough, it is there. There is a wooden door below the island. However, one thing that made Arkhoz confused was that the door did not look exactly the same door as what Kaora showed to them on the vision. On one of the memories, the door was made of black shining materials. Also, the one showed to them was not found in the middle of a tree nor an island. The Kaora''s door they saw in the vision was standing alone in a wide white stone pedestal while beings of light surrounded it not far away. "Perhaps an exit door out of this place?" It was Arkhoz''s guess. In order to find out, he must go and open the door himself. However, right now is not the right time. The rest of his crew is currently battling the two white serpents just to shake him off from the power of the divine fruit''s temptation. If anything happens to them, it will be his responsibility! Thus, Arkhoz hurriedly swam back up and resurfaced. Flash! Arkhoz came out at one of the further edges of the island. That water current Danna used to push him contained a force not to joke with. Luckily she was his company, or else he would have lost his head from that attack alone if the mermaid changed the shape of the current to a smaller compressed version. Swooooogh~ QUIAAAAAH!~ A powerful wind came over and made Akhoz kneel in guard. It was an unintended wind shot by Unos who is currently battling against one of the serpents. "We thought you were dead. What took you so long to come out of the water?" beckoned the heavily injured golden eagle who is now almost thrice his normal size. "What do you mean for a long time? I came out as fast as I regained my consciousness!" "Heok~ seriously though, we were about to -hueok!~ give up, you know!~heok!" Unos added while dodging the tail swipes of the white serpent. Arkhoz did not understand what the bird meant. When he was thrown to the water, he was pretty sure he did not stay there for more than twenty seconds. "Hah! You are alive?! I am happy. haa.haa." the tired little fairy Katri heigved a deep sigh. She looked as if she was looking at a dead person. Katri used her golden golem to drag one of the white serpents out of the water and engaged it in a herculean style. In the process, she has to spend a great deal of earth elemental essence just to keep the golden golem in a single piece against the white serpent. Danna, on the other hand, was supporting them by using her healing abilities and shouted at Arkhoz, "We really thought you have died and felt really guilty because I might have killed you accidentally. But seeing you know, I am really glad that you are alive." A beautiful smile appeared on her face. "Do I look like I am that easy to die? I hunted thousands of Dragons in my whole life, I won''t die because of a measly water splash." Arkhoz proudly replied. But deep inside, he knew how terrifying that water current was. While talking, Arkhoz analyzed the situation and decided what he was about to do to ease their burden. However, his eyes caught on to the remaining time before the full lunar eclipse. "five minutes?! I thought we still have more?" Arkhoz finally realized why they thought he was dead. He himself pretty much knew that they still have about thirty minutes before the lunar eclipse. "Could it be staying in the white river accelerates time?" Akhoz concluded. He estimated his stay back at the water was roughly twenty seconds after trying to confirm the presence of the wooden door hidden under the island. "Could it be..the ratio of time difference while in the white river is 1 minute of actual time every 1 second of stay underwater?" Arkhoz mumbled. He was never knocked out in the first place, he was just delayed but during all those times he spent underwater, he was fully conscious! "We need to hurry." Arkhoz swiftly recomposed himself. Recalling their objective, he prepared this time. He did not remove the possibility the Kaora''s door might just be really hidden in one of those fruits. After all, the Elder Guardian told them before departing to trust the beings of light due to the fact that they are a special race that never lies just like the Guardians. "Kaora''s door should be somewhere among one of those fruits." He mumbled to himself. He remembered the first two fruits that were picked up by Unos while under the temptation of the fruits. Arkhoz scanned the surroundings and immediately found the scattered pieces of those fruits... they were completely damaged by the water torrent Danna sent. He raised his head to look at the tree, this time he is much closer so he can see a better view of the fruits. True enough, not one of the colorful fruits looks and smells the same. However, the more that Arkhoz focused his gaze, the weaker his mind becomes. Each of those fruits has their own voices promising him different powers and abilities. They were like beautiful women calling his name and promising him an exciting and promising future. And true enough, they were very tempting to a struggling warrior just like him. SPLAASH!~ A water bullet smacked Arkhoz''s face and he snapped back from the slow trance of temptation. "Thank you." Arkhoz, raised his hand and gave Danna a thumbs up. Danna nodded in response and shouted, "Be careful." Arkhoz was about to look and started to hear the captivating voices from the fruits and his eyes were guided as if they were being held by an unseen spirit. "Not this time." before he would fall deeper, Arkhoz closed his eyes completely and decided to focus on the voices instead. "This works!" Arkhoz realized that by closing his eyes, he will be safe from the temptations of the fruits. Now, the only problem is how is he gonna find the fruit of Kaora''s Door without looking at it? "The voices!" while his teammates are stalling time for him, Arkhoz calmed himself and focused on the gentle voices of temptation from the fruits. "I am the fruit of pure eyes. Eat me and you will gain the eyes that reveal the true nature of everyone!" "Eat me and you will never be lonely again! Make all the women beg of your touch! I am the Gentleman''s fruit!" "Relive your life and become a better version of yourself. Eat me and you will go back to being a child again." "I am the fruit of Hearing Truth! Hear anyone''s thoughts and feelings just by thinking of them!" "Overcome the world! Be the strongest among your race! Eat me and reach the pinnacle of your existence in an instant!" Indeed they were all promising words, but Arkhoz doubted their true abilities. He remembered the story of Adam and Eve, how the apple that promises the knowledge caused the sin to come into the world. Arkhoz did not believe it himself. As an ancient human who knows more compared to the normal, he knows what to believe. However, if one lesson has to be learned from that story, is there no such thing as free lunch. Arkhoz ignored the promising shouts of the fruits and focused on the rest. As time goes by, the gentle calls had become shouting to the point that he was losing focus really fast. Arkhoz has the urge to open his eyes and look at the fruits that were being offered to him. However, he knew better that if he opens his eyes, also means their defeat. "Focus.. focus..." he mumbled to himself while using his sensitive innate senses of the surroundings to move towards the other side of the tree. There he met another new batch of promise calling fruits. The tree was wide and tall, the sound of the hundreds of fruit made him feel like he was in the middle of a full packed carnival. But despite all the noises, he made sure to focus on every single promise. It was only two minutes left before the full lunar eclipse. In the middle of the almost incomprehensible noises, Akrhoz finally found peculiar fruit that does not promise anything except chanting one word: "Kaora" Arkhoz smiled, he traced the location of the fruit and realized it was actually located at the top, just beside the position of the first two fruits Unos picked a while ago. And without any hesitation, Arkhoz''s superhuman strength is revealed, with a quick leap, he bounced between one branch after another and reached the top of the mysterious tree in less than fifteen seconds despite it being almost a hundred-meter tall. At the same time, the golden golem that Katri summoned has finally reached its limit and collapsed at the furious attack of the white scaled serpent. The same thing has also happened to the golden eagle who is currently being choked by the other white serpent. The reason why Unos and Katri survived is thanks to Danna''s support on from the sides. While they were fighting their lives out of these creatures, Arkhoz was also doing his best to reach the top as fast as possible. Even with his eyes closed, Arkhoz had incredible sensitivity that allows him to picture the shape and position of the digital looking fruit from far away. "gotcha!" The moment Arkhoz touched the fruit that faintly chants the word "Kaora", it suddenly burst into a stream of white light and dissapeared from his palm. At the same time, a message from Kaora was revealed on their heads at the same time. "Well done." Arkhoz instinctively looked at the remaining time on his contact lense, there were only five seconds left before the full lunar eclipse. "Sh*t. We are too late." Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 233 Shattered Rubies The current Elemental world was in utter chaos, without the presence of an Elemental God, millions of Shadows are left behind taking over every corner of all the four elemental planets. Destruction was laid waste in every turn, hope was far from its reach. Those elementals that failed to move to the earth at the right time are currently being hunted by the Shadows without rest. After all, just a few minutes from now, the portal to the bigger and better place will open, and the next and final batch of hybrid Shadows will come to the human realm through the realm gates that rarely opens. An hour before the full lunar eclipse, the Elemental Lords are in complete chaos. The remaining elemental Lords have been blinded by their hunger for power, trying to kill each other and obtain the absolute rights for possessing the unmoving Holy Providence and become the new Elemental God. After a long brutal fight against each other in hopes of taking over the power of Divine providence, only the Great Seer Mhata, Sulog, Kahayag, and Kahilum remained alive. Found at the middle of their arena is the magical array with the Holy Providence still glowing brightly. It is currently in the process of complete activation before choosing the next Elemental God. Until then, the rest of Elemental Lords and even the Spirituals are hopeful; and the least they can do to increase their chances are to remove every competition. After all, their agreement is only limited to this day. After a new Elemental God is chosen, they will have no choice but to bow down on that new existence. In order to increase the probability of obtaining the Divine Providence, it is necessary to prune down all their competition. At the moment, they do not really know who is the most powerful since not everyone has shown their true powers. However, the moment the Holy Providence finally appeared, they could not help themselves but to finally make their moves. Huyop and Gahi were already on each other''s neck so Mhata immediately chased after Sulog using her intense flames, trying to evaporate the earthly water elemental out of existence. Meanwhile, Kahayag who was wary of Kahilum was about to make her surprise move as the revenge of her last defeat, but before she could attack powerful lightning from Ping has struck both of them. In the end, Kahayag and Kahilum decided to work together temporarily and focus their attack against the overpowered white wisp. Unfortunately for Ping, Kahayag and Kahilum are capable of absorbing the power of lightning and use it as their advantage. In less than fifteen minutes, the poor white wisp was eliminated at the endless spiritual shock from the two Spirituals. And as expected, the moment the white wisp exploded into white dust, Kahayag and Kahilum swiftly changed their target on each other, knowing that they''re their own weaknesses. The Elementals fighting in the background can be taken care of later on. "Give up now Sulog. Even if you will fight and win against me, do you think the Holy Providence will pick you? Did you forget that you are an earth''s water dweller and not a true resident of the elemental realm?!" said by Mhata, whose previous brilliant fiery glow is now gone. She is currently soaring above the black water, keeping a safe distance from the water''s surface while trying to find the elusive water elemental. At a distant spot, black water in the shape of a merman slowly emerged from the surface. It''s face formed to that of Sulog and a confident smile followed, "Did you forget that your main strength comes from your future guessing talent? Other than that, you are nothing but just a piece of burning over-glorified bird." QUIIAAAAAAANG!~ BOOOOM!~ Without any warning, Mhata shot a massive blue fireball at the spot where Sulog''s figure appeared. "Come on! Do you think you have what it takes to become the new Elemental God? Show your true self and fight me! We can''t have a coward water sprinkle as a new ruler of this entire realm, don''t we? Prove yourself! If you can survive my fire, then I will willingly pass to you the Holy Providence and become your servant. What do you think?" Mhata declared with a confident smile as she scanned the black water surface. It appears that she missed her target again. "You talk as if the Holy Providence has already chosen you. This is the real problem with you dwellers of the Elemental Realm. You think your power is all about brutal strength, forgetting your brains are empty. You relied too much on your guessing ability that you look like a fool once your predictions have failed to realize." This time, Sulog revealed his true body. He stood on the black water surface while his bluish skin glowed as if it was covered in tribal tattoos made of bioluminescent planktons. It was very pleasing in the eyes. Sulog gazed at the massive Phoenix in the sky while holding a golden trident. His eyes glowed as if it was made of glowing blue pearls. He raised his golden trident towards Mhata and declared, "And right now, too be frank, you are nothing but a burning butterfly about to be snuffed out of its wings." "Cocky words for an immigrant elemental!" Mhata mocked as it spread its wings. Now that it has confirmed its real target, it hurriedly decided to show one of its ultimate power. "Blue Flame Prison!" She unleashed her wings and shot forth a rain of blue flaming feathers, surrounding Sulog''s location with a wall of blue fire -her strongest unquenchable fire. Sulog looked at the massive wall of blue fire that surrounded him and scoffed. "You think this is enough to restrain me?" "Did I say so? As I have said a while ago, if you survive my flame, then I have no qualms for you in having the Holy providence." Mhata''s fire suddenly changed from bright red to cold blue. It was her ultimate fire that is known to never stop burning until it scorched its target out of existence. "You also mentioned that you will willingly serve me. Is that still applicable?" Sulog asked, not even bothered of Mhata''s transformation. "Yes... that is if you can survive this!" Mhata''s blue Phoenix figure has reached its peaked state. It opened its beak and unleashed a very thin blue line of fire. It was the precursor for the incoming destruction. Time seemed to stop, the blue line was like a lazer that aimed at Sulog''s forehead. Mhata confirmed her target''s position and beckoned "Blue Hell!" QUIAAAAAAANGGG~FWOOOOOOOSH!~ The thin blue line that was aimed at Sulog''s forehead suddenly expanded as if a sun has suddenly emerged in the sky of the Elemental realm. A defeaning cry from Mhata was followed by a blinding blue light of explosion. The scorching blue fire was too powerful that it instantly evaporated a huge chunk of the black sea. The wriggling creatures that were caught along the range has also disintegrated as if they never existed in the first place. The area where Sulog was last found is currently a chaotic mess of surging black water as the natural balance is trying to take place. Mhata, with her power knocking on exhaustion''s door, smiled proudly at the destruction before her. She scanned the water''s surface and found no rippling signs of Sulog. Mhata was confident that the earthly elemental is gone, she was just about to turn around and proceed to the location of Holy Providence when the cold voice from Sulog suddenly came. "This is why you Elemental realm dwellers are too weak. You are all idiots that can be easily fooled." Mhata raised her head to find the source of the Sulog''s voice when her ruby eyes expanded from shock. Floating silently above her was a massive black rain cloud. Sulog was standing without even a single burnt scale in his body. It turns out he has the ability to teleport as long as there is water in a certain place. Mhata was confident that Sulog has no other places to go but the black water below. Little did Mhata realized that the evaporated black water she made while using her flame condensed into a black cloud filled with water which Sulog swiftly took advantage as his escape route. With a confident gaze, Sulog calmly pointed his golden trident towards the anxious Mhata. SHOOOOSH~ UMOOOOOOOOONG!!!~ A massive whale made of black water came out from the bottom of the black clouds and charged towards Mhata with wide-open mouth. The sheer size of its mouth alone was enough to fit more than ten giant Mhata at the same time. Mhata tried to fight back by shooting her last remaining fire essence but to no avail, the massive whale made of water naturally countered her weaker flames. Mhata hurriedly flapped its wings to get out of the way but it was too late. CHOMP!~ The fire phoenix was swallowed effortlessly by the falling whale. Mhata''s blazing figure can be seen struggling inside the body of the water whale. Sulog''s figure disappeared from the top of the black clouds and reappeared inside the whale, Mhata found Sulog and was about to do resist when the golden trident suddenly plunged on the ruby eyes of Mhata and broke them like they were made of a fragile piece of mirror. It turns out that the ruby eyes were Mhata''s core and weakness. BOOOOM!~ The massive water whale dissolved as it landed on the black water''s surface. Sulog, whos is currently standing at the surface, held the last remaining piece of ruby eyes. A faint voice from Mhata can be heard from inside. "No! Please! Spare me! I can serve you! I have the ability to see the future! If you give me a chance, I will serve you till eternity! Imagine our power once our power combined!" Sulog smiled mockingly and whispered, "I don''t trust you and your promises." then with his cold blue eyes glowing wickedly, he added, "Tell me, did you predicted this as well?" Crack~Basssh! Sulog crushed the last remaining ruby stones, together with it was the life of The Great Seer Mhata. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 234 The New Elemental God Is Sulog watched the powder crushed ruby eyes of Mhata slowly sliding down of his bluish hands. His eyes revealed a cold and mysterious gaze while his thoughts recalled the faint memory of his past. In his mind, he saw the proud and confident figure of the late King Mahar of the water Elemental realm. His huge red-scaled palm were choking Sulog''s neck who was struggling helplessly under the unmovable strength of the past water elemental Lord. It was long time ago, the great King Mahar of the Water elemental realm went to the human realm in order to fetch a certain young turtle. As the strongest earthly elemental, Sulog immediately came to investigate and found out that the turtle has an incredibly unique constitution that is capable of adapting to the fire element. It was a one of a kind turtle considering that it was a natural water elemental. Sulog felt a sudden burst of envy and regret not finding the turtle first. However, his mind quickly found an excuse to contest the little turtle, and that is in the premise of the turtle''s origin - the earthly water. "I found the turtle first and now you wanted it?" King Mahar was just about to step into the realm portal back to the water elemental realm when Sulog suddenly came behind him and demanding for the young unconscious turtle. "You seem to forget that this is the human realm. Not the water elemental where you are hail as a Lord. But on the human realm''s water, you are just nothing but a rare human-fish." Sulog confidently scoffed, raising the golden trident towards King Mahar while giving him a hostile gaze. "I see. You don''t seem to know the difference between our powers." King Mahar answered changing his aura from calm to serious. "I am honestly curious too. You are called the strongest water elemental in your realm. But I doubt you have what it takes to withstand me." And without any warning, Sulog''s trident unleashed a powerful compressed water torrent towards King Mahar. "I see, so you really want to know huh." King Mahar sighed calmly before raising his palm towards the incoming torrent. Break! WHAAAAMM!~ As if crushing into an invisible wall, the water torrent shattered just inches away from King Mahar''s wide-open palm. Not surprised, Sulog blended to the water and reappeared behind King Mahar, he quickly stabbed at the latter''s back only to hit empty water. Shh~ Time seemed to stop, Sulog unleashed his full senses and felt a King Mahar''s present slowly emerging behind him. It seems he knows water teleportation as well. Reacting quickly from the looming threat behind him, Sulog swiped his golden trident horizontally before King Mahar could even completely form. SHUUUUGH!~ BAAAAAM!~ The area behind him suddenly exploded from Sulog''s overwhelming power. It created a terrifying underwater shockwave while a large scale explosion pumped out above the water''s surface. It was a terrifying power indeed, unfortunately, it Sulog missed his target. Sulog swiftly scanned the area and found no trace of King Mahar. "He is not here?!" WHAAAAM!~ Sulog was suddenly knocked on the ocean floor. It was from a quick tail swipe from King Mahar who actually dodged Sulog''s attack by simply sidestepping at a blurring speed. The sheer force from that tail swipe made him feel like he was pounded by giant solid rocks, he could barely react from it! Then King Mahar''s hand grabbed his neck with brutal force. "Aggghk! Ghk! GHKKKGH!~" Sulog struggled and instinctively let go of his golden trident and tried his best to resist King Mahar''s overwhelming grip. Unfortunately, King Mahar was not called the elemental Lord for a title. In fact, his raw strength was no joke! The scene of a red-tailed water merman choking down a blue-haired and proud Sulog created a unique scene that he will never forget. Under the intense grip of the water elemental lord, Sulog never felt so helpless in his life. Then with a cold yet threatening whisper, King Mahar said, "Ignorant earthly water-dwelling elemental. You cant even put a scratch on a single fin of mine. This is the difference between you and me." He raised the struggling Sulog with one hand before adding, "If you want to defeat me, then go to the elemental realm and become an Elemental God. Until then, come and find me, I will be waiting." SHHHHHH-POOOOM!!! King Mahar sent him flying of the water''s surface using a single punch. He flew more than fifty meters higher from the surface before landing back to a painful impact. It took Sulog more than an hour in order to recover from his shock, pain, and helpless feeling of defeat for the first time. He floated in the water unable to let go of the intimidating gaze of King Mahar. At the same time, the water creatures that have witnessed the whole fight kept a safe distance away from him. They knew Sulog''s overwhelming pride as the strongest of the early waters. Now is not a good time to get close to him. Sulog sighed deeply, no matter how he looked at it, the strength and power behind King Mahar of the water elemental realm was not something he could compare...yet. Not to mention, the latter hasn''t even shown a single serious skill against him. "Then I shall become an Elemental God," Sulog promised himself. About two hundred years later, the Great Seer Mhata came to find him and offered him a chance for revenge. He accepted under the promise for the rare opportunity to become an elemental God in the future, which apparantly leads to the current unexpected situation. At present, Sulog has reached the magical array where the Holy Providence was glowing intensely, judging from its increasing brightness, it shouldn''t take long for it to finally choose its next host and together with the power of the Elemental God. He glanced at one side and saw the unconscious bodies of a snake and the black hooded woman. It seems that Kahayag and Kahilom are currently under an intense battle in the spiritual realm. Sulog figured its the best opportunity to finish the two while their bodies are vulnerable. A wicked smile appeared on Sulog''s bluish face. Morality was never part of their organization anyway. The reason they were working together temporarily was for this specific moment. But now that the only fruit of their mission is about to ripen, their true colors were finally revealed. The first to fall, the victim, where the earth and wind elementals after Mhata took them both in a surprise attack. Unfortunately for Mhata, he is far stronger than before. Ping lost against the furious barrage of spiritual attacks from both Kahayag and Kahilom. Sulog approached the unconscious black snake and black hooded woman. He raised his trident with a cold murderous gaze. "I am destined to become the new God of this realm. So you two stay in the spiritual realm." Shooosh-chk! The golden trident was successfully fended by the black hooded woman. Her red eyes opened and revealed an even more dangerous gaze. It was like the eye of a demon! "Seems like I just made it in time." she smiled wickedly as her body slowly floated and stood up facing the cautious Sulog. Judging from her weakened aura, it seems that she have came from an intense battle. And the victorious light in her eyes obviously meant that Kahayag has fallen. "You should have just stayed dead," Sulog said while his other hand started to conjure water magic. He was planning to crush Kahilom in one go. "And you should have stayed back at the earthly waters!" Kahilom''s spiritual presence swiftly surged, she was about to shot a powerful spiritual attack when they both felt a sudden explosion of elemental energy from their side. ZIIIIOOOOM!~BOOOOOOM! Before Kahilom and Sulog could unleash their attack against each other, they were swept away by the shock wave of the fully activated Holy Providence. "Finally!" "It''s mine!" Kahilom and Sulog felt like their real chance has come. The last two survivors of the Outsiders are now competing for the final step on obtaining the Elemental God''s authority. Ziom~Zioom!~Ziooom!~ Zsshoooooosh! Finally, the golden glowing Holy Providence has left the magical array and went to their direction. Seeing this, both Kahilom and Sulog was thrilled! "It''s coming my way!" "No its mine!" As the Holy Providence was moving fast towards them, Sulog and Kahilom decided to unleash their final move in hope of removing the one last competition for the Elemental God''s power. "Spirit Shock!" "Cleansing Wave!" Sulog was defended against the spiritual attack using a water cleansing power. "Dragon''s Wave!" SHOOOSH! "Spirit Blast!" WHAAAM! "Wave Final Spear!" Shoook!~Shook!! Shook! "Spirit Crush!" BOOOOOM! They were both in a stalemate, but with the Holy Providence just meters away from them, they both decided to drop their guards and rushed towards the Holy Providence themselves! After all, once they obtain the power of the Elemental God, they would be unstoppable! "Mine!" Sulog was much faster and was able to reach the incoming Holy providence that looked like a golden meteor. "No! It''s mine!" not giving up, Kahilom hurried lined up behind Sulog hoping that the Holy Providence will still choose her despite it already going to enter Sulog''s body. Ziiiiooom!~ Pshoook! Pshoook! "What!? ugghk!" "Yes! Told you it is min...agghlk!" A massive gaping hole was left behind in their chest after they forced the holy providence inside them. Kahilom and Sulog kneeled in disbelief and pain. Their eyes turned around only to see the Holy Providence passing through their dying body behind. The Holy Providence has chosen a different host and it is currently flying towards its real target. It blended into the purple sky before completely disappearing from their sight. It was all in vain. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 235 Dashs Destiny In a mysterious place full of warping darkness, a weakened voice of the first Elder Guardian suddenly sounded. "Turtle wake up." In his shaking pale white palms was a tiny little turtle. It slowly opened its small beady eyes and looked up. The turtle was Dash. "Is...it time?" Dash asked with a hesitant voice. The Elder Guardian warmly smiled. The proud and emotionless eyes are already gone from the gaze of the most powerful Guardian. His entire skin was covered in black rashes as if he was slowly being peeled away. "Are..you really sure? Are you... not afraid? Of Death?" Dash asked again. An uncertain heart plagued his current tiny heart. The Elder Guardian heaved deeply. His eyes gazed at the warping darkness that was currently surrounding them. The massive Guardian Ship that was with them before they were swallowed was now nothing but a crumpled piece of metal the size of a tiny can. This is despite it being made from the hardest and advanced metal currently existing. Any minute from now, the tiny can will completely disintegrate into nothing. It was the power of the dark matter acid that was naturally existing inside the gut of the Godly Beast of Dimensional realms. Yes, Dash and the First Elder Guardian are still alive and are currently inside the stomach of the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms, being slowly digested by the mysterious dark matters. Thanks to the Elder Guardian''s accurate calculations and ample preparation, he was able to create a protective layer in advance that will cover them from being disintegrated while staying inside the Godly Beast''s body. However, it was not enough to secure them forever. At the moment, the protective layer is slowly thinning down and should not last another hour or so. When that happens, they would finally lose their only source of protection and would instantly dissolve as if they were drowned in a compressed space full of dark matter acid. "Let us hurry up. The time is about to come, you should also prepare yourself." said the Elder Guardian as he lifts the little turtle higher. Now that they are face to face on each other, Dash continued to wear a hesitant look. "I am not really sure. You have done so much already and for you to also die..." unlike the usual energetic and cocky Dash, the current one is like a little boy not wanting his mother to disappear. "Die? Who says I am gonna die? I may lose the heartbeats of my physical body but the biochemical energy of my knowledge will pass on to you. It is the same as me living in a different body. Although I might not be able to regain my original ego, to have you on my behalf is enough for me." Hearing the Elder Guardian''s explanation, he fell into deep thought. Dash recalled the time when they were swallowed whole by the Godly Beast and the Elder Guardian explained to him his plan. **** Approximately two months ago... "Why? Why do we have to be devoured? We could have escaped instead! Or the least we can do is fight till our last breath!" Dash was panicking and angry at that time. The Elder Guardian told him before that they must be devoured by the beast in order for all the variables to match his calculations. Although he did not understand what it means, Dash decided to trust the Elder Guardian. After all, thinking critically would only hurt his simple head. Unfortunately, no matter how he thinks about it, falling under the enemy''s stomach was the same as a suicide mission. However, the feeling and scene of being swallowed by the Godly Beast were like a nightmare. They were swallowed as if they were tiny insects. The weird teeth, the scary abyss of the black hole eyes, the sickening internal flesh paired with the depressing feeling while they are inside, were good enough to break his hopes in a flash. At the moment, they were being protected inside by the massive intact Guardian Ship. Although judging from the sound of dissolving parts from the outside, they knew that the whole ship will not last. "Listen to me. First, shrink your body to the smallest version." the Elder Guardian calmly said as he pulled out a fist-size red crystal ball. "Why?" Dash asked anxiously. He is currently at the size of a two-meter turtle. "The bigger your body mass, the faster you will be disintegrated by the dark matter acid that is abundant in this place. In order words, the bigger you are, the faster you will die." Hearing the Elder Guardian''s answer, Dash did not ask further and swiftly transformed to the smallest version of himself. "How convenient..." praised the Elder Guardian. He was a little envious at the elemental''s ability to freely transform his physical mass easily. And as a being who pursuit science, his hands were twitching to do some experiments. Unfortunately, they do not have such a luxury of free time anymore. He swiftly crushed the red crystal ball and it exploded into a cloud of red glowing haze. Pooof! Shiiing~ "What is this?" asked Dash who is looking at the reddish cloud that covered their body. Sitting down and picking up the curious tiny turtle, the Elder Guardian answered, "This will keep us alive." It was a protective cloud that will deter the presence of dark matter acid while inside the Godly Beast''s body. Now that they are settled inside the slowly shrinking ship, Dash inquired, "So what''s next? Can you please explain to me your plan?" The Elder Guardian''s eyes slowly shifted from calm to mournful and slowly opened his mouth. "A month or so from now, the Elemental Realm will be taken over by the Emperor of the Dark Realm. Including the water realm, almost everything will be taken over by the Shadows he governs. Even the Elemental God will not survive." "What!? Why!? How.. Let me go! Right now!" Dash''s sleepy beady eyes quickly regained his energy. His tiny turtle body shook and he beckoned angrily towards the Elder Guardian. Dash tried to transform to his biggest size and force his way out of the beast''s stomach but to no avail. The presence of the red hazy cloud seems to disrupt his magical energy and suck out all of his physical strength. He was very tired and sleepy! "It is of no use. Even if you transform and fight, once you are inside the Godly Beast''s body, you will never be able to get out. At least, not now with your current power." the Elder Guardian was not bothered at the furious gaze of the turtle. "How could you do this to me? I trusted you! I thought you are a friend just like Elric!" "I am honest and I will tell you I am a friend. The reason why I took you with me inside this horrible place is simply to confine you from going to the elemental realm where a ''one hundred percent death probability'' is waiting for you." "I don''t care! Let me go! I am the Lord of the Water Elemental Realm! The Divine Providence has chosen me to protect the water elementals! Even if I will die along the way, it doesn''t matter! I beg you! Help me to get out of here." "Calm down and think clearly. Even if you can go out and fight, do you think the Godly Beast who is capable of going inside and out of any realms will just let you off easily? Not to mention, all the Elemental Lords are hostile to you." "I will fight them! All of them! Godly snake or Elemental dudes, I do not care! I will crush all who dares to destroy the water realm and my people!" Dash cried out angrily despite his small beady eyes slowly weakening due to the sedative effects of the red haze surrounding him. As Dash was slowly falling to slumber, he heard the Elder''s last explanation. "When you wake up, I will be transferred to you all my wisdom and knowledge. Until then, you should be able to break out of this place together with another source of power coming your way. My only wish is that you will fulfill your duty and protect Kaora''s door." "What do you me..." before Dash could even finish his sentence, his consciousness has already fallen to a slumber. *** Tap. The touch of the cold shaking fingers of the Elder Guardian snapped Dash''s awareness back at the present. The five long pale fingers of the Elder Guardian are currently pressed on his head. He knew it is time for the so-called knowledge and wisdom transfer. Dash was about to resist when a sudden surge of information and overwhelming wisdom flowed inside his head like a massive dam let loose into him. SHIIOOOOOOOOOGGH! POP! And just like that, Dash was able to obtain the thousand years of knowledge from the Elder Guardian. His tiny head was in shock at the overwhelming weight of the new knowledge and before he knew it, his consciousness was knocked out again. An hour later, Dash woke up with a renewed vigor and overflowing wisdom in his gaze. His tiny head turned in a certain spot and saw the scattered tiny white fibers beside him. It was the last traces of the disintegrated Elder Guardian''s white clothes that was left behind. "So all those times, you were protecting me." Dash had just figured out, the red haze was only focused on him in order to protect him from the dark matter acid in the air. "Do not worry. Your will shall be done." Dash was like a new person. Like a child that has suddenly matured and has gone to countless challenges and hardship. The overflowing wisdom currently glowing in his beady eyes were incredibly charming. "It is coming." Dash suddenly turned on a certain direction. He might not be able to see it but he could feel it. "I humbly accept," Dash mumbled to himself while he closed his eyes. *** A minute before the full lunar eclipse, the attentive gaze of the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms suddenly caught a tiny trace of unique energy from Kaora''s realm. "Kaora''s realm! Finally!" the Godly beast smiled wickedly. The most elusive realm and man that he failed to catch is finally starting to reveal itself. "Two months for me to live!? What a joke! Hahaha," he recalled the prophecy from the Elder Guardian and could not help but mock the latter. His body started to shine and was about to summon a dimensional portal when a fast approaching Holy Providence suddenly emerged out of nowhere and went inside his gut, leaving behind a tiny gaping hole that revealed his weird dark insides. "Wait whats the meaning of this!?" Large sweats as big as fist appeared on the Godly Beast''s face. He could feel something is not right. A terrifying warmth was slowly brewing inside his stomach. In a human''s context, it feels as if he had accidentally eaten a massive chunk of burning charcoal. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 236 Dragons Incoming GROOAAGH! The wide mouth of the Godly Beast opened due to the intense pain coming from below. He looked down and saw the scorching gaping hole in his stomach. As a mighty beast that reigned over all other creatures for a long time, the taste of pain was an incredibly unfamiliar feeling to him. Not to mention, the damaged pride made the pain worst for him as a Godly beast. "This..." Peeeoow!~ A tiny glowing turtle suddenly came out of his gaping wound. It was Dash who is currently trying to assimilate with the power of the Elementa God. "No... this power... is that an Elemental God?" For a moment, the Godly beast was scared because of the pain caused by the Holy Providence. But now that he came to think of it, he remembered the previous Elemental Lord was incredibly weak despite having the power to command all the elements. The last Elemental Lord brutally died at the hands of the Emperor of Dark Realm. It was a one-sided massacre despite the latter summoning all his powerful clones to defend against the invaders. He remembered the cowardly face of the so-called most powerful being of the elemental realm; before the Godly Beast, he was like a tiny little insect not daring to move a single wing. And now, facing before him is the same power but with a different body. "I see." the Godly Beast''s voice regained its original confidence as he stared down at the tiny glowing turtle condescendingly. "New package, same products. Loser..." The glowing tiny turtle suddenly raised its head and made an eye to eye contact with the Godly Beast. Shiooop! PING!~ The tiny turtle charged towards the massive Godly beast without any warning. The sheer speed was enough for the Godly Beast to got caught in off guard. Surprisingly, the tiny turtle was aiming at his black hole like eyes! "This...how did you.." The Godly Beast swiftly backed away and watched the tiny turtle with horror. One of his guarded secrets, his only weakness that could bring him down - the black hole eyes. While it is true that it is capable of absorbing everything according to his will, there was a major drawback for and that is that he is not allowed to absorb beings with divine property in them. And at the moment, Dash is the perfect counter who is currently wrapped at the overwhelming presence of divine energy from the Holy Providence. While it is true that the Godly Beast is a naturally immortal existence at the moment, it doesn''t mean he doesn''t die. With enough divine energy and a single charge to the Godly Beast''s black hole eyes were enough to break his core hidden deeply in his eyes. And once that core is broken, his body would swiftly break like crumbling sand, giving an end to his proud immortal life. "I was right." Dash smirked wickedly after his first move. He had just finished a calculation to find out the weakness of the Godly Beast before him. His result states that the highest probable weakness is found in its eyes. Dash trusted the Guardian''s talents and did not hesitate to charge towards the eye of the Godly beast. And true enough, just when Dash was about to made contact with the black hole eyes, the beast swiftly avoided him and got hit in his neck instead. "That was close..." the Godly beast mumbled to himself. A fearful tone came with it. Thanks to the new knowledge and wisdom Dash got from the First Elder''s Sacrifice, he has no access to a vast amount of knowledge and experience. He has also gained an ability to do incredibly complex calculations in a blink of an eye, giving him an edge to anticipate his enemy''s next move. It''s glowing body due was caused by the Elemental God''s power slowly assimilating in him. The tiny beady eyes are currently burning with intense golden light and a fearless aura poured out from its tiny body. "Where do you think you are going?" Dash asked with a mocking tone. His little figure was also moving forward not letting the best escape. Surprisingly, the Godly Beast was slowly backing away from him, the intention of fleeing was obvious in its body. "What... do you think I am afraid of you?!" Hahaha! I am just biding my time until you run out of your divine presence." the Godly Beast replied honestly. It is no use now that the enemy seems to have figured out his weakness. It doesn''t take a genius to understand how the supposedly annoying and ignorant water elemental lord suddenly becomes incredibly courageous and wise. It was obviously thanks to the help of the Elder Guardian that was with him. After all, the beast knew that they are beings that are capable of transferring their knowledge and wills. Thus, he wasn''t shocked at the sudden changes to the turtle. What made him really surprised though was how did he survive almost two months in his stomach? Bing~ "It is really coming..." the Godly beast was agitated yet fearful at the same time. He could feel the slowly emerging ripples coming from the ever-elusive realm of Kaora. One of the greatest purposes of his life is to hunt Kaora who had been hiding in a realm that he could never find. It was the human who made him looked like a fool despite being a Godly Beast that rules the dimensional realms. Pride and anger, it was his motivation to hunt Kaora''s realm and to prove his fearful existence. Unfortunately, a tiny turtle is currently standing on his way. Not to mention, he seems to have grasp his weakness as well. Quickly, the Godly beast has reached a decision. "I will deal with you later." he decided to escape from the turtle who is currently a sore to his eyes and existence. "Until then, the power of the Holy Providence should have completely settled and the divine attribute will dissipate as part of its process." the Godly beast thought as he swiftly backed away with overwhelming speed. His mouth opened and a dimensional door to the human realm opened in a blink of an eye. As a Godly beast of Dimensional Realms, freely creating a dimensional portal is one of his privileges. He was confident that he could leave the tiny turtle in this vast starry space and quickly dived into the dimensional portal. Thug~ Before he could even get his head inside the portal, the Godly beast felt a sudden pull from his tail. "I said where are you going?" The Godly beast turned around and was surprised to see the tiny turtle now twice as big as him. The massive turtle''s beak managed to grab his tail before the Godly Beast could even escape. Upon contact with the latter''s beak, his tail suddenly started to burn due to the lingering presence of divine energy coating the turtle''s body. The divine turtle felt an unexpected chill running down his snake spine. "Break!" Without hesitation, he controlled his long body muscle and forcibly cut off his tail like a lizard escaping away from its prey. Dash was caught off guard as he never expected the Godly Beast to quickly abandon his pride and escape by cutting ties with its tail. Before Dash could even catch him, the coward Godly Beast has already fled using the dimensional portal. However, Dash was not worried. He might be left behind but as a newly appointed Elemental God, creating a dimensional portal back to the elemental realm and human realm is as easy as one two three. "You think I will let you?" Dash confidently smiled. He quickly summoned a dimensional crack and left the vast starry space. *** "I should be safe here!" The Dimensional Beast appeared at a certain spot in the earth''s sky where he felt the last unique energy ripple from Kaora''s realm. He instinctively gazed at the night sky where he could see the moon about to get covered by the earth''s shadow. For a lunar eclipse to occur, the Sun, Earth, and Moon must be roughly aligned in a line. Otherwise, the Earth cannot cast a shadow on the Moon''s surface and an eclipse cannot take place. There were only a few seconds before the total lunar eclipse to occur and the gate to the Realm of Darkness will finally be opened. At the same time, the dimensional door of Kaora was starting to reveal its hidden energies, and the Godly Beast could not help but feel excited. Once he found Kaora''s realm, he would forcefully barge inside and devour that elusive human once and for all. The moment he does, he would absorb that man''s overwhelming knowledge and wisdom that is known to be a hundred times better than all the Guardian''s combined. Until then, getting rid of his weakness and taking care of that cocky turtle should be a walk in the park. Shiing!~ A sudden spark of light suddenly exploded in front of him, the Godly beast traced the triggering energy and realized that it was from the center of the earth! "So that''s where you hid the last door...the land of Tunga is one of the holy places and the reason I cannot destroy this wretched human realm. Truly a smart man. Too bad your legend ends here. mwahahaha!" Ziiong!~ Ziong~ Ziong~ As the total lunar eclipse was happening on the background, a mysterious door made of glowing particle was also slowly emerging in front of him. "Found you!" the Godly beast rejoiced as his aura exploded in agitation. He swiftly charged at the barely formed dimensional door to Kaora''s realm when the turtle''s voice suddenly came from behind. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." "You-" BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!~ A golden flame has suddenly surged out of the Kaora''s realm, and before the Godly Beast knew it, half of his body has already disappeared from the golden fire. ROOOOOOAAAAR!~ plop. Hearing this roar, the Godly beast unexpectedly shit itself. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 237 The Emperors Madness The black massive snake in the sky had a terrified look. The sound of the mysterious Dragon from the other end of the dimensional door was powerful enough to shake him to the core. No, hearing its roar was even strong enough to almost break his core. His cowardly look was unfitting to his title as the Godly Beast of the Dimensional Realms. The Godly Beast wanted to cry. First, a turtle was bullying him in his own space. Now, a terrifying Dragon was about to emerge with a sheer cry that was strong enough to shit itself. "I need to calm down..." The Godly Beast may have lost half of its body. However, he was never called a Godly beast for nothing. Shiioooong~ In as fast as five seconds, his long dark snake body swiftly recovered by simply absorbing the dark matters present on the space. "You can''t kill me that easily!" He cried mockingly as he gazed at the newly emerged door and saw a man coming out from it. Long and wide red Dragon wings were flapping gracefully at his back. Upon closer look, he immediately recognized the person as Elric, the cocky Dragon who mocked him before escaping to the human realm two months ago. Although the new Elric looked incredibly matured, he could never forget the only human-Dragon to mock him without any hesitation. Elric''s previous dark brown hair has changed to a mix of royal red and green. His previous cold and almost emotionless eyes have now a clear and enlightened gaze reminiscent of a humble temple monk. His height has grown taller while his muscles bulged to a perfect proportion. Even his voice itself has changed to that of a forty years old man. Elric turned on the side and smiled at the teary turtle currently on the size of a human. Upon closer look, Elric noticed the powerful energy of the Elemental God swelling at the turtle''s body. It made him smile brightly. "Missed me, buddy?" "What took you so long?!" Dash replied in a grumbling manner. But the subtle happy smile betrayed his expression. "I can''t do anything but to wait for the door to appear you know. And besides, didn''t the Elder Guardian told you?" Elric said while he floated closer to the Remembering the Elder Guardian''s death, Dash''s expression slightly changed to a somber one. Elric quickly realized what happened and touched the turtle''s head. Dash may have become smarter but his usual kind and loyal nature still remain. Watching the two having a break time drama, the Godly Beast could not help itself anymore. Zunng!~ The Godly Beast used his innate ability to control gravity and tried to send the Dragon human and turtle down to the earth and make them kneel. Unfortunately, it didn''t work on them. "Don''t ignore me! Where is that bastard Kaora?!" the Godly Beast swiftly masked his uneasiness and asked with a threatening tone. "Why don''t you go in and find out yourself?" Elric, with a serious gaze, replied. "You are inviting me thinking you can stop me? I dare you!" And like a flash, the massive snake rushed towards the Kaora''s door behind Elric. He was planning to force himself in with brute force. ROOOOOAR!~ ROOOOAR!~ ROOOOOOAR!~ - Peeew!~ Peeeeew!~ Peeeeeeew!~ Lazer-like golden flames suddenly came out from the Kaora''s door. "More Dragons inside? And that roar before wasn''t his?" the Godly beast was taken aback at his realization. Seeing the incoming golden fire, he swiftly understood that it was not Elric who destroyed half of his body before, it was someone else behind that door. For some reason, he has an incredibly uneasy feeling going forward but the Godly Beast decided to ignore it anyway thinking of the immeasurable benefits once he got his hand on Kaora''s body. The incoming golden fire was coming in a speed of light. Unfortuantely, he was now prepared, by freely transforming and controlling his muscles, he evaded the golden fire at a hair''s breadth and was just meters away when more Dragon roar came welcomed him. Roooar!~Rooooar!~ Roooarr!~ Roooar! Roooar! Roooar! Roooar! Roooar! Roooarr!~ Roooarr!~ Roar!~Roooarr!~ "Shit!" Without hesitation, he created a dimensional portal and went in just in time before thousands of lazer like golden flame flashed from the Kaora''s door, they were aiming over where his head was located. His body? It was instantly destroyed like a thin sheet of paper getting ripped by a machinegun. Pepepepepepepepepeeeew!~ BoboboboboboboooOM!~ The massive black snake body of the Godly Beast was riddled in golden holes caused by the lazer like golden flames. Fortunately, his core was located inside his massive snakehead and was able to safely get inside the dimensional portal to avoided the untimely death. "Damn you Kaora!" who cares about Kaora when he can''t even get inside the door?" Ziioong~ The Godly Beast reappeared from a distance. His body swiftly recovered just like before but this time, his confident smile is gone. Looking at the door and Elric who calmly let him approach, a chilling fear spread in his back. "Escape!" like a scared dog with tails in between his legs, the Godly Beast completely lost its confidence and decided to leave the place for good. He needs a backup and he knows just who to go. Shioong~ The Godly Beast left the place using another Dimensional Portal. "He''s gone..." Dash wanted to chase the bastard beast who was one of the responsible culprits of the current destruction. However, there is a new priority right now. It is to assess Elric. Not bothering about chasing the Godly Beast, Elric suddenly closed his eyes and used his advanced spiritual senses to scan the land and the lives nearby and even to the farther places. Sigh... "It was just as Kaora has predicted. The world has fallen to the hands of the Shadow hybrids and the Emperor..." Elric thought to himself upon witnessing the ugly situation of the entire world. The entire city, villages, and even the remote places below him are currently being trampled by the Shadow Elemental hybrids. Blood and destruction painted the entire country. It was an apocalyptic scene. Elric''s eyes turned to face a certain direction and confirmed the faint cross-shaped Guardian Ships that contains the last remaining human and animal survivors. His happy Dragon eyes suddenly revealed a cold gaze. "It is time." shiooogggghhhh~ The entire land was suddenly covered in dark red light, the night sky has lost its light support from the moon as the Total lunar eclipse finally came. Ziooong!~ A circle massive gate that stretches as far as ten kilometers and made of dark clouds suddenly appeared in the direction of the blood moon. Swooosh!~ Swooosh!~ Swooosh!~ KHIIIIIAAAAA!~ GROOAAAAGH!~ ROOOOAOAAAOAOAOAOAGH!~ The real threat has arrived. In a flash, massive Shadow creatures counting at millions swiftly surged out from the massive gates from the Dark Realm. These Dark creatures have an average size of a fifteen-story building. Their faces and body varied from flying worms, winged demons, ten-headed hydra, undead giants and even the local mythical beasts of the night such as Manananggal and Kapre are present. Unlike the first batch of the shadows that invaded the Elemental Realm, the current shadows are the real ''massive'' deal. Upon landing, these gigantic creatures trampled on the already collapsed building, not minding their own fellow shadows getting splattered below. They swiftly grabbed on the smaller hybrid shadows and munched on them unhesitantly. As a result, these shadows gained the elemental attributes and instantly transformed into a gigantic hybrid. In less than a minute, the world was shaken at the emergence of these shadow goliaths. At the same time, from the opposite side of the globe, in a certain place called Mato Grosso in Brazil, the Emperor raised his hand to the air. He breathed deeply as his three red eyes closed concentrated to the maximum. He channeled his powers from within and a sudden burst of dark light flew out to the sky. Zuuugugugugugugg~ He trembled for a while before finally smiling victoriously, his three red eyes reopened and looked up. "Welcome to our new home." The sun that was supposed to be glowing brightly on the noon sky is now blocked by a pitch dark planet - it was his home planet, the Realm of Darkness. And with his new-found strength, the Emperor controlled the pitch dark planet with a single purpose of covering the entire earth with darkness...if possible forever. At the same time, more flying gigantic creatures of Darkness started to fly out of the pitch dark planet and started migrating the earth. With excited and hungry faces, they raced towards the bluish planet. It was a hundred times better compared to their miserable planet of Dark Realm. Along the way, the giant creatures saw the cross-shaped spaceship of the Guardians that holds the last human and animal survivors. Without anymore thinking, they changed their direction to these creatures. zzzz-peeeew! Peeew! Peeew! The Guardianships swiftly responded with a barrage of light beams, killing countless Shadow giants every second while moving away, hoping to get in range of the sun''s brightness and regain their natural protection. The Second Elder took command and was busy sending instructions while protecting each other''s ships from the approaching Shadow giants coming from both directions. Unfortuantely this time, the Emperor of Dark Realm is after them. "You are all mine!" the Emperor said as he started drolling at the thought of his new victims. He very much wanted the meat of the finest creatures inside those cross-shaped Guardian spaceships. He was about to fly towards the cross-shaped Guardian spaceships when a dimensional portal suddenly appeared behind him. It was the Godly Beast of the dimensional realm. "The Alpha Dragon has come! Help me destroy him now!" the Godly Beast demanded without hesitation. "Good...perfect. Just perfect. hahahaha!" the Emperor excitedly laughed before a sinister smile followed. "Why are you laughing like a maniac?! Have you lost your mind!? I said come with me and let''s destroy that cocky Dragon and-" Craaash!~ Before the Godly Beast cold even react, thin blackthorn suddenly sprouted from the finger of the Emperor and accurately pierced the tiny black core hidden deep inside the Godly Beast''s head. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 238 Ten Winged Elric Thagroz, the proud and arrogant Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms was not expecting the Emperor to actually betray him now. "you...how dare...yo-" Chomp!~ The massive black snake was devoured by the Emperor without any hesitation. His normal size mouth expanded in a flash and munched on the stunning Godly Beast like a feeding grouper fish. "hmmm. Not bad for an overaged dimensional snake." the Emperor mumbled after chewing the Godly Beast as if it was just another ordinary snack. While saying so, his three red eyes remained locked at the cross-shaped Spaceship from the distance. He was preparing to attack the Guardians and the last survivors again. *** There were a total of ten massive cross-shaped Guardian spaceships. Each of them was able to store a tremendous amount of people and animals with the help of shrinking technology. It is safe to say that each of these massive ships is currently securing more than 300 million elementals together with humans of different races and ethnicity while also securing varying healthy animal species for future reproduction. And if one of these ships fall on the hands of the giant Shadows or the Emperor, serious damage will be dealt the world, plenty of animal species will completely go instinct in a flash while the total numbers of human would drop down significantly. In the eyes of the Shadows, each of the cross-shaped Guardian space ships holds a jackpot value, it is guaranteed that they are in for a feast of flesh more than they could swallow. With this in mind, they started to rapidly flap their wings hoping to get on these valuable containers first. Khiaaa!~Pepepepeew!~ Agghk! KHIaa!~ Pepew-Pew Pew!~ Ughgggh~ However, in order to do so, they have to get pass through the rain of lazer bombardments from the Guardians themselves. Pew!~ Pepepepepeew!~ "This is Eighth Elder, we are under attack by the Goliaths from the east- 8 o clock direction, switching to evasive maneuver." "Tenth Elder here, we are currently engaged in the 10 o''clock direction. These are rare fire elemental Shadow hybrids and I might need extra firepower support." "Fourth Elder here, we are now down to 40% of our energy capacity. If we keep our current firing rate, we would run out of defensive ammunition in two minutes and will be forced to depend on the energy barrier to last against the incoming goliath shadows. I am requesting back up." The situation wasn''t looking good. All the ten massive Guardian Ships are in a circle formation that allows them to cover and defend from all angles and directions. Although they were doing an incredible job in eliminating the incoming enemies, the sheer number of these creatures that have been over multiplied in the dark realm after millions of years made their effort like a tiny ripple in an ocean of Shadows. Overseeing the whole operation, the Second Elder Guardian watched the real-time monitors of their current situation. The ten blue dots that represented the Guardian Ships are currently being surrounded by a sea of red tiny lights from all directions. Although the red lights that we''re inching closer to the blue lights swiftly dissapeared due to being eliminated, the sheer concentration of red dots coming from behind was enough to make his supposed to be emotionless face frown. "Keep the firing rate and do not hesitate to kill the closest one. We are still in line with the calculated time and our hope, the Alpha Dragon should appear any minute. Let''s trust in the First Elder''s calculation." the second Elder said with a rather unconfident voice. As a creature of factual information and absolute accuracy, no matter how he calculates and looks at the current power and number of the enemy, their chances of surviving were supposed to be in absolute zero. But the First Elder Guardian confidently told them before leaving with the turtle that their chances of surviving are at 56%. Sigh... The Second Elder wanted to believe him. Unfortuantely, while looking at the monitor and seeing no signs of the Alpha Dragon emerging, his hope was slowly being crushed. "Not to mention, could the Alpha Dragon really take on all those giant Shadow creatures and the emperor? If recall correctly with his available skills and capacity, the most he can do is wipe out about ten percent of the total enemies, after that he would fall to severe exhaustion and hundred percent chance of triggering the corrupted Ancestral Dragon will occur." he mumbled to himself as his head continued to recalculate their situations. Sigh... "Second Elder, what do you think? Do you think the First''s calculation is spot on? Will those four actually succeeded in finding the trigger door to Kaora''s realm?" It was an honest question from the Third Elder Guardian. "It is not impossible for the First Elder to make mistakes." the Second replied with what he felt. A silence of more than 30 seconds followed before he added, "The First Elder has the highest intelligence among all of us. His ability to grasp all variables and predict the future using sheer mathematical and logical calculations was strong enough to anticipate the so-called fate with a ninety-nine percent accuracy." Then he looked at the popping warning messages at the monitor and sighed heavily, "Unfortunately today, we must have hit the worst one percent probability." While his background was filled with actively communicating staff who are trying their best to survive; the desperate and gloomy Second Elder gazed at the biggest screen that showed a real-time feed of bad news. At the screen, the wicked smile of the Emperor could be seen as he was approaching the ten Guardian Spaceships from below at an unsettling speed. In response, the Ten Guardianships immediately readjusted their firepower and changed their priority from the closest Shadows to the Emperor. Pew! Pepepepew! Pew!~ "hahahahaha!~" The Emperor of the Dark Realm was like a mad demon. The firepower of the Guardian spaceships was no joke at all. His body was riddled with bloody holes while constantly being pushed back to the ground countless times. However, an unsettling smile remained in his face as the searing wounds closed up before the Guardians could finish him off. It was safe to say that he was like a black jelly that no matter how much they pierce him, his body continued to regenerate back to its peak state. Pew! Pepepew!~ Pew! Pew!~ "That''s it. Continue to resist. The more you fight, the more I crave for you! Keep your hate coming! Keep the power coming!" The Guardians knew exactly why the Emperor was a terrifying creature. The more you fear and hate him, the power he gets. The Emperor is the embodiment of fear, sadness, hate, cruelty, and vengeance. All those energies of negativity that the human world and all the other realms generated was steadily empowering him throughout this time. With overflowing power, he decided to use all those excess power to create the beasts of the dark realm, which has evolved into sentient creatures of hate, greed, lust, and power called Shadows. And with such accumulated power, he believes that the time is ripe for him to reclaim the worlds that are supposed to be his in the first place. With such power, he believes that the heavens will never be able to stop him. Thus with a wickedly masochistic attitude, he received the powerful blows from the Guardians like they were blessings from above. "Not even your Alpha Dragon will save you! Hahahaha!" Then with a flick of his hand, a dimensional portal was summoned before the Emperor. It was the ability he has gained after swallowing Thagroz, the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms. "Playtime is over!" The shouting voices of the other Elders and the staffs were muted out in his head. The Second Elder Guardian closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. *** On the other side of the world... Elric''s eyes suddenly opened. Despite his surroundings currently on a mess, thanks to Dash''s protection, he was able to focus on his calculation. "Is it time?" Dash was smarter now and knew that Elric was never stalling his time for nothing. Elric nodded before mumbling. "Everyone, come out." BOOOOOOM!~ ROOOAAAR!~ GROOOOAAR!~ ROOOOARH!~ ROOOARH~ The closed Kaora''s door suddenly exploded and hundred..no thousands...no millions! Millions of colorful Dragons suddenly appeared from the tiny dimensional door and they all scattered throughout all directions, engaging all the forces of the Emperor excitedly. In an instant, light and life were brought out to the darkened world. The blazing fire and roars of the Dragons that descended from Elric''s bloodline have filled the entire land in a flash as they swiftly fought against the forces of the Emperor in a one-sided massacre. Rooooar!~ Khiaaa- Fwaaaash!~ BooooOOM!~ They were all Elric''s Dragon descendants with Lesse after living in Kaora''s realm for ten thousand years. Each of these Dragons that came with Elric possessed both his spiritual and elemental powers. An all-rounded breed of Dragons with a basic attribute comparable to an Elder Dragon even when they are at their youngest age. The age of a new Dragon race has finally come to redeem the broken world. It was a new blood that was mixed between a Dragon and a human. The only mixed breed that far surpassed the powers of the pure-blooded Dragons thanks to Kaora''s help. "Oh my. Children, please be careful okay." "My nephews are strong, what are you worried about?" Suddenly, Dash''s eyes glowed brightly as two more Red and Green Dragons with four sets of wings on their back appeared behind Elric. They were Lesse and Long who have also broken through the limitations of the Dragon Kings, they too possessed the power of an Ancestral Dragons. "Lesse! Long!" Dash cried excitedly after seeing the two. Lesse and Long replied with a calm smile. "My job here is done. Now, I am off to sleep." Elric, Long, and Lesse glanced back at the slowly disappearing door of Kaora. The mysterious man that looked like Elric''s grandfather - Lapu-Lapu, took off his straw-hat and waved a farewell. They nodded at Kaora''s fading face with eyes full of meaningful gratitude. They have been with him for more than ten thousand and five hundred years and words were not necessary for their communication anymore. Then Elric''s hand rose and touched the tiny gold pendant hanging on his neck - magically stored inside, is the preserved body of his Grandma. Elric''s eyes suddenly changed from human to a Dragon''s. It was a golden eye filled with power and dominance. And with a serious gaze, he started. "For all the humans, Dragons, Elementals, and spirituals!" Elric''s body exploded into a colorful dance of blinding lights. ROOOOOOAAAR!~ The most domineering cry of a Dragon followed as his final form was revealed. It was a ten-winged Dragon with a mixed appearance between Eastern and Western Dragon. Three long glowing tails of red, green, and gold were elegantly swaying at his back was. His scales are covered in red, green, and golden hue while his presence exerted absolute dominance that made all the Shadows and even Dragons themselves wanting to kneel before him. KraaakaboooM!~ Kraakaabooom!~ KraaakabooooooM!~ Then the earth started to shake while the sky started to rain lighting. It was the sign of heaven''s reaction at the sudden appearance of a heavenly power not supposed to be in the human realm. It was the precursor to the Godly Retribution! Under Kaora''s guidance for ten thousand years, Elric has surpassed the power of the Ancestral Dragons'' power and has reached the Heavenly stage. And Elric knew himself that he can only stay in this form in a limited time. His brightly burning gaze turned in a certain direction, it was the location of the Emperor. Who was about to step to a dimensional portal. Elric''s ten golden wings suddenly expanded twice his size. He was preparing to fly. He gazed at Lesse, Long, and Dash who looked back at him with pride. "I''ll be back." Flap~ BOOOOOOOOOM!~ With a single flap, Elric''s massive Dragon body has already disappeared, leaving behind a deafening sonic boom and shattered water below. It looked as if Moses had just split the sea. Please go to to read the latest chapters for free 239 Against The Retribution of Heaven Tribulation Dash, Lesse, Long, and the millions of Dragon descendants of Elric has started an all-out war from the other side of the world. The battle was brutal but the Dragons were winning. Completely wiping out the Shadows might take time, but the most important thing was that they are slowly winning. It was a battle against a million Dragons against the billions of Shadows. Meanwhile on the western continent... Pepepepew!~ The Guardian Ships are currently receiving plenty of warning notifications. The presence of the Emperor was the major cause. In response, most of their firepower is currently focused on the Emperor while they started to create evasive adjustments to their formation. "Second Elder! The Emperor is approaching!" "Adjust our power and focus on taking him down! Initiate evasive maneuver!" "Reporting to Second Elder! The sixth and tenth ship is currently under direct contact with the giant Shadows. It is estimated that their defensive shield will fall in the next fifty seconds!" "Energy reserved is now down to ten percent!" "Activate emergency reserve!" "The Emperor is hit! He is being pushed down!" "Keep him pinned!" "The Godly Beast has appeared! What should we- wait. The Godly Beast was devoured?!" "The Emperor has summoned a dimensional door!" "Reporting to Second Elder! A dimensional door has appeared in the middle of the formation! "It is the Emperor''s exit point!" "He is coming!" "Sh*t! It is too late! We can''t escape!" Zioongg!~ "Hahahahah!" the Emperor''s dark humanoid figure suddenly emerged out from the dimensional portal that appeared in the middle of the Guardian''s formation. Upon seeing this catastrophic being, everyone felt like hope was completely gone. "Die!" the Emperor shouted wickedly as his body suddenly expanded like an octopus made of dark liquid. Thousands of massive shadow arms swiftly came out and attempted to grab the ten Guardian spaceships with a terrifying force. But just when his tentacle arms were about to grab the Guardian spaceships, a bright golden flash suddenly came out of nowhere and pulled the Emperor with him. At the same time, the powerful impact of the golden flash caused a powerful rippling shockwave that instantly crushed the surrounding giant Shadows. Thanks to the Guardian Spaceship''s protective barrier, they were able to survive the shock waves and were able to have a breather from the enemy''s threat. Poooom!~ "heok..You!?" the Emperor was taken aback at the sudden turn of events. A heavenly Dragon with ten wings suddenly appeared and dragged him away from the middle of the Guardian spaceships. "Are you the Alpha Dragon?" contrary to his dire state, the Emperor swiftly regained his confidence smiled, and asked. Elric did not respond. His eyes were locked at the Emperor with a hostile message. Shiiiiong!~ BOOOOOOOM!~ Upon landing, a tall explosion of sand followed as the Emperor''s figure was smashed to the desert. Elric and the Emperor landed in the middle of a desert somewhere in the middle east. Elric chose this place as their arena since there were no lives nearby. The place was supposed to be scorching hot due to the sun, but ever since the Realm of Darkness appeared from above, the sunlight was completely blocked giving the Emperor and the Shadows the ability to move unhindered. "So you did come back..." The Emperor''s body is currently half-buried at the sand with a crumpled body. However, his mouth remained intact and talked as if he was never in pain. Some of his limbs and body parts are scattered due to the powerful impact. But the expression on his face remained nonchalant. In fact, he was more excited instead of being fearful of the overwhelming presence of the heavenly Dragon Elric. At the same time, the sky above started to grow darker, it was a sign of God''s Reckoning Tribulation that has been trying to chase Elric who is currently possessing powers that are not supposed to exist in the mortal realm. Roooooar!~ Shiiiing!~ Elric''s massive Dragon body transformed back to his human form. A mature looking Elric came out from the transforming light. His dark yet elegantly colored hair swayed at the current cold breeze of the desert. His muscles bulged as he picked the crumpled Emperor with one hand and said, "My grandma''s soul. Give it to me." Krrruugggh~ The sound of the growling thunder came from above while the Emperor smiled. "Oh strong-looking Alpha Dragon, aren''t you afraid of the God Reckoning Tribulation?" "I said, hand over grandma''s soul." Elric ignored the latter''s words and insisted his demand. Kruugggh! Krgugggg!~ "You know how powerful God''s Reckoning Tribulation right? The moment it will strike, you will-heeeok~" Elric''s grip tightened and Emperor could not utter any more words. "oggh...rihgt.." with a forced expression, the Emperor opened his mouth and showed a tiny white marble with the soul of Elric''s grandma glowing inside. "Grandma..." Elric mumbled gently as he watched the soul of the person he loved the most. The reason he was fighting, the person he longed, and the only family left for him. Elric looked at the grandma''s soul with teary eyes. Swiftly, Elric''s hand grabbed the white marble and sighed happily. Of course, the Emperor did not waste this small opportunity when Elric was distracted. His scattered body parts suddenly melted like black ink and scattered throughout the area until the whole place was completely covered in shadow. "Now give me your body!" the Emperor beckoned victoriously as he summoned a massive mouth filled with countless sharp fangs from below. Shuuuuugh!~ The giant fanged mouth quickly devoured Elric who was holding the Emperor with his one hand and the white marble with the other. Chomp!~ In an instant, Elric''s figure was swallowed like a tiny ant by the mouth of a gigantic black shark. The soul of grandma was just a distraction and a lure to the perfect being he was after this whole time. "Hahahaha! You are mine! You are-" Swiiish~ Waaaang!!! An extremely long blazing sword made of golden fire ripped the gigantic shadow mouth. Elric''s figure appeared unscathed while the blazing sword of golden fire completed the 180 degrees swing. Fooooom!~ The dark shadow that was surrounding him was instantly incinerated as a golden fire stretched out like a wave of golden water. At the same time... Shook! Shook! Shook!~ Emperor reappeared above him, his smile remained intact together with his reformed body. Tiny bubbles of dark ink popped away from his arms and quickly formed into a black spear - it was the same spear he used to destroy the brave soldiers of the Elemental Realms. Shooook~Shooook~Shooook~Shooook~ A rain of black spears came down and was aiming at Elric''s head. On the other hand, Elric did not bother looking up and just brandished his blazing sword with an upward swipe. Shhhhhssh~ The black spears were instantly destroyed while Elric countered with his own flaming spears. Shooook~Shooook~Shooook~Shooook~ "hahahaha!" the Emperor barely managed to dodge the flaming spears as he created a dimensional and disappeared. Zioong!~ Ziong! Ziong!~ Taking advantage of the Godly Beast''s dimensional ability, the Emperor summoned hundreds of dimensional door and out from it, thousands of black spears swiftly came out aiming at Elric. "hmp!" Elric secured the marble in his hand as it blended with his magical pendant. Now that his priority has been secured, Elric''s eyes started to become serious. Then with his right hand transforming into a Dragon''s hand, he effortlessly evaded all the black spears before following up by slamming the sand with his Dragon arm. Whaam!~ BOOOOOOM!~ A powerful shock wave was created as the sand below him was smashed and turned into a sand storm. A tornado was created that was so powerful that the dimensional doors the Emperor created started to collapse from the roaring mix of wind and sand. It took a while before the sandstorm finally calmed and Elric is currently standing alone in the desert. "haahahaha!" echoing laugh of the Emperor resonated throughout the sandy place. Elric''s senses were extremely powerful and sensitive. He knew the Emperor is still around and he pretty much knew what he is thinking. Krruuuugh!~ "It is coming!" Finally, the dark clouds have gained enough energy after minutes of charging. The Godly Reckoning Tribulation was known to be the strongest form of Tribulation that will test the strongest Dragon''s will that wanted to reach the heavenly realm. In cases that a certain Dragon has obtained the power at a heavenly level while not going through the normal process of the God Reckoning Tribulation, a stronger and more powerful tribulation will come with the sole purpose of destroying him instead of a normal test. It is called the Retribution of Heaven Tribulation. This extremely rare tribulation was about to strike Elric. The Emperor knew Elric''s current power and he doesn''t have enough power to weaken the Heavenly Dragon at its peak. The only chance he got is the incoming lightning. However, this could also harm him considering that he is a being of Darkness. "heheheh~" But instead of being afraid, the Emperor''s wicked smile stretch farther. He is currently hiding at 500 meters deep under the desert. The power of the previous Elemental God was being summoned as countless glowing tails started to grow from his back and slowly covered his entire body. After a few seconds, his body is now completely covered in the glowing power of the previous Elemental God. He is now ready to go out. "He will never know what is coming!" 240 A Punch To Remember Elric stood above the cold fine sand of the desert. His eyes were closed and breathing so calmly as if he was sleeping. Contrary to him, the thick dark clouds that have accumulated above him is now looking like a cloud of pitch-black charcoals. Streaks of white lightning crackled from time to time as it was about to strike the lone being below. On the other hand, on a dark cave located five hundred meters below Elric, the Emperor was waiting for the perfect timing to attack. His creepy grin was masked by the glowing tentacles that covered every inch of his body. His excited eyes were locked at Elric''s current location. At the moment, he does not possess the power to completely dominate Elric. In fact, the longer the fight, the stronger Elric becomes, so he decided to take his time and wait for the other side to collapse from heaven''s wrath first. Until such a moment that Elric is weakened, only then the Emperor could completely dominate and consume him. When that happens... The Emperor could only lick his wide grinning lips. Krugggggh! Kruuuggghh!~ Craaakcle!~ Hearing the final thunderous rumble, Elric''s Dragon eyes were finally revealed. The slit in his iris sharpened while his body suddenly unleashed a blinding light. ROOOOOOAAAAAR!~ It was the roar of a Dragon that was challenging the heavens. His ten golden wings were fully stretched as if inviting the heaven to strike while his roar faced the sky. It was a blatant provocation to heaven to strike him with the strongest lightning. In response, the sky above temporarily glowed like a sea of sun. For a moment, the entire world was covered in the day-like light of the lightning as the Retribution of Heaven Tribulation has finally commenced. KrakakakakakaaaaaaBOOOOOOOOOOM!~ The sheer size of the lightning bolt was huge enough to cover ten times Elric''s mountain-like Dragon body. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" using his spiritual senses while hiding deep below, the Emperor watched in pleasure as the entire lightning tribulation unfolded like a giant glowing hand made of lightning and crushed Elric''s figure below. Shah!~ booOOOOOM!~ The sand below him was instantly dissolved before the lightning could even make contact. The sheer power of the impact was strong enough to break the entire place like a thin glass meeting a demolishing hammer. Elric''s Dragon figure was crushed below by the overwhelming lightning. From the distance, there was nothing one can see but pure blinding light. Even the Emperor who was hiding deep underground could feel the powerful quake from above that caused the cave to slowly collapse. The power of the lightning did not just hit Elric but also pushed him below with an overwhelming blow as if being hit by a mortar made of lightning. "What was that!?" "Was that the God Reckoning Tribulation?" "No..our system detected more than that. It has a hundred times the power of the normal Godly tribulation!" While the monitoring staff was shocked at the terrifying results detected by their system, the Second Elder on the other side looked at the direction of the blinding light with a serious expression. His eyes are currently locked at a certain monitor that has exploded just now. The monitoring satellite that was watching the entire Retribution of Heavenly Tribulation battle received an overwhelming shock and energy that it exploded on its own. The sheer size of electromagnetic energy caused the rest of the hovering satellites to malfunction while the other feeble ones just exploded on their own. His mouth was wide open. He was speechless at the immense power of the heavenly tribulation. Meanwhile, the younger Dragon descendants of Elric watched the sudden phenomenon with worried faces. Some of them glanced back at their great mother Lesse who is currently overpowering more than ten gigantic Shadows at the same time. Now noticing her children''s worried look, her four pairs of wing stretched as she unleashed a victorious call. ROOOOOOAAAR!~ "Continue fighting. Your father will survive!" Lesse''s confident shout followed as the millions of new Dragon descendants replied with their own empowering roars. GROOOOOOAAAAR!~ ROOOOOAAAAR! ROOOOOAAAAAAR!~ And just like that, the continued their ruthless rampage against the forces of the Emperor. As the new Dragon descendants pressed forward, it didn''t take long before they reached the other side of the globe. *** Minutes later, the Guardian spaceships that are currently on the verge of collapsing from the vicious attacks of the gigantic Shadows have finally seen a glimpse of hope. "Dragons!" "Look at them taking down those giants! Are they all King Dragons!?" "What are those breeds.. I have never seen those kinds before! With a relieved face, the Second Elder Guardian explained, "They are the descendants of the Alpha Dragon." the Second Elder heaved a sigh before mumbling to himself, "Your calculations are always spot on First Elder..." ROOOOAR!~ ROOOAR!~ Headed by the flaming giant turtle and present Elemental God, the new Dragons were quickly advancing towards the Guardian spaceship''s direction. Along the way, they spat golden fireballs that scorched the assaulting Shadows like soft marshmallows on direct contact with blue fire. From below, they looked like a massive golden ship that effortlessly sliced the dark sky. Those Shadows that had been chasing the Guardian Spaceships were also not spared at the bombardment of their golden fires. The entire dark sky was filled with burning Shadow. It was as if a new year''s eve celebration but instead of fireworks, it was the Shadows that are being lighted and exploded like firecrackers. The Guardians inside the ship were rejoicing at the scene of their unexpected saviors. The Guardian Spaceships opened their docks. Inspired by their new comrades, the Dragons, Elementals, and Ancient Humans were finally given a chance to fight for their lost brethren. ROAAAAR!~ KwaaaaahH! Aaaaaaah!~ Quiaaaah! Like a reversed tide, the chasing gigantic Shadows were suddenly overwhelmed by the renewed courage of their prey. The remaining Dragons of the three regions fought fearlessly and widely. The Elementals unleashed their elemental wrath, shooting down the Shadows with a rain of fire, freezing blades, massive rocks, and destructive winds. Meanwhile, the Ancient humans - including Arkhans, swiftly summoned their powerful mechs, boarded them, and engaged the enemies by shooting them with rail guns, mini flash cannons, and colorful beam swords that can effortlessly cut the shadows into black minced meat. Of course, there were still some of the Elementals and Dragons who fell in the hands of the enemy, but as the situation continued to unfold, the Shadows were quickly being irradiated at a rapid rate. They may have not the numerical advantage, but they were able to make it up with overwhelming quality. The dark sky filled with Gigantic Shadow was slowly being cleared with a glorious fire of hope. *** Back on Elric''s side, the aftermath of the Retribution of Heaven Tribulation has finally calmed down. The fine and beautiful desert sand is now nothing but a sea of fire. A deep two hundred meter crater was formed as pieces of Elric''s massive Dragon body parts were scattered from here to there. The Emperor was still hesitant to reveal himself. The scene outside was too hazy for his spiritual senses to clarify the actual situation. The lingering presence of heavenly lighting was still crackling in the sand. "No...I won''t fall to his trap.." the Emperor told himself. The moment he comes out now, there is a high chance of him falling to a weakened state due to the heavenly essence. In any chance that Elric is still alive, it could be lead to his defeat. Thus, the Emperor decided to wait for a while. Three minutes... five minutes... ten minutes... After more than fifteen minutes of waiting, the Emperor was already restless. The heavenly energy was still present outside causing his spiritual senses to go hazy. As a result, he can''t be sure of Elric''s real state! "Should I go out now!? No what if.. Did he survive? What if he recovered the longer I wait?! No... Its impossible!" Gritting his teeth, the Emperor finally moved. He covered himself with the glowing tentacles to at least protect him from the excess lightning essence outside and finally forced himself out. "six...five..four.." "This..." As he went closer and closer to the outside surface, he started to hear a faint counting voice from above. Nevertheless, the Emperor still decided to rush out and ignore it. He can''t dare to hesitate now! The moment the Emperor revealed himself out of the scorching sand, he saw Elric on his bloody human form. His kneeling body was filled with burnt and scorched marks but remained intact. In fact, there was a victorious smile on Elric''s face as he finished his counting. Elric has withstood the power of the heavenly retribution! "Two...one." Elric''s hand suddenly moves forward as if trying to choke the air. At the same time, the Emperor, in his humanoid form, also fully came out of the sand and his neck perfectly timed with Elric''s choke. "This.." Elric''s powerful grip took the Emperor by surprise. In response, the Emperor tried to fight back but the excess presence of divine energy was faster and gave him an intense shock. It was excess divine lightning that completely nullified the Emperor''s power temporarily. Eric on the other hand smiled wickedly. "Let''s move to the next and final stage." Then with a terrifying force, Elric threw a gut punch that sent the Emperor flying up to the air. The punch was too strong that a hole was created in the Emperor''s stomach. Elric suddenly revealed his golden wings of fire. Flap! WOOOOSH! With a single flap, Elric managed to overtake the soaring Emperor and gave another punch, this time to send him to the eastern direction. KapoooOOOM!~ Shooosh!~ Elric chased, gave another punch and the series continued. The Emperor was in a too much-stunned state. He could not even control his power and summon the dimensional door thanks to Elric''s dizzying punches. The only reason he was alive is thanks to his undying body that instantly recovers no matter the severity of wounds. KapoooOOOM!~ A final punch sent him diving fast from the sky, the Emperor quickly tried to stabilize his thoughts and prepared to summon a dimensional door to escape when he noticed something. Zionnng~ A dimensional door of Kaora suddenly appeared in the direction he was going! A little fairy, a red-tailed mermaid, an eagle, and an Arkhan warrior suddenly came out from it. The four of them were about to rejoice in their success of leaving the Kaora''s realm when they saw the Emperor of Darkness flying towards them. "Sh*t!" Their faces paled in surprise. Then what followed them was even more shocking. KapoooOOOM!~ A powerful punch came from behind the Emperor and sent the latter inside the Kaora''s door before it closes back. At the same time, Elric followed through the Emperor and went inside the closing Kaoras door. All of Elric''s timing where thanks to Kaora''s teaching for ten thousand years. Danna saw him giving her a warm and thankful smile before completely disappearing together with the Emperor inside the Kaora''s door. "He''s back!" Danna cried happily as tears flowed down her eyes. 241 Two Heavenly Dragons With the help of the perfectly timed opening of Kaora''s exit door, Elric brought the Emperor over at the holy land of the Tunga - the hidden world of Light Elementals deep inside the Earth''s surface. The moment they entered was also the time when the exit door closed, thus trapping the Emperor inside the world of light Elementals. The Emperor was still in a dazed state. In just a blink of an eye, he was punched a hundred times and forced him to this place without even resisting a bit. His body was still paralyzed by the Heavenly presence that assaulted him when emerged to devour Elric at the desert sand. Not to mention, Elric seems to have overtaken the test of heaven, thus his normal attacks now possessed the heavenly essence. Fortunately for the Emperor, he has an immortal body. As a naturally formed being made from the millions of accumulated negativity through all realms, he was the complete embodiment of darkness and has an almost infinite potential. The only downside was that he was trapped in the vast and colorless Realm of Darkness. As time passed that he gained sentience, he was fascinated by how the beings from other realm were able to live colorfully. He may have the ultimate power but his life was dark and empty. He wanted something else. He wanted fun. He wanted a journey. He wanted a body that will excite him and make him understand what it would feel to be really alive. He envied their freedom, the colorful lives, love, and brightness of their lives. He also coveted the meaningful physical contacts, the temptation of the fleshy matter, and their bright smiles that he could never understand. The more he watched them, the more he realized how empty he was. He started to feel hate, anger, greed, and lust forever other realms to offer. All this almost infinite negativity, the Emperor molded them into his current army. He tried a thousand times to break the barriers that limited him from his realm and invade the other only to lose miserably every single time. But then he learned to wait, he learned to observe and realize that laws that maintained the balance between the realms together with the authorities responsible for it. The more he knew about the world, the more he wanted them all. All! All of them! He wanted to devour them and know how they feel! Slowly, he took advantage of the available options that come ones every full lunar eclipse. As a powerful being that possesses an overwhelming power, getting inside the other realm is like an elephant trying to fit into a needle''s hole. He realized he needed a better opportunity and a better environment. And thus he started to make a detailed plan. Slowly but surely, he managed to plant seeds of hate, greed, lust, envy, and betrayal in the hearts of the Elemental Lords. With those emotions growing in their hearts, they swiftly fell into his plans only to end up destroying each other. It was all part of his plans. Everything went according to his will until this man arrived. Bwaash!~ Elric came out of the white river while dragging the limping body of the Emperor. Then, he slammed the dark figure under the Tree of Temptation. "How..." the Emperor has plenty of questions. All of Elric''s timing was perfect. He was just seconds away before devouring the Guardian Ships and their knowledge and attaining the wisdom for final evolution only to get intercepted by the man before him. Then he dragged him under that desert land, only to fall on his set up. He was paralyzed and got pummeled until he reached the current place with a perfectly timed entrance to a closing door. No matter how much he looks at it, they were not mere coincidence but perfectly calculated movements. "Kaora..." He finally understood. It was all because of that being. To be able to anticipate even the movements of heaven is only something that a perfect and mysterious human can do. However, he soon recovered his confidence. "Hahhahahaha! What are you gonna do next, oh strongest Alpha Dragon? Kill me?" It was a confident question from the Emperor. He knew that he has an undying body. Even if Elric will pound his body and incinerate them into ashes, the Emperor would only feel a temporary pain before quickly recovering back to his peak state. After all, he was the embodiment of darkness and is indestructible. "Well, let''s see about that," Elric replied rather confidently as well. His hand suddenly rose and a certain royal blue fruit located at the east side of the Tree of Temptation was suddenly plucked and flew into Elric''s hand. The Emperor saw the blue fruit and immediately panicked. He tried to summon his strength to fight back but the presence of Light essence in the air was his nemesis while Elric continued to dominate him with raw strength. After all, the strength of a heavenly Dragon was not something to mess with. The Tree of Temptation is a tree planted using a seed that came from the heavenly realm. The fruits it produces contained various unimaginable powers and effects that could easily break the balance of the world. The reason was unknown, but in order to keep it out of the reach of the unwanted hands, it was placed in the center of the land of Tunga under the protection of all Elementals of Light - the strongest Elementals. A wall of light was also placed on its border to keep the earthly creatures who coveted its power at bay. The only way to get inside is by removing the negativity and greed of the fruits of Temptation in one''s heart or using the hidden door of Kaora which is now completely gone after being used by Arkhoz''s team. For whatever reason, the Tree of Temptation is the tree that can be both beneficial or destructive. Under Kaora''s guide, Elric plucked a certain fruit for a certain purpose. Before the Emperor could even move away, Elric forcibly shoved the fruit inside its wide mouth. "No! No!" the Emperor was genuinely scared this time because the fruit that Elric fed him was the Fruit of Obedience. "No! Do you think you can make me surrender like this!? Don''t make me laugh! I am the Emperor! I will~ I..." The moment it touched his mouth, the fruit melted like a smooth liquid before being absorbed into his system like a flash. The Emperor''s resisting body quickly relaxed. His wicked expression calmed down and is now looking like an emotionless humanoid demon. It was the instantaneous effect of the Fruit of Obedience. "Not everything can be solved using violence," Elric whispered calmly as he stood before the calmed Emperor. "Wisdom and knowledge is more scary. No matter how powerful one can be. Trust me, I learned that the hard way." Elric said with a meaningful gaze. The bright land was such a pleasing sight before him. As if counting, he waited for more than ten seconds before finally telling the Emperor, "Unsummon all your people." *** At the same time outside, the Dragons, Ancient Humans, Elementals, and the Guardians were at the full peak of their assault. The entire world was in constant battle through the forces of the Emperor versus the combined of Elric''s Dragon descendants together with the last defenders of the earth. It was a long and hard fight. Though the Shadows were dying really quickly under the powerful Dragon fires, their ability to escape and multiply was a problem that cannot be solved by sheer strength alone. "Kukuku~ You might have won today but I shall return! hahahaa!" ROOOAR!~ BWAAAAH!~ "Aaagh!~" In the cities, mountains, underwater, caves, and the sky, the intensity throughout the world was a sight to behold. There were burning fire, rampaging tornadoes, falling rocks from the sky and earthquakes. Chaotic was not enough to describe the whole situation. The energetic descendant Dragons of Elric are starting to reach their limit. Their power was starting to diminish and are showing signs of slowing down. "This is futile.. I have destroyed about a ten thousand Shadows already, but there seems to have no end of them!" "Aren''t we trained just for this day?" "I was not expecting to fight an endless and undying opponent!" "Then overcome your limitations and become a heavenly Dragon like father!" "Ugh. Easily said than done." "What is father doing at the moment anyway?" "I don''t know. Maybe taking down the Emperor?" They were talking while fighting the hoard of incoming Shadows when suddenly, the started hitting nothing but air. "This..." "?" The shadow suddenly disappeared. The huge dark planet that was covering the sky has also vanished like it wasn''t there at the first place. The Entire human realm was suddenly empty of a single Shadow. It was like they were fighting illusions all this time! The Dragon voice of Lesse echoed at the ears of all the Dragons. "Elric has subjugated the Emperor..." On the other hand, the Guardians, Ancient Humans, and Elementals were rejoicing happily. The days of their struggle has finally come to an end. "Finally! We won! We won!" "We survived that nightmare..." "Praise the Alpha Dragon!!" It didn''t take a genius for them to understand what just happened. Arkhoz''s crew has succeeded in finding Kaora''s door and summoned Elric, the Alpha Dragon. Although no one really saw Elric except the clue from the bright flash before the Emperor disappeared. *** On the other side, Elric is currently looking at the Emperor with a serious expression. The Emperor has unsummoned all the Shadows throughout all the realms only for the latter to recovered his true power. The humanoid Emperor was his weakest form. The moment all the shadows returned, his power exploded into a new level not even the power of the Tree of Temptation was able to contain him. At the moment, Elric is facing the true Emperor. A wicked and victorious smile appeared on the latter before he transformed into Black Ten Winged Heavenly Dragon. "Let''s start the real fight shall we." "Was expecting this." Elric also transformed into his Ten WInged Heavenly Dragon form and faced the Emperor who now looked like him except for its pitch-black scales. 242 With Faith, It Is Possible. The final stage has been set, the true powers have been unleashed. The entire world of Tunga is currently empty of any living being as if they have predicted the two beasts'' coming. The entire land was as big as the entire United States combined into a wide hollow land. The current most powerful Dragon in all mortal realms is currently faced to face with the Emperor in his peak form. As a being who originally has no form, the Emperor could only copy the beings as much as he liked and at his peak form, he could even copy everyone''s ability. Elric is the strongest creature the Emperor has ever faced since he started to gain sentience. And thus, it is only right for him to copy Elric''s current form and power. Not to mention, the Emperor also has access to all the accumulated living beings he had devoured throughout his life-giving him an advantage that Elric doesn''t have. Good examples are the powers of the past Elemental God and the Godly Beast of Dimensional Realms that he can freely utilize ever since he devoured both. "It has been a long time ever since I have felt these complete." the Emperor started as he looked at his current Ten Winged Dragon body. A dark smoke continued to exude from all over his body, bringing forth a terrifying presence that would make everyone fall on their knees - except for Elric. "Well then. Enjoy it while it lasts." Elric said as his body started to glow brightly. His muscles started to contract while his long golden claws sharpened. The ten golden wings on his back stretched outwardly like a peacock on full display. "You are too excited to die." the Emperor scoffed at Elric''s pose. The two of them started to unleash their burning aura. Elric exuded a golden light while the Emperor released a fiery dark smoke. gggzgzgzgzgz~ The ground started to shake at the sheer pressure of the two Godly beasts. Their eyes locked on each other and are aware of their individual strength. Elric was about to charge forward when the Emperor, currently a dark version of his Ten Winged Dragon form, suddenly flapped his wings to move away. In a blink of an eye, the Emperor is now ten kilometers away from him. Elric chased with a mighty flap of his ten wings. Then before he knew it, his eyes widened in surprise. In the midst of his flight, a dimensional door opened on his right. The Emperor emerged out from it with its sharp dark claws at front - aiming at Elric''s neck. Elric was prepared. He narrowly avoided the claws with perfect agility and countered with a tail swipe from the back. Whaapak! BOOOOOOM!~ The Emperor was hit! The sheer impact of Elric''s tail swipe caused a thunderous tremor and made the ground below crumble from the sheer power of the shockwave. Whapaak!~ KABOOOOOOOM!~ Borrowing the momentum, the Emperor reappeared at Elric''s side and hit his chest with a mighty claw swipe. A bloody gush poured out of Elric as he skids hardly to the ground, leaving behind a deep bloody gorge. The Emperor had a victorious smile at the pleasure of crushing his enemy. Unfortunatly, the smile was shortlived. A blinding golden beam of fire was unleashed by Elric and hit the Emperor on his chest. Zioooong-BOOOOOOM! The ground shook again. The sheer power of Elric''s breath was reminiscent of the Flash Cannon with a hundred times the normal power. However, the Emperor managed to summon the past Elemental God''s power and protected himself from Elric''s blazing beam. He swiftly retreated to a dimensional portal and reappeared above Elric with his own dark blazing beam. Ziiiiiooong!~ Elric was prepared, he hastily stopped his fire breath and dodged the fire with agile steps. Despite their gargantuan sizes, both of them moved like a flexible martial artist. Elric retreated and suddenly charged at blinding speed while narrowly dodging the enemy''s fire. POOOOOM!~ CRAAASH! Elric knocked the Emperor and smacked him down to the ground. BASSSH! BOOOOOM! The Emperor fought back by reappearing behind Elric and smacked him from behind with a devastating force of his hind legs. And just like that, the two Dragons of opposing colors fought like mad beasts. They spew fire while trying to outwit each other, pummeling each other with a devastating force strong enough to crush giant mountains into crumpled plains. Their fight took almost an hour but there were still no signs of a clear winner. No matter how much they damaged each other, Elric''s crazy recovery and the Emperor''s undying body made all of their efforts futile. In the midst of their battle, Elric suddenly recalled his conversation with Kaora a long time ago back at Kaora''s realm. "How do I defeat the Emperor?" Elric asked with a pleading look at the perfect man before him. Kaora was feeding a cute looking baby monster on his arms and smiled gently at Elric. "My answer is simple. Why?" Elric was about to ask further for clarification when Kaora suddenly disappeared before him and reappeared from the distance. The latter put the cute baby monster on the lap of a sleeping gigantic beast before smiling back at Elric. Then he disappeared again. Kaora was just full of mysteries. But now, he seems to have understood the latter''s answer ''why?''. "Indeed, why should I?" Elric thought. *** "Kukuku... this is fun." the Emperor playfully said as he stood proudly before Elric. He has lost his right arm while a massive gaping hole on his right chest swiftly recovered like a mold getting back to its original shape. "I know. But too bad we have to end this." Elric replied with a calm gaze. After shaking out the dirt on his body, the Emperor said, "Huhu.. giving up too soon?" Elric heaved a deep one while looking above. His senses meeting the cry of the victims of this catastrophy. Their soul was calling to him. "I have a duty to fulfill. I hope you enjoyed your last battle." "Are you saying that all this time, you were just going easy on me? Fool! You can''t even knock me fully on a single second!" Then Elric''s expression changed. "Aren''t you surprised how I brought you here? Everything has been calculated from the start. There was no way on defeating you in the first place no matter how much I overpower you." Elric''s ten wings suddenly stretched out. His heavenly Dragon aura exploded and made the Emperor stood uneasy. Then slowly, Elric raised his finger and pointed at the Emperor, "The reason why I brought you here is to seal you forever." "Hahahaa! Fool! The silliest joke I have ever heard!" and the Emperor unleashed his wings before charging forth at a blinding speed. "DIE!" The Emperor was coming with a deadly intention. He was not amused at Elric''s declaration of sealing him. Now that he has gained and tasted the power and fleshy desires, he does not plan to go back! But instead of fighting back, Elric decided to close his eyes and received the Emperor''s wrath with a calm demeanor. "Shatter under my power!" Baaash! BOOOOM!~ Whaam! BOOOOOM!~ Ziiiooong! BOOOOOM! With Elric as the center, the entire land of Tunga was now a fiery mess. Elric flew around like a dummy Dragon. He was hammered, scorched, trampled, smacked and verbally cursed as the Emperor unleashed his wrath on the defenseless Elric. "What are you doing!? Why are you not fighting back!?" the Emperor was frustrated. He tried to finish Elric off but the latter seems to resist the call of death no matter his effort. Elric was only focused on defending and surviving and not a tinge of hostile intention was felt. All of a sudden, the Heavenly Dragon before him stopped fighting. This is not the Elric he knew before! The Emperor was frustrated! He wanted to feel Elric''s rage. The power of hate, anger, vengeance. All the negativity that empowers him, he wants it! But now, suddenly, Elric was like light he could never harm. Little did the Emperor knew, his frustration of not being able to make Elric fight back was draining his power. "You are a being born from the endless hate and negativity from all realms. As long as everyone or someone exist, you will never disappear. But now that you have tasted the greed of life and fleshy desire, you have become an existence that tramples the natural order of the world." Elric said while trying his best to stand up despite the countless wounds and broken bones. His Ten golden wings are now down to a three, while his claws were crumpled and two tails gone. It was his worst state ever since becoming a Heavenly Dragon. "There was no such thing as coincidence. Heaven gave me this power since that fateful day, knowing that you will succeed in your desire. Unfortunately, heaven is absolute and no matter how much you resist, you will never be able to break your fate. I come in the name of justice and balance. I come in order to seal you." Then Elric''s body suddenly unleashed something the Emperor never expected. Crakkaackkaakckaa~ The lightning energy from the last Retribution of Godly Tribulation started to emerge out of Elric''s body. The sheer presence of heavenly energy instilled the Emperor''s instinctive fear of the highest order. His enormous guilt caused his body to itch and weakened at the sheer presence of the divine lightning. "What is the meaning of this..." the Emperor muttered in disbelief and confusion. "I was never punished by heaven a while ago. It was me who asked their blessing just for this moment." "THEN BLESS THIS!" the Emperor had enough, he opened his mouth and was about to unleash the strongest black fire he could muster to wipe Elric and the entire land in one go. But the next moment, Elric turned into a flash of lightning and charged to towards the Emperor faster than the latter could react. Grab~ SHOooosh! Elric snuffed the Emperor''s fire by grabbing his mouth. The presence of divine lightning energy made his power absolute over the Emperor. Then Elric dragged the Emperor towards the distant white obelisk - it was the gate to the true world of the Light Elementals. "No! No! No!" the Emperor unleashed all his powers. Thousands, no millions of black tentacles formed into giant hands and tried to grab into anything he can hold on. "DO YOU THINK YOU CAN MAKE ME?!" the Emperor beckoned furiously at Elric. If looks could kill, Elric would have died a thousand times already. But instead, there was no hostile reply from Elric. Rather, it was as if Elric was just doing a chore. There were peace and freedom in his eyes. "With faith, yes I can." Elric''s Ten Golden Wings suddenly exploded from behind. At the same time, the Emperor''s three red eyes saw the faint spiritual figures of all the innocent lives that have fallen victim to him. Behind Elric''s glowing figure was millions of faint spiritual beings, their hands were touching Elric''s body from all sides, giving him the spiritual strength to push the Emperor forward to the white obelisk. Elric''s push started to become stronger. The white obelisk was just standing ten meters behind. The moment the Emperor touched it, he will be trapped in the world of the Light Elementals where his power will be sealed forever. Not giving up, the Emperor of Darkness, summoned more black hands to grab almost everything. The sheer force was starting to shake the entire Tunga and faint reverberation could be felt outside. Then Elric swiftly shifted to his spiritual form. The Emperor was too focused on defending his physical body and never expected Elric to suddenly shifting to the spiritual realm. Psychic Wrath! Peeeooong!~ The Emperor''s soul was shocked. It was a momentary stun but it was enough for Elric''s final push. "Let''s go," Elric whispered calmly. "?" The brightly glowing Elric hugged the dark Dragon figure of the Emperor as they both made contact with the white obelisk. ZIIINNNNNNG!~ Elric and the Emperor''s body swiftly dissolve at the sudden surge of pure light in their body. They both entered the realm of pure light, where no other beings are allowed. The only thing left for the Emperor was a tiny dot of darkness. Under the holy presence and eyes of billions of Light Elementals, the Emperor was nothing but like a tiny little atom. As for Elric, his body was instantly shattered causing him to die on the spot. It was the trade-off for containing the divine energy of the Retribution of Heaven Tribulation. At the same time, the divine energy of Elric started to pour out to the outside and the other realm. A heavenly Dragon has given up his life in exchange of the world''s recovery. *** "What happened here? What happened to me. Why...mom!? Dad!?" "Baby! Oh, my baby!" "Tara! Where are you!?" "Father! I am here! Where is mom!?" "My back hurts. Wha'' happen?" "Wait.." Meanwhile back at the world surface, the innocent lives that were devoured by the Shadows suddenly started to reappear. Their wounds and trauma were gone as if they were cleansed of the bad memories. On the other side.. "Finally! We won!" Danna cried happily as she hugged her younger mermaid princess siblings. Donna and Diana were crying happily as well. "Those Shadows suddenly disappeared! I haven''t shown them the true power of the Overwhelming Mighty Grand Dash! My Legendary Elemental God was not even tested to the fullest! " Dash grumbled in his gigantic Turtle form. The mermaid princess laughed happily seeing their Elemental Lord safe and back to normal. "Now where did that Hugon kid go?" Dash mumbled. The Second Elder Guardian confirmed the revival of all the victims of the Shadows. The world was in shambles but the lives of the people were more important. He closed his eyes and made a quick calculation. "It is unfortunate that not everyone was saved. But thanks to this, all the realms will be united." Then his eyes watched at the holy light that was currently covering]the entire world. He knew it was Elric''s divine energy that healed and revived everyone in exchange of his life. "Thank you for your sacrifice. We will never forget your sacrifice." the Second Elder bowed in respect before the image of the golden light covering the whole world. The rest of the Guardians behind him and the rest in the other ships bowed as well. Meanwhile, the remaining Dragons and the descendants of Elric unleashed a defeaning roar. ROOOOAR! ROOOOARRR! GROOOOOAAAR! ROOOOOOOAR! The unique aura of Elric lingered in the air and it didn''t take a genius for them to know what happened to the Alpha Dragon. Not to mention, Elric has already told them before what would happen. It was though to know that their father will die just a couple of hours when they come in this realm. But they were strong and mature enough to know the difference between meaningless death and a noble one. It was hard, but they were prepared. They could only live according to his will. Long is currently standing behind his crying older sister. Lesse was holding the Necklace pendant and the white marble containing grandma''s soul. Elric dropped them before heading to the Tunga. Elric knew that Lesse could trace his scent and it should not take long for her to find the necklace. Although Lesse knew what was waiting for Elric, accepting the reality was more than she could take. She may be the current second strongest Dragon after Long who has overtaken her, but her plans were different from everyone''s expectations. "Don''t worry. I will give him a good beating when I meet him on the heavenly realm." Long is currently at a heavenly realm thanks to Kaora''s help. He was only able to stay since he has suppressed his true level. But if compared to Elric who has access to spiritual and all elemental powers, he was still a couple of levels behind. Lesse nodded in response as she wiped the tears on her eyes. She held the necklace and white marble in her eyes, heaved a deep sigh, and looked at her brother. A warm and farewell smile followed as she waved at her brother. "I will be fine." Long is a lot taller now. Although they are both more than ten thousand years old, they have the ability to freely change their appearance. Then Long looked up, a semi-transparent golden gate was revealed in his eyes as his Dragon form fully revealed. "I know you will. Take care my sister." "You too. See you brother." Swoooosh!~ Lesse watched Long disappeared as he entered the golden gate to the Heavenly Realm where the rest of the Ancestral Dragons are waiting. It was a new world waiting for him. As for Lesse, there is one thing she must do. Her eyes landed on the gold pendant on the necklace and smiled sweetly. *** Ten years after the Shadow''s invasion. The human world and the rest of the realms have never been peaceful. The Emperor of Darkness was sealed at the white obelisk where the most powerful Light Elementals lived - keeping him in check till eternity. Dash reigned as a just and fair Elemental God. He appointed new and trustworthy Elemental Lords including Danna for the water realm and the rest of the Arkhoz Crew. As for the Dragons, the new Dragon descendants of Elric and Lesse was responsible for restoring the real power balance in the human world. There was no more division between the north, south, west an eastern Dragons. There was only one United Dragons of the Human Realm. On a certain village where Elric''s old house was located, a simple nepa hut is currently standing peacefully. Rich green vegetation covered the front and backyard as the unique sound of the province farm filled one''s ears. The whole area was once a city but now, it was reshaped and turned back into farmland. It was all thanks to Lesse who is currently cooking for an old woman - it was Elric''s grandma. "Breakfast is ready grandma," Lesse called out. Her beautiful and young appearance was like a fresh rose in the kitchen. She has been taking care of Elric''s grandma every since she has restored her ten years ago. "Coming!" Elric''s grandma came from the back door. She was carrying a basket full of fresh fruits and eggs. "Grandma that''s a lot!" Lesse, with a gentle and graceful manner, quickly took the heavy basket off grandma''s brace. "That''s nothing. If Elric was here, he could finish all those fruits in two days." Lesse could only cover her sadness with a warm smile. Ever since she regained her consciousness, she has been asking never-ending inquiries about Elric. "I missed that bastard. When I see him, I will make sure to give him a spank he will never forget. Not because he is old doesn''t mean his exempted you know." grandma grumbly said. Lesse could only smile in response as she stirred the coffee gently before passing it to grandma. It has been ten years indeed. The world has changed dramatically for good and it was all thanks to Elric''s sacrifice. By using his overwhelming Heavenly Dragon energy together with the cost of his life, he was able to restore most of the lost lives. The peaceful follow up was thanks to the Guardian''s quick actions. "Is he finally coming today?" Grandma asked with a mixture of excitement and longing in her old wrinkled eyes. "He should be," Lesse replied gracefully as she slowly sipped her tea gracefully. Knock Knock!~ They were both eating their breakfast peacefully when a soft knock came from outside. "Grandma? I am at home." It was a voice from a very familiar man. Lesse and grandma smiled excitedly to each other. Both their eyes were glowing with agitation while grandma started to shed tears uncontrollably. She picked up her slippers are prepared to punish her disobedient son. "You!" PAK!~ "Still~" PAK! "Remembered to~" PAK!~ "Come back!? You Bastard-" PAK! "I am a very sorry grandma! I will make sure to send you a letter next time!" "Does that mean you are going to leave again!?" PAK PAK PAK!~ Lesse could only laugh at the funny scene of the grandma chasing her grandson with an old slipper. The returned Heavenly Dragon, who is now back to being a normal human, is getting a filial spank from an ordinary old woman. Elric''s return was only possible by Lesse sacrificing her own Heavenly Dragon''s power. It took some time before Elric would fully recover came back but it was worth the wait. Elric went inside and saw Lesse with a teary eyes and longing eyes. They don''t need to speak a single word to express each other. After all, they loved and lived together for ten thousand years. Elric just went over to kiss Less''s forehead and whispered. "Thank you." Lesse saw grandma looking at them with a bewildered look. She could not afford but blush instantly. It might be ten thousand years but her pure heart was still trying to get used to it. "I want twenty great-grandchildren next year!" grandma actively demanded with a bright smile. Little did she knew, she has more than a million half human half Dragon great-grandchildren protecting them from the background. The new half Dragons and Half humans that descended from Elric and Lesse possess a glimpse of the power of the Heavenly Dragons. Ten years ago, the emergence of a new human race caught the world by surprise. They possess extraordinary blood that leads to the new evolution of humans and the start of the new age. They are called humans with a rare blood type. The Blood Type: Dragon!