Free Web NovelChapter 12: Chapter 012: Come At Me.
*Elyria
*Elven Continent
*The Elven Palace of Rigarden
Her emerald eyes flew wide open, and a flick of her fingers was all it took.
In the blink of an eye, the long eared beauty vanished from her chamber, her form dissipating into glowing fragments of light—only to reappear, without warning, in the heart of the grand throne room.
The moment she stepped onto the green marble floor, a hush fell across the chamber. The ancient elders, seated in their crescent of crystal thrones, straightened at once, their aged eyes filled with wariness and disbelief.
She ignored the looks and stares, getting down one knee in genuflection.
"She came out again?" one of them muttered under his breath.
"What kind of disaster is about to befall us this time?" whispered another, sighing and tightening his grip on his staff.
There was tension in the air—thick, suffocating.
The name of the Phantom Witch hadn’t been uttered in over three centuries, and yet here she was, standing tall and unannounced before the highest council of the Elven Realm, Elyria!
"I think it’s been almost three hundred years since the Phantom Witch of Heaven was seen," a voice said, barely louder than a breath. "What’s going to happen this time?"
"Please, elders. Let’s all calm down," came the steady voice of a figure who sat on one of the two grand thrones, with golden hair and glowing emerald eyes
But although he forced a smile, the tremor in his tone betrayed him. Beside him, his queen’s delicate hands fidgeted in her lap, her smile no more reassuring than his.
Their unease did not go unnoticed by the Witch or the elders.
"Phantom Witch Liya..." the king stood slowly. "It is an honor to see you again. Please, do stand. You don’t need to kneel before us."
Liya’s lips curved into a faint smile as she inclined her head in acknowledgment. "Thank you, Your Majesty. The pleasure is all mine."
Her gaze swept across the room, locking briefly with each elder’s eyes. Her voice turned sharp, clear. "Your Majesty. Queen Khiva. Elders. I won’t waste time with courtesies. I’ll be blunt."
The murmuring died instantly.
"I sensed a disturbance earliee today. Something... someone... has awakened. And I assure you, if we don’t act now, the consequences might just shake this world to its very roots."
Her emerald eyes glinted, with the calm fury of someone who had seen the worst before—and knew it was about to return.
" We need to begin preparing and planning if Elyria is to survive,"she said. "Because this isn’t like anything we’ve faced before." She paused, letting her message sink in. She was never one to dabble in long meaningless talks after all.
" If you will excuse me, Your Majesty." She excused herself a moment later and then vanished.
"Our survival?"
*Babel
*Human Realm
’Judging from their auras... hmm. Twenty Master ranks, eighteen Grandmaster ranks, and very strong steeds. Who are these guys? Not demons. Humans! And I can make use of this body’s memory. I forgot about that. No wonder I knew strange things. Very helpful even in death, aren’t we Adrian?’
He opened his eyes, the gold in his pupils glowing. Getting off the mountain of demon corpses, he strolled toward the approaching group.
"Hey! Stop in the name of the Emperor!" someone shouted. "A survivor!" The voice seemed to call out to the others behind him.
Mikael turned to see around, two probably Grandmaster ranks, forty Master ranks and thirteen Adept ranks behind him.
’Seems my detection abilities are below average. I didn’t even notice their all presence till they spoke. And they seem very formidable.’
"And what might you want, children of me- Gentlemen?"
"You are an indigene, right?"
"None of your business," he replied, continuing to walk away. He had no single intention of mingling with mortals, unless in situations where couldn’t avoid it.
He could take care of the Gramdmaster ranks at his level but these guys had the advantage of numbers. And Mikael was no fool.
’At most I’d kill half of them before they take me down. Best to proceed with caution.’
"He’s ignoring us, that bastard!" One of the knights shot towards him.
"Brat, let this elder teach you a little lesson about respect!"
’Bloodlust!’
The soldier froze in absolute terror as the white haired young man turned calmly to look him in the eye.
"What kind of bloodlust is this!? Just how many people have this beast killed to get this much oozing just from his stare and without magic?"
The boy’s eyes were gleaming gold, with sigils in them? Almost like being in front of an apex predator.
The knight fell to his knees, to the surprise of the his comrades.
The knight was a Peak Master Rank swordmaster, regarded highly in the Second Battalion. And yet here he was trembling before a teenager!
The young man calmly turned and continued on his way, taking away the pressure on the knight.
"Another monstrous talent like the General!" The leading official noted. "Capture an image of him, and send word to Captain Behemoth. We just might be recruiting some genius soon."
"Yes sir."
"Sheesh, thank goodness I didn’t have to fight those guys. I’m inclined to believe I am so hungry right now, I’d have fainted. Cursed mortal body...", Mikael muttered in relief as he walked away from certain humiliation and possible death.
The only other way he could kill them all was if he tapped into his celestial essence reserves.
But that was reserved only for truly special and impossible occasions. Not to mention the backlash.
"Thank you, bloodlust!"
---
"Captain Behemoth reporting to General Erica. All demons have been eliminated, and it seems it was done long before our arrival. Few survivors remain... and there seems to be a peculiar young man. We suspect him to be the one who did away with the demons, ma’am."
"Thank you, Behemoth."
Erica stood up from her seat, walking outside the temporary camp set up by the gates. "This young man—do we know his name?"
"Hey you, stop there! This is a military encampment!"
The soldiers stationed at the camp entrance drew their swords.
Erica’s and Behemoth’s attention shifted to a rather good-looking lad, probably no more than eighteen.
His hair, white as untouched snow reflecting the moonlight, framed a face that felt like a paradox with very delicate yet commanding features, almost too perfect to be real. Almost feminine and yet undeniably male.
A pale, somewhat porcelain skin, and a slender, athletic build. It was fair to say he was pleasant to look at. Too good to be real.
He looked like the heir of one of the great Noble Houses, lost in a city unknown to him
"Speak of the devil," Behemoth smiled. His men had indeed said the boy was good looking, more than usual, yet they underscored him.
’This lad was a beauty that could rival many women and ladies of nobility and he was tattered. Imagine him fully washed and dressed up. He could throw kingdoms into confusions!’
Erica broke up her train of thoughts before she called out, "Let him in!"
"Yes, ma’am!"
The young man smiled lazily as he sauntered toward the duo, as though he had no fear of them. Behemoth released his aura a little, to intimidate him but the strange young man continued walking forward without a care in the world.
"Something’s odd," Behemoth whispered. "He doesn’t seem to have a mana core, yet my aura doesn’t affect him in the slightest..."
Every Awakened had a mana core, where they store the mana needed to use spells or enhance their bodies and increase the proficiency of their fighting styles.
These cores increased in capacity the higher you advance, and in capabilities too!
A Novice Rank,the lowest rank, had a white core and were just a bit stronger than the average unawakened.
An Adept Rank had a blue core with now enough mana to cast low level spells and for the warriors, able to coat some part of their bodies in mana, while the Master Ranks had yellow cores and were the peak of the lower tiers of awakeners.
However at the Grandmaster, the core takes on a different outlook. It bounds with one soul and affinity completely and grew exponentially.
Above that was the peak of humanity,the Sage Ranks, one man armies in their own rights.
The Quasi God and Half Deity Ranks were as rare in history as they come. Humanity has only had about four of them throughout its history.
Those without cores are regarded as unawakened—and sometimes treated as trash. As such, they always cower before the Awakened.
The young man reached where they stood.
" Which one of you is in charge?"
Erica and Behemoth nearly spat out blood at his brazenness.
The Second Battalion, second most powerful of the Imperial Army, led by a Sage Rank Swordmaster... being questioned? By this coreless young man?
For a very brief moment, Behemoth considered mutilating him.
"This is the General, Erica. I’m the Captain. State your business,lad."
Rubbing his forehead, the lad smiled in mock disdain.
" I asked who’s in charge, not for introductions, old man."
’Brat!’ Behemoth reached his patience limit.
"You’re to blame for courting death," he growled, releasing all his aura in a burst, hoping to scare him into submission.
But the youth continued rubbing his ear, visibly irritated.
’ Strange’, Erica thought. ’How can an unawakened not feel the aura of a man at the pinnacle of Grandmaster rank?
"Hey, old man. You wanna fight? Switch off the mosquito-like aura. It’s annoying." The boy glared at the captain, his smile from earlier vanishing.
" I don’t mind, so come at me. I’d be more than glad to show an older citizen like you a few moves."
