Free Web NovelChapter 78: Ancient Formation
The six of them said nothing for a long moment.
None of them needed to. The presence still forcing itself through the fracture above was eloquent enough on its own, and every second spent on words was a second that thing used to root itself further into this world.
It was the woman of flames who spoke first.
"There is no need for me to tell you what must be done. For better or worse, it is our only option." Her voice was calm but solemn, a solemnity that every one of them felt.
They were the six most powerful beings of the human kingdoms, the pillars that had kept their race alive from the moment the Age of Gods had come to its end. In terms of raw strength they didn’t come close to the beings of that era, but for the current age they were more than sufficient. That said, if there was one thing none of them could ever hope to face alone, it was the threat of the Hollow.
Unlike the Age of Gods, in the current era the Hollow threat had been small, almost nonexistent, and had remained so for centuries. Yet recently there had been several appearances, with the current one being the most severe by far.
The six kingdoms were not allies. On the contrary, they were in constant conflict, small or large, but if there was one thing every one of them was more than willing to collaborate on, it was the threat from the abyss, the Hollow. That was what had brought the other five rulers here, and it was also why they had gotten to work immediately rather than debating how much aid to offer and what to expect in return.
Their elemental manifestations were solidifying, and soon their true forms began to emerge. They were no longer living avatars of their elements, but themselves, in flesh and bone, standing there in person. One of the many advantages of being a Paragon.
Hearing her words, none of them said anything. They simply nodded. Every one of them had already been thinking the same thing, and given the situation there wasn’t much else their minds could settle on.
"Who volunteers?" asked the young-faced man who had arrived on the bolt of lightning, his voice young in sound but fooling no one present.
"I will. I am the strongest among us, and my affinity with the other elements is the best." said the short-haired woman who had emerged from the flames.
She was one of the most powerful Paragons of the human race, if not the strongest. Still far from matching the existence currently forcing its way through the fracture above, but formidable nonetheless.
No one said a word. Everyone knew she was genuinely the best choice.
"That formation has not been used in centuries," said the King of Solren. "None of us has ever activated it in a real engagement."
"I know."
"The synchronization required between six Concept Cores is—"
"I know," she said again, and this time her tone closed the subject entirely. ƒrēewebnovel.com
The King of Solren looked at her for a moment. Then he exhaled slowly through his nose and said nothing more. She was right. They all knew it. The formation in question had been designed precisely for situations like this one, created during the Age of Gods.
It had never been used in earnest. Not by this generation, not by the previous one. But the principles behind it were written into the most restricted archives of every kingdom, passed down not as history but as instruction.
Just in case.
They wasted no more time on discussion. The six of them immediately took their positions, forming five points in the shape of a pentagon with the woman at the center. At once, each of the six drew a drop of essence from within themselves and infused it with the energy of their Concept Core.
And the formation ignited.
It was not light in any conventional sense. It was six different energies finding one another across the space between six bodies, threading together with a tension that was almost audible, a resonance that built slowly and then all at once as the connections locked into place. Earth, flame, wood, water, lightning, wind, six concepts converging on a single point, each one contributing something that alone would have been formidable, and together becoming something else entirely.
The woman at the center received it all.
For a moment her expression tightened, the strain visible in the set of her jaw, the stillness of her hands. Then something settled behind her eyes, and the energy that had poured into her stopped resisting and became hers.
She raised her gaze toward the fracture.
A flame suddenly bloomed in her right hand.
At first glance it resembled ordinary fire, yet countless colors flowed beneath its surface, shifting endlessly like something struggling to settle into a single form. The air around it twisted under the pressure it radiated, unstable and impossibly dense.
It was no longer mere flame.
***
The rubble was everywhere. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
Thick slabs of stone, shattered roots as wide as tree trunks, compressed earth that had once formed the walls and floor of a space that no longer existed in any recognizable form. The collapse had been total, and what remained was a darkness so complete it had a texture to it, the kind that presses against the eyes and makes them work for nothing.
Evan was alive.
He had confirmed that within the first few seconds, running a quick internal check the way he had learned to do every time a situation deteriorated fast. No broken bones. A deep cut along his left forearm where a slab had caught him on the way down, already clotting. A bruised rib, maybe two, that made breathing at full depth something he was choosing not to do for the moment. His mana pathways were still intact. His body was functional.
He was also completely, thoroughly buried.
’haa... I’m really starting to hate this city,’ he thought, unable to ignore how the situation had grown worse with every passing second since his arrival.
So much for exploring the world. His very first destination had brought him to this, buried under what might have been half a mountain of rubble. What would the next one bring, a guaranteed death?
He didn’t want to think about it. Not right now, not when he had no idea how much earth was sitting above him and getting out was the only thing that mattered.
That thing was still in his hand.
He hadn’t dropped it during the collapse, hadn’t even registered that he was still holding it until the dust had settled and he’d finished his damage assessment. It was still beating. Slow, wet, steady, completely indifferent to everything that had just happened, as if the destruction of the laboratory and the collapse of an ancient stump above it were simply not relevant to whatever it was doing.
He stared at it in the dark.
’Just what the hell is this thing?’
He hadn’t expected an answer. He certainly hadn’t expected one in the very next second, but the heart that had been beating steadily until that moment began to vibrate, and soon its entire surface was covered in an intense light.
Evan barely had time to register what was happening before the light surged without warning and exploded outward, washing over everything.
