by Yuri Ajin
Yukie was taken aback at first, but she quickly pulled herself together and lunged at Normen, killing him again. But, the body disappeared and reappeared again. This repeated several times, making Yukie grow angrier and angrier with each failed hunt.
Nomen stood next to her, observing her tear apart his illusion while her eyes darted in different directions.
“I warned you...” he said, shrugging.
Leaving Yukie alone, he went about his business.
Two hours later, Malvur finally emerged from the catacombs. Having restored his energy and rested a bit, he headed toward the gates. On his way out, he stumbled upon a corpse that lay in a puddle of blood and rubble. She seemed to have clawed her face with her fingers and then proceeded to strangle herself. But what horrified him the most was the fact that what he was looking at wasn’t an artificial but a real body.
***
After dying, Ailenx immediately returned to the Aive Hidden Valley. Except he didn’t appear where he had died, but somewhere on the edge of the dimension.
Damn it... I better head toward the city.
On his way, he was ambushed by several small groups. Fortunately, by this point, not a single student from the fourth floor remained this far from the center of the valley so he managed to easily defeat everyone he met on his way. Even entire groups of ten or twenty students. After spending eight months in the Abode, his strength matched that of the students up to the nine hundredth place on the List, although he hadn’t yet reached this rank due to the restrictions on the number of battles per month. However, he planned to change this during the Games.
By the eleventh day of the event, he managed to cover more than seventy percent of the distance that separated him from his team that was currently at the center of the Aive Hidden Valley.
Observing the map, he spotted several clusters of dots approaching their position, which made him hurry and forget about caution. On his way to them, he stumbled upon several teams of fourth-floor students. Aware that he couldn’t defeat them on his own, he decided to flee. Unfortunately for him, his opponents caught up and surrounded him.
I knew things were going too well! he cursed, fighting off several attacks. First Mikasa, and now the highest echelon of the Fifth Faction from the fourth floor! Who did I piss off to be this unlucky?!
“Look at him go!” one of the elves exclaimed and laughed.
“It almost looks like he’s dancing!”
“Ha! Did you think you’d make it far in the Games? Loser!”
The elves laughed, watching Ailenx’s attempts to defend himself. All of them were ranked pretty high on the List, so they didn’t doubt that they could take care of one measly cultivator like Ailenx.
Damn it, I won’t be able to hold this barrier forever! I gotta do something! Ailenx thought, feeling panic grow in him.
“I’m getting bored, guys. Let’s finish him off and get the treasure.”
“Yeah, this is getting dull.”
Three elves grouped together and unleashed their strongest attacks, competing to see who’d be the one to finish off Ailenx.
However, to their surprise, he managed to withstand all of their blows. After that, all twenty-five attacked him at the same time.
Damn it! I can’t defend against that! Ailenx thought, constantly pouring ki into the barrier. At least I have enough Points to complete the Games... But I don’t want to die again... It sucks!
Having made peace with his fate, he was about to close his eyes when he changed his mind.
What am I doing, keeling down to them? If I’m to die, I’ll go down with style!
Noticing the flash of the techniques heading his way, he dispelled the barrier and, using his unique technique, put all the Forces available to him into one attack.
A giant water serpent burst out from his hands, unleashing a tsunami of freezing water at the attacking elves.
Ailenx smiled widely in anticipation but almost immediately felt his heart sink. His attack didn’t reach his opponents.
But their attacks didn’t hit him either.
Everything stopped. The kaleidoscope of colors of various elements faded, save for one — blue. Ice covered the ground, freezing the elves and their techniques in place.
A stately figure with long dark hair appeared next to Ailenx, emanating great power.
“Kai?!” he exclaimed, steam rolling off his lips.
Chapter 38
THE THIRD
The elves froze in place, unable to believe their eyes.
“Who are you?!” one of them shouted, coming to.
“Wait... Isn’t... Isn’t that the guy our faction promised not to bother? What’s his name...? Kai Arnhard...?”
“By the Heavens... You’re right! But wasn’t he a mortal?”
“Did he really reach a new stage?”
“Who cares?!” the strongest of them barked. “During the Games, the factions are disbanded. We can do as we please! Let’s see how strong this human really is. He messed with us, and I ain’t gonna let that fly!”
Releasing the bowstring, he fired a technique-imbued arrow. A bright green flash pierced the air but didn’t reach its target.
“What?!”
“Where is he?!”
“Fuck! He disappeared!”
A quiet wheeze and crunch were heard next to them, after which there was one less aura in the forest. The elves turned toward the strange sounds and saw Kai standing in the middle of their group, right next to their leader. Looking down, they saw his blood-covered hand holding a head. The face was distorted with horror and agony. The person’s eyes had almost popped out of their sockets. Blood was dripping from all orifices.
The sound of a body hitting the ground was like a signal. Startled, the elves snapped out of their stupor and began to form techniques, not even thinking about the fact that in such close proximity to each other they could easily injure one of their own.
Kai activated Field of Superiority, instantly knocking out seventeen of the remaining twenty-four elves. After the breakthrough, his will became much stronger, so this skill reached a new level of power, immediately incapacitating all those who didn’t have enough will to resist him. The rest would be only weakened by it.
The remaining elves were almost done with activating their techniques but Kai was faster.
He held out his hand, his skin sparkling with blue ice, and the elves froze. Clenching his fist, he made their bodies shatter into thousands of fragments.
Kai used the Frosty Touch Technique that he had mastered while he was a student of the Seven Blades Clan on Saha, finding it in a scroll he received from the Guardian in the Underwater Temple. He hadn’t used it since because it wasn’t very effective. As its name implied, one had to touch their target to freeze it.
However, with his transition to the Exorcist Stage, everything changed. His ki reserve had grown almost fivefold, as did its density, increasing the power of the Frosty Touch Technique to a level at which Kai could freeze techniques and even other cultivators.
But that wasn’t all. During the breakthrough, Kai contemplated Acilla’s Forces of Space through their connection and gained an understanding of how to use this element even more effectively.
With the Offset Step, Kai was now able to teleport not only himself but even his techniques. That was how he froze the elves without touching them.
“You... You’re alive!” Ailenx exclaimed, stepping back in amazement. “You’re an Exorcist?!”
Kai turned to him and nodded. Ailenx smiled.
“I began to doubt that you survived.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not so easy to get rid of me.” Kai tried to smile. “But why aren’t you with the others? Have you guys decided to split up?”
Kai saw a mini-map that appeared in the System interface as soon as he found himself in the Aive Hidden Valley. Following it, he found Ailenx. The other three points were located far north.
“Yes. An’na and Malvur went together, and I stayed with
Shacks’ clone. He insisted that this would be enough to take care of any trouble but I was unlucky enough to stumble upon Mikasa. I died instantly. Though, she appeared in the Abode later so I guess Shacks avenged me,” Ailenx filled him in.
“So they’re all together again?” Kai asked, looking at the three dots.
“Yes. It looks like they’ve reached... or nearly reached the final outpost.”
“The final what?”
“Huh? Haven’t you read the rules? They sent them to everyone... They were also posted in the Portal Hall on the first floor. You should have seen them there.”
“Seems I didn’t get the message.” Kai shrugged. “And I got here in a slightly different way. But forget that. What’s this final outpost?”
Ailenx arched an eyebrow in bewilderment and then shook his head.
“To make a long story short, there’s a way to finish the Games ahead of schedule. To do this, you need to find the final outpost, defeat its Guardian, and take the main reward,” Ailenx explained, and then added, “Guardians are fifth-floor students.”
“I see...” Kai muttered, immediately guessing who the final Guardian would be.
Feeling his surroundings with the Forces of Space, he realized that he couldn’t use Living Storage. Something in this dimension was hindering him. However, this only applied to those pocket dimensions that were brought into the Aive Hidden Valley. Rules didn’t prohibit creating new ones.
The Forces of Space intertwined, forming a large sphere around this section of the forest that cut it off from the rest of the world. A huge crater appeared there, in the center of which stood a barely visible mark of spirit perception, leading to the newly created pocket dimension.
Disconnected from the outside world, Kai’s pocket dimension was plunged into darkness. The light from the artificial sun of the Aive Hidden Valley couldn’t get here, so Kai created his own with the help of Yang. The little sun took off, illuminating the ground, the forest, and the walls of the miniature dimension that shimmered with dark purple patterns.
“Where are we?” Ailenx asked, looking around.
“Artificial pocket dimension. You can recover here for now.”
A pocket dimension? Aren’t initial-level Elementalists capable of forming such large and realistic dimensions? I have no clue how I’d get out of here. My aura isn’t detecting any weak points... Ailenx thought, amazed. But Kai hasn’t mastered the Force of Fusion yet. I can feel it. How good is his technique then?
“I’ll go find the others,” Kai said, startling him. “It’s time to put my rank to good use.”
“Wait! There’s less than a day left before the end of the Games, and we are too far from the center! You won’t be able to—” Ailenx stopped abruptly, noticing Kai’s icy gaze, and then pointed at the elves. “Then... At least take their Rings. If you don’t have enough Points, you’ll be expelled. You’re deep in the red zone because of the days you’ve missed. We could give you our Points, but I think the fourth floor’s top students have collected enough Rings to have six hundred and fifty Points. The Rings will open at the end of the Games and the Points hidden in them will be added to yours. And don’t forget the tokens. The most valuable of them will further raise your rank. They’ll take away the rest, but you’ll get Coins in return.”
“Got it, thanks,” Kai replied and used the Field to pick up the Rings scattered across the clearing. Combining them into a single one, inside of which there was a total of about five hundred, as well as placing the tokens inside it, he handed Ailenx one of the Rings. It was marked with the number two hundred and three. “You can keep this one.”
“Are you sure?”
“I don’t really need money. The rank isn’t something I need either.” Kai chuckled out of habit. “So take it. It’s yours.”
“In that case...” Ailenx hesitated at first but then pulled himself together. “I’m very grateful. And thank you for saving me... elder brother.” He slightly bowed.
Kai just nodded in response and then disappeared, returning to the real world. There, he moved the dimensional marker into his body and finally headed toward the center of the Aive Hidden Valley.
Ailenx continued to stand still, as if rooted. Kai was stronger than he was even before, but now, having become an Exorcist, he had moved to a completely different level of skill, which he had just demonstrated. Ailenx respected Kai not only for his strength, but also for his deeds, will, and determination. But today this feeling grew into something else — admiration.
A spark appeared in Ailenx’s eyes.
I want to get stronger. I have to get stronger! These people... I’m far from their level, but I want to be like them! Can I? I don’t know... It didn’t use to bother me. Before, I would’ve never thought to aim so high... But now I’m eager to test my limits. Just like him... I’m not a genius like Shacks, An’na, and Malvur. My strength isn’t enough to walk side by side with them but I wouldn’t mind following them! How high can I climb if I get a chance to learn from them? Or will I die on this journey? Maybe I will. But I’m willing to take the risk. I would’ve never thought that I’d dare to dream to reach the top of the world. At least my own. He smiled. But I mustn’t lag behind. As soon as the Games are over, I’ll train day and night.
***
Meditating at the southern gate, Mia Eswix opened her eyes and looked into the distance, listening to her intuition.
For the past eleven days, people took turns fighting her. Everyone from groups of lowly cultivators, students from the Heavenly Floor, and others came knocking on her gate. But it wasn’t for nothing that she was the third on the List of Ten Thousand, she didn’t let anyone in.
Despite all her victories, she felt anxiety, feeling that something was coming.
Something bad.
The traps she had laid out before activated. But not even their explosions put her heart at ease. Whatever was approaching her was huge, throwing aside trees and boulders, making her merge with her two Spirits and prepare for battle.
A monster? Here? No. This aura... This isn’t a beast!
A row of nearby trees was thrown to the sides, and a fist froze an inch away from Mia’s face, held in place by a thick vine that had wrapped around her assailant’s wrist. More such vines crept up his body, constricting it.
Straining his muscles, Kai began to tear the vines. After freeing himself, he headed for the closed gate. Mia, meanwhile, retreated a decent distance and prepared for battle. She was in no hurry to begin, continuing to observe the stranger.
“Who are you?” she asked since she couldn’t sense what stage he was on. On top of that, she knew the names of all those who occupied the first hundred places on the List and all the people on the Heavenly Floor. There were no humans among them.
Kai said nothing. Approaching the gate, he hit it, but all he did was scrape his knuckles. Shaking his hand, he looked up at the city walls with his energy vision and then sighed. A powerful barrier prevented anyone from breaking through or jumping over.
“You can’t go through it until you’ve defeated the Guardian!” Mia shouted. “I won’t repeat myself: who are you?”
Kai turned around and revealed his aura.
“Ah... You’re the mortal Ranmaru fought,” she recalled. She had seen the duel’s record through the scroll. “Although you’re no longer mortal...”
“Are you the Guardian of this gate?”
“Hit first, ask questions later, type of guy.” Mia grinned. “What’s the big idea?”
Kai shrugged, cracked his neck, and then disappeared.
By this time, Mia was ready for battle. She had covered her body with Living Armor based on the element of Nature and readied a couple more techniques.
Kai almost made it to her when he was showered with lightning bolts. It didn’t hurt him much, but it slowed him down enough for Mia to make her move.
The Poison Thorn Cage Technique formed around Kai. Hundreds of green stems wrapped around his body, injecting a strong
poison into it. Mia had no idea that Kai was immune to common poisons, which is why she was surprised to see him tear off the plants that covered his body. He then released a cloud of Yin particles, destroying all living matter that it came into contact with.
He broke free, dodged several Lightning techniques, and then rushed at Mia. Aware that she couldn’t win in close combat, she retreated into the forest. As a Guardian, she was forbidden to move more than twelve miles away from her post, otherwise, the gate could be opened without defeating her. However, she didn’t have to go that far. She only wanted to get to the forest.
Kai didn’t want to waste energy so he didn’t use techniques. But even so, he was now strong enough to catch up with Mia.
Mia successfully dodged a blow and used a technique that turned her gauntlets into lianas covered with Forces of Lightning. With a jerk, she broke the distance and dropped a dozen green whips on Kai.
Relying on his speed and the ability to predict other people’s movements, Kai deftly dodged the vines and rushed at Mia. He could’ve tried to grab one of the vines and yank her closer to him but he was wary of her lightning attacks, as Mia had mastered the Lightning Force of Fusion.
Kai continued to dodge when a whirlwind of leaves came crashing down on him. It didn’t seem to pose any threat, but each leaf was stronger than iron, sharper than a Gold-rank blade, faster than a bullet, and also imbued with a deadly charge of Lightning.
I underestimated her. It looks like I can’t do without energy.
He didn’t have time to dodge, which would be difficult to do with whips flashing around. He couldn’t suppress Mia with the Field as she had a strong enough will.
At the moment of the collision, a powerful explosion occurred. Sensing Kai’s aura, Mia attacked the same place again but her opponent suddenly appeared directly in front of her. Using movement techniques, Kai remained unharmed, with nothing but a few cracks on his ice armor.
Mia managed to form a defense technique. A wooden shield covered with patterns of lightning appeared in front of her, blocking Kai’s fist.
Mia expected that he’d be able to make a crack on the shield at best, but she couldn’t even imagine that her strongest defense technique would fall apart.
