Chapter 138 - A Step Closer
Elliot could only grimace at the man who had glimmer in his eyes after mentioning Midnight. Lance said they tried to tell him a lot of times but Galaxia would always shut them down.
"Oh, how I miss my Midnight," Galaxia said. "She's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."
"He's messed up," Elliot sighed. "One of the most powerful Adventurer in the kingdom is messed up. Just perfect."
"He's like that sometimes," Lance said. "Among the Top 10 Adventurers, he has the highest magic effect but has the lowest intelligence."
Elliot turned to the man who was one sidedly defeating all the Forest Folks. He kept firing his multi-colored attacks at the people, not giving them one moment to fight back.
Among the Adventurers, the top ones are the Guardians. They have the highest honor in the kingdom, even asigning a domain for them as though they were lords.
The rankings of Adventurers determine who the next Guardian would be. The Top 1 would replace the available domain, if a Guardian were to leave, die, or retire.
Currently, the Top 1 Adventurer was from the strongest guild of Avancia. He reigns over every other Adventurers but his guild members couldn't even reach the Top 10 ranks.
Galaxia holds the second spot, with his intense offensive magic that could penetrate any shield. Most analyst say that if he were to be a little smarter, he could take the first spot away.
Elliot awoke from admiring the man's powers when he felt his body suddenly being pulled to the side, a line of green bombs exploded in the spot he previously stood not long after. He looked down and saw a black and white rope wrapped around his waist, pulling him away from the attack.
"Focus Elliot!" Lance yelled. "We'll settle Galaxia's issues later. For now, we have this woman to take care of."
"R-Right," Elliot said and turned to Madam Hoot and Fernando. He raised his sword and pointed it at the man.
"You take Fernando, I'll take Madam Hoot," Lance ordered, Elliot worrying about the decision.
It was still a puzzle to him how Lance could act normally, facing the woman who practically raised him after his mother passed away. He should be hurt, trembling in confusion and anger. But instead, he remained composed and firm.
That was when Elliot realized that Lance is an Adventurer. One that sets his feelings aside to reach his aim, to reach his ultimate goal.
"I still need to learn a lot," Elliot said to himself and rushed to where Fernando was.
The man did not move, neither did try to protect himself. He just stood there, staring at the void.
When Elliot's sword was about to reach him, a transparent green sphere covered the man. When the sphere blocked the attack, just when the sword reached it surface, it sent a powerful shock that made Elliot back away.
Fernando turned to him and smiled. "I am the Protector of the Forest. I can protect anything with my magic."
Elliot tried to attack again, slashing his swords in as many different directions as he could, but they were all in vain. His multiple swift attacks could not even dent the barrier, let alone crack or break it.
Fernando also had dark green vines protecting him whenever Elliot got too close. The vines were like snakes that he orders to attack a specific person.
"Why is this so unfair?" Elliot groaned. He was about to swap opponents with Lance when he realized something.
It his current strength could not break the barrier, then his strength wasn't enough. He had to give it more damage so it would crack, just like any weapon. The more erroded it was, the easier for it to break.
Elliot wanted to try if his theory was right. He backed away and took an ample amount of mana from himself and relayed it through the red streaks of light trailing throughout his body. He was slowly being filled with his mana and magic that he felt his entire existence getting lighter as air.
"Supreme Malevolence!" Elliot blasted himself and struck the barrier, avoiding the vines that tried to maul him.
'Supreme Malevolence 2'
His second theory about his skill was true. He thought that Supreme Malevolence would not only work on beast bodies but also the spells that they casted.
He struck his sword again, his Supreme Malevolence leveling up at the same rate. Smirking, Elliot continuously slammed his sword against the barrier, each slash increased his strength and speed by a huge difference. He also cut the vines that also helped level up his skill.
"You know you cannot break that barrier, human," Fernando said. "It's a barrier made of carefully weaved forest magic in the air, fortified by another layer of magic. All your efforts will only go in vain unfortunately."
'Supreme Malevolence Skill Level Up'
'Supreme Malevolence 51'
The notification etched a smirk on Elliot's face, grazing his sword against the barrier that he still couldn't break, he kept leveling his skill up.
'Supreme Malevolence Maximum'
Elliot struck his sword and created a crack on the glass-like barrier. Fernando gasped, seeing the crack in his powerful shield. He made his hands lit with a dark green flame, pointing his palms at Elliot, indicating that he would attack.
"Enough! You can never break the Forest's Shield. You will–"
"Hasty Aspire!"
Elliot backed away and spun, gaining momentum as he slammed his sword against the shield, breaking it as if it was a fragile glass.
Fernando's eyes widened, seeing his most prized forcefield shatter right before his very eyes. He couldn't believe such a person was capable of doing such feat. A shield that protected the Forest's inhabitants for generations, broken with a hundred and one strike.
Then, Fernando saw his past vividly. How the previous king was able to inflitrate the Forest, how he couldn't protect his home from the attack.
There were two men and a woman. One man was a mystery and the other wielded the four Primordial Elements, and the woman was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. They were close like siblings, more than inseparable.
They offered him a deal that very same day. They said that they came from a different realm and they needed to finish a quest.
They took Fernando with them to a cave somewhere quite far. The reward for the quest was a gem that Fernando had desired to woo a woman in the Forest, the daughter of the ruler of the Forest.
When he agreed and went with them, he had to disable his shield. His barrier that served as the forest's protection for years vanished as he went with the three people.
He finished the quest and just as promised, he was rewarded. A Dark Ruby gem desired by the woman of his heart. He went home and saw the forest ablaze, the smell of war, hopelessness and blood wafted the air and replaced the fresh gentle breeze of the breaths of the trees.
He saw the trail of Forest Folks exiting their home in panic. Fernando followed suit and after everything, he sought for his woman.
But he never saw her again.
The gem he got for her was left unnoticed, unappreciated. For the Georgina he once fell for, the gentle and kind maiden who sat under her father's rule over their home, had become someone who could only think of revenge and death.
"It was my fault," Fernando whispered, the words he could never say for all those years. "I left the Forest for a gem. The one thin thing that held everyone from outside that was assigned for me was gone. That was why they could enter."
Elliot stood in front of the man, his sword was in his hand. As Fernando stared at the skies in his grand soliloquy, Elliot swiftly struck the blunt side of his sword against Fernando's chest, blowing the man away.
A small red rock fell from Fernando's pocket to which Elliot picked up. He stared at the gem and saw an engraved letter and symbol there, one that gave chills all over his body somehow.
' + M'
There was another letter before the plus sign but it was covered with scratches, like it was intentionally removed. Under the engraving were two different letters with the same symbol in the middle.
'F + G'
The second one stood for Fernando and Georgina but the first one was weirdly familiar. It bothered Elliot deeply.
"White Fortress!"
A wall of white magic erected in front of him. A series of explosion from seed bombs followed suit, waking Elliot from his thoughts.
"What were you doing?" Lance groaned as he walked towards Elliot. "If you keep being distracted, might as well leave me here."
"These letters seem familiar," Elliot said, showing Lance the gem. "The first one that was poorly erased. Somehow, I feel like I know them."
"Elliot, wake up," Lance said. "It's no use thinking of other things for now. You may have defeated Fernando but look."
Lance pointed at the two in front of them. Madam Hoot was healing Fernando, four large yellow flowers showered their gentle beams at the man, restoring his health.
"Let's defeat them first," Lance said.
Elliot nodded and was about to place the gem in his pocket when a notification popped up.
'Valuable detected.'
<< Ruby of the Fallen Love >>
// If a person gives this gem to someone, that person will never end up with them. The initials of the previous lovers broken up by the gem is engraved in its surface.
'View previous owners?'
Elliot reluctantly pressed "Yes", gasping after seeing the names in his Console.
2. Fernando
1. < Record Deleted >
Then, the voice rang inside his mind like a bell.
'You are one step closer from the truth.'