Chapter 308 - For The Greater Good
The barrier was to say the least, beautiful. The different array of semitransparent colors that mixed within the spaces that the beams of the gems occupy were pleasing in the eyes.
Jameson touched his head and fell to the side, panting as he tried to regain the energy he lost. "That took much mana than I thought."
"This is a top-tier skill," Aquarius said in awe. "How can a single person do this alone?"
"Look at that," Minos pointed at the cloaked men on the bleachers below the judges' balcony. There were about fifty people laying unconscious there, all running out of MP because of the cast.
"I think they're going too far, what could possibly go–"
He was cut off when the stadium shook vigorously. A reddish black beam was fired on one of the pillars that was erected in the gates of the city.
"They're testing their fires!" one of the Son of Heaven's followers yelled. "Fortification Team, help Madam Locraine out now!"
"Everyone, calm down," Polschk cleared his throat. "We are in here today to battle a war that was prepared for us by the ancients. This war will determine the fate of our realm, and the realms above us."
The Adventurers started whispering amongst themselves. There are many who wanted to ask questions, but no one was brave enough to do so.
Polschk started to explain all about the Twilight Bless. This version was even shorter than what he told Elliot, considering they were in a time constraint.
To say that the Adventurers were surprised was an understatement. They were all shocked about everything that had been happening. It was evident in their faces, and how they would whisper and talk amongst themselves everytime Polschk mentions something.
The consequences of them keeping this as a secret from everyone is starting to show one by one. Though it was crucial for them to hide it, the thought of some people disagreeing seemed like it never crossed their minds.
"Thus, we need your help in order to deal with this threat," Polschk continued. "We need to unlock the Twilight Bless, defend the stadium and let the volunteers absorb the power."
Polschk was assigning the teams and their tasks. He grouped the Adventurers with their guild so their synchronization and teamwork would be better.
"Irus?" Elliot called out. He waited for a few seconds but the voice wasn't answering him. He tried to call again but Irus wasn't responsive.
With a grunt, Elliot went to the balcony of their guild. The other Azure Scorch Champions along with the non-participating members were already there, talking to Frederick about their task.
As expected, they were assigned to deal with the Twilight Bless head on. Among them were the ones to volunteer to absorb the power that they'll unlock from the bless. If they were to be assigned in the gates, it would be a problem further on.
As Polschk continued his talk, a dark purple haired woman raised her hand and called out Polschk's name. She was using some kind of voice enhancer that made the sound she made echo loudly inside the stadium.
"Yes, what is it?" Polschk pointed his finger at her. "Is there something wrong, dear?"
"I just can't help but wonder," she turned her gaze to the Azure Scorch Guild members. "Why is the Azure Scorch in the middle of everything? And they already volunteered for something way before us could know about this war."
"Yeah," a boy from her guild agreed. "Do they already know about this beforehand? And why is it only them? Does it have to do with the competition? Is it why they're at the top right now when they could barely reach the final round in the previous years?"
There were smirks plastered in those guild members' faces that made Christina clench her fist. Florencia had to hold her hand, smiling at the younger girl in comfort, "Don't let them get to you."
The guild that was currently asking Polschk their question was the League of Nobles and Royals. They were Christina's previous guild whom had done nothing but bully her.
"I will kill them all," Viper gritted his teeth. "They're obviously provoking us."
Fredrick raised his hand to stop the intense staring contest between the two guilds. "This is why you need to chill your heads in baths, but you don't take much baths."
"That girl is Diane," Christina spoke. "She's one of my tormentors back in the League, and she's one of my father's toys."
"T-Toys?" Luck scrunched his face and looked at Frederick in disgust. "Where is this lord? I'll slash his head off myself. He should be taking on women his age, or much older, not little kids."
"Not like that," Christina immediately sufficed. "He plays with them like they're his children, but he doesn't touch them inappropriately. He said he was just fond of playing with children because he never had a chance to have one– a proper one."
"How can he sleep at night?" Elliot wanted to grit his teeth, but held his emotions back. Nothing ever comes good when he lets his emotions decide for him, and he needed to prove to everyone that he is capable of doing tasks that a guild master does. "But just like Frederick said, let us all calm our minds first. We have a war to prioritize."
"I don't think this is fair for us," Diane continued. "They knew about this beforehand, so they had time to prepare. What if we didn't bring our best equipment today thinking that we're just gonna have a normal day–"
"Then you're stupid," a female voice rang from the judges' balcony. Everyone snapped their heads to that direction and saw Elizabeth standing on the table. "Every single day, an Adventurer prepares for any battle that may come their way. We don't know what the future holds, therefore it is up to us to ready our arms for every war that might come."
She leaped from the balcony while a tall tree instantly grew from the ground. The tree formed a slide for the woman to use so she could come down, going through the entire half of the stadium and into where the Azure Scorch Guild was.
"Come with me," Elizabeth offered his hand for Elliot to take. The latter hesitantly took it, placing his hand on top of hers before she pulled him close. "Take a deep breath."
Elliot didn't have the chance to process her words when the tree retracted. It brought Elizabeth and Elliot back into the judges' balcony where the king, the Raven Justice, and the Holy Crow stood.
"Did you finish the task we gave you?" King Leon asked. "The seventh wing, did you get it?"
Elliot took a gulp. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want to reveal his secret just yet. He was feeling the pressure coming from the three judges, and now he was contemplating on whether he would answer them honestly or not.
"Well…" Elliot trailed off, looking everywhere apart from the four pairs of eyes in front of him. "Actually…"
–
"The preparations are almost completed," Polschk announced. "The barrier is fortified with antique and ancient magic, the guilds are in their right position, and the Twilight Wings are in place. It won't be long before Oracion Alma strikes again."
As Polschk proceeded to tally their preparations, Aquarius and Frederick were talking about why the king hid the information from them.
"Unlocking the Twilight Bless will have three stages," Frederick said. "One would be the Championship of the Greats. The keys for the wings are hidden inside a chamber with a special seal in it, a seal that can only be unlocked by giving it a certain amount of joyful mana."
"The joyful mana comes from excitement, anticipation, and laughter that a mass number of people should produce at the same time," Fredrick continued. "They needed this for the first phase of the seal. The next one would be the Arch Mage that will use their power to manually unlock the Twilight Bless inside the butterflies using the keys."
"But I thought the winning guild were the only ones who could obtain the keys?" Lance asked. "Frederick, no one has won yet."
"No," Fredrick turned to him. "Completing the competition is unnecessary. I think Polschk only told you that to confuse us. Since Oracion Alma is just arouns the corner, they cannot leak all the information just like how Miranda hid the information of the painting."
"So, you mean…" Lance's face was contorted. "They lies to us?"
"For the greater good," Polschk answered the question that made the entire guild look at him. Polschk gave them a sad smile before slowly hovering closer. "As you all have heard your guild master, we cannot leak everything to you. And besides, the information we altered weren't necessarily important in your end."
"But still–"
Polschk leaned in closer to where Lance was.. He made the prince stare at him in the eyes as he smiled and whispered, "For the greater good."