423 Phoenix Bloodline, and Battle
The evidence was clear, and Arthur believed Beatrice was telling the truth about everything! How did he end up on Earth, then? That was something Arthur needed to figure out on his own.
“Does your help require a price or something?” Arthur asked.
She had offered her help, but seeing how mages and other creatures always took advantage in a world like that, Arthur wanted to ensure he would not end up selling his soul or something worse.
“It does, yes. You will have to see me as your sister BECAUSE I AM, and if you can, help us return to our universe, as I believe it is where you and I can discover more about ourselves.”
pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m “Only this? I accept your terms.”
“Good, good.”
“But before you do anything, what kind of power does our family use? Are we special in a way?”
“Fire, that is our element! Not a normal fire, though, and we have a legendary bloodline, which kept us in the top ranks back in my universe. The Phoenix Bloodline!”
“P-Phoenix?”
“Correct. A bird that can conjure the hottest flames in all universes, and it can be reborn from the ashes! An immortal creature. And yes, before you ask, even with the Phoenix Blood, which gives me incredible healing capabilities, I still almost died of disease and had to keep myself inside this ring to survive. I am afraid that was not a simple disease, and someone was behind it. I will grant you some of my powers now, boosting you to rank five. It will last long enough for you to kill this man and close the portal before it is too late.”
Beatrice did not want to talk about the disease that attacked her body, which was understandable considering she almost died or died if you think about it. Not being able to leave that ring was the same thing as dying.
Arthur did not ask her further questions and waited for her to use her powers to increase his strength to rank five! He did not know how he would feel, as even his main body was just at rank four, but it would surely be unforgettable.
Time around them seemed to have returned to normal, and Claridge, who was in front of him wielding a spectral sword, dashed toward Arthur, trying to end his life with one clean cut.
But, before he could get close to Arthur, flames appeared all around him, and a bird scream echoed in the demon continent!
“What is this?” Claridge yelled, flying back to avoid the flames circling around Arthur like coiling snakes.
The flames and the bird’s scream were not the only things, but the aura around Arthur exploded like something Claridge had never seen before!
He was at the peak of rank four and was confident in winning against all the other rank-four mages in that world — there was not a single one at the peak, which gave him confidence.
But Arthur? Claridge could not see the level of the youth in front of him, which was terrifying.
“What did you do? I saw your level before, rank three. This is impossible, haha. It is only an illusion trick. Nice try, brat.”
Claridge came to the conclusion that whatever Arthur was doing was just a trick and that he did not have the power he seemed to have, so, tossing the fear to the back of his mind, Claridge dashed once again toward Arthur, dodging the flame serpents along the way, trying to find an opening to slash him with his spectral sword.
He did find one, and the spectral blade slashed Arthur’s left arm, cutting it out! That gave Claridge hope to win the fight and more belief that Arthur was only doing an illusion, but then, a punch came right into his face, and he went flying with a broken nose.
“This power… it… it feels amazing! I feel like I can do anything,” thought Arthur.
Claridge hit him only because he was still lost, trying to readjust his body to the sudden increase in power. There was a massive difference between ranks three, four, and five. Rank five was a whole new world.
As for the arm Arthur had lost? Well, it was not a big deal. It flew back to where it belonged, and the wound healed in seconds. That was the power of the Phoenix Blood!
“Sis, I should have the Phoenix Blood too, yet I never felt a difference, and my fire spells are ordinary, and honestly, I am not that good with fire.”
“Yes, this is strange. Your bloodline is locked for some reason, and we need to find out how to unlock it, if possible. Now, concentrate! Remember that the battle against this man is nothing, and your true goal is to close the rift in the skies before it is too late.”
She dragged him back to reality. Sure, the fight was easy, and that is why Arthur was not worried, but the fight was only the start of things.
There was a massive rift in the sky that he had to close, and Arthur had no idea how to do it.
“H-How? Your arm, it…”
Claridge had his hand on his nose, which was broken, and bleeding a lot, but he was still watching Arthur’s every move, and he saw that arm flying back to where it belonged, healing in seconds!
Rank four mages could do that, but it would take a long time to heal, at least one month, but Arthur recovered in seconds! It was not normal, and Claridge thought for a moment about something, but it was so crazy he did not believe it.
“He can’t possibly be at rank five, right? No, I am overthinking this. There are no rank five mages on this planet, only in the higher realms,” thought Claridge.
“Any final words?” Arthur said as he adjusted his stance.
“Final words? Why are you so confident in winning? You must know I am the strongest rank-four mage in this continent!”
Arthur vanished. Claridge blinked, and then Arthur was no longer there. Then, he blinked again, and Arthur was right in front of him, and not far away, like two seconds ago.
“Fast!”
A crimson-red spear pierced Claridge’s belly, and blood came from the wound. Arthur took his hand away from the spear, letting it on Claridge’s stomach, and then using both of his arms, he grabbed Claridge’s two arms and ripped it out!
“Aggggrrr!”
Claridge screamed in pain, and his face distorted because of it, yet something inside Arthur made him rejoice in that situation. Not that Arthur was a bad person, no, he helped those who were important to him or were not harming him, but anyone else? If someone was on his way, he would do anything to stop that person, and nothing would make him feel bad about it.
“I will repeat it, any last words?”
“I-I fucking hate you, bastard! Even if you win against me, there is no way to close the rift! I cannot close it myself! Only someone mighty can do it, and even if you are powerful, there is no way you are a rank-five mage, so we will meet in the afterlife soon!”
“Is that so?”
Arthur smiled and then used his palm to cut Claridge in half, grabbing his spear before it fell on the ground.