Arc | Chapter. 121: Ceremony (Part 3) (Patreon)

Chapter. 121: Ceremony (Part 3)

An eerie silence descended upon the room as a cold gust of wind blew, shifting the newfound mist across the Grand Hall. The temperature had dropped by numerous degrees to a freezing cold. The once ornate space was now filled with ice shards and at the middle there was a large cold monolith with multiple clusters and overgrowths of ice.

A testament to  what had just happened moments prior.

Everyone had seen it; the white flashes of lightning, the raining spears, and the chilly unforgiving explosion that had destroyed everything. And now all there was left were the remaining flakes of ice and the grand monument from where everything had come.

The Hero of Flames closed his eyes. For a moment he felt nothing but burning rage but it quickly burned and became nothing more than a calm as he accepted what had happened.

“So the Heroine of Frost is really but an insane fool.”

He turned to look at one of the private booths, where Arc had once been, but now only one person remained there. That woman’s companion. He could kill her. He most certainly could take revenge. But, it wasn’t as simple as he wanted it to be.

After all, the ceremony depended on the Hero of Spirits. Less than an hour remained before the results were announced. If the man were to die, everything would go down the drain. So unfortunately he had to stop Arc from killing her target.

He was the Hero of Flames, and he was also Jaye, and during the battle against Arc he hadn’t been able to use his full potential, but that would change today. He’d get his revenge from the previous battle.

He shook his head as the nobles within the room finally seemed to understand what had happened.

“The Heroine of Frost has just…”

“The host was killed…”

“I knew heroes were untrustworthy…”

There was a growing panic in the hall but no one dared to run and escape the castle, feeling as if they were hostages within the space. But the Hero of Flames didn’t pay it any mind as he turned to leave. Except, a person got in his way.

A red-haired boy that was basically a younger version of him.

Jaye immediately frowned.

[Dragon of Flames. TIer: ???]

Then, a goth woman stepped forward. One who he was familiar with.

[Dragon of Shadows. Tier: SS.]

And finally, a person in blue bandages and with a slave collar stepped in front of him.

[Dragon of Water. Tier: SS.]

He scoffed.

“So you all have come to get in my way?”

“Less get in your way and more like kill you,” Malz said, snapping her fingers. “[Shadow Teleportation].”

The environment shifted and they found themselves in a different place within the castle. An isolated area that had no souls or people nearby.

So this was their plan?

“[World of the Abyss].”

The woman’s voice echoed and at that moment the environment became a world of shadows as a gigantic lumbering dragon emerged in the distance; purple lightning thundered all around as the Hero of Flames smiled to himself with some frustration.

Pests were getting in his way of protecting the Hero of Spirits.

“Fine, then I’ll just have to kill you all!”

He screamed as flames erupted all around him.

* * * * *

The Hero of Spirits gasped for air as a notification blared in his mind.

[ Cycle of Samsara has been used. ]

[ Cycle of Samsara has entered a cooldown of: 19 Years, 364 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes… ]

[ You have leveled down. ]

…

He had died.

He looked at the cooldown and all he could do was scream as he slammed his hand down on the cold ground of the castle basement.

“Fuck!” He gritted his teeth as he slammed again, the stone shattering. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

What kind of bullshit party-trick was that? A statue that deployed an SS Tier skill? Since when were skills like that?! It was an utterly ridiculous preposition and yet it was exactly what had happened! Had he really underestimated the Heroine of Frost that much?

No. It was all bullshit, that’s what it was!

She probably had gotten lucky with some type of special one time use artifact. Those existed all around Arlas due to the corruption of the System. Perhaps she had even dared venture to the  broken world below ⁠— the woman was certainly insane enough to do that ⁠— and she had gotten her trump card.

But now it had been expended.

Still…

“I’ll make you fucking pay!” he screamed inside the room. “If you hear me, I’ll destroy you!”

Then a blue light ignited. The Hero of Spirits paused as he saw the boots of someone in front of him, he slowly raised his head to see the familiar woman. Arc, the Heroine of Frost, a blue flame at the tip of her fingers.

“Oh, I hear you.”

The Hero of Spirits blinked. “How did you find me⁠—”

And her knee hit his face. Digging through and breaking his nose as he was thrown against the ceiling of the basement at supersonic speeds. The wall shattered as he coughed blood, feeling his body rearranging as he went past it. He broke through rock and dirt; billowing onto the outside world as he rolled through the castle’s back garden.

The Hero of Spirits coughed blood, still barely comprehending what had just transpired a few moments ago. He was in danger⁠— no, he wasn’t in danger. He could always move to one of  the people he was possessing, he knew that for sure.

Still, for some reason his heart was rushing, it was palpitating in fear as if he had encountered an apex predator, it was like… it was as if he was back in training!

Ridiculous!

He got up and at that moment the Heroine of Frost appeared at his foot and kicked⁠— his chin nearly broke as he was sent rolling down the small grassy hill. He wanted to go all out, but first he wanted to make sure the ceremony concluded.

It was almost midnight, as signified by the shining moon over the lake that was next to him.

Though Iris Orow was dead…

He scoffed. So he had to figure out something.

Slowly he got up, his face bloodied as he looked at the Heroine of Frost, she was looking at him coldly holding a spear as she was about to throw it. The Hero of Spirits frowned.

“It’s useless⁠—”

And the weapon was thrown⁠. It blurred through the air before it pierced through his stomach, launching it right into the lake down below and immediately freezing its surface, pinning him on the spot.

The Hero of Spirits coughed.

“You think I won’t be able to run before you cast your SS Tier skill?! There is no way you can repeat the bullshit from before.”

“Oh, but I can,” she said coldly. “[Detonate].”

And a crystal ball at the end of the spear shaft imploded. Crystal dispersed as the sky became slightly bluer⁠— and that was everything that happened.

The Hero of Spirits laughed. “Seriously, that’s your… grand plan⁠—?!” He coughed blood. “It failed!”

“If you think so then try to move bodies, Sir Unkillable Hero.”

The Hero of Spirits frowned and tried to move his spirit only to pause.

The same thing happened last time…

At that moment the ball of contained anger within him exploded forth once more.

“How did you do this⁠—”

And he was punched across the face as the spear broke from the ground. He was sent rolling across the frozen lake, the foreign object still embedded into his abdomen as he kept on leaking and throwing up blood.

The Hero of Spirits at that moment realized he was in dire straits, immediately using a skill in order to be able to fight back.

[Spirit Avatar⁠—] At that moment an expansive list of names appeared in front of him; one he had seen tens of thousands of times and was more than familiar with. And from within, he picked the perfect choice in a split second. [— Farol, the Runic Druid].

In a single moment his body shifted ever so slightly as he was filled with new knowledge. In a single instant from his own blood he drew on the ground as he called.

“[Rune Full Heal]”

His body began to recover as quiet steps approached.

“How, you say?” the Heroine of Frost asked. “It’s simple really, I have a skill with a very long and yet poetic name. It consists of four parts, frost, stasis, eternity, and of course, prophecy.”

The Hero of Spirits blinked as an incorporeal staff appeared within his hands, he slowly stood up as his wounds began to close.

“What are you even saying?”

And another spear appeared within her hands as she slowly approached.

“All I had to do was isolate two parts of the SS Tier skill and store them in the statue and a piece of ice.”

“You can do that?!” he cried.

What kind of bullshit was she describing?

That was the equivalent of splitting [Spirit Avatar] into a [Spirit] and an [Avatar] skill. He couldn’t believe it. Still, he growled as his finger touched upon his wounds⁠— his clothes were completely torn as he began to draw complex symbols around his skin.

Each and every single one making him stronger. Vines began to grow around his body as it was gradually strengthened. The Heroine of Frost was a mage with an awful habit of getting close and personal, and he was going to punish her for it.

He grunted as he held the staff, spinning it just like Farol, the Runic Druid.

The man had been an iconic figure in the age of oblivion, being over level 180, and now he was embodying his very existence.

The Hero of Spirits smiled as he began to walk towards Arc, he took out the frozen chunk of spear and threw it away. Even if he didn’t have escape options, it didn’t mean he was a pushover.

He grinned, watching the heroine muttering useless skills under her breath. They weren’t strong enough for her to engage in melee range but she still did it, and she’d regret it.

The Hero of Spirits tensed and once she was a mere meters away all of the muscles in his body exploded with power, multiple runes shining as he jumped and slammed down his staff upon the woman.

She raised the spear shaft to block, but it would be wholly ineffective!

The staff hit and⁠— the ice around caved as she didn’t budge. His eyes widened as the staff was deflected away and she stabbed. The spear shaft immediately hit his shoulder, piercing right through and obliterating it.

The Hero of Spirits screamed in pain as he was launched, and driven right into the ground.

He held onto the cold surface of the ice spear trying to move it in any possible way he could. The runes of his body enhanced his strength more than normal, he was also embodying the spirit of a level 180 being.

“You⁠— is your strength that of a level 175 warrior?!” he screamed. “How are you so strong!”

He thrashed as Arc raised her arm.

“Dragon of Frost,” she replied simply. “[Frost Lightning].”

And a white lightning fell on him as he screamed in pain. He could feel his muscles freezing over, his body itself losing life as he realized.

He was fighting a beast.

There was no holding back. There was no nothing. All he had to do was try to kill her to the best of his ability!

* * * * *

[Frost Lightning] was certainly not enough to kill the guy.

I frowned as I raised my hand once more, ready to use [Judgment of the Ice God] but paused as I felt danger. I blinked and turned only to see a white gigantic fist⁠ colliding against my stomach. In a single moment I felt my world spin as I was thrown across the lake, spitting blood as I landed on my feet.

Then more white ghosts appeared as a pained voice shouted.

“[Spirit Remnants of the Past, Bring Terror to the Land Once More].”

[Appraisal] was used and at that moment the sight I saw gave me pause.

[Archmagus of Fire. Tier: SS.]

[Herald of the Sword. Tier: SS.]

[Closest Brawler to God. Tier: SS.]

…

There were a total of five spirits, all of them SS Tier that radiated great danger. And from the crater on the ground, the Hero of Spirits rose, his wounds healing as he grinned wildly, pointing his hand at me.

“This is retribution, now pay for your mistakes!”

I frowned as I felt the mana within the air shift as a gigantic salvo of fireballs came along with a myriad of attacks from different SS Tier fighters.