Zachariel and Helena faced off on the platform.
Everyone was excited about their match.
Helena immediately casted several blue-flamed fireballs and sent them towards Zachariel.
Zachariel could feel the intense heat.
Whoosh! Bang!
The fireballs hit him but he defended himself with dark shield.
Even though the attack was absorbed, the blue flames trailed behind and started to burn his clothes.
Zachariel narrowed his eyes and forcefully purged the flames with more dark mana essence.
That wasn’t the end of it as Helena relentlessly attacked Zachariel.
He became serious as the threat of the flames was greater than he thought.
He sped up using windwalk but Helena was able to redirect her fireballs on time.
`It can follow me at this speed?`
Helena grinned seeing the surprised look on Zachariel’s face.
`This is what you get for underestimating me, bastard!`
Zachariel chose to disperse the fireballs farther than before. He didn’t want to be caught by the flames again.
“Is that all you got, Helena?”, he taunted.
Helena didn’t like that and became fiercer.
`Fire Whip!`
She attacked, but Zachariel deflected it.
“How can you win the skirmish event if you’re this weak.”, he commented.
Helena gritted her teeth.
“I’m… not… weak!”
She unleashed a devastating aura and simultaneously casted several fire-based spells.
A small red crystal print appeared on her hands, glowing from time to time.
“Take this! Meteoric Rain of Fire!”
Humungous blue fireballs the size of 10 meters in diameter appeared above her.
The heat was so intense that everyone started to sweat.
“F***, it’s so hot.”, Luiz complained.
Meanwhile, Victoria was surprised when Helena unleashed her power.
`Did she hide this after all the time?`
“Zachariel Strom! Just because I’m a grade 7 mana core elemental mage doesn’t mean I’m not powerful enough to take you down!”, Helena shouted.
She had been compared against her older brother and sister who had a higher grade than her.
Lena generally disliked her and so did her father. Such courtesy that Lena displayed to her was only for the public to see.
In private, she would be reprimanded for being a disgrace to the Summer Household.
Only in recent years did her relationship with her mother improve. Still, however, it wasn’t as good when compared to other child-parent relationships.
Zachariel on the other side was astonished. For some reason, he didn’t feel threatened at all.
Iria noticed that his eyes were glowing a shade of green in that instant.
`What’s this bastard up to? Why is he emitting that kind of aura right now?`
His eyes meticulously observed the spells sent to him.
Zachariel’s classmates became nervous.
Who knew if he could be injured should he directly take Helena’s spells?
A thought appeared in Zachariel’s head, subconsciously raising his left hand and pointing it at the incoming attacks.
`Darhesdava Ivarhanis.`
He grasped the air.
The fireballs suddenly paused mid-air and broke into fragments; exploding violently.
The force threw Helena far back.
Luka managed to catch her on time. Apparently, the girl passed out.
Everyone was dumbstricken by what happened just now.
They didn’t feel a single wisp of mana or qi essence being used. It was a hand and then everything happened.
`Is this… his true power?`, Iria wondered.
Maybe being his servant wasn’t that bad at all.
Zachariel suddenly coughed out blood and knelt on the ground.
He grunted and felt dizzy.
`I think that was too much.`
He didn’t know what these spells were but judging from their effects, it was world-defying.
All he knew was that these words were in his head and he could use them whenever he wished.
`Those dreams. I haven’t had them for a while. I kind of miss the vivid scenes now that I remember it.`
`And this thing, in my head. Just what are you? Why isn’t it saying or doing anything else except automatically cultivating my body and displaying some sort of alerts now and then?`
Everyone rushed towards him after seeing him cough out blood.
That wasn’t something they would expect from the likes of Zachariel.
“Zachariel, are you okay?”, Victoria knelt and looked at him.
“Yeah, I’m okay. I just feel a bit dizzy.”, Zachariel replied.
“Let me-“
Victoria tried to touch his hand but Zachariel rejected, shaking his head.
It wasn’t a good time to do it right now.
“I’ll take a rest for a while. I won’t be able to help you guys in your training today.”
“Zachariel, what are you talking about? We’re okay as long as you are fine. Don’t bother too much about not being able to help us.”, Luiz dismissed his apology.
Zachariel nodded and left the platform.
“What about her?”, Luka asked.
Zachariel thought for a moment.
“Let her lay down beside me. She will wake up in a while.”
…
Things settled down and Zachariel’s classmates resumed their training.
They would occasionally discuss what happened earlier, though what attracted their attention the most was the change in Iria.
They noticed that she was faster and stronger than before. Even Teddy couldn’t keep up with her when they sparred against one another.
`Did she cultivate while inside the Imperium Ward?`, Luka thought to himself.
Zachariel meditated on the sides and slowly recovered.
Because of his meditation, he was able to think of things that he had completely forgotten in the past few weeks.
The strange spell was too taxing for him and he wouldn’t want to do it unless it was necessary.
`I have done them before, though I passed out after overexerting myself.`
Reminesca Ivarhanis and Darhesdava Ivarhanis.
These two spells have a similar word. He wondered what that word meant.
`Also, that spell named Plunder. If I remember correctly, I was able to steal the shadow wolf’s attack and send it back to him.`
`Could I do it in another time? I wonder if I could handle the backlash when using it.`
Stealing a spell wasn’t that easy.
He knew that there must be pre-requisites before he could steal the said spell.
`Maybe because I already knew the darkness beam spell was I able to steal it from that beast.`
Zachariel opened his eyes.
`Also, about Althea.`
He had to apologize to her.
`I guess I’ll make a trip to the Elden Embassy later.`
And talking about the event yesterday, he realized that something didn’t add up.
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Victoria, can you tell me what happened yesterday after I left?”
Victoria was confused.
“What do you mean by when you left, Zachariel?”
“Oh, I’m talking about you and Scarlet and Jean stalking me when I went outside. You were there when it happened, right? Tell me what did they do to you.”
`He-he knew?`, Victoria became shy.
“Uh, well…”, she stuttered.
“Well, I…”
Zachariel calmly looked at her but she felt like Zachariel was testing her.
“Uh, someone appeared behind us and wanted to erase our memories or something…”
`As expected…`
No wonder Scarlet didn’t ask anything about yesterday.
`So hers and Jean’s memories were wiped out, huh?`
He knew that Victoria wouldn’t easily fall against that because there was a wraith guarding her.
“Thank you, Victoria.”
“Uh, yeah, you’re welcome, Zachariel…”
She wanted to ask him about a topic from before but Zachariel already resumed his meditation.
Time passed by and the group finished their training session for the day.
In the Central Continent.
The Tower.
The Higher Elders were having a meeting.
“The situation in the Great Human Imperium is worsening every day. We need to do something about it!”, Elder Malcolm shouted.
“The frequent rebellious attacks and the event that happened yesterday during my son’s birthday is such an atrocity that I cannot dare to let go! Why is the Tower not doing anything about this?
“Are you allowing those rebels to take over the Imperium while the demon beasts stalk and attack when everything is in chaos?”
He argued.
An elden Higher Elder scoffed at his arguments.
“The Tower does not interfere with the political issues in each empire, Elder Malcolm. What do you expect us to do?”, a male devil Higher Elder asked.
“Then I’ll say it again! Should the chaos continue in the Great Human Imperium, then the demon beasts will use this as an opportunity to attack! Do you want to make that happen?”, Elder Malcolm didn’t back down.
“Precisely, Elder Malcolm. The Tower was established to create a force that will tackle the threat of the three Dark Underground Factions, not to babysit an empire that is having issues of management just because their ruler is incompetent.”, the devil countered.
Elder Malcolm gritted his teeth in anger.
However, Elder Grande stepped in and stopped their debate.
“Everyone, I suggest that we should send a small force of the Knights to the Imperium in case something else does happen.”, he suggested.
“Is it that necessary, Elder Grande?”, Elder Rashomon asked.
Sending a squad of Knights would deal a huge blow to their offensive and defensive capabilities against their enemies.
After all, the members of the Knights of Solus were all Divined beings and graduates of the Supreme Pandragea Academy.
“Elder Rashomon, we should be wary of the dark underground factions. We never know when these people will attack. Moreover, Elder Malcolm’s reason isn’t wrong as well.”
“If we let the chaos rule over the Imperium, it may take us more than just a group of Knights in controlling the situation.”
The devil Higher Elder didn’t accept it.
“And what if nothing happens? What if it was just a political issue all along?”
Elder Grande shook his head.
“And what if the chaos is caused by the Dark Underground Factions, Elder Targaros?”
The Higher Elders became silent.
If that was true, no, they wouldn’t hope that that was true. But the reality was unpredictable.
“Sending a small force, regardless of whether there was something more behind these events or not, will allow us to flexibly adapt to the situation.”
“If nothing happens, we’ll take it as a waste of time.”
“However, should something big happen, then at least we could be confident that we would be able to handle the situation well.”
Elder Rashomon nodded in approval.
“Then we’ll start our poll. Who agrees to this proposal?”
13 of the 16 Higher Elders raised their hands.
4 out of 4 humans.
4 out of 7 eldens.
5 out of 5 voids.
This phenomenon shocked the humans and eldens alike.
`The voids are participating? What is going on?`, Elder Rashomon questioned.
`Is this related to that brat named Zachariel?`, Elder Grande guessed.
Elder Rashomon cleared his throat.
“Since the majority approves, we will send one squad to the Great Human Imperium. Now, which squad should we send into?”
Silence permeated.
The Higher Elders were thinking.
Elder Malcolm wanted to speak but Elder Grande was faster.
“Squad 3. What about it?”
“Oh, isn’t the captain of that squad a member of the exiled McKenzie Household, Brody McKenzie?”, Elder Rashomon was intrigued.
“Yes, Brody is a summoner mage and when talking about controlling a situation, summoners can do it best.”
“I’m not saying that the other squad’s summoners aren’t that competent, but everyone here should know how unique Brody is.”, Elder Grande reasoned.
“Moreover, he’s the only human summoner that made it to the Knights of Solus, and this squad is the only squad with the most humans. Therefore, they shouldn’t have a problem overlooking the Imperium for a while.”
Elder Rashomon nodded.
“Then we’ll let Squad 3 handle this.”
“Wait.”, a female angel interrupted.
“What is it, Elder Arvesta?”, Elder Rashomon asked.
“Is this about the involvement of Althea in the recent event?”
“Not only that. But the one who started all of this chaos, Zachariel Strom.”, Elder Arvesta added.
Elder Targaros used this as an opportunity to create discordance.
“Now that you said that brat’s name, he seems to be the center of attraction in all of these ‘incidents’ that have happened.”
“His ‘unmeasurable’ talent, Supreme Elder Azzad being interested in him, the ‘Demon Death Witch’ incident, the supreme trial incident, and now…”
“Elder Targaros, just tell us what you want to say.”, Elder Grande urged.
“I’m saying that this human brat has been causing chaos now and then. Maybe he’s purposefully doing these things because he is a member of…”
A void elder cut him off.
He had a ghost-like figure. The ethereal body was shrouded in alternating colors of black and white.
“What nonsense is this elden devil spouting. If he was a member of one of the dark underground factions, maybe the Templars had already dominated us. Maybe the Fleeting Shadow could’ve already ruled the world, or Cutthroat assassinating the leaders of each faction now and then.”
“With his unparalleled talent, that young man could change the balance of power in this world once he develops. There is no need for him to act as an undercover agent from those underground factions with that sort of talent he has.”
The majority of the Higher Elders agreed to this reasoning.
Elder Rashomon stepped up.
“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s not talk more about this topic. Squad 3 will be stationed at the Imperium Capital City indefinitely until it is reasonable for them to be displaced somewhere.”
“This meeting is adjourned.”
…
Elder Targaros punched the wooden desk in front of him.
“Those damn idiots! Hmph, they think that that brat is innocent?!”
There was another devil figure standing on the sides. He was dressed blandly, not daring to attract attention when outside.
“How is the plan doing? Is the resistance ready?”, Elder Targaros asked the devil.
“Not yet, Elder Targaros. Though we have a viable method to accelerate the plan.”
Elder Targaros raised his eyebrows.
“Thalanil has offered Zachariel Strom a chance to stay within the confines of the Great Schools in the Elden Continent. With the recent events, most of the public disdain such an offer and they would be extremely disappointed should Thalanil continue on this path.”
Elder Targaros smirked.
“Do we have a way to make this happen certainly?”
The devil nodded.
“The elders along Thalanil have reported that he was very interested in Zachariel Strom. More so when Zachariel fought against Raffila a few weeks ago.”
“Should Zachariel accept Thalanil’s offer, he would have to fight against Thessalia and prove himself.”
Elder Targaros tapped his finger on the desk, analyzing the actions he could do in this situation.
He didn’t expect that Zachariel was the way for their plan of overthrowing the current Elden administration to work.
In his perspective, Zachariel was a troublemaker.
And when trouble arrives in Elden Continent because of Thalanil offering him a place in there, the public will definitely not like it.
“Should we persuade the elders to side with Thalanil?”, Elder Targaros asked.
The devil shook his head.
Thalanil wasn’t an old fool. He would recognize what they were up to should they suddenly change sides.
“If we want to push Zachariel towards Thalanil, the Imperium is the key.”
“The Imperium?”
“Zachariel and the Royal Family has bad blood. Emperor Marcus doesn’t like him because his talents overshadowed Kane’s talent.”
“Moreover, Kane was defeated by Thessalia but Zachariel defeated Raffila. Kane’s prestige was tarnished because he was unable to defeat Thessalia. Therefore, his hate for Zachariel worsened.”
Elder Targaros comprehended something.
“So if we force the Royal Family to suppress him even more or annoy the earth out of him, he will have no choice but to transfer to the Elden Continent. Is that what you’re implying?”
The devil nodded.
“The Imperium guards are already suspecting him that he is a member of the rebellious faction in the Imperium. Also, the Imperium guards work directly under Emperor Marcus’s feet.”
“I see. I’ll leave you to it then.”
Elder Targaros waved his hand, dismissing the devil.
As for the plan of Zachariel’s match against Thessalia, Elder Targaros would let it come as usual like any other match.
There was no way they would weaken Thessalia, nor Zachariel. Thalanil would notice that and even if he didn’t do anything about it, the one that was weakened would be powerless against the other.
Moreover, the two prideful young people wouldn’t fight people weaker than them.
If Zachariel wouldn’t fight Thessalia, he wouldn’t be able to showcase his abilities and Thalanil would lose his interest in Zachariel since he wouldn’t be able to find anything worthwhile from the brat.
The same thing goes should he be weakened.
What he just didn’t understand was that why Thalanil was obsessed with a young human?
`He knows that the public would be angered by this, right?`
He started to doubt whether it was all Thalanil’s plan, that the old man no longer cared whether he was the appointed leader of the conglomerate or not.
`Maybe there’s something more about this Zachariel. We should look into it and start on the voids being active for some reason.`
