Impact and a Beating Sound

Despite the amazing things that the elves associated him with words like 'genius' or 'prodigy, Takehiko had not been cocky because of newfound powers coming into this new world. A lesson that most of the isekai stories do portray. He actually felt stifled when hear those words because he himself knows the pressure of those praises as he had seen in his previous life. He would like to avoid it as much as possible. Though after a few years in Valereth, his gut feeling was correct. Despite some sort of cheat as his memories were intact when he arrived here, he instinctively knew that there were people that were bound to be better than him. One of these people is in front of him who is wriggling inside the colorful cocoon. He felt his instincts are scolding him that what is about to come out is dangerous and to put his guard up with all his magic or just run away. Even a ten-year-old elf is no match to someone regarded as the greatest warrior of Valereth. Takehiko shuddered on that very thought.

As if the air grew thinner, Takehiko suddenly felt heaviness in the area like an overwhelming tidal wave crashing on their bodies and clashing with their mana. He is not confident in facing that kind of power. He glanced at the three other elves. They looked pale and scared. They could also feel the strange air surrounding them, suffocating them. He looked at the light dome and then thought, what if the <Barrier of Light> and the vines that covered them just now were not there in the first place? Will they even be able to breathe?

"It is not…" Ryuji answered. He felt something inside reacted. Was this nervousness? If he calculated his arsenal of spells and skills, he knows he can survive but he is not sure if everyone can survive. To calm himself down, he decided to speak openly, this would acknowledge the reality that they are facing but at the same time he might be able to think of some way of letting everyone live. "Fuji, Raiji, don't you feel it too? This is not the first time you saw one right."

"Y-Yes master!" Raiji replied despite the air surrounding them becoming denser by the minute. This feeling was the same feeling when they first saw the almighty jackal god, Yubis. That overwhelming presence is not different from what they feel right now.

"Divine power…" Ryuji muttered. He felt his heart pounding as the cocoon started to give the golden light again.

Takehiko was astonished when he heard those words. He might not understand it but somehow it does make sense. A power higher than magic or any mana could produce would be fitting on what they are facing right now. "D-d-divine… power?" He stuttered.

"That's what the golden light is." Ryuji replied. It was unmistakable. He felt his hair rise from the thought. Because it is divine power, this would mean that they may be against another god. Better yet that he would ask Hades and Yubis later about this. That's if he and everyone survives.

Takehiko started chanting his spell again and the greenery responded. Vines grass slowly enveloped the light dome acting two barriers. The whitish light dome made by the slime called Pyun-Pyun and the accumulating thick plants compose of vines, roots, and grass. It weaved themselves forming a barrier like a cage. They left a small opening because they still needed to see what was going on but that would instantly shut.

Ryuji was contemplating using <entomb> at this point but there are several disadvantages that he can see. He would not know if that earth spell would be able to hold the divine power alone. His heart continued to pound, and it had become louder and stronger as the golden light accumulated more on the cocoon. 'I am getting more nervous by the minute.' Ryuji thought. He compared this scene to a countdown event which made one anticipate at the same time nervous.

The cocoon started to break out as the threads snapped accompanied by ripping sound. A brighter golden light shined at the area which was brighter than the daylight. The scene looked like someone suddenly flashed the brightest headlight in the middle of the night.

"Watch out!" Takehiko shouted. In a split second he felt something was hurled towards them and quickly closed the opening that they were peeking through earlier. Enveloping everyone inside. It was not dark due to the <Barrier of light> illuminating inside the area.

Something hit the barrier. It shuddered then a sudden blinding light permeated the area inside the dome. It was then followed by a loud and deafening noise accompanied by a noise that resembled shattering glass. Everyone was thrown back from where they were standing.

Serthiel and Riven quickly looked at the surrounding area and attempted to assess any damage. They both felt their insides were jumbled forcefully. The plants started to wither, and the light dome shattered in an explosive matter like glass. If it wasn't for the barriers, they might probably be blown out of their existence. This thought made the two elves tremble.

Ryuji, who was knocked off because of the impact, quickly attempted to compose himself by trying to stand up. He had a hard time doing so as his limbs trembled as if he had no control over it. Everything was hazy and as if moving very slow. His heart kept pounding which brought him back eventually to his senses. It was similar to the people in movies who got caught near the explosion where the senses dulled. He was thrown by the impact on the way back and hit the other side of the dome. He was further than anyone else. He looked at the prince who was also thrown quite a distance from where he had been standing from. Ryuji saw Prince Elan attempting to stand up but most likely disoriented like him because he saw how his legs wobbled and gave way which caused the latter to fall back to the ground. The bodies of Alistair and elven warriors are fine. There were lots of grasses and vines that were starting to wither around with each unconscious body.

"Sir Pyun-Pyun!" Fuji cried. The wolf looked very concerned despite the fact that he and his brother were thrown like rag dolls due to the explosion.

Ryuji could hear both Raiji and Fuji scurrying down to the ground. It did not register at first, but he noticed some puddle of goo on the ground. His eyes widened but before he could run over to where the puddle was, he heard another cry.

"Sir Takei!" the elves called out quickly. They were blown away by the impact and it seemed both Serthiel and Riven were able to recover their senses a lot quicker than Ryuji. However, they froze in an instant with a horrified look. They were looking at a familiar scene where a sword pierced another person. Everyone looked up to the owner of the sword and saw a radiating golden smile as if there were sparkles in the area. He looked like an angel but his smile had a stark contrast with the steel that he was holding.

"N-No way…" Prince Elan muttered. He was trembling in fear.

They all saw a beautiful young man, with a rich golden hair as if it glitters every time it swayed. He had the face of Galvalen but his ears and elven features are missing. Nonetheless, he looked like a perfect painting that breathed into life.

"My, my… You measly offering." The man with the golden hair squatted and examined the body of the ten-year-old elven child. "Your power does not affect me, child of Tartarus. It's better to give your blood. You should be honored and become a great nourishment for me." He chuckled.

Ryuji saw a scene that he would never want to see. He saw Takehiko being impaled with a sword struggling and helpless. His mouth is coughing blood. His heart beats loudly. He wanted to shout. He wanted to run. He wanted to tear someone. Who dared to do this? He could see the smiling man with the golden hair. His lips were moving and was saying something, but he could not hear it. That man smiled again as if mocking everyone. He felt his heartbeat louder as the seconds passed by, faster than the other. Now it sounded more like a taiko drum being hit relentlessly as it gets louder and louder.

"Huh?" The man with the golden hair stopped. He heard a booming sound.

[Boom…]

It was a faint noise. He instinctively raised his head. He was still smiling when he looked up. It was satisfying to see a lot of nutrients lying around unconscious and even those mutts were frantic over some puddle. He felt joy and grinned when he saw the puddle. He felt danger earlier from the puddle and that black cleaver from that hideous creature.