Chapter 20
Third Person POV
Itachi gazed indifferently as Serena struggled to move.
Looking up, it could be seen the meteor was mere moments away from obliterating the surrounding area for miles.
He then turned around, disappearing in a red flash.
---
Itachi reappeared several miles away, standing atop the summit of a mountain gazing downwards, as a loud and powerful explosion devastated the land.
The dust and debris spread outwards for miles, quickly alerting many mages of the Alvarez Empire.
He stared at the orange glow of the explosion, feeling a slight breeze whistle past his face.
Almost as if predestined by fate, Itachi turned around, unsurprised to see him.
A dark-haired young man draped in a black toga that stood several feet away.
---
The two stood, staring at each other, both with a detached gaze.
It was only after several minutes before one of them said anything. It was the man in the toga.
"You must have gone through a lot, haven't you?"
Itachi then looked back at the crater he had just caused that spanned for miles.
"What makes you say that?"
There was a pause for a moment before the young man in toga said,
"Great strength comes at a great cost."
His voice was cold, but it seemed to hold years of emotions.
Itachi gazed up at the sky that was dying itself orange with a light sigh.
"The worst part about being strong is that no one asks if you're ok."
He then turned back to face the man in the toga.
"...Zeref. How are you?"
Zeref smiled, almost impressed at the idealogy and observation of the young man.
"Itachi Uchiha. Although my time in Ishgar was brief, I have heard many tales of you."
"A mage with such unique eyes that see through anything and everything. It seems the rumors were true."
Itachi smiled in return, before walking up to Zeref.
Zeref curiously looked at the young mage that slowly walked up to him.
'It seems he is not fully aware of my magic.' thought Zeref.
Before Zeref could step back not wanting to harm the mage, Itachi calmly said,
"Rumors you hear about me are as true as the ones I hear about you."
Zeref stared on, growing further impressed as Itachi walked by him with a mere arm's length distance between them.
He turned and gazed at Itachi's back that seemed to fade out.
And suddenly, his figure flickered before a caw of a crow could be heard.
The cloak began to morph into crows, alongside the rest of the body.
Zeref couldn't help but smile as he looked on.
"It seems my time is nearing."
---
Itachi POV
I flew closer to the center of the crater where the meteor landed and dispersed and I noticed 8 shiny colorful lacrimas buried covered in dust and ashes.
In a few moments, I reformed from my transformation of crows and walked towards the lacrimas.
However, I stopped as I sensed multiple powerful magic energies head closer and closer to my location.
Moments later, the large magic powers landed at my location, creating a destructive shockwave that lifted the surrounding debris inside the crater.
3 of the 12 (now 11) Spriggans.
Neinhart, Jacob Lessio, and Wall Eehto.
Wall Eehto is a jovial human-looking Machias, who created mechanized weaponry to exploit his enemies' weaknesses and shortcomings. He is the leader of the Wall Squad; his title within the Alvarez Empire was "Judge".
Neinhart, an effeminate man adorned in ornamental armor. He relishes being able to gaze into his opposition's hearts to seed out their historias, manipulating it against their will.
Jacob Lessio, A tall, middle-aged man of patronizing nature, regarded as a master at the art of assassination and a genius user of Stealth and Transport. He holds the title of "Assassin" referring to his mastery of magical assassination.
The three looked at the remains of their former comrade in surprise and then looked back at me.
"You did this? To Serena?" asked Neinhart in disbelief.
I looked down at the 8 lacrimas, bent over to pick one up and fiddled with it on one hand.
"Oh, you mean this?" I said as I turned the pale green lacrima around, reflecting sunlight across their faces.
Neinhart glared at me and then closed his eyes.
[System Alert: Magic Used to Spy on Host's Heart]
[Host Protected.]
I calmly smiled as I saw him struggle. What he saw when looked inside my past was merely a blank fog.
He then opened up his eyes, looking at me in confusion.
"I can't see his past...?"
"Seriously?" said Wall Eehto as he began to amp up his magic, preparing an attack.
However, I knew better.
Jacob was nowhere to be seen.
Well, that's from a regular point of view.
He was behind me, ready to throw a fist, directly piercing my chest.
Just as his fist was about to land, my right eye began to change into a black pinwheel.
His fist almost seemed to have gone through the air as it seamlessly went through me appearing in the front of my chest.
He immediately took his fist back as he noticed something was wrong and jumped several meters backward.
I turned around to look at him, saying,
"You're agile and your presence is lacking. You truly deserve the title of Assassin... but..."
I paused, activating my Flying Raijin Jutsu as I vanished in a red flash.
Appearing directly in front of him, he tried counterattacking but it was too sudden.
I palmed his center, sending him flying a dozen meters. A large trail of dust was made as he rolled in the crater, coughing out blood as he lay unconscious.
"...Your reaction time is far too slow."
I then turned to look at Neinhart and Wall before telling to the system,
'Buy Second Origin and Third Origin Release, remove the side effects for the Third Origin.'
---
Neinhart POV
No way?! Just like that? Jacob is done?
Well, alright. He's fast so what!
He can't get past my magic!
"Wind Barrier!"
A whirlwind was immediately produced, surrounding Wall and I.
There's no way he can get passed this
I turned to Wall, yelling over the wind,
"Use it now!" he nodded immediately spreading out his hands.
The air surrounding us was suddenly filled with dozens of magic missiles that circulated with the wind. We were going to launch both at once.
Wall suddenly dropped his hands, staring forward dumbfounded.
I turned back to the man in the cloak and I couldn't help but gape in shock as I saw it.
It was a giant, orange warrior covered in thick armor. Its bright orange eyes stared down at me. And in front of it was a shield, almost as large as the body.
"Just what the hell is this...?"
No, that thing isn't the problem...
Not even close. It was his magic.
His magic power...
It was off the charts.