Chapter 49 - Rakus

Elion found himself deep in meditation in a forest near the Ancient City of Lumera. For once, he was on his own, without anyone else around.

Camille had some business related to the incident when she revealed her family seal on floor 3,333 at the Information Tower. Her family had consequently sent a representative to meet her, even though Camille seemed reluctant.

Meanwhile, Rowan and Andre traveled to a nearby town to deliver Wilson's demon sword to one of the Atkins family members. Rowan needed the proper equipment and knowledge to examine the sword correctly.

On the other hand, Lisandra was occupied with resolving some issues related to her father's heirlooms at the royal building in the ancient city.

Elion, however, was feeling restless and bored. There was nothing else to do, so he ventured to the nearest forest area for training. Being new to his powers, he knew he couldn't afford to be too comfortable.

Especially since he had received the latest information about the Elemental Nexus, Phoenix, and the golden aura, which required him to train even harder.

The Elemental Nexus is responsible for training and shaping the Elemental Guardians of Solara. They were granted powers, knowledge, and secrets from the upper-level planets known to the Nexus, which caused their powers to rapidly skyrocket and become stronger than other Elementalists in Solara.

The descendants of Elemental Guardians inherited some of this knowledge and secrets, but only powers couldn't be passed down. Nonetheless, this was enough to make them Supreme and Ancient Families.

The Nexus played a massive role in the emergence of Elemental Guardians and the safety of Solara. That's perhaps why he appeared during the demon attack ten thousand years ago and gave the power of Phoenix to Solandar.

If Nexus could subdue Phoenix and give its power to someone else, Elion could hardly imagine how strong Nexus was back then. Elion also discovered that this Universe had countless planets, each with its own level.

However, researchers in Solara were still determining how many levels existed because they were unaware. So far, they only knew of Level One, Two and Three Planets.

Researchers obtained all this information by reading the memories of captured enemies using tools, whether from other Level One Planets or high-ranking demons from Netheron.

All the information, including advanced technology, elemental knowledge, and more, was 'stolen' by Solara. Some of this information was recorded and stored in the Information Tower, while specific families kept some secret.

Additionally, there were several galaxies in the Universe, and the planet with the highest and strongest level became the leader in each galaxy. 

A fascinating rule in the Universe exists that aims to safeguard weaker planets. For instance, individuals from any level of a planet can visit a Level One Planet.

However, suppose the level difference between the two planets is more than one level, in that case, the person visiting cannot interfere directly in the affairs of the lower-level planet.

This is why, even though demons from Netheron came from a Level Two Planet, they could still attack Solara. But, they will be limited to the highest elemental level present.

Even though the demons from Netheron were Demon Emperors, they could only use powers at the level of Demon Kings in Solara.

 Nexus could not intervene directly because he had surpassed that level, and he might no longer be considered an individual of Solara.

The source of the Universe's incredible power remains a mystery, and nobody knows who controls it. Without this control, weak planets like Solara would not have a chance to survive.

Elion wondered about the levels of the existing planets and how far the Elemental Nexus had reached. He also considered the possibility of meeting him.

Elion knew that the previous Elemental Guardians had met with the Elemental Nexus. As the heir of the Fire Elemental Guardian, he, too, had the potential to meet with it. If that happened, it would be more straightforward for him to unravel the mysteries surrounding his powers.

Elion was lost in thought, "I don't think Elemental Nexus would make my job easier." 

He couldn't help but chuckle at the idea that the Nexus might be similar to Solandar, enjoying puzzles and wanting him to solve everything himself.

Suddenly, a warmth on the back of his right hand interrupted his thoughts. Elion remained calm and tried to assess the situation as best he could. A flame-like glow appeared before him, slowly forming into a Phoenix seal. 

"Phoenix?" he muttered in surprise.

Before he could examine it more closely, a fiery circle and a golden portal appeared. Without any warning, Elion was sucked into the portal.

With a loud "whizz," Elion was thrown out of the portal and onto the ground. 

"Ouch!" he cried out as his body rolled onto the floor. 

Luckily, Elion had already mastered the body tempering techniques in the Phoenix Sutra and Ancient Combat Arts, bringing his physical abilities on par with those at Level 40 Elemental General. 

However, his elemental level stubbornly persisted at Level 20 Elemental Soldier. He could fight on equal ground against Level 30 Elemental Knight with his Elemental Might. 

Despite using many beast cores to obtain Elemental Essence, absorbing them all didn't increase his elemental level. It was virtually impossible if the problem lay with Elemental Mastery because he had already achieved perfect mastery.

That was why he thought maybe he needed to do something. Perhaps the pressure to become strong as quickly as possible was the cause of this issue.

"Where am I?" Elion asked himself.

He looked around and realized he was in a reasonably large corridor. The walls on both sides emitted a somewhat suffocating aura. Elion understood what this meant. He could only move through the dark corridor, which presented a pitch-black view.

"I'm sure this isn't the Spirit World this time. I was sucked into a portal. But... is this the latest test as the successor to the Phoenix?" Elion pondered internally. 

Reflecting on the events, the circle and portal from earlier were golden in color. Indeed, this is closely related to the golden aura and the Phoenix's power within him. That's why he concluded that it was related to his status as the successor of the Phoenix.

"Kekeke."

Elion heard an eerie laughter coming from the dark corridor ahead. He couldn't tell who or what was making the sound. Suddenly, a voice said, "Oh, there's a human. It's been a while since I've tasted human flesh." 

Elion was taken aback by the voice's words and used his elemental sense to detect the aura of the voice's owner. Though initially worried, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that the voice belonged to a Level 25 Elemental Knight.

However, he remained vigilant and ready for combat, as he knew better than to underestimate his opponent. 

"Who are you?" Elion asked, taking a defensive stance. He knew he couldn't afford to take any risks regarding his safety.

Elion heard footsteps approaching. Judging by the strength of the sound, he could tell that the creature was quite large. Surprisingly, the corridor became less dark, and Elion could see the creature's body and face even though he hadn't left the corridor yet.

Elion felt nervous as this was his first time facing this creature. The creature had a human-like face but dark and scaly skin. Its body was robust with muscular muscles, and it had large horns in the middle of its head, slightly different from the usual depiction of demons.

Undoubtedly, the creature in front of Elion was a true demon! 

The demon began to laugh in an eerie voice and sound, which made Elion even more nervous. Elion was taken aback by the demon's sarcastic tone when he asked, "I? Demon? Have you forgotten us?"

The demon introduced himself proudly, "I am Rakus, one of the Twelve Demon Commanders of the Demon Emperor Azroth."

Elion was surprised to hear this. He knew that the Twelve Demon Commanders of the Demon Emperor could not arrive in Solara so early. Besides, a Demon Commander's strength could not be limited to Level 25.

Rakus sensed Elion's disbelief and asked, "Are you looking down on me, boy?" 

He continued with a hint of bitterness, "If it weren't for that Nexus bastard, I wouldn't be like this. My power is being sealed and imprisoned in this place!"

Elion seemed to grasp their purpose in imprisonment in Elemental Nexus as soon as Rakus mentioned it. However, Rakus continued to speak before Elion could draw any conclusions.

"Give yourself up immediately. Let me regain my strength and leave this place," Rakus chuckled.

"Surrender to a cursed creature like you?" Elion replied sarcastically.

"Oh? It seems humans are starting to forget themselves and forget the power of demons," Rakus said, visibly angry.

What else can be expected from demons?

They were proud creatures that always acted according to their desires.

Suddenly, Rakus lunged towards Elion without any warning. His right hand grew larger than usual, and the claws on his hand became larger and sharper. It was also empowered by a suffocating dark aura.