Chapter 51: Darkness Descend

*** Author's Note ***

Here comes a juicy one.

Feel free to comment what you think. I take opinions of my readers seriously and use it to improve my writing.

Anyway. Here's today's chapter!

Enjoy!

***

The intense pain overwhelming my senses finally fades. What will I find when I open my eyes? Will I still be in the Void? Trapped with that gigantic bat asshole? Or will I be back getting my ass handed to me by that four mages? Anyway, I am still fucked. Oh well. Let's get this over with. When I finally open my eyes, the familiar scenery of the camp comes into view.

"Shit. I think he's finally conscious. What now?" The tall woman asked her companions.

"Stand fast! As long as we stay our distance and continued with our tactics, he will not be able to stop us. His energy is not infinite." The short guy, Marlon, replied.

"But so is ours. I don't think we can keep this up." The short woman chimed in.

"We will continue. Our Mistress ordered for him to be captured. We will not fail again!" The tall man, Corbin declared before gathering his Mana once more.

This is bad. My Ki reserves is not in a level where I can fight them off, and the Void energy within me is also starting to wane. Not to add to the fact that I must get rid of it fast if I don't want that demon bastard snatching my spirit to the void once again. Not sure how I escape but I don't want to take any more chances. Don't want to see his ugly mug ever again.

Getting in a defensive stance, I prepare to rush towards one of them, absorb his or her energy then letting this damn seal done by the Elf run its course and seal the Void energy within me. This is bad. They are not attacking but they are also not letting their defenses down. If I try to attack now, they will surely resume their attacks and I will once again get bombarded by spells. What do I do? Oh I know! What if I don't have to get close to them? What if… I then closed my eyes and let my senses stretch out to my surroundings. There it is. There is a lot of ambient mana. No doubt this is due to a lot of magic activity in this area. There is also that Illusion Wall. The energy within that spell is enormous. Unfortunately I think it is out of my range. Ok. I will absorb the ambient mana like I did in the Void, go full power and try to take these bastards down. Here I go---

Before I could go through my plan, I felt something went through me.

I look at the direction where it came from and saw Alora, looking worse for wear and being supported by Phillip. On her hand was her bow.

"Do ye need to get yer eyes checked ye damn Elf? Out of the four baddies here and ye hit the lad! Damn it! Hang in there laddie! The cavalry's a commin!" The familiar voice of Ortho can be heard in the distance.

What did he say? I was hit? I look down and saw blood pouring out of my chest. "Ugh!" I only felt the pain after I realized that I was wounded. I focus my energy on the wound to heal it. It seem I no longer healing automatically. Must be because the Void energy within me is almost spent and now getting sealed by the Blood Seal the Elf put on me.

"A chance! Get him!" The tall woman yelled and all four of them pounced at me.

"Oh no ye don't!" "It's payback time!" The voices of Ortho and a bloodied but mostly Mark rang as they shot multiple Magic Projectiles and Flame Spells at my attackers.

The four defended against their attacks but were forced to back off. Their Mana reserves must be near empty. The party, taking advantage of this, pushed forward.

"Stop it Alora! I won't let you attack him any longer!" Said Kurt as he go between me and the Elf.

"Don't get in my way Monk! I don't know how but he almost broke my seal. This only proves my point that he is dangerous and must be killed! He will put us all in danger!" Alora yells as she points her arrow at Kurt.

Unexpectedly, Philip places his hand on hers and made her put her weapon down. "I will not let you kill him Alora. One, we need to turn him over the Guild. Two, we are behind enemy lines and are surrounded right now. This is no time to bicker. We need to fight our way out of here." He reasoned with her.

The four mages wasn't making any moves. They are all looking at each other with uneasy looks.

"What do we do now?" The short woman spoke.

"F-follow our Mistress' orders! I would rather die than fail her once more. Remember, death will be a mercy rather than face the Mistress' wrath." The words of the tall woman renewed their resolve.

The party also ready for the fight, with Alora still unsteady on her feet. I can feel her energy was greatly diminished. They must've come across a huge fight since Philip also looks like he is worse for wear.

"Get ready! We'll kick their asses and bust out of here!" Philip roared and headed the charge.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound can be heard and the ground shook. Then from the ground an old man rose up. "Such a promising fellow human." The old man spoke with his hands behind his back, looking all smug. "Unfortunately, I cannot let you do that. After all, The One is needed for our long awaited dream."

"Elder Maximillian!" The four mages exclaimed almost at the same time.

The old man doesn't even turn to face them while speaking. "The four of you are followers of my troublesome student, are you not?"

"Yes, Elder!" The four of them knelt. "Mistress Mariam ordered the capture of The One."

"As what I expect from that foolish student of mine. Always acting before thinking. You four have already lost to this group, even with her help. How in the world does she expect for you lot to capture him now?" Elder Maximillian mocks the group. "No matter. I sense my foolish student has already left the camp. If you hurry, you could catch up. The Gods know she needs all the help she could get."

"By your leave. Elder." The four said before running away.

Within a minute, the four was already out of sight. Leaving the old man alone.

"You must be the leader of this camp, I assume?" Philip stated.

"Your assumption is correct Phillip Krieg of Antolia." The Elder stated, eliciting a surprised expression from Phillip's face.

"How do you know me?" He asked the old man.

"You underestimate our influence, young lord. Nothing in the Kingdom of Krishna escapes our attention." He declared. "It pleases me to know that a son of a lord of such a small state is able to reach your level of strength. This only proves that the human race is the future of Astera. Come to our side, and together we will lead our race into greatness!"

"No thanks. I don't want to be a part of some cult." Philip answered instantly.

"Too bad. But to achieve our goals, a sacrifice of a promising individual is nothing. Prepare to perish, for the future of humanity!" With a flick of his fingers, rock spikes shoots up from the ground, targeting the adventurers around me. The 3 was able to dodge the attack easily while Mark have to hide behind Ortho's shield and started chanting a spell.

"Everyone be careful! We're fighting a Master!" Philip roared as his sword started to glow with energy.

"I will show you the pinnacle of human strength, and soon, a strength that is even greater!" He then summoned two earth elementals to fight against Kurt and Philip, at the same time a wall of earth sprung to block the range attacks from Ortho, Mark and Alora. The wall then shatters into large shards of earth and flew towards the three. Ortho's shield was staying strong, but cracks are beginning to appear while Alora dodged the shards but not as elegantly as before when he fought against Rebeccah's ninja lackey.

I just noticed that none of his attacks even land close to me. He must be actively avoid getting me hurt.

Seemingly reading my thoughts, the old man spoke. "Don't worry, The One. You will not be harmed." Then with a wry smile he continued. "I have greater plans for you."

"You will do no such thing! It is time!" Alora shouts as she fires an arrow to the sky. Her arrows continued upwards until it pierced through the Illusion that is covering the whole camp.

"I guess the stories of Elves not missing their target is over exaggerated." The elder laughed as he effortlessly block the attacks of four people while counterattacking himself.

"I didn't miss, human." She smiled.

There was confusion in the face of the Elder, but soon his face became serious as he realizes something. What that something is, I don't know. Then, as if on cue, sounds of commotion can be heard from around the camp.

"So, this is your plan all along, Elf? There are over a hundred followers in the camp. Are you sure you could survive until your fellow Elves arrive? How about I just escape with The One with me? Then all of your efforts are for naught!" The Elder declares as his energy surges as the earth around him breaks apart and rises to the air. "Die with the knowledge that the future of your race is sealed!" With a thought, blocks of earth began to rain down the sky, leaving the party with nowhere to run.

"No!" I shouted as everyone got buried except for me.

"Hahahaha! Now, come with me The One! The future of humanity awaits!" He said as he slowly walks towards me.

"Human arrogance truly knows no bounds." A voice could be heard from a distance. I gaze towards the sound of the voice and saw an elf. She looks much alike Alora, only this one exudes Mana even greater than the Elder. With a flick of her hands, the rubble arounds us was lifted by roots, revealing the unharmed figures of the party members.

"This energy. You must be the one who got my dear student up and running? I hope you're not expecting me to be as easy. I am far stronger than she could ever be." Elder Maximillian uttered as he prepares his attack.

"I did not come here to hear you brag human. I and my brethren came to rid the world of your filth. Get ready to be sent to the afterlife, where your evil will no longer harm the innocent" She then look at Alora. "And since you even have the gall to hurt my own flesh and blood, I will make sure your die a painful death." She uttered before unleashing her energy.

They stood staring at each other as the pressure of their energies clashing threatens to blow me away from just it's pressure. Then, as if a gong has been rung, their fight started.

"Die Elf!" The Elder shouts as he raise his hands and along with it was the Earth arounds us. He then swings them downwards, resulting to a rain of earth like his last attacks.

"Is this it? Childish." The elf answered as with a swing of her arm, a bunch of roots rose from the ground and formed a dome, protecting the elf from the falling debris. Then, roots shoots out from her protective dome, flying towards the Elder in high speed.

"Hyup!" The elder raised both his hands again, this time a thick wall of earth rose from the ground to block the roots.

Unfortunately for him, the wall only stopped the roots for a few seconds as it drilled through his defense. The elder then slides around the camp as if he was surfing on ground. Multiple earthen hands then sprung from the ground, wrenching open the defense of the Elf. The Elf then rise up to the night sky with the help of her roots, then she summoned wind carrying leaves and willed them towards the elder.

At first I thought, leaves? Lame. But I changed my opinion when I saw the leaves cut through solid rock. The Elder glides in the earth as he dodges every attack of the elf and countering with his own. But it is clear that he is at a disadvantage.

After getting hit by a root and sent flying, the Elder raised a wall behind him while he was in midair. Instead of getting slammed against it, it seems that he was absorbed by the wall only to reappear on the top of the wall he created.

"You think you will defeat me with that amount of strength? Think again! I still haven't shown my full power!" His energy rising once more he shouts. "Rise Earth Golem!" A golem at least as tall as a 3 story building rose from the ground. Elder Maximillian then points at the Elf. "Crush her!"

"Can't fight alone huh? I guess I could return the favor and show you my own summon." The Elf's own power rose as she landed on the ground. The roots that she is using formed a circle surrounding her. "Come to me Miluka!" The night seem to become as bright as day as the circle shone in the night. When the light fades, a large snow white cat that is as big as an adult rhino appeared. "Miluka" the giant ass tiger or something then walks towards the Elf. "Long time no see Miluka. I am sorry I haven't visited you lately. I have been busy at work." The Elf patted the head of the cat, as if they care nothing of the large golem approaching. As the Golem gets nearer by the moment, the elf has finally took notice of it. "Let's get to work Miluka. I will take you hunting later after we get rid of these trash." With a long whistle, the giant cat charged towards the golem.

The giant cat was vicious as her master as it pounced at the golem, toppling it. It didn't stop there, the cat wildly swings her claw, cutting through the golem like a hot knife to butter. Unfortunately, the golem was also a tough customer, continually regenerating as its bits and pieces fly off with the cat's wild attacks. The golem then attacks and threw a punch at the cat. The cat dodges and the golem hits the ground, literally a ground breaking attack. They continued to fight, one was clawing her enemy to shreds but unable to land the final blow while the other tanks the attack of his opponent but has the power to turn the tables if it can connect a punch.

"Hmph! Try as your kitten might. He will not defeat my Golem. It will keep regenerating until he can hit the finishing blow to your overgrown cat." The Elder declared.

"Quite the golem you got there. Self-regenerating I see. Then Miluka will not be able to defeat it unless he continually destroy the golem until he drains the one supplying the Golem with mana. Which means you." The elf smirks at the Elder.

This irks the Elder as they resumed their battle. Their spells clash with each other as Earth meets Nature. Elder Maximillian's attack will be devastating if it landed while the Elf's magic is more balanced in attack and defense.

Their battle was so intense that it is not so farfetched to say that they could end their battle with just one good hit. The Elf blocks the multitude of Earth based attacks of the Elder and counters with roots and razor sharp leaves. The Elder then blocks with Earth Wall before gliding around the battle field like a surfer on ground. Back and forth they went. Attack and defense.

"Damn it!" The Elder shouts in frustration as he suddenly sunk in the ground. Probably trying for a sneak attack.

"Hiding in the ground against me? How foolish! Allow me to show you the error of your ways!" The Elf was then covered by roots and also sunk into the ground.

Tremors could be felt as they battle underground. Cracks in the ground appears and building collapse at the intensity. Then suddenly the Elder burst forth and landed in the rubble of a fallen building. The Elf quickly followed as she burst from the ground like a blooming flower.

"It is useless human. You will not defeat me. Not in a thousand years." The Elf mocked the Elder.

Suddenly, I felt at least a dozen energy signatures coming our way.

Not even a minute later, a group of mages arrived. "Elder Maximillian! Are you ok sir?!" They asked the Elder. "The Elves have found us Elder! They are attacking in all fronts! The Seniors, Novices and even the Experts that we hired are in dire straits! You need to evacuate sir!" The mages stated.

"I will not escape with my tail between my feet! I am an Elder of the Organization! I am the future of humanity!" The Elder shouts.

"All the more need for your survival Elder. Don't worry. We will cover your escape even if we have to sacrifice our lives for your safety." One of the mages knelt in front of the Elder.

"You think I will let you escape? All of you will die here and now." With a flick of her wrist, roots burst forth from the ground and flews toward the Elder.

"All together!" All of the mages uttered a quick chant. "Barrier!" They roared as the roots' advance was impeded by an invisible force. "Now Elder Maximillian! Escape for the future of humanity!" They pleaded.

The Elder then slowly stood up, patted one of them in the back, and then reluctantly escaped by gliding in the ground at great speed.

It looks like this grand battle is about to end.

Now, to plan my escape.

***

I will not let it end like this! I was so close! The next step of humanity towards supremacy was before my eyes! If only that Elf wasn't there. I, Elder Maximillian, am ashamed to admit that I lost the battle. But I will never let them win the war. I continued to travel towards my chamber to get the one thing that could change the tide of this battle.

I finally arrived and quickly grabbed an item covered by a cloth. I slowly unravel it to reveal the content within.

A glove covered filled with Void Energy.

This is what I need.

The other Elders should forgive me if I use this to ascend by myself. After all, once I ascend and defeat the Elf, I could then capture The One and the rest of the Organization will benefit for this decision of mine.

Yes.

I will gain the power of the Void and use it for the sake of the human race.

I then stepped inside the magic circle in the middle of the chamber. I began the chant and I slowly feel the energy of the Void surround me. There it is. The feeling of power. It calls me. I can hear it!

"Do you seek power? Let me in and I will grant you the power you so desire." The voice rung inside my head.

The Void calls to me! Ultimate power is within my grasp!

My voice shakes with excitement as I force out my answer. "Yes! Come to me! Grant me the power to destroy my enemy!"

Is it my imagination? I thought I just heard the Void laugh. I then felt my body grow cold. Then everything went dark.