The First Enemy [VI]
"You have a nice aspect, mind telling me what it is?"
"Astr-"
「 ■■■■■ prevented your speech. 」
「 ■■■■■ has nullified the effects of Speech Influence Lvl. 2 」
"Can you stop with the speech influence?"
"Fine, since it doesn't work there's no point in using it. Right."
"Ri-"
「 ■■■■■ prevented your speech. 」
「 ■■■■■ has nullified the effects of Speech Influence Lvl. 2 」
. . .
"Last time."
I kept my mouth shut this time, proving his pledge.
「 Cosmic Sight has malfunctioned due to a conflict with ■■■■■. 」
「 Cosmic Sight duration decreased to: 2 minutes. 」
「 A mysterious force frantically apologises. 」
. . .
How kind.
I reactivated Armillary Sphere and started to weave the stars into rings while continuing to dodge with the sliver of Cosmic Sight remaining. The Tamer's Aether Whip grazed my skin a couple of times because of Cosmic Sight's decayed duration.
「 Cosmic Sight has deactivated. 」
As the whip raced towards me, I let go of the Armillary Sphere and the rings shot out. The instant layer of aether they created around me absorbed the impact of the whip and shook in response. Lexinus started to look frustrated as he continued to attack the Armillary Sphere.
Looking behind him, I saw Khai still fighting the woman - further away than the last time I checked. How was she still able to keep up... and laugh!? I decided to check her information.
「 Stellar Form, Aspect Insight, has activated. 」
「 Aspect Insight is gathering advanced data. 」
﹁
Name || Yun Ryung
Level || 13
Stats || [OPEN]
Stellar Aspect || Arachne's Blessed Child Lvl. 1 [MORE]
Stellar Abilities || Character Customisation Lvl. 20 (In-Use), Phobia Suppression Lvl. 5, Movement Prediction Lvl. 6, Full Punch Lvl. 3
Equipment || Hidden Gauntlets Lvl. 6
﹂
Oh god, let's see her stats...
﹁
Physical Strength || 25 + (0)
Stamina || 15 + (0)
Mental Prowess || 3 + (4)
Durability || 15 + (10)
Stellar Affinity || 5 + (5)
﹂
As if aware of the fact I read her stats, Yun Ryung laughed like a maniac and activated Full Punch. Aether swirled around her fist and slightly revealed the Hidden Gauntlets.
"KHAI!"
I tried to get his attention to warn him but he was too far and her fist was too close.
CRASH
.
.
.
The waves of compressed air broke through the cement that made up the street and forced Khai to slam into the building behind him. I stared in disbelief, was he dead? It took a second for the shockwave to reach us and I saw the dust slide over the Armillary Sphere.
「 A mysterious force is saddened by the development. 」
「 A mysterious force asks for your consent to intervene. 」
Muffled sounds of the notifications were disregarded by my brain. There was no way Khai could've survived that.
My brain spiralled into its own void this time. I fell onto my knees and my head bowed by itself.
「 Armillary Sphere is starting to weaken. 」
「 Astral Wanderer is begging for you to get back up. 」
「 ■■■■■ is unable to activate its defenses, your conscience is still stable. 」
「 A mysterious force is in panic. 」
Was this the end of our journey?
A magnificent combustion of light had shot out and pierced through the shroud of darkness in my mind. Rays of all colours - red, yellow, orange, pink, blue, green - spread out across the entire street. Their illumination chased away the shadows created by our bodies and the buildings while the brightness blinded our eyes.
Once my sight returned, I saw Khai standing up in the street. His body was enveloped in golden strings of aether that formed into ichor. They absorbed into his body and brought his aura into view. Its grandeur dug into my core and forced me out of whatever mental pit I succumbed to.
The ferocious killing intent became fully displayed as he didn't hesitate to get back into the fight. His body moved cleanly through the air like silk flowing in an autumn breeze. Yun Ryung struggled to keep up and her body weakened with every successful hit Khai landed. I stared in a combination of horror and amazement; Khai turned into a beast but that beast was on my side.
「 Stellar Form, Aspect Insight, has activated. 」
﹁
Divine Warrior of Heavens and Deities (COMPREHENSIVE)
The right hand of the almighty entities whose sole duty was to serve the light and fend off the dark.
----
. . .
Stellar Form 3 || A Subtle Flow of an Ichor River (Divine Flow)
Let your limbs move smoothly, increasing your stamina and agility. Your movements and coordination will become more precise as a result of this form. Any weapons you wield will feel as light as a feather to you and any ammunition you use will be able to penetrate through cement and thick iron.
Stellar Form 4 || The Keeper of Heaven's Gate (Heaven's Gate) - 1st use
Upon sustaining fatal or near-fatal damage, reconstruct your entire body with a pool of ichor as long as you have 10 keys to Heaven's gates. A burst of light will emerge once your body is fully reconstructed in order to blind your enemies, however, this effect isn't able to counter any vision-altering items, forms, or abilities. For the next 10 minutes after coming back from (near-)death, your stats will be multiplied tenfold. After use, you will undergo extreme fatigue for a minimum of 1 hour. Be aware: reconstruction time depends on how damaged your body is and this form can be prevented by the destruction of your heart.
Keys to Heaven's Gates: 0/10
You gain one key every time you save a soul from damnation.
[MORE]
﹂
Reading the two new forms, I missed how Khai's sword pierced through Yun Ryung's stomach. The appearance she had activated glitched away revealing her pin-straight black hair that effortlessly flowed down to her waist and her circular face with undefined features.
Blood gushed out of the wound as Khai pulled his blade out and her body collapsed onto the floor. Her lifeless eyes were drained of their colour while her feeble body slowly turned into aether. Khai loomed over her, forcing his shadow into covering her disappearing body from the burning sun.
"May you rest."
He brought his sword into the sky and sliced it down, halving her already disgruntled body and causing it to speed up its process of aether decay.
While Lexinus was left thunderstruck, I took down Armillary Sphere and ran towards Khai. It took a moment for him to come to his senses but he soon caught up with me. As his whip was about to smack into my back, Khai dashed behind me and sliced the string of aether with his blade. The combination of three forms - Ichor Infusion, Heaven's Gate, and Divine Flow - seemed to make him unbeatable.
With no combative abilities, Khai overpowered the defenseless beast tamer and forced him down onto his knees. The previous feeling of amazement faded away like Yun Ryung's body and all that was left was horror. The promise, or threat, Khai made when we first met would surely become a reality at this point if I ever became useless.
"Surrender and I might just spare your life."
"I surre-"
The Hell-Bone Sword, coated with sharpening ichor, cleanly cut through Lexinus' neck. His head rolled off to the left side and onto the dusty road, bouncing a couple of times before landing perfectly on one of his ears.
「 You have completed: secondary game 'An Unfair 2v2.' 」
「 200 gold has been awarded. 」
「 Gold Balance || 200 」
「 150 EXP has been awarded. 」
「 Level 2 [150/300 EXP] 」
Ervants body rose back up from the ground and his face was surrendered to a large grin. Although not a human, he sure had human-like features... apart from the razor-sharp pearly white teeth.
"Congratulations you two, I knew you'd win. A lot of spectators have congratulated you and some tokens of support are being processed."
It was hard to think positively at the moment, even if we were rewarded. Witnessing Khai kill the two people made me realise just how dangerous this actually can be. If not for him, and if not for his aspect, I'd be dead right now; instead, these two people died. Even if they were blatantly cruel and evil, they were still humans who fought to protect their own lives just like Khai and me.
"Thanks, is that all? Are you leaving now?"
Khai's grumpiness made an appearance alongside the oncoming fatigue as a result of Heaven's Gate.
"Someone's mad! I'm sorry for my prior rudeness, you guys have proved yourself to be worthy of my time."
What he most likely meant is that we are getting a lot of support from spectators and that benefits him. If complaints about us go to him, then so do compliments.
"And?"
"Well, and I hope you guys don't die too soon. Also, Khai, I signed you up for the Stellar Shopping Array. Still not sure of how you got it though Wyatt..."
"I swear, I do not know either."
The grief of Lexinus' and Yun Ryung's death subsided and I could bring myself to speak.
"I hope you figure it out soon before the equilibrium is messed up. I have to go now, good luck!"
Khai collapsed as Ervant melted into the unknown liquid and I stared at his unconscious body.
"You've got to be kidding me. Again? Where am I meant to take you now..."
「 European participants, it is time to announce the upcoming primary game for each country. 」