Chapter 44 - Golden Aura's Benefits

THE entire Rogan Family has been massacred on a massive scale, sparing no one, including women, infants, children, and the elderly.

This slaughter was led by the Holy Light, claiming to be the defender of humanity. The denial of any agreement with demons made by members of the Rogan family was disregarded entirely and rejected by the Holy Light.

They believed that if the Patriarch had betrayed humanity, the entire family would do the same. 

As a result, more than eight thousand members of the Rogan family were killed in just a few days. Jack, the Family Protector, and several thousand others, including Young Master Ron, were now fugitives and were being hunted down by the Holy Light.

It's hard to say who the demons are now, where the Holy Light was killing without scrutiny and without mercy.

"Holy Light..." muttered a tall, sturdy man with a face full of scars received the news. 

His height was around six feet and seven inches, and he wore magnificent armor with an elemental symbol of earth.

Upon closer inspection, the symbol, which was yellowish-golden and impressive, represented one of the Elemental Guardians of Solara.

The man's hands were clenched tightly, and veins bulged on his arms underneath the armor. He was suppressing his extreme anger.

He knew very well who had founded the organization called Holy Light. One of the great figures who had strayed from the original purpose of establishing the organization. 

Now, the Holy Light resembled a terrorist organization that killed anyone associated with demons without scrutiny, supposedly in the name of fighting for humanity.

"Old Man Zeref, you've strayed far. Can you still not forget that incident?" 

He didn't expect an answer but was determined to uncover the truth one day. However, at the moment, he was on a mission far too crucial to delay.

He had to find the successor of the Phoenix, who also happened to be the Fire Elemental Guardian. Time was running out, and until that day, he had not found any clues.

"Where are you, the prophesied boy? We still need to gather all the Elemental Guardians of Solara. In less than five years, demons will return."

As he left, the Cassan City, located in the Southern Region of Solara, he left behind a trail of destruction. The city was known to be Wendy's hometown, but it was now filled with corpses and blood.

The bodies of demons and humans who had made agreements with them were sprawled out and piled high.

However, the young man had only managed to take down demons at the level of Demon General and below, as the Demon Kings had managed to slip away. Despite this, he had succeeded in decreasing the dark aura of demons. He had saved the residents of the city from their grip.

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Rekar Forest

16th Aerember, Year 10840

The Rekar Forest has been teeming with life lately, resembling a lively festival. The atmosphere is filled with the constant cacophony of shouts, screams, and roars emanating from various Elemental Beasts that have made it their sanctuary.

However, the peace of this forest is being disturbed by a group of young people - three men and two women from the Elion group, who are on a hunt for the beasts that fall between Level 30 and Level 40.

After learning some of Elion's secrets, the group feels pressured to level up. It turns out that Elion is only 15 years old, while everyone else is already 20, just like Camille.

They've also discovered that Elion possesses a remarkable talent - the Elemental Might of an entire rank!

Elion formed an affinity with the elements just last month and is already on track to becoming an Elemental Knight.

"Hey, you weird snake, don't you even think about running!" Andre yelled while chasing a Mudtwist, a frightened two-headed snake, and wielding a spiked iron ball on his flail.

Despite being at Level 37, the massive beast had no other option but to flee to save its life. Ironically, the creature had initially thought it would be its lucky day to feast on human flesh, but fate had other plans. The hunter had become the hunted.

The person chasing the creature was insane! 

He was only at Level 35 but could easily overpower it. Nonetheless, he continued to pursue it mercilessly. Observing Andre's actions, Rowan could only shake his head in disbelief.

"Hahaha! Where do you think you're running!" Andre's voice once again broke the silence of the wilderness. 

He swiftly swung his flail at the Mudtwist's head, shattering one of its heads into pieces. Only one head remained. The Mudtwist, realizing it had no choice, stopped and turned towards Andre. The Mudtwist's fierce eyes and protruding tongue signaled that it was ready to attack.

But instead of surrendering, Andre readied to fight back. The beast launched an attack by swiftly lashing out with its large, thick tail attack, known as Terra Whip, a move that could destroy an enemy upon impact. 

Andre, however, showed no fear and simply smiled as he waited for the attack.

The Mudtwist was taken aback when Andre retaliated with a punch. The snake's tail and the man's hand collided. Despite being smaller in size, Andre's strength was formidable. In Solara, size didn't determine strength.

A loud thud echoed as dust and debris flew, and numerous trees were uprooted and thrown away. Andre's fist withstood the attack, but what caught everyone's attention was the snake's tail, which was also pushed back forcefully.

"Look at that, Elion! Our theory was spot on! I could never have taken that attack head-on before," Andre exclaimed proudly, admiring his newfound power and strength.

"Don't be foolish, Andre. Focus! One wrong move, and you'll be a goner," Rowan interjected, his tone ambiguous, making it hard to gauge his seriousness.

"According to our calculations, the snake weighs around a ton. Comparing that to your previous ability, where you could only throw a weight of four hundred and forty pounds a few meters, it's clear that our theory based on the golden aura is correct," Camille analyzed.

Elion smiled, satisfied with their progress in the past ten days. He had discovered and confirmed several new theories and advantages of the golden aura.

First, it is the primary foe of dark aura and elements. This was established twice - once while healing Wendy and second during their recent confrontation with Wilson. 

Secondly, it has the power to heal, owing to its association with the Legendary Elemental Beast. The Phoenix is known for its ability to be reborn and its eternal existence. They only need to establish the link between this knowledge and the healing power of the golden aura.

Thirdly, this golden aura can strengthen anyone who is healed or infused with it. It can enhance the strength of the body, starting from cells. Andre attempted to verify the theory earlier and witnessed an extraordinary transformation in his physical power. It's as if anyone injected with the golden aura benefits from the highest-quality body tempering technique.

Next, it could be used to directly transfer information into others. Similar to how Elion transferred everything he knew about the Ancient Combat Arts to his friends in Estola.

Lastly, they have discovered that the golden aura can awaken dormant powers and bloodlines or enhance the potential of any Elementalist. So far, it has provided Elemental Might of two levels. Andre and Rowan, who already had Elemental Might of one level, now have Elemental Might of three levels!

"Whoa! The potential of Elemental Might of three levels is absolutely incredible!" Andre exclaimed with enthusiasm.

Though he was considered a prodigy among his Grand Family peers, he knew he was no match for the exceptional talents of the Supreme Family geniuses.

They possessed Elemental Might of two to three levels, far surpassing his abilities. But now, with his newfound potential, Andre felt like he was one step closer to the kind of power that the Supreme Family geniuses wielded.

"Ahem. Elion can leap rank in combat," Rowan interrupted Andre's celebration.

Camille and Lisandra burst into laughter, amused by Rowan's remark. Camille couldn't help but think of Laxus, who shares many of Rowan's traits: stern and insensitive.

"Who's Elion? He's not human, so I don't need to compare myself. Right, Elion?" Andre grinned as he turned to Elion.

The Mudtwist felt irritated as he watched the group of humans in front of him, feeling mocked and belittled. It opened its mouth wide, spewing acidic fluid, a technique called Mudslide Maw.

Andre, who was not paying attention to the fight, was taken aback. There was no time for him to respond. Rowan appeared before Andre in a flash, wielding a massive sword with an engraved dragon motif.

A fiery Elemental Circle emerged in front of him. Rowan twirled his giant sword and conjured fire swirls from the Elemental Circle. 

He aimed the swirls towards the serpent's acid spray and shouted, "Flare Tempest Spin!" with all seriousness.