CHAPTER 184: THE CURSE OF AETHER

A myriad of attacks flooded Arlo from every direction. There were arrows, darts, bats and some other flying creatures, chains, swords, spears, needles and many more. The attacks seemed endless...However, they all shared one similarity.

They were made from dark essence!

Arlo felt the light quickly disappear from around him, only to be replaced by thick and eerie darkness.

A storm of attacks released from hundreds of figures were just that overwhelming.

But...

Despite the storm of attacks that surrounded him as if to wipe him out of existence, Arlo kept his calm. It was at times like this when he showed how different he was from others in his age.

He had expected something like this might happen from the beginning, hence he had taken a few contingencies. It wasn't for no reason that he was able to lead his team in several occasions to defeat those who were overwhelmingly stronger than them.

He knew that the only person with reliable strength he could depend on within the hall was Stefan. Arlo could teleport away within his shadow territory which had been deployed since the very moment he attacked Jude, but he couldn't do that as almost the entire building was full of attacks.

Since he had intended to simply appear behind Jude, he had only deployed his shadow domain to the limit of the building, hence why he couldn't teleport outside the building despite his territory being able to cover a region of almost one kilometer. He needed a few breaths to fully unleash his domain and a few more to teleport.

And...he didn't have those few breaths.

Yet he wasn't afraid.

Why?

Because while he would soon be devoured by the flood of attacks in but a split second, there was one person in the hall that could move fast within that time period. Terrifyingly fast at that!

And that person wasn't him...no, it wasn't even Stefan who was overwhelmed by the sudden burst of his people and was left stumped on how to react. Instead, it was his best friend.

Joe!

Arlo had secretly asked Joe immediately when he killed Jude, using his spiritual energy. Ever since merging with Seraphina, Arlo's gain wasn't limited to just his Ki cultivation. No, his spiritual energy energy had been enhanced and purified several degrees, to the point of being able to compare with a race who specialize in spiritual cultivation like the vampires. And if it wasn't for him not yet awakening his mana core, he didn't doubt that he would have been enjoyed more benefits. Who knows? The gains might have been even more pronounced.

As a few thoughts flashed within his mind, and the myriad of attacks were about to engulf him, Arlo caught sight of a ray of light tearing a path through the encroaching darkness, and before his mind could even register what that light what, he felt the space around him shift, before founding himself outside the auditorium, with a panting Joe beside him.

It seemed it hadn't been easy for someone even as terrifyingly fast as him to escape and cut a path through those devastating attacks.

Just when Arlo was about to ask his friend how he was doing, a sudden silence suddenly engulf the area, before...

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

A deep explosion resounded from within the building, the shockwaves generated from the explosion blowing the auditorium into pieces of darknites. Several dark lights quickly flashed out of the building before they were submerged under the collapsing structure. It wasn't like they could die from something like that either.

The words died down Arlo's throat when he found himself surrounded by the previous mob, the only difference being that they were now in the open. There were several figures on the ground like him, while several more opted to climb to the top of the buildings lining the Street.

In essence, he still wasn't out of danger.

"Stop!" Just when some of the younger figures, the kids were about to attack, Arianne's voice suddenly rang across the area.

The second year and third year students who were about to act suddenly succumbed to the bloodline suppression. Even a great majority of the fourth years experienced the same, while the older and more experienced Elders and Counts were able to resist it. Arianne's bloodline was far purer than theirs and hence could exert a degree of suppression even to figures like them, but in the end, she wasn't the one that changed them. That privilege was only wielded by one person, Scarlett. It would take her only but a thought to destroy erase the vampires from existence, of course that is if she wants so. This was why her authority was unmatched.

"Get that brat! That beast boy seems tired and shouldn't be able to pull the trick he used before. I will handle Stefan." Toon suddenly said to one of the few fourth years beside him who was able to resist Arianne's command.

Right now, it seemed the Counts and Elders were not willing to interfere with the matter...atleast directly, as they continued to watch from the top of the buildings. The gaze of a particular middle-aged man appeared heated as he looked at Arlo with undisguised hatred. Only the impression of his bloodline was keeping him from riping Arlo into pieces.

"You, I said stop!" Arianne felt her anger boil when Toon and another boy suddenly dashed at Arlo.

Stefan quickly intercepted Toon, but he could do nothing about the other boy who charged past him and towards Arlo.

Two wills collided, causing the skies to shake and the ground to rumble. Not willing to put the lives of the younger students in danger, Stefan and Toon took their battles to the sky. As Orange core mages, they all could fly. However, that wasn't the most terrifying thing that separated them from warriors.

Arlo eyes trembled when he saw two fields filled of palpitating darkness and that each stretched for over thrity kilometers collide in the sky.

The entire sky of the northern area of the academy was blotted by thick darkness.

From within the two fields came myriads of attacks made from pure darkness. Many weapons made from pure darkness collided against each other, releasing a cacophony of clanging sounds, as if made from actual metal. It almost seemed like a march of two armies crashing against each other.

In the time it took Arlo to watch the attack of the mages in the true stages of cultivation, the other fourth year student was also intercepted by Arianne, stopping him momentarily. In less than five breaths, the boy was able to charge past Arianne, easily avoiding her attacks and not harming her in any way. Even though the boy was but a fist-level Red-core mage, the gap in strength between them was even greater than one between a peak grandmaster mage and a mundane human.

Arlo quickly brought his focus to the enemy before him.

'Should I teleport away?' He could see from the side of his eye that Joe was yet to regain himself. He would need several more breaths.

'No, I can't. I can't abandon my friends.' While the more calculative part of him told him that his friends wouldn't be in any danger and he should escape, Arlo felt like he would lose a part of him-something that made him, him.

Besides he didn't believe the vampires would kill him after Scarlett's command, Jude's kin was the proof of that. But he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't make him feel a world of pain either.

'What can I do?' Only about two breaths remained before the enemy would arrive before him. But even within this short timeframe, many thoughts went through Arlo's mind.

Even though he now had a lot of techniques in his arsenals, Arlo felt like he wouldn't be able to contend with the approaching enemy. The gap between their cultivation was almost unsurmountable.

But the emphasis lied on almost.

Arlo was a six star warrior comparable to a peak level advanced mage, meaning a gap of three great realms surrounded them. Not to mention the gap between the grandmaster and red core stage was countless times wider.

'But...'

He had something within his arsenal that just might pose a danger to such a dangerous opponent. Something he was yet to use....no it was more apt to say that it was something he had feared to use.

Generally, all laws were equal and could take one to the very peak of cultivation, with each having its own uniqueness. Yet Arlo felt like there was some laws that just stood far and above the others. A perfect example would be the dreadful evil laws. He had personally experienced how overwhelmingly powerful this law was, to the point of destroying several cities even when the wielder wasn't even present within the world. The ability to corrupt the very essence-be it life or soul- was simply too broken.

Yet, even such a law wasn't able to receive the title of 'unique'. Only one law deserved that title...

The law of Aether!

It was time to see just how special it was.

'I don't have a choice...' Using his new control over his Ki granted by his dragon horns to stabilize the still unconscious Anita on his head, Arlo gritted his teeth, and sent his Ki into his right hand.

Connecting with the laws around, Arlo willed for the multicolored strings to flow into his right hand. As a warrior, he could only use his body to interact with the laws which was why it was important for them to be tempered by such laws.

Suddenly, Arlo felt his dragon sense tingle greatly, warning him of the disaster he was about to cause. At the same time, Old Bro who had remained silent ever since he had left the secret realm suddenly shrieked within his mind:

<<Boy, stop!>>

However it was too late....

An overwhelming pain hit Arlo so badly that he almost lost consciousness. Gritting his teeth he watched his right hand shine with a multicolored light, and how in less than a breath later, his flesh pulverized, revealing a tempered bone covered in a beautiful tapestry of colors. But Arlo's face paled when he felt the destructiveness hidden beneath this beauty...

His tempered bone glowed bright, his hand becoming a beacon of multicolored light beneath the shadow cast by the darkness shrouding the sky.

It was also at this time that the fourth year student arrived before him.

Left with no choice, Arlo punched out, and sent all the aether essence in his bone flying towards his enemy

Unlike his previous attacks that produced beams of compressed air, a small stream of multicolored essence merely flew out.

"Oh! What a beautiful attack! Is this supposed to mesmerize me?" the fourth-year student mocked.

Not putting the attack in his mind, he covered his hand in thick darkness and swiped at the stream of multicolored essence intending to slap it away.

But, a split second later, he realized he had made a deep mistake. The stream of essence that seemed to be flying leisurely at him suddenly appeared in a split second before his chest, rendering his move useless.

However, that wasn't what was important.

The Aether essence touched his body, and before the boy could even realize, a multicolored light which started from a circle spread out around his body, instantly making his figure glow and appear mesmerizing.

"Whaaa..." That was the last sound he made before he was erased from existence.

All this happened within a split second, within the time it took the attack to pass through his body. It seemed the multicolored essence still contained residual energy as it shot out, and instantly passed through several figures, pulverizing them in burst of multicolored light.

In less than three breaths, ten figures had died.

Thankfully, Arianne wasn't in its path, as the fourth-year student had charged around her to approach Arlo.

However, the same couldn't be said for the others.

Before the others could react, and in less than five breaths, not less than fifty figures had died, the majority of them second-year and third-year students.

Finally, the aether essence arrived before another fourth-year student with the same cultivation as the one who had died less than ten seconds ago. In the face of death, this fourth year student exploded with his full might, and didn't dare to underestimate the lunging attack. His will spread out and was able to keep the aether essence at bay. However, rather than saying it kept it at bay, it was better to say that the field of darkness was been obliterated by the aether essence until the residual energy within it was used up. Soon after, silence continued in the area, leaving only the panting fourth-year student who had just brushed with death. Of course, he wasn't tired and was merely overwhelmed by the fear he felt.

In fact, if the first fourth-year student had pulled out a proper defense, it wasn't sure if the eather essence would have been able to cause any harm to him. Alas, his arrogance made him pay, taking the lives of over fifty students along.

The attack had been astonishingly swift and beautiful, but the result?

It caused pure destruction to the molecular level, leaving no trace of it's existence and havoc behind.

Arlo's heart clenched greatly, as he ignored his bony hand which was no longer glowing yet looked mesmerizing due to the hues of color covering it, and fell to his knee. A feeling of suffocation overwhelmed him. He hadn't intended to kill anyone...

Yet he had even reaped the lives of several tens...each far important than the lives of hundreds of humans.

The battle raging above slowly stopped as if sensing the mood below.

Several seconds trickled by, turning into minutes soon after. Yet nobody moved, as if not registering what they just saw.

In fact, several of the students thought that they were dreaming. But that thought was soon crushed when a few figures resting atop the buildings suddenly moved.

An overwhelmingly crushing force abruptly fell from the sky, landing on Arlo and sending him down to the ground. His body blasted a human-shaped hole in the ground, and even Joe who was beside him didn't escape that fate.

The Counts and Elders were angry!

But they didn't need to act, as Arlo was already experiencing an agonizing pain. Two lines of tears fell down his eyes. He had killed when he was five, and had even reaped a few lives since entering the Lunar world.

Yet...

This sin was just too great! He just reaped the lives of innocent bystanders.

Just as Arlo felt like he was about to drown in his feeling of guilt...the sound of fast yet calm footsteps suddenly drifted into his ears. Soon after, the crushing force pressing down on him disappeared.

Opening his eyes, Arlo saw a hazy figure standing before him in his cloudy vision.

Even though he couldn't see the figure clearly, Arlo wouldn't mistake that presence for any one else.

With his voice choked with tears and his two hearts bursting with guilt, Arlo choked out:

"Evangeline..."