Minutes after the Emperor's departure…
[How do you know that?]
"Hmmm?" Ezra swerved his head, spooked.
Looking around, he sees others looking at him strangely.
[I'm in your head]
Ezra held in his fright and excused himself.
"What are you?"
[Orion's guardian] it replied. [Orion's will]
"What does that mean?"
[I'm the one who's been guarding Orion from the hands of the demons, keeping it from destruction] it said. [And I've been watching you for a while now]
"Then why are you in my head?"
He couldn't sense any animosity and there was no reaction from his subconsciousness, so it didn't seem to be demon corruption.
[Because even my power is limited, and I hadn't found someone compatible with dimensional energy]
"Dimensional energy?"
[You don't know what that is] the voice held surprise.
It went silent for a while.
[What do you think this is then]
A row of words built up in front of Ezra.
[Ezra]
[Power: 77]
[Mana level: 81]
[Demonic energy level: 23]
Ezra's heart almost jumped out. "The Life Ark? How did you do that?"
[I haven't studied it much] it said, growing louder but colder [But, this item is made from my being]
Ezra's stomach ached from the chills he felt.
[Now I ask, where did you find this item]
Pressure pressed on his brain, making it feel like it would pop.
Gripping his head in agony, Ezra replied. "It was given to every human in a time different from now"
[What nonsense? I've been here since the conception of the first Grandmaster. You dare lie to me! Do you want to die]
With the pressure increased, Ezra squeezed a sentence out his lips. "I'm not lying. I come from a time yet experienced"
[Oh really? And what exactly would cause me to disseminate myself to give dimensional energy to humans]
"We were being slaughtered by otherworld monsters-Gah!"
He held his chest, puking blood while blood dripped through his nostrils.
There was a pause and the pressure alleviated.
[What are you talking about]
Gasping for air while catching his breath, Ezra healed with haste one the pressure let up.
For one who thought himself a powerhouse, it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
[Speak]
Taking deep breaths, Ezra clenched his fists in anger.
"No"
[What]
"No, I'm not telling you anything more" he spat blood. "You don't get to appear and begin asking questions. I owe you nothing"
[I can have you dead with a thought]
"Exactly. So, you would've done so if that was your aim-you're here for something else, and if I had to guess, you need to me alive"
Ezra was stern, with his thoughts swirling.
For one, with how he brought up the Life Ark, he could very well be talking to the Life Ark's creator.
[Hmm]
"What?"
[How amusing. Seems not every human is a letdown. Let me formally introduce myself] it said. [I'm a being that inhabited this world's will and has been guarding it for thousands of years. You can call me Zydrax]
"Zydrax…"
[I inhabited your body to strengthen you, so you could stop the demons from opening the portal]
"Wait" Ezra backtracked. "The demons are about to open the portal?"
[They have an array laid around the two thirds of the continent to siphon energy from the blood of dead creatures to fuel the portal crystal, and the wars you waged has provided them with just that]
"Siphoning energy from blood…" Ezra's eyes widened. "That's why they started a war!"
Ezra was shocked, his biggest fears had come to light. 'I expected the invasion to be brought forward, but this was too fast!'
[Seems your knowledge about things is far less than I thought] it said. [Regardless, you need to head there now.]
"What does that mean?"
[When those block brained grandmasters begin fighting in that many a number, how many do you think are going to die]
'At least a hundred thousand people'
[People dying will serve as energy for the portal, accelerating the process. You need to head there to make sure the crystal is destroyed before that happens]
Realization hit Ezr. His fool proof plan was going to worsen the situation.
With haste, he heads to mom's place, where she lay comfortable with maids attending to her.
"I have something I need to do. I'm leaving for Quartez" he said.
"Go" she said. Her boy had become a man. "But promise me you'll come back in one piece"
"I promise"
In no time, he donned the white armour made from the A rank snake Fredrick encountered years ago.
Crackling with lightning, Ezra took off to Quartez.
"Why do you care about Orion so much?" Ezra questioned Zydrax while racing across the sky.
[I've been looking over this world for generations, and I'm not about to see it get destroyed]
Ezra nodded, sounded reasonable enough.
Now thirty minutes behind the Emperor, Ezra put his hands by his side, fuelling his lightning, he didn't think it was impossible to catch up.
Flying against time, Ezra flashed into the horizon.
[Hurry]
"I'm going as fast as I can"
[The portal opening has gotten faster. You won't make it at this speed]
Ezra grunted, having not met the party of grandmasters despite flying so fast, and now, the portal was on the verge of opening.
Memory of destruction popped up on the periphery of his mind.
'I'm not letting that happen again!'
Putting his back into it, Ezra challenged his limits as a grandmaster.
Crea pulled out her red wavy staff.
Demonic energy gushed out as she deflected the lightning bolt aimed at her.
Right after, Getrahan's hammer staff comes crashing, and without hesitation she punches it, having it swerve to the side.
A finger snap had the atmosphere explode, blowing Getrahan away while setting him ablaze.
*Crackle!*
The Emperor intervened, bringing down shredder to pass judgement on the unholy woman.
"Tsk" she kicks Getrahan away, demonic energy flaring as she dodges the shredder.
"Hmph" The Emperor put his back into it, lightning crackling as he accelerated, adding more speed behind the shredder's rotation, and then…
*KANG!*
The weapons had the soil denting heavily, as a clear ring of metal resounded.
With the demon portal opening growing closer, demons gained strength.
The crystals she ingested before the Emperor's arrival were to boost her power.
Snapping her fingers, the surroundings exploded, giving her the precious seconds needed to distance herself from the Emperor.
The Emperor saw through her attack.
'She's denoting the mana in the atmosphere by making them unstable'
Simple, but required immaculate magic control to do at will.
The opponent was no small fry.
"Since the Emperor decided to barge in without consideration. Let me make sure you never need to leave"
Red fire grew rapidly from her palm, and she sent it in his direction.
Snapping her palms, different spells came on.
'Lesser healing'
'Speed boost'
'Burn'
With her second palm, she set up a shield.
"Now die" She took the initiative, attacking the Emperor.
Locking onto him, she advanced, snapping multiple fireballs into existence and then sent to yours truly.
Each explosion brought a massive explosion.
With a cold stare, the Emperor took a stance, with his masterful lightning control, he concentrated it on his blade, accelerating as came face to face with the first fireball.
The Emperor sliced it in half, moving from it onto the others before it could explode and expand.
'What?'
Crea was in shock.
The shredder was a serrated double greatsword, better for hacking than slicing.
'Yet he tore through the spell so easily'
A spike shot out the earth, Crea barely avoiding it.
Looking closely, it wasn't a spike protruding out the earth-the earth had formed to create a spike.
Getrahan was back in action.
With burn scars on his face, Getrahan was outraged, the motivation to kill Crea had skyrocketed.
Smashing the hammer into the ground, broken earth bounced up.
Not one to waste time, Getrahan began playing target.
*Bam*Bam*Bam*Bam*Bam*
Kicks had each stone aimed at Crea.
Dodging the stones, one managed to hit the shield.
Clicking his tongue, Getrahan changed targets, the stones now colliding with the fireballs to burst into glorious explosions.
With the fireballs being taken care of, the Emperor was allowed more manoeuvrability, closing in on Crea.
Annoyed, Crea had her staff turn to a sword, black as night radiating unholy amounts of demonic energy.
"Don't you dare underestimate me!"
Rather retreat, she forced forward, meeting shredder face on.
*KANG!*
Demonic energy and lightning repelled one another.
"Ugh!"
To no surprise, Crea was pushed back.
She detonated the surrounding mana, pushing the Emperor back, before receiving a nice slice of hammer to her head.
Getrahan's hammer destroyed the shield and smashed her head, blasting her sideways.
*BOW!*
The resounding boom levelled the ground, thick clouds of dusk obscuring everyone's vision.
Without waiting, the Emperor struck the cave with lightning.
Landing squarely on the cave, Crea's formation absorbed the strike.
As the Emperor prepared a second attack, Getrahan took to the sky to land a mighty blow.
Before either could land, a large wave of demonic energy blew them off balance, taking the dust with it.
A bloody Crea rose to the sky, brandishing her weapon.
The last attack had allowed her the one thing she'd been looking for throughout the battle.
Sufficient distance.
Pushing out her palm, a red magic circle three times her size appeared in front of her.
From within came a fireball.
The Emperor and Getrahan rushed to interrupt the casting.
With the wrath of a mother, she looked at them.
"None shall stop the descent"
They reached her and swung their weapons.
But it was already too late.
*BOOM*
