"Yenxa..."
Souta was kneeling down in front of Yenxa's lifeless body. There was a sharp sword that had sunk into her chest, taking her life.
Argh...!!
Souta gritted his teeth in madness. Two streaks of blood were flowing out of his eyes.
His emotions were going out of control. In his current state, he would try to kill anyone who stood in front of him. He was slowly losing his reasoning.
Hahahaha!!
Souta stared at the sky and laughed madly.
"You already know that not everyone will be able to follow you until the end."
A voice sounded behind him and Souta immediately calmed down. He was still mad but he regained control once again. This situation flabbergasted him.
Souta turned his head and saw nothing behind. No one was standing behind him. He was alone in this desolate place.
But...
The voice he heard just now was familiar to him.
"You already know that this world is cruel. Everyone can die at any moment even those gods." The mysterious voice sounded once again.
Souta looked left and right before he stared at the dark sky. The voice just now didn't come from any direction. It feels like it was directly sent into his mind.
"Yenxa died. She was already prepared to die the moment she decided to follow you. She has lived to the fullest. I know what you are feeling. You feel rage, sadness, and regret."
Souta narrowed his eyes as he listened to the words inside his head. He noticed that the stars in the sky had disappeared as it slowly turned pitch black.
Swoosh!
A ripple spread out and the whole scene has changed. The area turned into the abandoned building of a certain school.
In this building, a young man was fighting five people at the same time. He one-sidedly beat all five people who were wearing the same school uniform as him. Blood sprayed everywhere and screams of agony echoed in the building.
"You are familiar with death. It's always been by your side."
Souta recognized the appearance of the young man. It was his appearance back on earth and he felt that something like this really happened back then. He couldn't accurately confirm it since his memory was vague.
Ohm!
The scene changed once again.
This time, everything turned pitch black.
Souta was standing in the darkness. He moved his eyes as he heard a footstep behind him. He finally realized why the voice was familiar to him.
Souta turned his body around and glanced at the figure with a blank look. His eyes were hiding an intense killing intent deep within.
The figure standing in front of him had the same appearance as him. The only difference was that this figure had white hair and a long white tailcoat. Red veins could be seen through the figure's skin. It was pumping energy throughout the entire body.
Souta didn't say anything. He just kept staring at this man with cold eyes that wanted to rip off this man's flesh.
"It's the same... It's impossible for everyone who is beside you to live until the end. Death is everywhere and you've already accepted it a long time ago." The figure said.
Souta narrowed his eyes and a sword appeared in his hand. He tightly clenched it and was ready to fight this guy at any moment.
The figure continued, "You have the power to bend the weak. Don't rely on the support that is given to you by Imperium. It's a temporary thing as it will disappear once you've grown."
Souta bent his knees and launched himself at the figure. He raised the sword in his hand and swiftly swung it down with all of his might.
"Those with power shall rule the weak! Kill those who are disobedient!" The figure said before he dashed forward.
The two clashed fiercely. Each one of their blows contained a vast amount of energy with a pure murderous intent. Their high-speed blows caused extreme reactions in the air, sweeping every object in the surrounding.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In just a few seconds, Souta was pushed back. The figure appeared behind him and he quickly turned around.
In that slight gap, Souta loses both of his hands. He stared at the figure in front of him with the same frosty eyes.
The figure slightly opened his mouth and said, "The power is you. You've already built it with a great foundation. Don't forget my name... I am ------"
Swoosh!!
The figure swiftly sliced Souta's head.
Ah!!
Souta opened his eyes and saw a familiar ceiling. He sat up and found that he was inside his room.
"I'm back... What was that?"
He noticed that he was full of sweat and placed his hand on his neck. It felt too real. It felt like his head have been chopped for real.
Ugh!
Souta experienced a little headache. He tried to remember what happened before he passed out.
He recalled that after he killed Yenxa, he ordered Alice to take care of some matters before he collapsed.
The strength of his group was sufficient to complete the task that he had given them. Alice was already at Two Shackles Realm so there wouldn't be any big problem. It would also be a good training for them to increase their prowess.
"Yenxa..."
Souta was about to stand when a huge figure jumped on his body.
Bang!
The bed collapsed and both of them fell on the floor causing a loud sound to echo.
Argh!
Souta slightly opened his eyes. He felt a soft and fluffy fur buried into his face. This sensation and the energy were familiar to him.
It was Yuko.
"Master!!" Yuko said happily.
Souta smiled as he hugged Yuko's huge body. He then felt something slithering around his arm. He looked over and saw a small snake with a weird pattern all over its scales.
It was Kessa.
"Um... I... I'm happy... that you are... awake..." she said in a soft and tiny voice.
Souta asked, "How long since the battle?"
"I don't know," Yuko answered innocently.
Kessa shook her head. She was recovering from the side effect of being sealed using the energy from the Blood Sacrifice.
Souta smiled wryly at their answer. He never expected an answer from them. He observed the two monsters in front of him and guessed that a lot of time had passed.
Yuko recovered while Kessa's energy reached the normal state of the fifth stage. She hasn't recovered to her peak yet but she could show the power of a normal fifth stage.
'Probably one month had passed.'
Souta opened and closed both of his palms. He could feel that he had recovered and he got stronger. It's just that he couldn't use his Archetype once again. It didn't damage his physical body but he could feel some cracks in his inner consciousness. If his inner consciousness was shattered then it wouldn't do him good. It would break his mind and soul.
There were still some flaws to his Archetype so he had to finish it first before he could utilize it again. But using it in real combat and seeing Gerxuzs' technique let him see the flaws.
He guessed that he could be able to finish modifying it soon. It wouldn't take too long before he could use it in real combat.
Souta talked with Yuko and Kessa for a few minutes before he stood up and stretched his body. His muscles were stiff so he circulated his energy to put some pressure on every fiber of his muscles.
I wonder what happened...
Soon, the news about Souta waking up was heard by the upper echelons of Astros. Gragas visited him and answered some of the questions that he had.
One month and one week had passed since the battle in the central region. He found that the Hall Plains was supervised by Astros and Dragon Council. They became the most powerful faction of this piece of land.
It seems Alice accomplished the task he had given to her.
Also, they would probably return soon since a month had already passed. He was looking forward to their return since the task he had given them was some sort of training for future events.
He couldn't handle all the battle alone. No God Emperor's vessel would have beaten him to death in a one-on-one battle. He wanted his people to grow stronger so that they wouldn't fall.
Just like Yenxa...
Souta tightly clenched his fists. He was strong but Gods wouldn't be able to hold themselves back soon. Gods were like nuclear weapons of each powerful organization. In a war, once a God appeared the God from the opposite side would appear too. Countless people would be caught up and died.
Even Souta wasn't sure if he could survive if two God realm powerhouses fought in Hall Plains. He would be forced to use his card and escape from the battlefield.
"The things that I don't like will happen soon."
Souta muttered as he looked in a far distant place.
