Chapter 29: Temple of War.

Chapter 29: Temple of War.

If you want to read up to 20!! chapters ahead go to /cornbringer

Discord invite: https://discord.gg/XHduApz

Don't forget to check the auxiliary chapter about Adam. It's like an info chapter.

Also, the first public waifu poll is online, so vote! /polls/mpnboJO9Pg5

----------------------------------------------------------------

[Adam POV]

I had escaped Irene's clutches, and still, instead of being grateful I had been given the chance to leave without any harm, I felt angry, angry that I hadn't been able to fight her.

I knew that was a stupid feeling.

My odds of beating her right now were below zero, entering the realm of negative numbers. But even then, even when I knew without a shred of doubt that I would've stood absolutely no chance against her, I was angry.

Now that I think about it. This is not the first time I have experienced this kind of feeling.

It also happened with Gildarts during my S-Class Trial.

I remember being fucking thrilled at the idea of going against him, even though I knew without a doubt that I would lose.

Am I turning into a battle-crazed kind of man?

'Perhaps,' Zanryuzuki muttered, and I could feel her presence in the depths of my mind, like a faint breeze that rumbled through my inner world.

I sighed.

I suppose if that's the case, I better make fucking sure that I'm always stronger than those I face against.

"To think Alakitasia had such terrifying mages," Mavis muttered floating right beside me, her face a mask of disbelief and horror, but more than anything, concern.

So she didn't know?

I wonder if she knows who's the King of that continent.

I sighed, the scorching heat of the desert sun beating down on me without mercy. With each step I took, particles of sand flew up with each motion, coating parts of my skin with a fine layer of sand mixed with sweat. "Good we found out now, and not later."

Mavis' green eyes met mine for a moment, her lips pressed together in a tight line as she pondered over my words. "Yeah, you're right, at least now we know what to expect. Unlike before."

I knew very well what to expect before I made my way to the capital. The thing is, even knowing what to expect had left me staggeringly unprepared.

Next time it would be different though.

"So, Mavis," I said, tilting my head slightly in her direction, "How long before we reach the place where the gems are located?"

Mavis let out a sigh, arching her back as she drifted around in the weightlessness of her condition, her body quickly shifting into a graceful, yet very slow backflip as she hummed out. "I'd say an hour or two if we keep this pace."

An hour or two?

Not bad.

Considering we have been moving for more than twelve hours, most of which I have covered using Shunpo, I say we are advancing fast, all things considered.

On that note, I can't help but wonder what exactly makes this last ingredient so difficult to acquire.

I guess I will have to wait and find out.

-----------------

Fifty minutes later of sand.

I had arrived at my destination.

Angering a God had caused the unforgiving hammer of divine retribution to befall upon Zeref and her, damning them to forever wander and suffer more than their supposed crimes deserved.

That being said, I could feel an invisible pull towards the room, that despite the risks that lurked just beyond the threshold, it seemed to whisper an invitation, daring me to cross over.

It could be that...

Or the relentless heat I had been subjected to, alongside the unavoidable fact that I would be finding grains of sand in my body for months after returning home.

I was fucking tired of the desert.

Taking my decision, I unsheathed my Zanpakuto and raised it up, feeling the weight of its handle in my hands, before I swung down at the door firmly, cutting through the marble door with a single effortless stroke, sending shards of gray marble flying around the room.

"Adam what have you done?!" Mavis gasped as she turned around staring at me, her green eyes widened in shock at what I had done.

"What does it look like? I just mowed the lawn," I replied in a joking manner, gesturing to the now broken marble door, before sheathing my Zanpakuto back.

I gave Mavis a sly glance before stepping over the broken pieces of marble that lay on the ground and entering the tunnel that if Mavis was right, would lead to the main chamber of the temple.

Inside, the air was still, and the room was illuminated by torches that hung from the walls, revealing its pristine condition. Carefully navigating my way through the hall, I rounded the corner and stepped into an immense chamber.

The chamber in question was lushly decorated, with towering statues of marble and granite lining the walls. Piles of gold coins were heaped atop chests of jewels, glittering in the light from the gilded chandeliers.

"Adam, we have to go..." Mavis whispered urgently.

I could honestly understand her apprehension, but I had traveled far too long to simply give up. Besides, Cordelia was running out of time, so any detours could be the difference between saving her or not.

"After I get the gems," I replied, my eyes darting from corner to corner, looking at every single hidden nook, searching for the gems or their possible location.

Maybe that which I was looking for was inside one of the chests.

With that in mind, I stepped forward reaching out to one of the many chests around in order to search inside them, however, as soon as my fingers brushed against the chest, the room erupted in chaos.

The statues that decorated the room suddenly sprang to life, their stone limbs cracking as they leaped off from their pedestals and lunged at me.

Surprised by this, I looked at the statues coming at me and deftly dodged their first attack with a swift sidestep.

As I did this, more statues converged on me, their movements mechanical in nature, but powerful and fast. Calmly, I continued to evade their blows, wondering if this was the actions of the God of this temple or just a defense mechanism set in place.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I leaped over the outstretched arm of one of the statues, tucking into a roll as I landed on the other side, before spinning on my heel, kicking another statue square in the chest and shattering it into a thousand pieces.

The remaining statues circled me warily, their eyes fixed on what I could only assume they saw as their prey, a nimble one at that.

I smiled, waving at them to see if I could get any kind of reaction. Seeing none, I decided to stop playing around, and shatter the rest, however, just as I was about to make my move, I heard a loud rumbling from deep within the temple.

The statues froze, all signs of life leaving them just as soon as it had come to them.

"Well that was... anticlimactic," I said, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I surveyed the now quiet room. I'd been expecting the statues to fight to the end, not to go back to their decorative purpose the moment one crumbled down.

Beyond that.

Just what was that rumble I heard a moment ago?

Whatever it was, it was clearly the reason behind the statues going back to being just that, plain old statues.

As I pondered about this, the sound of someone clapping their hands reverberated through the air, coming from right above us. Reacting at the same time, Mavis and I turned our heads up following the sound we were hearing, to see a figure hovering above us midair, clad in a shining set of Spartan armor, his face hidden in the shadows of a polished helmet as he slowly descended to meet us.

The man glided down from the air, his feet touching the ground with a loud thud. Once there, he surveyed the area and noted the mild layers of dust and cobwebs around that had probably formed since the last visitor to the temple. "It's been a while since anyone visited," he commented aloud, his voice echoing in the chamber.

Mavis widened her eyes in shock, and that was enough to tell me what I was dealing with. A God.

I shifted uneasily in my spot, my gaze lingering on the man in front of me, who still continued to survey the room without paying much attention to me. "Well, to be fair, it appears that most of the people who have come to visit this temple have unfortunately died before being able to do anything."

The man slowly turned around to face me, much of his features covered by the helmet he wore. The man kept his gaze on me for a moment, before opening his mouth wide, releasing a loud and hearty laugh. "Right you are!" he exclaimed.

If the man was truly a God, I'll be the first one to admit that this was not how I expected my first encounter with a God to be.

"So, tell me, kid? What is it that you seek in my temple?"