Chapter 105 Unique Challenge: Survive [6] Vessel

"W-Why…? W-Why…brother?" A weak sobbing voice of a girl rang.

The town, which had once been alive and bustling, was now nothing more than a ruin. Buildings that were once lofty and magnificent now stand in broken heaps of debris, with walls and roofs that have collapsed. The streets that were previously dotted with businesses and residences were now covered in trash and abandoned cars. The sound of distant collapsing buildings and the sporadic flutter of scavenging birds sometimes broke the strange calm that pervaded the air.

A look of pain and despair could be seen on the faces of the few surviving citizens as they strolled the empty streets. They were living ghosts who were clinging to life by a thread. The town center, which was previously a hive of activity, was now abandoned and had no residents.

The acrid smell of smoke still lingered in the air, a constant reminder of the chaos and destruction that had engulfed the town. With that smell was the gut-wrenching smell of blood, corpses—burned and crisped corpses. Dark purple fire were still raging in every corners of the town. One would doubt whether it was hell or not.

But despite the destruction and despair, there were signs of resilience and hope because of the few people in front of them.

"W-Why are you doing this…?" Tears fell down from the cheeks of the beautiful black-haired and grey-haired beauty. The girl, Elona Falkrona was seventeen years old and was soon going to reach her eighteen. Her black hair were disheveled and tainted in blood, not her blood.

"Why?" In front of her, floating in the sky was a man of the same age as Elona. He had unkempt grey-hair and a left amber eye and a right slit onyx eye which was twitching. Behind him was a giant towering white tree. "Why you ask?" Edward's lips curled up into a maddened smile.

"Do I need any reason, Elona?" Edward asked as he slid back his hair with his bloodied hand.

Elona clenched her fists and glared at her brother. "We will defeat you, Edward."

"You mean, kill me? Right? Are you going to kill me, sister?" Edward asked before bursting out in laughter, palming his face.

"Yes." Elona nodded as a single tear left her right eye. "Because I-I love you big brother."

Edward's laugh stopped as he stared down at Elona—no. He stared down at the dozen people facing him. They were all his previous classmates from the Celesta Kingdom and other powerful teenagers like him from Sancta Vedelia.

"Try it."

****

"Leave us." I grabbed the fucker's arm which was squeezing my shirt. "Anathemas Fire." Three rings of dark purple fire appeared around my hand and burned his arm.

"What?!" When he saw his arm burning in dark purple, he immediately threw me away. We were already flying high in the sky so I was falling from several hundreds meters above the ground.

As I fell, I glanced at Elona inside the prison-sphere. She was looking at me utterly shocked. My amber eyes and Anathemas Fire betraying my identity, there was no way she wouldn't understand.

"B-Brotheeeeer!"

I felt a surge of adrenaline and all my senses sharpened at a point that even I was shocked.

"Septem Treina," I took out my staff at a blinding speed and aimed at that bastard. He only had the time to open his eyes wide as I spoke, "Thrust."

-BOOOM!

My staff elongated at a frightening speed and struck him on his stomach.

"AGHHH!" He spat a mouthful of blood and was flung away like a bullet.

I frowned when I saw the prison sphere following him.

pαпdα`noνɐ1`сoМ "Grow!" I shouted and the staff extended even more following him. I shifted my body mid-air and landed on the staff. "Falkrona Bloodline, Second Wing," With my speed raised I ran on my staff catching up to them.

-BOOOM!

Since I didn't hold back at all, the guy crashed inside a mana train, getting through the sturdy roof.

"Kyaaaa!"

"W-What happened?!"

"I-I don't know!"

As I landed on the roof of the moving train, I could hear the panicked voices of the passengers.

Where am I?

I looked around me but I couldn't tell on which train I landed.

That freak really brought us out of the capital.

"Ah!" With a yell, the man jumped and appeared before me on the roof.

"Amazing…" A rictus on his lips, he said. "With mana, you became another man and that girl called you…'brother'?" He pointed out as he glanced at Elona who was grabbing the metal bars of the prison. She was looking at me tearfully.

"Could it be you are…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm Edward." I waved my hand annoyed. I altered only my hair from grey to white as I decided to hide my eyes anyway. Whatever. The moment I used the staff and the Rings of Vysindra, there was nothing to hide anymore."

"You are Edward Falkrona…I am really lucky," He smiled at me.

"What?" I ignored the wound on his stomach which was regenerating and frowned.

"My targets were Elona Falkrona and Simon Falkrona. I had to bring one of them but do you know why?" He asked me.

"Why would I know that? Maybe you want to brainwash her or something like that?" I shrugged my shoulders. I knew why but I preferred to keep my mouth shut to not complicate the situation further.

"No. We wanted one of them as a bargain chip." He shook his head.

"Bargain chip…" I was wrong then? But bargain chips for what? Elona and Simon are high nobility and it's difficult to find someone with more value than them.

"Yes."

"And? Why are you telling all of this? You became quite chatty." I snorted at him.

"You don't understand? We wanted one of them to exchange them…" He smiled at me. "For you."

"..."

What the hell?

Elona's face contorted into shock when she heard that.

"For me?" I pointed to myself and looked at him for answers.

Why the heck would they want me?

"Indeed. You are perfect for us. Edward Falkrona, one of the rare people holding Two Legacies. The mighty Falkrona Bloodline and…that fire." He narrowed his eyes. "And you are young as well. You ticked all the conditions."

"A-All the conditions? For wh-what?" Elona asked fearfully.

Don't tell me…

"Your brother will disappear and become the most feared man of your kingdom."

Are you kidding me?

They want me to become Xenos Arvatra's vessel?

So they didn't want Simon or Elona to make them the Vessel?

Fuck.

I should have just ran away. I thought they wanted to make Simon or Elone, his vessel…

"Wait. There are better guys out there. Jayden Rayena, Simon Falkrona, the idiot Prince of Celesta or the Heir of the Tarmias Duchy." I really became uneasy at his words.

If those guys from the Iris Project chose me for their plan, it announced nothing good for my future.

"No. You are the chosen one. You have something more than them, Edward Olphean."

No, I have nothing more.

Leave me alone!

"Now…will you come with me or…" He pointed his palm toward Elona. "Should I burn your sister alive before your eyes? I don't need her anymore since you came out on your own."

'Cleenah, how much time-'

[<Fifteen minutes.>]

Fifteen minutes…

That old man or the other freaks of the Celesta Kingdom should be already with Simon and Aurora but now, that guy brought us to another corner of the Kingdom. They won't reach me in time.

"B-Brother! No! P-Please…" Elona looked at me and leaned her head on the metal bars. "Please…don't l-leave…"

I shifted my gaze to her. "Do you want to die, Elona?"

Elona shook her head at my words, gripping the metal bars tightly. "B-But I don't want you t-to die, big brother…" She sobbed painfully. "P-Please, not after mom…"

"I see…" I glanced back at the scarred man. "Stay still then, Elona."

"Did you hear me?" The scarred man frowned. "I will kill her if you try anyth-"

-Bam!

He opened his eyes wide when the staff on my hand hit him from behind. "Argg! What?!" He gasped when he saw my staff coming from behind him through a mirror.

"I-Impossibl-"

Since he was hit from behind, his body was flying straight toward me, "Septem Treina."

I swirled my staff around and swung it. "Sweep."

"AGH!" He summoned his fire but my staff was made with the Holy Tree's branches. He was again flung away. I ran on the roof of the train and reached him in a second.

"Surround him!" Mirrors appeared everywhere around him blinding him.

I took advantage of that to grab one of the metal bars of the sphere prison. "Step back." I said to Elona and she nodded.

"Rings of Vysindra." One of the rings around my arm slid until my hand. "Burn." I channeled a tremendous amount of mana and the metal bar turned to ashes along the prison sphere.

Lifting Elona, I jumped away and landed again on the roof of the train.

-BOOOM!

All the mirrors around the scarred man shattered into shards and burned down into nothingness.

"Y-You! You have three Legacies?!" His shock was understandable but it wasn't completely right.

"I guess." I put down Elona and smiled at him.