Chapter 184 Volume IV - Chapter 29: Taking a Life for the First Time
"Turn around slowly."
'Sith.'
After a quick thought, I slowly turned around. There was a human being, a mercenary on the side of the Southerners.
He had a smile on his face. He reached for a device on his lapel and then a green light came on.
"Come here, I found him."
The light on the device went out and the man opened his mouth again without stopping smiling.
"They told me to get you, but you won't mind if I tell them you resisted, will you?"
His finger on the trigger, he slowly lowered the barrel toward my leg.
"I'm so bored, this war is no fun. Make it a little fun for m-"
Sith entered my body and as soon as that happened, mana suddenly started to condense around me.
Spiritual Ascension activated, which I had gained full access to after I reached D- grade, giving me much more power and possibilities than before.
The expression of the man in front of me changed in an instant, I saw him pull the trigger as a green crown appeared above my head. Yet, Sith was faster, with full unrestricted access to both my mana reserves and his own, which he had not had access to until now.
A sudden gust of wind, almost like a hurricane, swept the ground in front of me completely. The man literally disappeared into thin air from where he had been.
He was so relaxed, so unleashed by the weapon in his hand and the situation, that he was swept off his feet and slammed against the wall. I heard all his bones breaking, I witnessed the lifelessness of his eyes as blood poured from his mouth and eyes.
For the first time, I killed someone when I was fully conscious.
Yet even though I had killed someone, I felt nothing, just as I knew I would.
With a deep emptiness inside me, I took one last look at the man's corpse, then turned away, ignoring him.
Yes, now that I'm D- grade, it doesn't hurt me to use this form even for a limited time, but I still have to be fast.
I was getting ready to jump down and run away when I suddenly paused.
Actually... I can use this.
This form, now that Sith and I have full access to it, gives me power far beyond my own general level. Although I will only be able to use it for a few minutes, the near-limitless amount of mana is just one of the things this ascension skill provides.
Can't I use this skill to attract attention? Of course, I can.
I doubt I'll be able to find the man I want to find... I'm late. I didn't think the war would start before I could make any preparations and that it would be lost so quickly. So... I just need to find someone of high rank, someone who will see my power.
I jumped down quickly, landing softly on the battlefield with the enormous amounts of mana my form gave me. All eyes were on me at once because of the intense amount of mana I was spreading around me.
I ignored everyone and looked around. The battle was still going on, those who hadn't noticed me were still doing what they had been doing.
The North Holar was already retreating, yes, but something important was happening very close to me. Two men were fighting. No, they were leading this side of the battle directly.
They were the ones being fired upon. They were the ones scattering destruction. One side was constantly looking for a way to escape, the other side would never let him.
I focused on my mana, which felt close to unlimited, and although I could only use this extra amount for the wind magic, I had my own mana on the side that I could use for other things.
I raised my hands with the mana from my form, and a rather strong and intense wind began to blow around me, then swirl. All the while I focused on the mana in my body, almost all of it was drained at once. Then the flames rose with it, accompanying the swirling wind.
Some people who saw what I was doing opened fire on me with a look of horror on their faces as they looked at the whirlwind I had created, but it was useless. Bullets, balls of energy, spells... All were caught in the breeze that swirled around me and slowly turned into a tornado.
I felt a warmth in my nose and couldn't help being surprised.
Even though I've reached D- grade, I think using such a significant amount of mana in this form still puts a strain on me... I have to be fast.
I lowered my hands, then turned to one of the two who had been particularly conspicuous in the middle of the battle. It was a robot, or rather the pilot inside it.
The robot was almost three meters long, yet it was extremely fast. He was fighting someone, someone I didn't recognize, but clearly someone important in the forces of the North Holar. He was not inside a huge robot, but he was wearing armor like something out of a science fiction movie.
Neither of them noticed me. They were so focused on the battle between themselves that they were not aware of anything.
I raised the index finger of my lowered right hand and with that, the flaming tornado that was swirling around me suddenly trembled. Mana suddenly wrapped around this tornado like a shell and began to suppress it. The whirlwind literally roared, continuing to destabilize as it was slowly shrunk by the pressure toward the tip of my finger.
So the fighting duo paused, and both of them turned to me. First, they noticed the tornado, then its slow condensation into an orange ball at the tip of my finger.
I turned my finger toward the fighting duo and a smile formed on my face. I don't know why, I was excited. The marble on the tip of my finger was becoming more and more unstable, trying to break through the shell that confined it to a tiny space. In fact, it was doing so... It was only a matter of time before the marble exploded on the tip of my finger.
I kept smiling and waved at them with my left hand. They continued to look at me blankly, but suddenly their expressions turned serious. They prepared to lunge at me, neither of them knowing which side I was on.
Funny, I thought to myself. Then, without waiting for them, I tucked my right index finger under my thumb.
I gave a light flick toward the marble.
Suddenly a brilliant, intense light descended on the field, the source of which was the marble in front of me. Then there was the sound of an explosion, and with my flick, the immense power emanating from the marble suddenly enveloped the three-meter robot, and not only that, it advanced behind it.
The light and power generated by the trapped wind and flame were so tremendous that the three-meter robot's condition was revealed as its effects began to unfold. n0veLusb.c0M
The pilot had managed to activate his robot's energy barrier at the last moment. Still, my attack penetrated it and reached him. Of course, it was insufficient to kill someone of his high rank. Still, the robot's legs were damaged, while the body part protecting the cockpit was slightly opened.
The pilot was not badly injured, with a slight trickle of blood from his head, but that was it. He was only slightly restricted in movement as a result of the attack and had lost the shield protecting him.
Nevertheless, this was a perfect opportunity for his opponent.
The armored dwarf realized the situation, even if he was still dumbfounded. Without a moment's hesitation, he lunged at the pilot and drove his sword through the gap in the cockpit and into his torso.
The pilot did not even look at him, already knowing his fate. As the last glimmer of hope faded from his eyes, his gaze was on me. With hate, and spite. And at the same time questioning, for example, who and why I was here.
These two were, after all, important forces considering the war in the city as a whole. Both sides knew most of the forces on each other's side, and the pilot was seeing me for the first time. Hence his reaction.
He and everyone else on the battlefield held their breath, looking at me with anger and some fear.
I put my hand down with the blood dripping from my nose. It was a bit funny, to be honest... to see someone looking at me like that.
I took care to stay standing, turned my gaze to the person who had killed the pilot, and smiled.
The crown on my head slowly turned to dust and began to disappear.
The dwarf's eyes widened for a moment, then he suddenly appeared beside me. He was fast, so fast that I began to wonder why he had just lost to the robot. How could he not have the upper hand when he was so fast?
With these thoughts in my mind, my vision suddenly blurred and I paused.
Ah, great... Even though I've reached a D- grade, I still haven't changed at all.
My lip curled upward again.
Even though my attack had ended the battle between the two, if I was fighting that robot directly, I didn't stand much of a chance... right?
Before my vision was completely blocked, I saw the sky moving. At least I knew where I was going, so I could relax.
Then, as if in response to my thoughts, a much brighter glow filled the whole area. A glow that rose to the sky, illuminating even the clouds. And then a shock wave and an explosion that shook my whole being.