Confused, Sian asked,
<So, is this your blood?>
<Yes. I compressed my power and my blood to create the barrier. It was a hard job. I had to make it work without me coming back to maintain it. It will help you for sure.>
<But won’t taking this much blood kill you?>
Aksarai scoffed.
<Hey, do you know I big I was? This is nothing.>
‘Right… he was a Drakun too.’
The Drakuns he saw last time were really big. It wouldn’t be much blood to take if Aksarai was much bigger.
<Hm…>
Sian was unconvinced, however. The power in front of him was very powerful and it seemed like consuming it would make him powerful for sure. However, he couldn’t just believe the suspicious being within him.
<Don’t be too suspicious. You don’t have to consume it. But then you will all die. Can you become powerful in a month to kill Dragona or Chrona?>
<…No.>
<Then you have your answer. Besides, I’m not trying to take over your body. I don’t even want it even if you want me to take it. I’m just helping you because I need you to survive.>
Sian sighed. There was no other way.
<But how do I eat all this? Do I drink it?>
Aksarai answered.
<Just think that you will take it in. I will help you with the rest.>
<Okay.>
Sian then spread his arms and gestured to take the blood in. At once, the liquid that filled the sphere began swirling. It began to swirl violently around Sian and started to flow into his body. But it wasn’t as simple as it looked. Sian had to focus his mind as he absorbed the massive amount of power.
‘Dammit… nothing is easy.’
The power was friendly, but it was still hard. If it was hostile and he did not have Aksarai’s spirit within him, his body would have been crushed instantly.
Aksarai then mumbled as he helped Sian.
<It will take some time to digest the power. I hope nothing serious happens outside…>
<The barrier… it’s being destroyed.>
1st Kun of Drakun, Katura, gritted his teeth. The barrier still stood, but the Cloud Island that allowed them to keep the barrier had been destroyed. If the barrier was lifted, the Lukras would definitely attack along with the beasts they raised.
<Prepare for war…>
Katura spoke, bracing himself for the worst-case scenario.
<HAHA! The barrier has been lifted! That <Ro> did it!>
The priest laughed. They finally managed to destroy that barrier. He also checked those Drakuns flying over to Cloud Island. He could have bought some time for Sian if he attacked those Drakuns, but he had no such intentions. He sent Sian to die at the place, so it wasn’t needed. If that many Drakuns had flown there, Sian would’ve surely died.
<Perfect.>
It was now time to take control of those <Na> that grew on their own and wipe Drakuns out. They could not stop Na from consuming each other as they couldn’t control them to eat Ro instead, but it gave them better results. There weren’t many sixth level Nas, but they had acquired three seventh level Nas instead. That was enough to fight against the Drakuns. Besides, the one that destroyed the barrier was also from Ro. It was perfect.
Without the key to the Golden Crystal, they had no way to travel to other lands. They had to live here. They could not allow a dangerous competitor like the Drakuns to live.
The priest, Katun-Hal, eagerly waited for the barrier to be lifted and his control against those Na to come back. If the control came back, there was no time to waste.
“…What is it?”
Conrad frowned at the weird feeling. Then, a familiar but not-so-familiar window popped up in front of him.
[You’ve got a message.]
[Hey-hey. Do you see me? No, do you hear me? What is this stupid system interfering with my beautiful connector system?]
“…Who are you?”
Conrad became tense as he got the <Message> window that he had never gotten and spoke out against the voice.
[Insolent fool. You all need to learn how to respect your elders.]
“…”
[You should know right away. Who else would it be other than the one you connect with?]
“…Aksarai? But how… I’m not an Alpha.”
Conrad became confused. He never imagined that he would be able to talk to Aksarai. But Aksarai kept sending him more messages.
[It’s not time for that. You will all die if you stay there.]
“What do you mean?”
[You know about those Lukras and Drakuns, right? There will be a war soon. Lukras will move into the Drakuns’ territory, which means the place you live in will be the warfront. It will kill you all.]
“Dammit.”
If this Aksarai was telling the truth, the human race was going to be wiped out. They would not attack them, but just the shocks from the war would be enough to destroy the land.
[You should evacuate all humans into the continent you call Ra-Sian. That place will be safe for the moment.]
“We can’t.”
[What? Didn’t you make that teleportation thing? Use it.]
Conrad shook his head.
“There are too many. Are there a few years before the war will happen?”
[I would say… about a month? I guess it’s not enough time.]
“Dammit. We don’t have time for anything.”
Conrad gritted his teeth, but Aksarai offered a second option.
[Then… go into hiding in the farthest place from the Mountain of Extreme. It will be better than being so close.]
“Right. We don’t have time… but why are you helping us?” Conrad asked as he could find no reason for Aksarai to help him.
[Well, that Sian boy was worried. It’s not much to just send you a word to tell you to run.]
“…Sian?”
Conrad became more confused. How would Aksarai know about Sian? But Aksarai answered again.
[You will know in due time. You will get to talk a lot now.]
The sphere became transparent as there was no blood in it anymore. Sian, who was closing his eyes as he was meditating, opened his eyes.
“Whew.”
Sian came out of the sphere after feeling like he’d absorbed all of its power. When he came out, the island had sunk under the ocean and all he could see was a vast sea.
Sian examined his body while he floated in the air.
“I guess he didn’t lie to me then.”
His body flowed with such power. He couldn’t believe he could still become stronger.
[Of course I didn’t lie. How do you like it?]
“Didn’t you go away?” Sian asked irritatingly, and Aksarai agreed.
[Well, with you being so powerful, there’s some space for my spirit. But don’t worry. I won’t stay within you forever.]
“If you succeed in coming back, will your voice go away too?”
Sian asked as it seemed that Aksarai’s goal was to come back to life.
[Yeah. So if you don’t want to live with me forever, you should help me come back.]
“Whew.”
Sian sighed, then stuck out his hand and shouted.
“Explosive Fire!”
[…]
Nothing happened. Aksarai became dumbfounded and asked Sian,
[What are you doing?]
“Was it a scam?”
[Huh?]
“Are you not the Ruler of all Magic, the Almighty… and all that?”
[Haha, that’s a name I haven’t heard for years. Yes. I was.]
“Then why can’t I use your power when I consumed it?”
Sian anticipated using such magic if he consumed Aksarai’s power. He remembered Lorvall using such magic and figured it looked cool.
Aksarai shouted from within.
[Huh? You fool, didn’t I say you have no talent in anything else than the sword? Don’t even dream about it. Either way, the one you tried to use is the calculated magic, not just some random power. You will never get to use it with your intellectual level.]
“That’s unfair,” Sian mumbled.
Aksarai responded.
[What’s unfair is your talent. I’d never seen anyone become so strong at your age. Even Broxian wasn’t close when he was your age.]
Sian then became embarrassed and changed the subject.
“So… did anything happen? How long has it been?”
Sian had been focusing on absorbing the power so he did not know what had been going on. Aksarai then began telling him what he found out through Conrad.
