CHAPTER 2 - THE LABYRINTH

Chapter 2 - The Labyrinth.

When Elijah opened his eyes, he found himself surrounded by darkness. Endless darkness that was accompanied by the sound of water dripping in a rhythmic fashion. When most people would freak about finding themselves in this situation, Elijah was surprisingly calm. His thoughts were working flawlessly and he kept himself sane.

Soon, the darkness faded out, and blue walls lit up by greenish-white tinted glow stones lit up his world. Elijah gazed around curiously, his grip on Yamato loosening a bit.

'Huh… This-' His thoughts were cut off by a myriad of voices, all screaming and shouting in fear as the cave around him shook. Being as curious as he was, he peaked around the neighboring corner and saw that there was a group of Adventurers and Knight-Wannabe's being ganged up on by a huge group of endless skeleton soldiers.

In front of the group was a huge, Behemoth of a monster. The only thing holding it back from actually managing to kill any of the kids and knights in front of it was a barrier that didn't seem to have much left in it.

The mages in the back strained as the barrier came loose, and at the same time a boy with brown hair whose bangs covered his forehead, sprinted to the front lines, a look of pure determination and urgency plastered on his small, innocent face.

Elijah's eyes widened seeing the boy, his mind instantly profiling him as Hajime Nagumo, the protagonist of Arifureta as well as the most edgy character he's ever seen.

He watched from the sidelines as Hajime and Kouki argued back and forth, the latter trying to get the other to retreat and take care of his classmates, to lead them and get them under control. As of right now, the group of former students were all running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Even the knights stationed to protect and lead them couldn't get the aspiring heroes under control.

Elijah sighed, he always dreamed of making a big appearance.

Gripping Yamato tightly, Elijah strode forth, walking nonchalantly towards the giant Behemoth threatening to end the group's life. His presence went unnoticed until he passed by the first group of female mages.

"-Huh?"

"-W-Wha?"

"W-Who are you!?"

Ignoring them completely, Elijah kept his eyes on the one he deemed worthy to test his powers on. Having already integrated fully with each and every one of his abilities, he had full confidence in himself, in fact, it felt like he'd been using them for centuries.

"Young man! Turn back now!" One of the Knights called out to him in hopes that he'd heed his words, but Elijah just kept going. Dodging and weaving through Traum Soldiers and occasionally slapping one away with Yamato in its sheath, his presence was finally noticed by Nagumo, Meld, and Kouki. Shizuku and Kaori as well.

Elijah spared just a glance at each and every one of them, making sure the people he saw were just as they were described and depicted throughout the Light Novels and animation.

"What the hell kid!? Where'd you come- Ah! Blast it! Kouki! Take them all and leave, now!" Meld went straight into questions but realized his words would be wasted. This was no time to question anyone and as curious as he was about Elijah, he had to wait and hope they all made it out alive.

"M-Meld-san! I'm not leaving-"

"...You should listen to him. While you're at it, you retreat too, Meld." Time was ticking on the barrier and Elijah knew. Elijah's mana flared for the first time since he's acquired it and he couldn't help the smirk that stretched his lips. Meld, Hajime, Shizuku, and Koari all flinched under the weight, causing whatever words they had to get stuck in their throats.

BOOM!*

"GRAAAAAAGH!"

A massive shockwave blasted through the area as the barrier the lead mages casted collapsed under the power of the Behemoth. Everyone except Elijah flew back, their ears ringing in pain as their bodies trembled from the sudden impact of compressed air.

Elijah's locs danced in the wind, his black shirt and pants fluttering alongside it. The Behemoth set its demonic eyes on Elijah, roaring to crush him under its weight.

Charging forth, the Behemoth wasted no time and intended to take out Elijah along with the rest of the human trespassers on the bridge in one move.

"M-Move!" Kouki's voice stuttered out in a pained breath. He recovered faster than his peers and he thought he was going to witness the death of a boy around their age. Shizuku and Kaori alongside Meld all tightened up in fear, the same thoughts circulating through their brains.

However, as if their world stopped in its place. They couldn't believe their eyes and they stood shell shocked.

BOOM!*

FWOOSH!*

Another shockwave blasted the area, only this time it was much smaller.

"GRRR!" The Behemoth growled cautiously, its beady red eyes staring deeply into Elijah's golden eyes full of disappointment. A single hand held the Behemoth back, Elijah's hand rested on its snout, and that was all it took for the monster to stop in its tracks.

"...And you all were worked up for nothing." Elijah spoke condescendingly, though no one was sane enough to respond. Every single Knight and student alike laid stunned, complete disbelief as they watched the scene in front of them.

As if to rub their weakness in their face, Elijah's left-hand thumb pushed Yamato slightly out of its sheath and in the next second, the Behemoth was nothing but a pile of dust as a gigantic mana core plopped to the stoned bridge.

SHING! *

Raising his right hand, Elijah cast a wide ranged fire spell, and a wave of golden-black fire covered the entire bridge, burning everything that moved except for the knights and students.

His control over his mana was just that good. He could manipulate his spells to harm only what he wants it to harm.

Having easily cleaned up what the others couldn't, Elijah couldn't help but feel satisfied with his first-time appearance. This was something they would all remember and since this group quite literally is the center of the world, it'd be better if they knew his capabilities.

The first one to come back to their senses was Meld, he immediately began to stagger to his feet, ignoring the roaring pain his body transmitted to his brain. He had to know just who this kid was and where he came from.

His skin was dark, at first Meld didn't notice it but now that he did…

"A D-Demon?" he muttered, causing Elijah to look at him. Rubbing the back of his head, Elijah shook his head.

"Nope… Not a demon, just… Black." he said awkwardly. He guessed that this was the questions that the God mentioned he would have to get over. Meld's mouth sputtered before apologizing with a smile, and a deep, painful grunted bow.

"T-Thank you for saving us… I don't know what we would've done without you, um?" He trailed off, probing for a name. Elijah picked up on this and obliged.

"Elijah. And no problem, don't mention it." He waved it off, glancing around at the other students that were finally coming back to their senses. His eyes landed on Shizuku and then on to Hajime.

He saw that Shizuku was eyeing his blade even throughout her stupor.

'Once a swordsman always a swordsman I suppose…' Elijah mused, his gaze settling on Kouki next. The young hero seemed to be fully recovered and was making his way towards him.

"If I may ask… Where'd you come from, Elijah-Kun?" Meld continued his questioning, trying to milk whatever he could. He knew he should be checking on the summoned ones, but he had a feeling they were okay… Something about the kid in front of him had his complete attention.

"Eh? Uh, Tortus? I mean, I've always been here…" Elijah responded, his tone making Melds question seem dumb. The man only nodded slowly before deciding enough was enough. He figured the kid would be heading back up to the surface and on the way there he would be able to question him some more.

But!

A transmigrator is never predictable.

"...Well, if y'all are about to leave, then so am I. Tootles~" And with those words, he jumped off the side of the bridge and plummeted into the deep dark abyss.

"Elijah!?"

"What the hell!"

"What's he thinking!?"

Meld, Kouki and Hajime all shouted simultaneously, their figures immediately looking over the edge for any signs that maybe he was just playing a prank.

"D-Did he just…" Kouki muttered. Meld didn't know how to feel about this, all he could really do is hope that the kid had a plan. His squad came first and now they had to get back to the surface and report.

'We should've done this later on…'

…