96 Chapter 84: The Fight (2)
「The hell is this ability?」Zaeryn was lost for words as he examined the devastating aftermath of the attack.
「Runecraft!」The elven girl excitedly answered, her face radiating with pride.
「Runecraft? What's runecraft?」Zaeryn raised his eyebrows. He had lived for more than 70 years as a Tengu, mastered how to utilize Nen and Ultimate Arte, studied for 20 years under the Elven Progenitor in the art of Magic, yet, never once had he heard of this <Runecraft> ability.
「It's something I just invented!」The girl grinned. Zaeryn looked at the scene again before turning to his side to look at the elf. The 100 years old elven girl, who despite being unable to wield magic itself, was in fact a genius scholar that fully elucidated everything there was to know about magic theory. Within the land of the High Elf, it was rumored that the girl's theoretical knowledge of magic could rival that of Seri herself. Yet, never once would the Tengu imagine that one day, this petite elven girl would just invent some terrifying ability like this. 「Well, I can't take all the credit cuz Seri sama did help me a bit, but still, I did put a lot of efforts to perfect this ability.」
「So… how does this Runecraft work, Fay?」
「Heheheee.」The girl scratched her nose.「You know how magical artifacts are crafted?」
「... Yes.」answered Zaeryn.「In short, what differentiates normal items from magical ones is that during the process of making magical items, the <Flow of Magics> are supposed to be bended and embedded into the items themselves by high level mages. The more skillful the mages are, the more <Flow of Magic> they can imbed into the items, making the artifacts more powerful」
「Exactly!」Exclaimed Fay. 「And my Runecrafts work with similar principles. By inscribing these small papers with certain ancient arcane symbols, I was able to use them as conduits to direct and store <Flow of Magic>, which can then be released at a later time, much like any magical attacks.」
「... So, you're telling me, they're just magics with extra steps.」
「Kind of. Though, give me some more time to develop it and I promise you, it will become much more flexible compared to magics.」The girl seemed confident with her assessment.「So? Want to become my humble disciple and learn Runecraft under my feet? I can teach you how to use it!」
「... There's no need to learn it if I have already mastered Magic though, right?」
「Ehhh….」
Kibadios slowly opened his eyes after recalling the nostalgic memories of the past.「So, Kingdom of Yue… I had a hunch… but they really are your descendants, Fay?」The hybrid's gaze turned toward the floating icy crystal that the sister had just called forth along with the 22 other skeleton shaped monarchs. Unlike the other, the person encased within the crystal was still in her flesh. With just one look, Kibadios could easily recognize the pink hair that was braided into twintails and the smooth, snow white skin that the first queen of Yue once possessed. 「Well, it looks like she's not active yet. Let's hope it stays that way. I gotta finish this before she wakes up.」
Taking no chances, the hybrid immediately spread his large pair of wings, causing shockwaves that reverberated throughout the field before springing himself upward at the emerging skeletons. His strong arm swung the scythe, the resulting slash cut through one of the summoned skeleton effortlessly, leaving behind burning dark flames that consumed it whole in seconds.
「<Restored>!」Commanded Yue, which caused the shattered burnt ashes to aggregate and reform into the same skeleton again. Even its fancy clothes were fully intact.
「... Wow, this Endo Tensei kind of Runecraft is really troublesome.」 Kibadios sighed. 「<Demonic Abyss>!」Shadow began to form around the young hybrid as his eyes glowed in a distinct shade of purple that caught everyone off guard.
「<Enhancement>!」To counteract the hybrid's Arte, Ren cladded his body with an enhancing talisman before leaped up to his opponent and delivered a swift downward kick that sent the hybrid crashing down onto the ground. Before he could emerge from the unsettled dusts, several of the 23 summoned skeletons swooped down with attacks of their own, aiming directly at the unprepared hybrid.
「It takes more than that to take me down.」The spiky shadows that wrapped around Kibadios suddenly expanded outward, preventing the skeletons from getting close to the hybrid. 「To be able to conjure up your ancestors like this must be taking a toll on you, right? At the rate at which your Nen is being consumed by these corpses to keep them materialized, I guess you will not have more than ten minutes before you collapse from exhaustion.」Kibadios looked up at Yue, who did not give him any response.
「We don't need more than ten minutes to deal with you!」Ren screamed before launching two talismans at the hybrid at once. The attacks raced toward Kibadios at lightning speeds, though before they could land a hit on his body, the hybrid reciprocated by launching two shadow balls to intercept the attack in midair. As the two opposing strikes clashed against one another, a loud noise and shockwaves again covered the field. Knowing time was not on their side, the two siblings launched several continuous attacks, with Yue directing her ancestors, each possessing power that rivaled her own brother, to destroy the hybrid. Yet, after prolonged clashes that lasted more than five minutes, neither of the elven siblings were able to crack past the hybrid's defense. Having more than half of her Nen reserve exhausted, Yue was now breathing loudly, and sweat started to roll down her face. … Should I try to unseal the First? The girl thought to herself.
Compared to the other ancestors that she currently fielded, the power of the founder of the Kingdom of Yue, the legendary Fay The Runecrafter, was on a completely different level. For if the mythical founding of the Kingdom of Yue was to be believed, the first queen of the kingdom rebelled and fought against Seri the Eternal, the progenitor of the High Elf for more than 3 days. As a sign of Seri's acknowledgement of the First's power, although the monarch was defeated in the end of their battle, Seri had decided not to end the original Runecrafter's life but to simply banish her from the Land of the High Elf. Soon afterward, Fay was able to lead a group of High Elf and human in the land south of Althea to found the Kingdom of Yue that lasted for almost 10k years. As a testament to her immeasurable power, since her death, none of the subsequent monarchs or Yue's royal members was able to summon the First Queen through Runecraft. Only Yue, the kingdom's last elven princess, was able to call forth the large crystal which the First was entombed inside. The girl has tried multiple times to break the seal of the tomb, but she always found herself stopping short of the runic ritual. For in that very moment before the seal was supposed to be undone, she could feel that the repercussions from such an act might possibly kill her instantly. But now, I have no choice. Yue continued her thought. Kibadios dono is strong… He may not be able to counterattack now , but he understands that he does not need to, for we're the ones under time constraints. As of right now, he's simply conserving his energy, waiting for the moment my Nen runs out… When I am not able to maintain the <23 Ancestor Gates> open anymore, that'd be when he strikes back.
Ren knew this too, which caused the last elven prince to up the intensity of his attacks, which put much needless strain on his body.
「<Void Gate>」「<Emerald Gate>」「<Light Gate>」Unlike previous attacks, Ren simultaneously performed three separate powerful Runes all at the same time from three directions, trying to block the hybrid from escaping. 「Haa…. Huff… Huff」The elf leaned down, pressed his hands on his slightly bent knees, trying to catch a moment of break after seeing the hybrid receive direct hits from his combo.
「Nii sama, watch out!」Yue screamed as she directed the skeletons toward her brother for protection, yet, it was too late.
「Ren kun. Never let your guard down in a fight!」The familiar voice seemed to echo around him. Before he could respond, he had found himself at the receiving end of the hybrid's punch that was cladded with his shadow. The resulting impact on his stomach sent the unsuspecting elf flying across the field.
「H… How?」Ren muttered.「My attacks got you.」
「You got Aizen'ed, Ren kun.」Kibadios smile before fending off the gathering skeletons.「It was my <Jagan_Evil Eyes>'s illusion. You were careful in the beginning, watching out for any tricks up my sleeve by directing Nen toward your eyes. However, once you started to act more rashly as time goes on, you lost the concentration of Nen on your eyes, making you blinded to my Illusionary skills.」Kibadios flew up, staying at the opposite of Yue.「Your sister, on the other hand, is immune to my skill due to her being blind. But once she was able to warn you, it was too late.」
「... It's now or never…」Yue said under her breath as she realized the chance for winning has drastically reduced. 「Return to your rest, O great ancestors!」She commanded. Soon after, all 22 of the skeletons withered away, leaving only the body of the First Queen behind.
「Yuueee, no!! Don't do it!」Ren tried his best to stand up, but he soon found the excruciating pain in his stomach unbearable, to the point that he struggled to stay conscious.「You'll die if you try to release The First!」
「Even so… I can't let Kibadios dono win, onii sama!」The girl took a deep breath before folded the talisman on her hand and slightly placed it in her mouth. Then, just like the short ritual that Natsume would perform to return the names back to the Yokai, the elven princess clapped her hand and focused all of her Nen into the Runes before trying to say something.
「Hey Yue.」Kibadios seemingly instantly transported next to the girl, held onto her hand tightly before softly spoke.「Don't try to wake Fay. You're not strong enough yet. This can literally kill you.」
「How… How do you know The First's name?」surprised Yue, though with the ritual interrupted by Kibadios, the recoil quickly knocked her out. As she collapsed, the paper wings on her back started to scatter into the wind. Before long, the hybrid slowly descended onto the ground, his arms carried the unconscious elven girl.
「I guess, this is my win, Ren kun?」Kibadios asked, his shadow reached out and circled the weakened elven prince.
「Youu…」was all he could respond before he too, fell into slumber.
「Master! Are you okay?」Maia was the first to run to the hybrid.
「Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.」answered Kibadios.「You have some potions on hand right? I'm sure that elven boy needs some.」
「Of course, Master.」obeyed Maia. The alchemist knelt down to pour some of her highest grade potion into Ren's mouth before turning to Yue.「What about her?」
「She's not physically injured so don't worry.」answered Kibadios. 「She just exhausted her Nen.」
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「So… that's Kibadios the Hybrid.」said Hunter after intensely analyzing the battle.
「He's stronger than what I'd have imagined, that's for sure.」
「Enough to be considered a Hyakki Yagyo's captain. No wonder Ashura recruited him.」
「... But, if you think about it, we have yet to see what he's capable of, haven't we?」Uran noticed.
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「Ooh la la.」The bushy redhead, whose hair already covered almost a third of his face, squatted down on a large tree branch not too far from the field.「I did not expect to witness such an interesting fight like this. Though, despite all this, Kibadios dono has yet revealed much about his power… Now I see why the Boss has taken a liking to that hybrid. Unlike most fighters, that guy's fighting style is much more conservative and calculating. He analyzed everything there was to know about the elven twins' attacks before formulating a plan that utilized just enough moves to successfully defeat them. I wonder if I can take him on.」
「In your dream!」The dragonoid appeared behind the Hyakki Yagyo member, his hand held tightly onto his weapon.「You're part of that mercenary group, aren't you? What are you doing here?」
「Hey there, dragon dude! The boss sent me here.」The young man stood up and turned around.「you know, to meet with Kibadios dono…」He looked at the murderous Nen exuded from Ryuu, which caused his hair to stand up, a feeling that he had not experienced for quite some time.「Now now now, we're technically allies, can you stop giving me that look.」
「...Meet with him? For what?」
「Well, you see, I used to be the interim 12th captain, but now that Kibadios dono has joined the Hyakki Yagyo, the Boss wants him to ascend to the 12th captain spot and I was to serve as his vice captain. That's why I'm here to have a discussion with him regarding that matter.」
「Then where is that Yonko guy now?」
「He's still busy checking out the Orcan Mine. He'll meet with Kibadios dono at a later date…」
