Within Leon Bertuli's thoughts, he was conflicted.
'None of my enemies have ever survived any of my Hex. Who in the world is this man?'
He had only mastered two out of the [Hex Art] made available to the Imperial Knights. The one he most often used was [Hex#95], and his preferred model was Flames, though he knew a bit of Wind.
Yet, that wasn't enough to end it this time.
'No matter…' Leon's thoughts stubbornly clung to hope.
He still had his final trump card, his most destructive move.
While this would use up all his energy and he would be worn out after its use, the power it offered was worth it.
'With this, I'll destroy this man. After he is dealt with, the Fairy should be no big deal,' Leon thought to himself.
He now glared at the stranger before him.
'I'm still confused about what [Art] he used back then.'
There were only two types of [Arts] in this world: Hex and the other one.
The latter was not one that just any person could possess. It is said that this power was one endowed upon an individual by god.
Unlike it, Hex had to be mastered. It was the product of the greatest researcher known to mankind.
The entire archive was discovered nearly 3,000 years ago, right after the Dark Ages. It contained a means by which humans could access the supernatural.
The man's name and identity remained a mystery to date, but his legacy lived on.
That was the greatness of Hex! The unstoppable Art of destruction!
"[Hex #87: Call Of Weather <Model—Lightning> ]!" he shouted, pouring all his energy into his final move.
Immediately, all his energy converged and then shot up into the sky.
The ascending energy kept rising and growing denser, and Leon held both hands above him, grinning with arrogant glee.
"Hehehe… hahahaha!" He cackled with unbridled confidence as he watched the still man watch his actions, most likely in trepidation.
'This is the end of the line for you. There's no escape!'
And so, with the roar from the heavens sounding as his signal, Leon completed the steps necessary to eviscerate his foe.
"Descend!" he said, bringing his hands down and directing the acclimated energy in Elish's direction.
The energy in the sky roared, cackled, and finally rushed down in the form of all-devouring lightning.
It was an ultimate power that would destroy everything in its path, leaving nothing—not even the charred remains of the target.
It also had a homing function so the man before him could not escape.
This was it… judgment day!
Unfortunately for Leon, the man he targeted didn't share that sentiment. He viewed the lightning as one thing, and one thing alone.
"Pathetic…"
Elish couldn't contain his displeasure anymore. Any further and it would have driven him to utter embarrassment.
He stretched forth his hand to the orb and made a sigh.
"[Hex #99: Diminish]."
The lance of raging lightning immediately dissolved and imploded, disappearing from sight. Before it could even graze Elish, the once-powerful burst of fatal currents faded into obscurity.
Nothing was left of it.
"N-no… no way."
Leon, who was now looking exhausted after expending his energy, now had an expression of terror in his eyes.
"Oh? Where did your confidence go? Exhausted after only two Hexes? That's beyond pathetic, you know?" The way Elish addressed the Knight made him shiver even more.
The Hexes had a unique system where the weakest one had the biggest number. Of course, this was in theory alone, and it was possible for a higher-numbered Hex to beat a lower-numbered one if the user of the weaker Hex was more capable.
In this case, a Hex #99 had just trumped his Hex, which was in the #80s.
It was too absurd!
'B-but I'm an Imperial Knight! I trained and practiced for so long, and yet… YET…!'
He shook his head as though he could not believe what he had just seen.
"Do you even know how to use Hex? Or what is this? Child's play?" The words from Elish, which would have incurred pure rage from Leon's bruised ego, now seemed to only send him to a paralysis of fear.
Leon was dumbfounded.
He could not utter any sensible words and choked on whatever he wanted to say.
"H-How... W-Who A-Are Y-You?" He managed to say.
"It would be wasted on you," Elish replied calmly, now walking gently in Leon's direction. "However, I will tell you one thing. This pathetic display you just showed me isn't at all what Hex is."
"N-not… what Hex is…?"
How was that possible? To be an Imperial Knight of the Empire, one had to at least master one Hex. The higher the ranks an Imperial Knight had, the more Hexes they had mastered, and the more they would even be exposed to.
For this man to tell him he didn't display a real Hex… Leon felt it was an insult to all the hard work and effort he had put in.
"Y-you… you…"
"You require an education. It is the least I could do after seeing such rubbish." Elish didn't even allow Leon to complete his words.
It seemed his patience had reached his limits.
"Let me show you… what Hex really is."
Leon couldn't describe how he felt when he heard those words. He felt a mix of trepiation an curiousity.
"Let's see you do any better" mixed with "What will he show me?" were etched on his face.
What would he see? What would he be shown?
Only the absolute one knew.
"[Hex #95: Elementalist <Model—Fire>]" Elish recited the chant for the same Hex Leon had used a few moments earlier.
However…
~VWUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!~
A massive surge of flames erupted from Elish's raised hand , roaring in all its majesty.
"Not yet…"
The flames swiftly began to compress, condensing to a size that seemed impossible given the sheer mass they had just displayed.
They grew smaller than a human head… and then smaller than an eyeball.
Until finally, the flames became a tiny ball of fire that settled above Elish's index fingertip
"Fireball." Elish murmured, almost with disinterest.
His face was an absolute calm as the radiance of the flames dyed his face with a golden orange hue, a sharp contrast to the expression of the Imperial Knight.
"Aa-ahhh… ahhh…"
Leon was nearly in tears as he looked above him and saw the miniscule structure resting on Elish's index finger.
His legs were no longer able to support him, and he fell on his knees.
The orange source of energy was merely a tiny ball of light that danced around Elish's finger like a firefly, yet its power felt overwhelming.
Too overwhelming!
"Do you realize now, your foolishness?" Elish asked.
Leon had the expression of absolute fear.
His body trembled.
He could tell that within the small orb that was on Elish's finger was a more devastating energy than his two attacks combined.
'Well, this is it.' Elish thought to himself as he stared at Leon's despairing face, which reflected his broken mind.
'I take no pleasure in watching him lose all will to live, and from the look of things, he isn't capable of learning anything.'
If he wanted to end things, now was the time.
"H-How...?" Leon let out in a hoarse voice. Mucus and saliva dripped from his face as he watched Elish's power dance before his eyes.
"Do you even know what Hex is at all? Interfering with the elements that make up the world. Do you think it is possible to do that with your energy alone?" Elish asked in a sigh, like a parent tired of explaining a simple answer to a toddler.
"H-how can you...?" Leon asked, his lips trembling as he uttered every syllable.
"Authorities govern concepts and aspects of existence. They simply rule over the nature of the world. By attracting the very essence of the concepts that the Authorities rule, using them to interfere with those concepts, rather than rule over them. That is the way to use Hex."
Elish realized that speaking about most of these things to someone like this was pointless, but he couldn't help it.
He had thought anyone who discovered Hex would have been able to know that much.
"You get exhausted after using two of the lowest Hexes, with only this low level of mastery and output. However, I merely used a fraction of my essence to attract phenomenally greater essence from around me, causing me to effectively alter the very concepts that build up the world."
Like a small pool of water drawing out water from a larger pool, all to achieve a goal.
That was how to use Hex.
"Who? Who are you?" Leon asked again.
This would be the third time he would be asking, hoping that perhaps, in honor of his last moments, his query would be answered.
Maybe… this time he would finally learn the name of this man.
"It would be wasted on you." Contrary to Leon's hopes, however, Elish responded with the same answer.
What more should he have expecte from this man?
"Then again, I've already told you this much, so why not? Listen well, mortal. I am the true creator of Hex, the one who stands above everything you know," Elish finally revealed, his tone barely above a whisper.
His face was a dead calm, and as his lips opened up to utter his name, he had a cold demeanor course through his facade.
"My name is Elish. Monarch of the VO—"
"The Evil one? The Demon God? The Author of Chaos? Y-y-you can't be! It's Impossible!... Inconceivable!!!!" Leon interrupted Elish, his voice lashing out like a madman who had gone insane a second time.
He was in an absolute frenzy.
"Tch. This is why I didn't want to say anything…" Elish muttered, half in regret, an half in disappointment.
'And I would have spared him too…'
Perhaps using an Imperial Knight as a pawn would be the first move he could make in this world. However, after taking a second look at Leon Bertuli, Elish felt nothing but disdain.
'He's useless…'
"Arghhhhhh!" Leon roared, rising to his feet in a fit of insanity.
His bloodshot eyes had tears streaming from them, and he brandished his blade in what could only be recognized as an attempt to attack Elish.
Elish sighed. 'Such a pointless struggle…'
Pointing his index finger at Leon, he launched his tiny orb of flames at him.
'Just die, I suppose.'
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading this far.
Remember to support with your Power Stones and comments.
Thank you all.
As Leon rushed at Elish in desperation, he only had one thought swirling in his mind.
'Is this the end for me?'
The closer he got to the target, the more that seemed to be the case.
'No, it can't be! I dedicated my whole life to strength. I even got the opportunity to learn Hex, the ultimate Art of destruction.'
After all of that, he couldn't just die, could he? There was so much he was yet to do… too many things he had yet to achieve.
'I would have sold this fairy and gotten so much money. The boys and I would have had our fill of some good beer at the local pub. I would have risen in the ranks until I became truly unstoppable. I would have—'
"Goodbye. I can't say it has been pleasant," Elish's whispered reached Leon's ears as he watched the glowing orb dance in his direction.
'No… no…!'
He was powerless. His body wouldn't stop moving forward, and even though he knew it was for naught, he couldn't halt his moving blade.
Until… the orb finally made contact with his body.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
The fiery explosion consumed Leon and everything around him, swallowing everything in a swirling dome of flames.
Everything, to no exception, was devoured by the raging fire, leaving nothing but embers in their wake.
An absolute cremation
"And thus it ends." Elish stated nonchalantly as he took his eyes away from the now smoldering flames.
As he turned from the pitiful sight of the man, he moved his gaze in the opposite direction.
"Now, where were we?"
There was no one behnd him—at least, not anymore. The Fairy he had gone through all of this effort to save had suddenly vanished.
"Ah, so she fled," he thought to himself in a sigh.
His eyes glowed crimson, and his dark hair swayed with the hot wind as he looked in the direction he sensed the little one had scampered off to.
"That foolish girl."
Elish vanishing from where he stood, his feet propelling him with such speed that he suspected he'd be at his target location in no time.
'Time to catch my little runaway.'
********
'I must get away!' A certain Fairy thought to herself, running as fast as she could.
Her breath was heavy, and her legs hurt so much from running so much—an act she wasn't quite used to since she would have resorted to her wings.
… Her lost wings.
"Haa… haaa…"
One could only wonder why she would push herself so much, but this runaway Fairy understood perfectly. She understood what had just unfolded before her eyes.
"Haa… haa…"
What she had just witnessed was a monster beyond any she had ever seen.
'The way he instantly killed the 6 soldiers who were assaulting me without any effort or emotion. The way he instantly healed me, which I'm still not sure how. And he was even able to withstand not just one, but two Hexes!'
She could do nothing but flee for her life.
Not only was he a monster beyond anything she had ever seen, but he was also a master of Hex.
Initially, she had been too engrossed in the scene unfolding before her eyes to even say a word. However, after she had witnessed this total stranger use a Hex so powerful that it reduced his opponent and everything around him to dust, she couldn't stay there anymore.
'Am I next?' The thought rang through her head.
But he saved her from the soldiers and even healed her. Surely, he didn't mean her any harm. Or did he?
'No! Don't be fooled by that! All humans are the same. They're all the same!' She cried to herself, picking up her pace as she ran through the woods.
She wasn't sure if she could even outrun him, but she had to try. If she didn't struggle till her last breath then she might as well be dead.
"I can't die now. I must live!" She told herself while breathing heavily. Sweat stained her skin, but she kept pushing regardless.
Survival! That was all that mattered to her now.
"Gah!"
As she ran, her leg hit one of the roots which had risen above ground, causing her to stumble. Due to the sudden change in momentum, she could not regain her balance and instead fell to the ground.
"Argh." Wincing in pain and frustration, she held her legs and fidgeted on the dirty floor.
It was so painful… so frustrating.
She wasn't used to moving on foot. The balance dynamics were weird now that her wings were gone.
"M-my… my wings." She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she thought about how beautiful she was.
And how she had now devolved into this dirty, disgusting thing now wriggling on the ground, like a filthy caterpillar.
Such pain was indescribable, but this Fairy had to stifle all of it. This was no time to indulge in her pain or sorrow. She had to escape first, or else—
"There you are," a sudden voice came from behind her.
"A-ahh. Ahh…" Her eyes widened as she instantly recognized the voice.
Her bones rattled as her body froze in pure fear. There were many who had the power to induce fear within her, but only one man could make it feel this raw.
'It's him!'
********
It didn't take Elish any time to find the runaway fairy. With his heightened senses, it was no big deal. Plus, she hadn't even gotten very far.
He watched everything from behind her, how she ran so desperately away from him. The struggle in her movement clearly indicated that she wasn't used to moving without her wings.
'Their removal must have been recent,' Elish thought to himself.
He watched as she approached a root in her path.
"She's going to stumble and fall now," he whispered in silent observation, and true to his words, she did precisely that.
He let out a chuckle the instant it happened.
'Foolish girl. It's high time I end this farce anyway.'
He approached her slowly, noticing the scars on her back where her wings were supposed to be. It had healed finely thanks to the Hex he used on her, but still...
'The fine line of scars will still remain on her bare back, a fine reminder of what she has lost.'
It was so grim to the point of being poetic.
"There you are," he smiled, watching as she turned her face in surprise at the sound of his voice.
Pure terror oozed from her, and Elish couldn't understand why she had such an irrational fear toward him.
'I didn't even harm her or anything.'
Sure, he mercilessly killed her attackers, but if he showed her mercy, it meant there was a reason behind that. Why would he just kill her after going through all that trouble?
"P-please spare me," she whimpered in submission.
'Is she trying to garner my sympathy? I expected a little more from her.' His thoughts echoed in mild disappointment.
Was she not going to fight back like she did back then? Or, after seeing the vast difference between them, had she decided pleading was the best solution?
As he ruminated on her words, she suddenly sprung up with a sharp tree edge in her hand, intending to strike him down.
Her swift movement betrayed her previous powerless pose to the point that Elish was a little taken by surprise by her action.
"Now that's more like it." His eyes instantly lit up at the sight.
She charged towards him with a fierce look in her eyes, and it was nothing short of amusing.
While Elish was only interested in her for her story, he found everything she did to be entertaining in the most unexpected way.
The way she struggled to run, the way she squirmed around in the dirt, and the way her legs wobbled and her fragile hands brandished the only weapon she could use.
Everything in her unrelenting dance of desperation.
'It fascinates me.'
The wood was filthy, so Elish dodged it quite easily, and utilizing the force of the wind by flicking his finger, he pushed the branch away from her.
"Ueh?!" She looked stunned to see her only weapon fly from her hands, and Elish let himself enjoy the moment and observe her next action.
The Fairy looked at where the wooden branch had gone and then returned her gaze in his direction. The distance between her and her weapon was vast, and since he was closest to her, she must have believed he wouldn't give her the chance to retrieve her weapon.
It was at this point that she did the most the most amusing thing Elish had seen thus far.
"Haa… haaa…" The Fairy raised her fists and took a fighting stance against him. Elish could see her body trembling and her hands shaking, yet she wouldn't give in.
"Pfft.. hehe… haha.. hahahahaahahaha!" Elish found himself uncontrollably at this point.
'This girl is so amusing. Really? Your fists? What can you possibly do with them?' It truly was never a dull moment with her.
The Fairy looked startled to see him laugh. She just couldn't understand what he found so amusing about her situation.
"W-what do you want from me?" After deliberating internally for a few seconds, she asked him with a cautious tone.
Her tone was mildly disrespectful, but Elish couldn't even notice it.
"Tell me why you have those eyes." His calm voice echoed, piercing the tense silence that pervaded the expanse where they both stood.
"Eyes? What…?" She muttered, further confused.
"Tell me what happened to you, Fairy?" Elish repeated, his eyes narrowing as he stared down at her with his cold gaze.
"Do that, and I'll let you go."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading, everyone.
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