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72.52% Life Hunter / Chapter 197: ''Cryptic Arts.''

Capítulo 197: ''Cryptic Arts.''

Chulainn looked at the sky and watched the silver light fade away.

"What are they doing? It's Layla and Arima's auras… They're fighting?" He scowled then shifted his attention to the new buildings which were already being constructed.

It had just been thirty minutes since Jin had ordered new facilities to be built but there was already something habitable. Some large trucks had come and left some weird materials. The workers put them together to form the frame of the walls and the roof. Then, afterward, they placed some unknown silk-like material to craft the actual walls.

There were no floors, doors, rooms, or windows but the whole thing was already heated and isolated. Even though the ground was still uneven, the whole structure was sturdy. Now, the floors were being finalized while the walls and the roof were being optimized with an additional layer of what seemed to be simple wood.

"Technology is a fascinating thing, isn't it? At this rate, they'll finish in a few hours," Chulainn commented. Arister shrugged and observed the children silently sitting around the yard.

Every newly appointed teacher had decided to gather the students outside and instruct them with the basics before projecting Arima's simplest lectures. At the moment, they were learning about magic circuits and spiritual forces.

"That guy seems to be enjoying himself," Chulainn added as he pointed at Rex who was tutoring in high spirits. As for Hieran, he had dug a large cave with earth magic and was already sleeping there since he wasn't needed for the day.

"Well, I don't think it will be a problem to teach those children…" Arister said while watching Arima's former students giving the lectures. "That kid is good," he offhandedly remarked whilst pointing at Gaodu.

"Yeah, I heard he had Dionysus's inheritance. He can go far with that."

"You're right…" Arister glanced at the giant tree on the horizon. "As for that guy… I kinda feel bad for him," he muttered and Rex suddenly lowered his head to speak to them.

"You tell me. I don't know what kind of teacher she can be. But in all honesty, being her pupil would be the last thing I'd wish for," the dinosaur said and Chulainn laughed.

"Well, for a human, it may not be that bad, you know?" He retorted and Rex tilted his huge head. "In this world, Dryads are quite famous. For many reasons."

***

Evergreen had brought Jin inside the mother tree she had grown. It was the exact same kind of place she had used to welcome Arima before. The floor, roof, and walls were made out of dark wood and the whole room was illuminated by green lights.

She sighed and sat down on a fancy wooden chair. She wasn't saying anything so Jin groaned before opening his mouth.

"So… where do we start?"

"Nowhere," Evergreen indifferently answered. "For now, your job is to stand up straight without trembling," she said and tapped gently on a white orb that was floating around her. When she did that, a door formed right next to Jin.

He frowned and sought confirmation before opening it. When he went through the door, he ended up in the middle of an endless meadow and the room he had just walked out from was revealed to be a small hut. He looked up and covered his eyes because of the bright sun.

It was exactly like the dimension Seria, the dryad who had solicited Arima's help before, lived in.

"This place is a dimension that is naturally created whenever a new mother tree is nurtured," Evergreen explained. She was out of the small hut but was still sitting on her chair, right in front of the door. "Anyway, just do what I asked for now."

"What? Stand up? Did you take a clear look at me?" Jin was perplexed.

Evergreen shot him a glare and made him quiet down. "It might be tough for you since your body has already reached its feeblest state but as long as you circulate your mana little bit, it should be easy. Even with your age."

"When someone channels mana for the first time, his magic circuits will stabilize and undergo drastic transformations. In your case, your life force level will instantly rise depending on how trained your body is, how strong your spirit is, and other things like that. From what I can see, you have good chances to directly reach the fourth or the fifth level."

Jin sighed and opened his arms wide. "Fine, then how do I do it? How do I conduct my mana?"

"Find it yourself," Evergreen replied and his expression twitched.

"How am I supposed to use energy which I've never been in contact with? I don't even know how it is supposed to function."

"I heard our common friend, Arimane, managed to cast a spell the moment he entered the other world," Evergreen told and Jin clicked his tongue.

"Don't compare me to that freak," he retorted and Evergreen snorted.

"Just try. If you succeed on your own, it'll be a great experience," she stated and Jin looked back at her. She was smiling honestly and although she was kind of boorish, she was silently watching him. It seemed that she was going to observe his progress attentively.

'Well, perhaps she's serious about her job…' Jin thought. He closed his eyes and immediately started trying to find this new energy that he didn't know existed until the day before.

***

The next day, Jin broadcasted a press conference from the newly established academy and revealed to the world the existence of magic and the Téra that would soon arrive. He also announced the creation of a new education for magic practitioners.

Actually, most people easily accepted it. The younger ones were simply excited to see the fiction come true and the adults and elders were incredulous but had to believe it when they saw children playing with magic on the streets.

Usually, people would either panic or maybe even become slightly nasty and thirst power or even say that magic shouldn't be practiced. But nothing of the sort happened.

They had been under the rule of Aurorae for an entire generation now. They were used to be given orders and they also knew that they never should even think of contesting Aurorae's authority unless they wanted to mysteriously disappear from the surface of the planet.

Furthermore, there was a rumor saying that Arimane Blade had reappeared recently. To be exact, some images of Arima's dragon form were leaked to the public. But it was, of course, intentional.

Even if the people doubted its genuineness, it was enough to make them hesitate and fearful. In the first place, on this planet, Arima was known, not as the Kind Demon but simply as a Demon. There wasn't anyone who didn't fear him for the actions he perpetrated a century ago.

All of this happened in one morning and the net was going wild. Meanwhile, Arima went back inside his soul realm. When Layla asked him the same question as the day before, he responded by laughing.

"Try harder," he said.

"…That's not an answer," she muttered annoyingly. "By the way, what about your arm?" She asked after the whole group had sat down on a blue stone in the middle of the vines and flowers.

"It's a fake one," Arima raised his left arm. "This is a copy. You could break it with just one hit. All of this because you went a little too far," he glared at Layla and she chuckled wryly. "I might be able to heal it if I just turn into the 'Kind Demon' with Night… But it's not necessary anyway."

"So, why are we here?" Night inquired.

"I'm creating a new category," Arima answered and Night's eyes widened.

"What's the name of the category then?" Karma asked.

"Cryptic."

"Cryptic?"

"Yeah, the Cryptic Arts," Arima affirmed and started drawing a magic circle on the ground.

"What are they for?"

"They are optimized magics. Not really made for something. For example, the fifth one is 'Aeterna'. It's a magic I'm trying to improve. The fourth one concerns Superore. The third is for Night and me. The second is for Karma and me again. And the first is with Layla and me," he declared.

"They're magics that I already used before but to which I'm adding a completely new theory. There's also the particularity that each art requires someone or something to conjure," he summarized and continued to draw the magic circle. It was quite small but it was already extremely complex.

Night hummed and observed the circle. "Is that for 'Aeterna' then?"

"Yeah."

To create a magic that can be used by others without limitations is a lot harder than simply inventing it. When you engineer a certain magic, you always have to design a magic formation like the one Arima was drawing. You inscribe the chant on it then define the theories with the runes.

After that, you have to devise the conduits which will allow the mana to flow effectively for the specific magic you want to create. Finally, you need to memorize the circle before integrating it with your magic circuits to form a new 'path' for it.

It's also by memorizing those kinds of circles that Lanya, Arister, and Arima's students learned the Arts before. Then, of course, once you have the circle perfectly memorized and integrated, you have to learn how the mana flows when you read the chant. The best way to do that is through a demonstration, instructions, or trial and error.

"How long will it take?"

"Hm," Arima mused. "Maybe around two weeks. You all have to help by the way. Well, you and Layla only need to be here for one Art. Karma will work with me for two of them and I can work alone with Superore."

"And now that we're talking about this; Karma, come here," Arima called and she immediately came to sit down in front of him. "With this, 'Aeterna' will be practical with any weapon but I want to create a layer just for you and me. So, we'll have to work together," he explained and Karma nodded dazedly while following Arima's instructions.

Night crossed his arms and watched silently. Layla rested her chin on her hands and also watched as Karma was being taught how to manipulate the circle's runes.

After ten minutes, Night grunted and stood up. "I can't wait like this," he grumbled. "Where is he?"

Arima snickered and pointed behind him with his thumb. "Go in that direction for about twenty thousand miles. You'll find a huge tomb. Blow it up to wake him up."

Night smirked and cracked his knuckles. "Sounds fun," he flapped his wings and flew off.

"You should go as well," Arima told Layla. "We don't share our memories since the Life Judgment. At best, he has a good impression of you. But he'll not be as nice as me. It's a good way to train."

Layla squinted her eyes. "How strong is he?"

Arima laughed at her question. "How strong? Don't be mistaken. He's not quietly staying there because I'm stronger than him. Malum is strong, period. If I had to fight against him on equal conditions, I would definitely lose. Considering the fact that he absorbed more timelines than me and also has better control over death magic, it's just a matter of fact."

"Wow," Layla was genuinely surprised. And it was the same for Karma. "I have to change my opinion on him a little bit now," she said and stood up. "Well, I'll be off then." Her silvery crystal wings appeared then she flew away too.

Arima looked at her until she left his sight. 'Well, let's hope he won't be too hard on them,' he thought; rejecting the possibility that Night and Layla could have the advantage on Malum.

"Anyway, let's do this nicely Karma. We'll go with the Second Art directly after we finish this one," he said and Karma nodded. She was actually growing tired already but she didn't dare to complain.

***

Meanwhile, not far from Neptune, a strange wormhole opened and a silhouette came out of it. It was the subordinate who had reported his discoveries to Harion. His entire body seemed to be made of shadows and only his glowing eyes could be defined.

He looked around and his eyes flashed when they fell on Earth. "A time array is encompassing the entire planet… is that The Traveler's work?" He was confused. "No, he's not versed in time magic. Then is it the Life Hunter? But how can he keep it active?"

He asked himself these questions until he reached the Earth. He stopped there and tried to see what was behind the giant clock. He clicked his tongue. "I don't have a choice. I'll just go in. We cannot afford to let that Life Hunter become a Guardian," he mumbled and instantly transformed into a black shadow that went through the array.


PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
AhraManyu AhraManyu

IMPORTANT, read plz...

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So, it's been half a year of continuous writing for me. So I'll be taking a small break.

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Which is not really one since I'll be editing... but basically, I'll be coming back next week. In eight days to be exact.

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I'll finally have my first week without having to write 2k a day. Just thinking about it is amazing.

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So yep, a small break before I attack the last volume.

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See ya!

Capítulo 198: ''You're looking for me?''

Two weeks later.

Night crashed among the tough vines of Arima's soul realm. He groaned and stood up while huffing black flames. He was in his strongest form as an Eternal Dragon. His silver mane was dusty as he got back on his feet. He was wielding a huge dark red sword which was obviously Karma.

"{We are not getting anywhere like this.}"

"I know," Night responded to Karma and grunted as he straightened his neck. He winced because of the lingering pain and clicked his tongue. He was right at the edge of a giant crater.

At some places, it was so deep you couldn't even see the end while in others, the ground was elevated instead for some reason. It looked like a huge hole that had been dug specifically to create an artificial canyon inside.

And in the very center, a massive stone edifice that looked like an ancient tomb stood proudly and completely undamaged. It was the only place that still had a flat ground and some vines on it.

A skeletal dragon of the same size as Night was nonchalantly sitting on the top of the tomb. It was looking at Night with its blazing eyes.

"Still, how the hell can you be so strong?" Night complained and Malum sneered.

"I'm stronger than Arima in our normal state. He's the only one capable of entering the Kind Demon form with you though."

Night deadpanned as if his explanation wasn't convincing enough. "I'm using Karma's full power…" He mumbled and swung Karma to his right. The tough vines were cut apart easily and Malum merely shrugged.

"It just means you have a long way to go."

Night scoffed and lightning erupted around him. He became a literal lightning bolt and appeared right in front of Malum in the blink of an eye. He swung Karma with all of the accumulated energy and provoked an explosion.

The shockwave shook the soul realm and thunder roared. While the explosion was still going on, raging dark flames were suddenly added and amplified the magnitude of the damages. The crater was altered again and the water of the ocean above trembled as if it threatened to fall.

When the discharge of energy died down, you could see that Malum had stopped Karma's blade with his exposed humerus. The aftermath of the attack also didn't even affect the tomb below.

"You're starting to get on my nerves," he spoke up and the flames in his eye sockets turned purple. "Thankfully that woman had to leave. Her ability to see the future was really annoying," he added and his ribs started glowing.

Inside of his ribcage, a huge fireball was forming. The bones were also fuming and releasing heat on their own. The fire was both black and red and kept spinning around.

"Shit," Night cursed and flapped his wings to retreat. He pulled Karma by the chain hanging from the handle and made it spin. "Let's try it, now!"

"{You sure? You should use 'Vashta Nerada'. It's the first time I use it.}"

"Not enough time," Night retorted. "[Fifth Cryptic Art, Aeterna, Secundi Stella, Pisces] (Eternal Night, Second Star, Pisces)," he chanted and the spinning Karma began to produce lightning on a large scale. It even fell on the ground and annihilated some huge chunks of earth.

Malum's eyes glowed and became bigger as they left a purple trail around his skull. The fireball in the middle of his body then drifted upward toward his throat. When it reached his mouth, a tremendous aura abruptly weighed down on the surroundings.

"He created his own. I can too," Malum declared and gathered the flames at the under his maw.

"[Third Berserk Art, Bellum Baptismo] (War Baptism)," he jumped off from his tomb and roared. A massive wave of black and red fire erupted from his mouth. The whole thing was even larger than a planet.

Night grunted and two huge silhouettes were created from the lightning hovering around Karma. It took the shape of two giant fishes. One was made of black lightning, and the other was slowly turning white.

The newly formed creatures screeched and a strident sound resounded. Night grabbed Karma again and beckoned the two of them. They both turned toward the wave of fire launched by Malum and cried again. They flew away and became even bigger than the fire wave while approaching it. The fishes revolved around each other and halted right in front of Malum's magic.

The pattern created by those two looked like the yin yang. The black fish had white eyes and the white one had black eyes. The fire wave rapidly reached them and directly struck them.

They cried for the third time and the pressure brought by Malum's magic was countered. The wave of fire had been stopped by the two fishes and couldn't get any farther.

Malum stopped breathing his fire breath and looked at it clashing against the circular shield that those fishes had formed. His bones were fuming and cracking at some places. This was the theory he had chosen for his own Arts. The higher his Arts are in the raking; the more damage they do to him.

"What is that?" He scowled as he looked at his magic being blocked. "Is that Pisces? Did he combine 'Aeterna' and constellations?" Even though he was made of bones, Malum was already having a headache. "Will you stop making these scary magics one day?" He huffed.

"Too bad though… Not good enough," he uttered. He raised his skeletal hand while the clash between his fire and the fishes was still going on and drew a small magic circle. He then snapped his fingers and everything slowed down around him.

He made a step forward and appeared right behind Night. "Arima still didn't teach you how to use this Art correctly," he said before punching Night with a 300% limit break. He was sent flying and crashed on the ground. He formed a giant hole and caused the formation of some mountains around it.

"You were defenseless behind an impenetrable shield. How ironic is that?" Malum snorted.

***

Far away from there, Arima was frowning in annoyance. He was working on a really huge magic circle. That circle was so big that maybe it was even bigger than Earth in diameter. It was so unreal that he had to work on it while flying around with Layla.

At the moment, he was irritated because the fight between his three soul partners was producing some repercussions around his location. He especially didn't want any mana disturbance that could affect the circle and make him restart everything from the beginning. Particularly when it was almost finished.

When he noticed that they had stopped for a moment, he shook his head and sighed. He resumed his work on the core section of the circle with Layla. The two were very silent and they placed the final runes a moment later.

Layla released the breath she had been holding it from the beginning. "Finally," she muttered and the circle gradually shrunk until it was as small as a palm. Then it split into two and merged with its creators' bodies.

"Indeed…" Arima nodded but he wasn't checking the magic or even looking at Layla. He was strangely looking up, at the reversed ocean. After a few seconds, he lowered his look.

"Night, Karma, come back," he ordered and Layla's expression changed.

"You can rest now," he smiled and told her. "It should be fine. We have Raylein on our side," he added and left the soul realm.

Layla blinked and sighed. "Seriously…" She sat down and closed her eyes to analyze the formation they had just drawn.

***

Night once again emerged from the devastated ground. He had managed to stop Malum's Art but gave an occasion at the same time. He knew that he could have been killed just now if Malum had wished to do so.

He rolled his eyes at the skeletal dragon who was back on his tomb. His bones had already been healed and like before, he was calmly staring back. Night was about to charge again when he heard Arima's call and stopped moving

"{We have to go,}" Karma said and Night couldn't help it. He returned to his human form along with Karma and left the soul realm.

After that, there was a minute of silence before Malum groaned loudly and turned back into a human skeleton.

"Fucking finally!" He shouted and lied down. He had been constantly fighting for two weeks straight; against Night and Layla at first, then it was Layla and Karma, and Night and Karma at the end. They were coming at him like some battle junkies.

It was to the point that even he felt it was a bit too much. He was spent after all of that. He looked around at the destroyed land then waved his hand toward the ocean above.

The water started to condense into a single drop then it continuously happened until it was profusely raining. In this soul realm, that water was like a holy substance. It could heal anything, cancel anything, and repair anything. At the moment, it was already reshaping the landscape while erasing the remnants of mana.

"…I'm gonna go back to sleep," Malum yawned and entered his tomb before closing the massive stone gate leading to the inside.

Ten minutes later, he sensed a powerful beam of light falling on him.

"Damn woman! Leave me alone!" He bellowed as he erected a magic barrier again.

***

As Arima's group was leaving the soul realm, the shadow entity who had penetrated the array was flying around Earth. He was trying to find Arima but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't find any aura bigger than Chulainn's.

"Where is he?" He grumbled and stopped right above the capital of Aurorae. He at least knew that this city was the main one on this planet. It was easy for him to hear the conversations of the planet's inhabitants.

"You're looking for me?" As he was thinking, he suddenly witnessed the shadow of someone covering him. He shivered. Even for him who was literally made of darkness, that shadow oddly brought an unknown fear to him.

He looked back and his crimson eyes shook as he saw the three-meter-tall demon behind him. Gray skin, long black hair, red eyes combining a dragon and a human, a cold and indifferent expression, a runic robe which seemed to detain more secrets than he had learned in his entire life, thick scales, a large pair of dragon wings and a dark red katana which seemed to be able to cut anything.

'What… is this?' He couldn't believe it. He was frozen in place. 'How is this possible? He's supposed to be a human. Life Hunter or not, he's still supposed to be a human! How can a human be so strong without even being a transcendental?!'

"I know right," Raylein appeared next and got the shadow's attention. He was wearing his red robe and the clothes of a king. "He's not that strong from the Guardians' or the Pillars' standards. But he's as strong as a transcendental without even being one," he laughed.

"It's also quite a feat to be able to detect you," Raylein added. "You're Yeion, right? 'The Shadow'. You are rumored to be undetectable by even Guardian level existences. You seem to uphold your reputation, without Arimane, I wouldn't have been able to find you."

Yeion was completely silent and his mind was in turmoil. Without even a word, he transformed into a small mass of darkness that flew toward the sky.

"Do you want to get him by yourself?" Raylein asked and Arima snorted. He flapped his wings and followed Yeion.

"I won't say no to his life force," he replied and Raylein smirked before following after him.


PENSAMENTOS DOS CRIADORES
AhraManyu AhraManyu

I'm back!

.

Before you get to me for it, the plural form of fish is still fish. But in certain conditions, it becomes fishes. In this case, we're talking about the zodiac symbol depicting two different fishes. So... there you go.

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