Chapter 156

Lykan

Air Dominance

Upon leaving the cramped and confined remains of the burnt-out childhood home, Lykan rose to be greeted by the very air itself. The smell of mana and ozone mixed in an intoxicating way to Lykan’s senses. There was a storm brewing, not just in retaliation for all the ambient mana that was being called forth by three divinely powerful beings. But it was as if nature itself was responding to the travesty that just befell the area.

As often seems to be the case with unnatural fires, a cleansing rain was being summoned in. Summoned to provide a gentle blanket of water to keep any further damage from happening. This was not the first time Lykan had seen such a phenomenon, almost as if the trees could call forth rains to aid in their speedy recovery. A rainstorm almost always seemed to immediately follow the extinguishing of a large flame.

That was why Lykan could smell the crisp smell of ozone. A smell that was so powerful in its purity that it could easily mask, if one wished, the depressing smell of ash and soot.

Lykan arose like bullet being fired by Sidherthan forces. He arose higher and faster than many would ever think possible. Both Ajimal and Ezma who watched the movement were surprised by the speed. The only person who was not seemingly surprised was Nayali, but she had already had a moment to witness this feat of speed for herself, when last they met over a few months ago.

With Lykan flying in the air, there were of course now four beings in the air. Why there was so much tension was unknown to Lykan, but as he saw it, there were clear battle lines being drawn. Nayali and a man who bore strikingly similar characteristics to her were on one side. While a slightly older Ezma was on the other.

Looking around, it was clear that there was a dragon laying dead on the ground below. Suddenly the pieces all came together for Lykan. His mind worked quickly to come to a logical conclusion of events. Ezma was the first to arrive, as was noted when Lykan arrived with Brenna and Kosha in tow.

Then, while the three of them went below to seal off the dungeon core and look for survivors’ others who had also been given the warning also came.

In this case Nayali and her dragon came next, which afforded Ezma enough time to kill the dragon with some form of ice magic. Then the two began fighting, when a person who had to be Nayali’s sister appeared. The lightning aura that surrounded the warrior a clear indication as to whom he was, if his visual relations to his sister weren’t enough.

Seeing the tension Lykan, put himself in between all three combatants. This was not the best of positions to be in, but if peace was to be made from this travesty, then someone had to make the first move.

“Enough…ough…ough!” Lykan shouted, his word echoing like thunderclaps preceding the incoming storm.

Rising in between everyone, there was a moment’s pause. Ezma didn’t need to know who this newcomer was, as she had already seen him enter the dungeon a few hours prior. Meaning Ezma kept her eyes locked on the two combatants, who had arrived to gang up on her.

She tried to explain how she set Nayali free, but the crazy woman wouldn’t listen to her. Even after she killed the beast, thereby setting her free of her contractual obligations. But even after that, the woman just became more irrational. Then the brother came, but he only added more fuel to the fire.

“You!” Nayali shouted as she recognized Lykan. Then without warning, she shot forward as quickly as possible.

Lykan just looked at her, shook his head with how slow she had become. Then bestowed upon her a gentle tap on the back of her head as she passed by.

That tap of course, aided by the mithril bo-staff, was enough to break rocks.

Crack.

With that blow to the back of the head, Nayali began to fall to the ground.

“Bastard!” Ajimal shouted, forgetting his earlier note of trying to befriend this man. A man that was more myth than truth in Ajimal’s mind at this point. Curses be damned, as his baby sister was just attacked openly in front of him.

ZZzaappp!

As Ajimal screamed, he gathered all the ambient mana around him. All the ambient mana in his body and condensed them until they were super charged. Then focusing his will, he directed that super charged energy into a bolt of lightning that would be enough to reduce one of the great temples to ash. This buildup of energy of course took time. Time that Lykan noticed and watched.

Lykan for his part did not seem to care. He was after all in his element. While Brenna was of the earth, and a child who did well in the earth. Lykan was most at home in his own environment. In the air he was peerless. In the air he could slaughter leviathans that were hundreds of meters tall and thousands of years old. This was his domain, and while he was never egotistical enough to demand reverence for using his domain. He was not frightened by any that would enter his domain. Be they beast, dragon, or conquering emperor, everyone was the same to Lykan when it came to his domain. He feared no one, especially as he could use both qi and mana simultaneously to enhance his speed and movement.

When the lightning bolt came, the air and ozone warned him of the impending strike before it was released. The ozone spoke of structured mana draining from it. The air spoke of a force flowing against the recently released cloud of qi that had settled over the area. Both elements; qi and mana alike were elements that Lykan also had more control over than any others. Given the fact that both were now being used in the air, in a domain that Lykan had focused his cultivation towards controlling, meant the attack was laughable.

Lykan could have easily side-stepped the attack. Instead, he chose to make an example. He was calm and slow to anger. But he would not hesitate to show unmitigated lethality to those who would dare attack him. Especially when he was merely defending himself.

The bolt of lightning arced through the air.

Then with blinding speed, Lykan struck out with his mithril bo-staff, grabbed did a quick twist of the elemental energy. Then proceeded to hurl the lightning bolt back along the path it had originated from.

To Ezma it looked as if Lykan had somehow managed to scoop up a long noodle of pasta, then with a simple twist and flick, he sent the thread of pasta back to Ajimal. Of course, that was not the case. Every one of Ezma’s senses were telling her that what she just witnessed was a lightning attack. A lightning attack that was leagues and bounds above what she herself would be capable of wielding, let alone handling the way Lykan had.

Zip-zip.

The lightning bolt struck Ajimal, who was still generating a torrent of energy that was still arcing out of his body. Then upon being shocked by his own strike, his mana channels tightened causes a burning sensation, one that would have caused severe discomfort. Fortunately for Ajimal, the strike of his own burst was enough to knock him out.

Within a second, he too was falling unconsciously to the ground, just as his sister had a moment ago.

Lykan watched the body of Ajimal fall. He almost felt sorry for the man, a man who clearly focused more on offense rather than defense. What he didn’t know, what Ajimal himself had even forgotten was his curses. With his body dropped a tier, the burst of lightning that he had experienced was too much for him. While he normally would have been more than capable of weathering such a blast from his own element, his cursed body meant he was far weaker to such a strike. Also, with his mana channels open to focus on a torrent of electricity, he was incapable of generating a proper defense as well. All these factors combined to mean a redirected blow that was meant more as a warning than anything else, served as the final blow of a battle that should have never been.

Looking down at the two unconscious forms Lykan could only shake his head in annoyance. With the immediate danger over, he turned to Ezma.

Ezma for her part held up her hands in a form of not wanting to have any part of whatever just happened.

Seeing her open palms, Lykan nodded. He was so angry at himself for not handling the situation better that he didn’t dare say a word. Instead, he just shook his head and flew down to first check on the downed combatants. Fortunately, both were still alive, their monstrous attributes being more than capable of keeping them safe from such strikes and falls.

With both looking like they would recover, Lykan looked to see both Brenna and Kosha staring at him.

Seeing Kosha standing there, a nervous glint to her eyes, Lykan only sighed. He knew he had frightened the poor girl. Then he realized a promise that he had made not only to Kosha, but to the Cerusians as well.

“Well. It looks like we are done here. I think it is time we get you back to the Cerusians, so you can choose your future.” Lykan said.

“Wait? We are still doing that?” Kosha asked.

Even Brenna seemed a little confused by the sudden change in plans. While she didn’t say anything, her facial features spoke volumes.

“We made a promise. A promise that we have since had to break, but a promise none-the-less. Should you listen to their comments and feel you no longer wish to walk that path, we will support you. But we did make them a promise and we are nothing, if we do not adhere to our words and promises we make, verbal or otherwise.”

Hearing that, a sharp bitter smile formed on Brenna’s face. “Come on kid. You are better off yelling into the air, to get it to change its direction, then you would be to argue with Lykan once he has his morals made up.” Brenna said, with a pat on Kosha’s back. “Also, he is right. We just must get you there. Whether you stay with them or come with us is up to you. That is something that we will uphold regardless.”

With that final word of encouragement, Kosha nodded and began following Lykan. Brenna brought up the rear.

Ezma was shocked by the sudden change of events. Cerusians? Did that mean he was always one? The thought of Lykan being one of the phantasmal assassins both made sense and sent chills down Ezma’s spine. Looking back the signs were always there, his exceptional battle prowess, his weird relationship with mana. Even the way he moved and reacted to the elements was odd.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized she didn’t really want to know what was happening. Looking down, she saw the chests of both Ajimal and Nayali rising slowly. Their forms were weak. It would take next to nothing for Ezma to strike at them, to rid the world of them right here and now. Yet, something about the act left a bitter taste in her mouth. These were people that were brought down in one strike by Lykan. Both had attacked him without provocation. Nayali attacking, Ezma could kind of understand. It was clear from her look that she had some type of emotional attachment to Lykan. She also remembered how they had some sort of relationship after the battle of Dunthir, but she had not heard how that ended. Now after seeing how the two reacted towards each other, and the fact that Lykan was clearly with that dwarf, it didn’t take Ezma long to figure out how that relationship ended.

With that, she realized she did not want to be here when those two awoke. She also didn’t want to go in the same exact direction that Lykan and the others did. Lest he think that she was trying to sneak up on them from behind. Nope, she did not want to get on Lykan’s bad side. The man could take on whatever that blackened monster was. The monster who seemed to easily be able to shrug off her elemental attacks.

The only problem was the trio were heading in the direction of the Jungle Basin. Ezma also knew that Ajimal and his sister not only came from up north but were rumored to control the whole northern territory as well. With that, her mind was made up and she decided to head south. On a whim, she wondered what was happening in her old stomping ground of Sidherthan Academy.

Lykan for his part did not notice, nor care about the direction Ezma chose to go. Instead, he focused more internally on the fact that he had missed a promised time. He also wondered if the Cerusians would be angry or understanding with his explanation of what happened. Seeing that no Cerusians had received the call, it was very likely that none of them were powerful enough to heed the call of the Gods. This was big to Lykan, as it also meant that he would likely not be able to call upon any to directly help with his self-appointed role of destroying all dungeons.

As he moved forward in contemplation, he also let the thoughts of the battle flow through his mind. There was an insight to be made with the ozone and its reaction to both qi and mana. A reaction that he wanted desperately to understand.