Chapter 110: Fissure (1/2)

”What the hell is this…” Ivy's voice came from beside him. Arthur, inappropriate to the question, wondered if others have never seen an Ender before. Although he would not describe Alfred's current appearance to be like an Ender, as he was a mix of his human appearance with the ominous features of the Ender, making his appearance even more frightening.

His eyes were bloodshot and irises as bleak and black as they can be, if not more. His skin held cracks as if a clay mold that was several years old, starting to chip away before it would fall completely. His hair had turned a darker shade of blonde, sticky and slimy to his face as the tar substance covered it.

Luckily, the guards were able to obstruct him, striking him with mana and their abilities. It managed to push the Ender, or Alfred, back at the expense of being devoured like they never existed.

As Arthur saw this, he was struck with a conclusion that was too terrifying for him to accept. Until now, the Enders were dangerous creatures that a Legacy Quest appeared when he learned of their existence. Were their capabilities only limited to disappearing and eroding things?

As he saw how the fires were extinguished, the ice disappeared, the earth spears disintegrating, and mana falling into the darkness, he realized it was not all they could do. Even if they were pushed back, they weren't harmed by magic. They were immune to it.

The grandmaster took out something from his inner pockets. A closer inspection revealed that it was a runic card. However, even without being activated, Arthur could feel it was a high tier rune by its capacity of affecting the world.

”Retreat!” The grandmaster's voice came like thunder and the guards, who had some of their limbs were already eroded by the Ender, retreated far away.

The card was activated and a pentagon of crimson fire surrounded the Ender before lines of fire started appearing between its vertices until they surrounded the Ender from all directions. It started to get small as the fire turned the fire was almost white.

”AAAAGGHH!” The Ender screeched and the darkness exploded, extinguishing the fire as well. Before any of the present people could do anything, the runic lines were broken and the Ender started to flee toward the fourth layer.

Arthur felt despair and also confusion. If he rushed forward to stop the Ender, he felt death would be imminent. However, there was also the fact that his runes can harm the Ender, as he has seen on several occasions.

”Ivy!” He shouted as he saw the Ender make a run for it while everyone rushed after him. He knew that his runes were the source of creation, so he had a chance of damaging the Ender himself. However, he needed speed. He was too slow to catch up.

”What?” Ivy snapped from her daze at the sudden events. She looked at Arthur with confusion.

”Can you bolt me toward the prince?”

”Are you crazy?” Ivy took a moment to understand his words. ”I've already told you; you can't do these things and expect to come out unscratched! Why are you being this impulsive? Do you wish to play the hero?”

'Fuck being a hero, I would lose my legacy at this rate!' Arthur wanted to shout in her face but he restrained himself. ”I have a plan, I swear! I have a way that can stop him!”

He didn't lie, of course. He might be no match to the Ender, but he could try to stop it using his runes. After all, Tyrin's Ender was helpless against his runes. It should be the same for this one, no matter how more powerful it was, it should still be affected by his runes.

Ivy seemed to hear the pleading in his voice, and she frowned and kept her silence. Arthur called out to her again and she gritted her teeth.

”Alright! Alright! Just, please, don't kill yourself.” Ivy looked at him with a complex gaze that Arthur couldn't decipher, but he nodded anyway.

He stood in front of Ivy and he felt the mana behind him. He activated his protection rune and it enveloped his body. Their plan was simple. Ivy's ability was that she could manipulate the characteristics of her attacks at the expense of mana.

'No damage, propel, and accelerate the target forward.'

Arthur was launched like a living missile. He felt the strike connect, but there was no pain. He would never have trusted someone this much if not for the circumstances. Furthermore, if Ivy wanted to harm him, she would have already done so.