299 Manifestation of Miasma, The Enemy that Existed but Aslo Did Not Exis (1/2)

Day 44 – 11:03 AM – San Jose, Antipolo, Rizal

Extreme heat permeated to the air surrounding the schoolyard. Even Mark had to retreat further due to the heat. In his order, he might have just said a few words but at the same time, he sent another order to Chaflar through their mental connection. That order was not to hold anything back.

Chaflar emptied more than half of the chemical it had just regenerated in this single attack. Mark was detecting a deep animosity coming from the concentration of miasma in front. Since he was able to feel such emotion, he knew that something appeared at the center of the smoke. With such strong energy that even made Mark's eyes go wide, something dreadful was coming.

Despite the unbearable temperature coming from Chaflar's attack, Mark was not contented. Two crystals floated in front of him as he concentrated. Then, a beam of light and a flash of lightning tore through the wall of flames and flew straight towards where Mark was detecting the unsettling feeling. Even though the attacks became weaker than he expected, both attacks still pierced through the flames and miasma and even hit the old houses on the other side of the dirt road.

”Tch! Chaflar! Retreat!”

Mark shouted and he himself retreated closer to the school building following the dragon's retreat.

WHOOSH!

The miasma burst forth quenching the flames that surrounded it. After the flames were extinguished, the scattering miasma started to vanish.

A shadowy figure was left in place of the miasma.

Everyone stared at the figure with an unexplainable feeling in both their hearts and minds. The shadowy figure was shaped as a humanoid seven feet tall. Its body was kind of disproportional due to its limbs being too thin compared to its normal sized body. Still, the feeling they had, it was unexplainable but they knew that it was a bad feeling.

Mark scrutinized the figure silently with his eyes looking sharp and wary. The figure in front of them existed but for some reason, he felt that it did not exist either. It was there but not there. It was both dead and alive. It stood in front of him but it also felt that it did not. The feeling was strange and confusing.

The figure raised its head and looked at Mark. He could not help but step back. It just stared but he felt like he was being drawn by it. The eyes of the figure were just a black shallow holes but it gave a feeling of immeasurable deepness as if it was a bottomless hole.

It was something similar to a psychic character that became filled with animosity and started to destroy everything.

”Amihan… Is this the one controlling those beasts and caused the miasma?”

Mark shouted without taking his eyes away from the unmoving figure.

”My Lord! I apologize but I can't tell! The miasma is too thick and unstable!”

Amihan replied in trepidation. This was the first time she was able to encounter something as dreadful as this. Even the evil spirits that killed her parents could not even amount to this one.

While Mark and the figure stared at each other, the figure tilted its head and raised its right hand. Several fist wide bursts of miasma rushed towards Mark in fast speed. The burst immediately surrounded Mark leaving him no way to react.

But then, Mark's eyes glowed alternating with both red and violet color. As if hit by something, the figure staggered making the attacks slower. Then, the number of the bursts of miasma doubled. The new ones however appeared ahead of the already existing attacks and had almost non-existent appearance.

Using the opportunity, Mark moved between the attacks and faced the blurry figures without worry. He was hit by the blurry attacks but the attacks just phased through his body. The next attack followed the same trajectory but Mark had already dodged it.

Mark then turned his head towards the shadowy figure and with his eyes flashing a bright deep red light. The light was too bright that it looked like small red flames on his pupils.

As Mark dodged the attacks, some of the attacks hit the school building behind him. The parts of the walls hit by the miasma turned black as if scorched by flames. Some of the bursts of miasma flew towards the second floor causing everyone to run away. Even Chaflar had to hurriedly flew back to avoid some of the attacks. Luckily for them, Mark was the initial target enabling them all to dodge. If not, it was likely that they were hit by the miasma directly.

”Karlene, Edzel, Amihan. Get the children and ride on Chaflar! Get away from here!”

Mark shouted as he made Chaflar retreat at the same time.

This enemy was very dangerous and they would just hold him back. It was impossible to escape altogether. If they did, it was likely that the enemy would chase them. In the first place, the enemy was floating in place and its feet did not even touch the ground.

Someone needed to stay behind and stall this thing and he was the only one capable of that.

”How about you?!”

Karlene shouted back.

”Don't ask questions and just go will you?”

”Hmpf!”

Karlene felt a bit offended at Mark's reply but her eyes still looked worried. However, Mark already gave his orders and his words were absolute in this trip. It was one of his rules for bringing them in this journey. With her lead, everyone started to evacuate the school.

While everyone left in the school started to evacuate, Mark and the shadowy figure continued their confrontation. Bursts of miasma continued to attack Mark while he dodged every attack desperately.

”Father! Be careful!”

”My Lord! I can't confirm but it might just be a manifestation and not the real body! Its body is made of miasma so please! Don't get hit even once!”