94 Of Arcane and Fros (2/2)

”I was their leader yes, but I was also a chain in that sense. You think I would have allowed any of them to leave, surpass, or betray me? To take my training and use it to form their own organizations? I am sure they are far happier without me. And I have little interest in bringing any here. I am old enough to not care about most things apart from my enjoyment and plans to advance to the Third Tier. But I cannot say the same for others.”

”What do you mean?”

”You would not want my people here. Nor would I allow them to sully such a wonderful place.”

”Your call,” Rainer said, and was suddenly glad Amer didn't want them here. He had just remembered that in all likelihood the Devil in front of him wasn't someone you could call a good person. Only his age, apparently, tempered the lust for power and carnage.

”But if you are going back, I do know something that may interest you.”

Rainer looked to his side, seeing how nervous Kara was. The Wolfkin dearly wanted to go with him despite the possible consequences of Miasma. But he couldn't be sure he would recover his Mana fast enough to save her should the atmosphere affect her quicker than expected.

Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

And he had his own business there along with more information on what he could work on from Amer. Whether about a better version of a [Soul Trace] or more knowledge on the Avatar Ritual. Ele had been entirely right about him being the Lynchpin in his goals. No matter how strong his companions got, he was still the teleporter and the Magus from the Far North. The one who controlled the Mana.

All the more reason to create more than one of himself.

”Will you be gone long?” Luna asked, a bit depressed. She argued far less than Kara to follow him, fully knowing that Miasma affected her more than the rest of them. And her early support had been a deciding factor.

”Don't worry, with the time difference, I might not even be gone that long to you.”

”It's always long for Luna…”

Rainer hugged the fairy, already planning on doing something nice for her when he returned. And he had an idea of what, no matter how little he wanted to do it.

”And yet you would leave something else you created alone?” Kara asked, and Rainer nearly froze as he saw the Half-Demon's hand over her stomach.

”W-w-what? I mean how? No-no I mean, that's great. W-when did-”

The way Kara bit her lip to keep from laughing told him the truth of the matter.

”Very funny. You should already be aware how vengeful of a person I am.”

”All the more motivation for you to come back safely,” Kara said with a smirk.

”Don't think you'll be getting away with this,” Rainer said with a fake glare before preparing to make the long-distance Void-walk to the Void-Lords here before heading to the Abyssal Planes.

Rainer glanced over the entry room, the Abyssal Elf he brought with him nearby. He hadn't expected that Talvara would ask him to bring Aurora back. Was this revenge for whatever he had done to make her mood sour? She had to have known how much this currently short-haired Elf hated him. Or perhaps she didn't. Talvara was removed from most people.

”Where next?” The Elf asked him, her expression showing her hatred quite well. Apparently saving her had done nothing to change that.

”You know, you were the one who attacked me first. Besides, the short hair suits you better,” Rainer responded, though inwardly he wondered if she was trying to get him away from the Void Lord's home as quickly as possible. No matter, he had little interest in creating friction between himself and Talvara.

The way her grey eyes stared at him showed she didn't particularly care about that. Neither of his statements. Rainer shrugged, nothing much he could do here.

”It's not too far from where we fought the first time. It's an underground city where your race exterminated some Dwarves ages ago.”

”I know the place, let's go.”

Rainer wasn't given the option to refuse as she gripped his arm and took him with her through the Void. He could have resisted the move, but just followed along as moments later they ended up in front of the black-stoned peak he had first seen when he came to this world.

At least, that's what it should have been.

A violet mountain covered in ice extended towards the sky, and said ice went even further, its frigid presence reaching out quite a bit away from the base.

Rainer looked over and saw Aurora shiver, perhaps a memory of her own encounter with this ice. Though it was ironically what saved her from his Final Arcanum, not that he knew of that.

”You coming?” Rainer asked with a grin as he started walking forward. From the sheer presence of the magical Arcane-Ice, he knew full well casually [Void-walking] wouldn't be a good idea. No matter how much less affected, in comparison to teleportation, travelling through the Void was, there was little reason to risk it unless he needed to. He remembered perfectly well how that Cultist had failed in his attempt at teleportation in the presence of his [Absolute Frost]. And Talvara's words on how the creation of an Elemental came from a place of extreme elements.

He had had more than enough accidental Void-walks for a lifetime.

The Elf responded by following along. Moments later, he wrapped both of them in an [Eldritch Flight] and went forward. His heartbeat increased as he grew ever curious to what awaited him in the mountain.

No matter how fast he flew, the trip to where he cast [Absolute Frost] was a long one.

Rainer noticed his passenger, who had for some reason sought to accompany him the whole way, had gone silent, and just sort of accepted the ride. The cold air around them wasn't able to fully penetrate the eventual switch to [Arcane-Wind's Ascent], though the temperature dropped more and more as they headed in.

His resistances on top of his Constitution and perhaps Willpower left him unaffected, but he saw the Elf growing more and more uncomfortable. He had opted not to take Tiamat on this trip into the Cold. No reason to risk the little dragon and he could always take her to the Abyssal Planes later.

”Here,” Rainer said, taking out one of the coats Luna had prepared for his journey into severely cold places. She had gone a little over board after all the ideas Sarah gave her with Earth-related clothing in [Sleep Learning] and he hadn't had the heart to not take them all with him after she asked if 'this' was too many and if she shouldn't have. Spatial Rings were convenient in that aspect.

The Elf didn't say a word as she took the coat from him and put it on.

”Someone can hold a grudge. Why are you so angry with me anyways?” Rainer asked. He truly didn't understand it. From his point of view, she had been the aggressor in every instance. The only thing he could think was that, by befriending their Overlord, he had robbed her of whatever the bounty would be.

Rainer shrugged when the Elf didn't answer. ”You'll warm up to me eventually,” he snickered aloud as he spoke. Being powerful had the advantage of letting him make any sort of joke he wanted with abandon. His usual lack of embarrassment was only exacerbated by the fact that he could kill most people in any world with just a look. A look that came with a [Void Call] or an [Arcanum], but a look nonetheless. Not that he would of course, but the capability had a way of changing someone.

The thought suddenly made him understand the Void Lord in front of him a bit more. She had been all but born with such a power. Was it any wonder her personality was like this?

”If you make such a joke again, I'd rather die of this wretched frost than be warmed up to you.”

”Since I am the maker of this 'wretched' frost, then your choices are to be warmed up by me or have my chilling frost invade every part of your body.”

Rainer grinned at the thoughtful look on her face as if both now sounded equally unpleasant.

”And It'll be at least half a day's travel, if not more. It's a bit early to already be making such a declaration.”

”Might I ask why we do not simply travel through the Void?” she said, ignoring his comment.

”It may be affected by the Ice, though you are welcome to try.”

Aurora paused in thought, before disappearing from the grasp of his flight spell.

”It does not affect me at all.”

So it seemed he was wrong, Rainer mused, though he was still glad he wasn't the one to test that. He shook his head and quickly explained where he believed the Elemental to have formed. Before they both decided [Void-Traveling] directly there wouldn't be the best idea if it proved far colder than they could handle.

They went through the Void, with Aurora's Void-Travel, and into the long-forgotten and now frozen city.

”I-I'llll wait further b-back,” the Abyssal Elf shivered out before disappearing. She had dropped him off at one of the many tunnels that led to that last fortress where he slayed the Devils.

Rainer agreed with her sentiment, he'd rather wait far back as well. Not even his resistances could deal with the cold hitting him now. But a use of [Arcane Invigoration] removed that issue as it doubled their effects. On top of [Arcane Awakening] that now improved his body.

With [Miasma Conversion] along with his unlocked attribute and skills from the [Eldritch Draconic Mage] Class, the spell was far more efficient than in the past. Keeping up his two Arcane skills indefinitely was an easy task.

He moved forward, taking a slow [Eldritch Flight]. After all, ending up in a place with a sudden drop of temperature could be fatal. As he glided forward he reached towards the ice all around him.

To his surprise, manipulating it with [Arcane-Ice Manipulation] was possible. And more than just possible, it was easy. Like a child welcoming their parent home, the cold around him responded to his barest thought.

Pushing away the cold, he went inwards, passing through the final broken gate was met finally with a place of extreme elements.

And sight of power he most certainly hadn't been expecting.

[Arcane Elemental, None, Arcane-Eliminator(3rd)-

The [Appraisal] cut-off with a headache, as Rainer quickly realized satisfying his curiosity wasn't the best idea in this situation. Standing at least seven feet tall was a being of pure Arcane, clad in what seemed to be shoulder plates covered in runes and a silver-colored mask. By his side was the very reason both came here, a little mote of Arcane-Frosted light.

”Poacher,” the large Arcane existence spoke, pushing away the little mote of Arcane-Frost behind him.

The single word was spoken with finality and vehemence, vibrating with Arcane Power throughout the frost-covered hall. And left no room for argument.

Only the quickest Void-walk he had ever used saved Rainer from a torrent of Arcane Energy that assailed his position.

”The Void will not save you.”

Another shot out at him and Rainer threw [Arcanum Shield]s in front of it, returning fire with his own [Arcanum]s, careful not to aim near where he saw his elemental. The shields were torn through and the sheer energy around him disrupted his Void-walk. Only a quick [Arcane Awakening: Arcanum Step] dodged the beam of pure energy intent of cleaving him in two.

Rainer stepped and then disappeared through the Void again, only to be met with the Arcane Elemental right in front of him. The being of pure energy towered over him.

The [Archon] threw all his power into the frost around him, and it responded in turn. The cold whipped out towards the elemental, freezing his arms and the blast of Arcane that would have followed. The being shook in shock, and broke apart his frozen arm. Rainer did not let up his assault, knowing he was no match otherwise for the being, whose energy he couldn't even fathom.

Jor burst out from its container and consumed the leftover frozen energy of the being, and chased after it alongside the cold. The hungry frost of the mountain turned it's attention inwards, and unhesitantly tried to consume the Arcane-Being.

But Rainer could only watch helplessly, as said being grabbed the little mote and vanished in a outwards burst of Arcane. In just a matter of seconds, the child he traveled an incomparable distance to reach was gone.

Rainer spent the return flight intolerably pissed. Only that the Elemental seemed to think of him as a 'poacher' and was therefore protecting his child kept Rainer from falling asleep right now and getting Talvara's help in tracking him down. No matter how stupid that course of action would be given its tier 3 strength and that the Elemental's casual use of Arcane tore through his shields like nothing. That he also had no idea how he would even hurt the thing without the Arcane-Frost of earlier, played a role.

Luna's talk of it being his child hit him harder than he thought.

To calm his thoughts, Rainer went through everything he needed to do in the Abyssal Planes. First of which was checking if this place was any closer to his mom and grandfather. He sliced open his finger, only for the blood droplet to freeze mid-fall and land on his hand. Finding his earlier anger renewed, Rainer did his best to calm himself as he Void-walked several times away to a less cold place.

Once more, a drop of blood spilled from his finger and he cast the tracking spell before it froze. The result… was not completely disappointing. The distance was still far, but not as impossibly far.

At the very least he'd use this place as a midway point. He reminded himself to set a [Soul-Trace], or perhaps prioritize the simplified familiar bond ring as the first thing he'd enchant. Now that he was here, he'd use the time-altered state to get his enchanting up. The three focuses being said ring, a Spatial Ring, even of the barest quality, for proving himself a master enchanter, and a sample of the workshop system of Nalmar.

Though of a greater priority was the Avatar Ritual, on top of solving the issue Amer told him about with that spell. Working on his Arcane Magic was always a goal as well.

Jor tightened around his shoulders and neck, but more in the way of a serpent giving a hug than a snake strangling its prey. Rainer gave an appreciative head scratch in return. It was hard to stay angry when he had what was an almost literal representation of loyalty and an odd cuteness wrapped around him. That Jor also rushed out in his defense in front of that 3rd Tier monster certainly didn't hurt. Luna often had a similar effect.

Rainer briefly laughed to himself at what he imagined Luna's reaction would be to being compared to Jor. 'Luna doesn't eat that much, and Snakey gets to sleep way more than Luna. Not fair.'

Time passed in silence as he finally returned to where he had left Aurora.

”You find what you came for?” Aurora said, giving a long glance to the serpent around him and getting a bit of a disturbing feeling from it.

”No,” Rainer failed to keep his anger down at the reminder, ”Let's go back to the city.”