Akamir’s vision blurred.
As the world settled down, he found himself in a different place.
Everything looked beautiful, shining in a hue of golden.
A tall field of golden wheat stretched in front of him to infinity.
At the very end of the field was an enormous golden tree.
A tree whose branches covered the entire place.
’Is this the memory of the Artifact?’
Akamir wondered, rubbing his chin.
A sound from behind made him panic and look behind him.
A beautiful tall lady stood in front of him with long black hair and skin paler than paper.
Her eyes were molten gold that stared at him.
"What are you doing here?"
Akamir opened his mouth to speak only to notice something.
’She isn’t talking to me?’
He slowly moved out of the way as she began to walk.
And just as he expected, the woman moved past him and stopped in front of a man.
Akamir thought, observing the golden-haired man.
The man smiled gently. "I made something for you, Inola."
Akamir wondered, rubbing his chin.
Inola tilted her head. "What is it?"
Asaemon slowly brought a mask forward, the same mask Akamir wore.
"This is for you," he said softly. "I made it with my own hands."
Inola blinked in surprise. "But you don’t know—."
"I learned how to make one," Asaemon said, smiling. "Just for you."
There was silence between them.
"...I can’t accept it," she finally said. "You should give it to your mother."
He grabbed her hand and placed the mask on it.
"I made it for you and only you."
The world twisted and shifted around Akamir.
The scene continued but with one difference.
It wasn’t Inola but someone else who stood in her place.
A woman wearing a veil.
Asaemon continued in a hollow voice.
"Because I love you."
Everything blurred once again.
The moment Akamir blinked, he was back.
A rush of heat surged up his spine as the mask pulsed once, then went still.
Threads of blue and violet mana flickered faintly in the air, reacting to his presence.
He could feel the Artifact syncing with him, even if he wasn’t its intended wielder.
He raised a brow beneath the mask.
’There is still something missing.’
Akamir jumped to warm himself up as he looked at the beast.
The snake slammed down onto the floor, its massive tail whipping to the side, tearing a chunk of stone clean from the wall.
Its head jerked toward Akamir with speed that didn’t match its size.
’Let’s see, it’s fast and definitely strong.’
Akamir took a step back toward the statue, his sword in one hand, the other reaching out in front of him.
’A mask that can turn mana into a solid object.’
A thin trail of light-blue mana spiraled from his palm and formed into a solid spear.
He threw it instantly.
The spear struck the snake square in the eye, but the creature twisted its head at the last second, letting the attack graze past.
Its scales flared briefly, shimmering with mana.
’It can reinforce its scales with mana.’
Akamir muttered inwardly, pulling his sword back in front of him.
Purple lightning crackled along his limbs, tracing across his body.
His speed kicked up as he rushed in.
With a flick of his hand, another projection formed, a long chain coiled in mid-air.
He swung it using telekinesis to send it even further.
The chain wrapped around the snake’s jaw as it lunged, halting its strike for just a second.
Akamir leapt up, aiming at its exposed eye, but the snake twisted again, throwing its body sideways.
Akamir hit the ground hard but rolled out of the way as the snake crashed down after him.
’Alright, it’s not just strong but smart.’
He dashed along the side of the chamber, maintaining his distance.
The glowing floor shook furiously as he effortlessly dodged the crashing strike.
The snake opened its jaws and released a low hiss, but the sound wasn’t normal.
A strange vibration rang out.
Akamir’s mana fluctuated.
He stumbled briefly, gripping his chest. His flow had been disturbed.
The snake darted in again, its tail lashing across the ground.
Akamir ducked under it, sliding close to the statue to recharge his stance.
He pressed his palm to the ground.
Three spears formed in an arc ahead of him.
Using telekinesis, he shot them forward.
One pierced the snake’s lower jaw.
The beast roared in fury, its form thrashing wildly.
It pulled back, blood trickling down its scales.
Lightning crackled on Akamir’s body as he blurred towards the beast.
He jumped over the tail as he formed a gauntlet over his hand.
He swung it down at the beast.
A muted explosion resounded from the impact, but the snake only stumbled back a little.
Purple lightning flared around him, coating his limbs in a haze of violent energy.
His form blurred once again as he leapt forward.
He projected two short daggers in the air mid-dash, snatched them, and drove them into the snake’s side as he vaulted over its head.
It screeched, twisting its massive body upward to shake him off.
Akamir flipped backward, landing on a stone platform near the edge of the chamber.
He formed a long chain again—this one thicker, forged from three layers of mana.
He anchored it to a broken column, then hurled the other end around the snake’s neck, locking it in place with a tug.
The snake thrashed violently, but the more it struggled, the deeper the mana chain dug in.
Its eyes glowed suddenly.
Akamir froze as a pulse of darkness spread across the chamber.
The snake’s body shimmered, and then in a burst of speed, it lunged not at him but toward the exit at the end of the chamber.
Akamir clicked his tongue and threw his sword.
But before the weapon reached, the snake moved and dodged the attack without any problem.
He jumped down from the platform.
Mid-air, his body began to glow in a purple light as he moved towards the thing.
Lightning licked across his skin as he formed a halberd mid-air and slammed it down onto the snake’s skull.
Much to his surprise, a crack formed in the skull.
Akamir had to stop as he felt something move on his chest.
Looking down, he found the void fox yawned as she came out of his body.
She didn’t respond; instead, she turned into a wisp of violet and entered the snake through the crack.
The moment Ella seeped into the crack, a hush fell over the chamber.
Akamir landed lightly, his halberd dispersing into flickers of blue light.
He stared cautiously at the beast, whose enormous body had stiffened.
He got his answer soon as a low hum resonated in the room before the snake spasmed.
Its entire body convulsed, its scales flaring violently before dimming.
Wisps of violet mana began leaking from its eyes and nostrils.
The snake’s body twisted violently and slammed to the ground.
There was nothing but hollow in its eyes as life left it.
A gust of blood escaped its mouth as something came out of it.
Akamir called, looking at her body covered in blood.
The void fox jerked to clean the blood as she rushed towards him.
Wagging her tail, she took out something from her mouth.
It was a glowing yellow core.
Nayomi mumbled as she came closer towards him.
"It was a core beast."
"Wasn’t it pretty weak?" he mumbled. "I beat it easily even though I am a rank lower."
"You are the problem here, not the beast," Nayomi grumbled. "Wait, have you not noticed it?"
"Your mana core is far bigger than your rank," she explained. "It’s almost twice the size."
"I did notice the increase in mana," Akamir mumbled, picking up the saliva-coated core. "So, was it because of Ella?"
"Yes." She nodded. "You changed when she bonded with you."
Akamir nodded, rubbing his chin. "So, what should I do with this?"
"You can sell it for a hefty price," she said simply. "Or you can just give it to her."
Akamir looked at Ella who gave him the puppy eyes.
Ella quickly jumped at his arm and began eating the core.
Akamir let her be as he looked at Zaina.
A lot has changed in her body.
She now had markings all over her along with a faint light that moved on her skin.
"She looks like a light bulb," he mumbled. "Or a human torch."
"She will wake up soon," Nayomi said as she looked away from her.
"By the way," he mumbled. "Why do you want to help her?"
"Don’t lie." He cut in her words. "I can tell with how you behave."
Nayomi didn’t say a word for a while.
It was only when he sat down on a stone did she speak.
"I want to help her not because I like her," she whispered. "But because it’s beneficial to me."
"An Apostle can be more than just a container of the god," she replied, looking into his eyes.
"It can also be the reason for their demise."
Akamir tilted his head. "I don’t understand."
She looked back at Zaina. "You better get ready once again."
He frowned. "For what—"
The mask he wore left him and rushed towards Zaina.
Akamir looked at Zaina who was now looking at him.
She raised her hand and formed an arch blade.
She threw the blade at him.