EPISODE 212: POTENTIAL MADNESS 2

— GREAT EDRYAN, YEAR: 7292. SEASON: NEW BEGINNING.

Rasheed Reach — Level 460

HP: 45000/45000

SP: 30000/30000

MP: 45000/45000

HP Regen: NULL

SP Regen: NULL

MP Regen: NULL

Base Atk: 5000

Base Def: 5000

Power: 10000

Mind: 15000

Vitality: 15000

Self: 10000

Endurance: 10000

Intent: 5000

Main Path: [Aspect of Knowledge]

2nd Path: [Red Dragon] — 320

3rd Path: [Knowledge Mage] — 120

Aspect Skills: [+]

Path Skills: [+]

Elemental Control: Primary Ten — 550%

Madria tumbled through the air, a surprised but quickly turned irritated expression appeared on her face. She landed gracefully, reorienting herself as the Imperius soldiers behind prepared to catch her. Then, as she adjusted herself, she laughed. It was a small thing, and the soldiers around her shifted from the sound.

Of course he would do that.

She wasn't mad, but a heads-up would have been nice. The frontline wasn't her fight. Her gaze traced a semi-invisible thread of mana that went from her to Lawruthian—a hidden spell she secretly cast. One that she would activate shortly—she knew of Lawruthian ways, and when she first approached him, it was for multiple reasons—her spell being one of them.

There was a quiet hush as the exchange between Rasheed and Lawruthian ended. The [Chosen of Madris] seemed fearless as he faced the dragon, but his internal thoughts were anything but.

His eyes partially scanned the status sheet, surprised at what he saw. He expected it to be worse, this… this was manageable—after all, according to Lawruthian's calculations, Rasheed Reach was only four to five times stronger than the average calamity.

…

Nothing too difficult.

…

If he put his everything into an attack, including sacrificing his Vitality, then he should be able to shave off a single claw. That was a major achievement for someone under a hundred levels. He'd scratch the claw of someone on the same level as a God.

"I believe it is my turn, my little warrior," a charming voice spoke into the emptiness, breaking the silence.

Queen Titiana stepped forward, and the courage in the hearts of the soldiers strengthened. Even if they were trained not to fear death, they could not stop the instinctual worry that was present in the mind of every intelligent being when faced with a calamity.

"Rasheed Reach, Aspect of Knowledge, you have long resided in the territory of Edryan, remaining undisturbed by my magi, and even your wyverns were allowed to roam the territories should they not be too violent. We have treated you and your… children-"

"Not children," Rasheed interrupted, body cracking as he continued to shift. "Experiments."

The Demigoddess of Love pursed her lips. "Experiments," she continued unperturbed, waving a free hand. "With kindness, yet," she paused, her words heavy and tone undertaking severity. "When my child and his companion were teleported to your mountain by mistake, you treated them as prisoners."

While Titiana spoke, the former [Seven Heroes] began to spread out. Liana stayed close to the Queen—her watchful guard always. Marna, Margret, and Camilla immediately grew to the rear while Vivian stationed himself between them. Akeem flew higher above, his body ignited with a deep red, near maroon flame. Their bodies were enlarged, (Battle Body), and other skills were activated in advance. The price was worth it.

"Today, we are here to answer for your crime against the [Chosen of Madris]," Queen Titiana ended with a tone of finality.

The [Seven Heroes] weren't the only ones who made moves. Each of the Queen's three armies began to shift. The Central Gate Army stayed in the front, and the soldiers of the Imperius Army were right behind them. The other two forces, the South Gate Army and North Gate Army shifted to the left and right, attempting to encircle the dragon.

The dragon inhaled a long, deep breath that shifted the inhabitants of the room. Forward… as it inhaled—backward, as it exhaled. Blades were drawn, shields raised, and three large spell constructs appeared underneath the armies. They were colored golden brown, and divinity spread from them—igniting the hearts of those it was cast upon. Marna chanted from above, but multiple voices, those [Priestess of Madris], joined her, adding their strength and magic to the spell.

" Let your hearts be firm, let your blade be steady. The Goddess of War watches—let Her gaze be ready, for there is Power in Her magi-ck. There is Vitality in Her words, and we hold Endurance for the battle to come. Mind is set, and Self holds no regard—for even in death, our Intent shall rise Above to Astral— (Blessing of War)."

The shifting nervous ticks, dry throats, and unusually tight grip on weapons shattered. A blessing of divinity eradicating all other thoughts except for the sole thought of their task at hand.

"Oh, magi…," Rasheed finally spoke, his tone weary. "You share so much in common with the wyvern—built for a purpose they could not accomplish."

Queen Titiana's pursed lips turned into a frown—a solemn thing that spoke of her next actions. Lawruthian's grip on [Legacy] tightened, yet in a moment, everything changed as his perspective was shifted. He blinked, the light of magic flashing as (Fireballs), (Wind Blades), and other magical spells and skills flashed past him. A near-silent laugh erupted from the young woman next to him, one that he only heard because of his closeness to her. Lawruthian hadn't even seen the actions of the one who tossed him next to Madria, and he didn't know if it was his mother or another of her cohort.

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He looked up, silently releasing Adam from his spatial bracelet. Magic flashed, spells flew, and two Demigoddesses chanted above. Their voices conjoined like twins at the hip—voices working together flawlessly as they cast a spell.

The beginning of the battle was instant, without a word of warning. The Queen's words barely a formality—one not meant for the Final Dragon, but for her troops to position themselves accordingly.

" Change is the Origin of Wind… ," the Demigoddess of Spell-Crafting and the Demigoddess of Battle-Magic chanted. Eleven spell constructs appeared in the air.

Lawruthian swallowed, eyes on the dragon who calmly watched—a magical barrier flashing blues and purple as it blocked the incoming spells. Their eyes locked—there was no malice between them. Such emotional actions were far too beneath them. This was a battle of benefits and both sides wanted something from one another.

" Come, children ," Rasheed's deep voice reverberated into the air and a thousand small spell constructs appeared in the sky—wyverns… no, creatures —for such monstrosities could not be called wyverns, emerged from them—clawing their way forward as they grabbed the outskirts of the spell constructs and heaved.

This was an exchange of benefits, but there would only be a sole victor. For Lawruthian, it would be a [Golden Age] of unprecedented might. And for the dragon…?

Dark creatures, mutations that never quite fit, fell from the air. Some took flight, while others simply fell, their wings too small or mutated to properly allow them flight. Madria immediately received a feeling of recognition after seeing these creatures. The weirdness and haunting creature Olvido flashed through her thoughts. She prepared to cast her spell while also keeping a wary gaze on the Imperius soldiers around her.

" …bring down the Blade that will cut all before me— (Blade Wind)."

A sword of celadon colored wind emerged into the air and above the dragon. There was a runic script inscribed upon its blade, and its edges were tinted, one magenta and the other multicolored. The demigoddess's hands were raised, and together, they brought it down.

The blade seemed to teleport in Lawruthian's vision. One moment, it was high above the dragon, and the next, it pierced into its barrier—the blade halted just a dozen meters through. Cracks emerged from the area, but it didn't push further. Rasheed's attention was no longer on Lawruthian but on the blade above his head. He seemed to be debating on whether it would break through his shield or not, yet that decision was taken from him as a red meteor shot through the sky and impacted into the blade, pushing it deeper within.

Akeem grunted, his flames ignited the celadon blade with a fierce maroon flame. The sound of glass shattering caught the attention of all magi as they began their combat against the dark creatures. Steel clashed against their tough hides and weird ligaments. Yet blades were caught, shields grabbed and moved to the side as a weird but semi-intelligent gaze seemed to be in the eyes of these creatures.

The celadon blade fell, headed directly for the dragon's heart. And as Rasheed understood its trajectory, his expression changed. A clawed talon hand reached upward, meeting the descent of the blade and halting it before it could meet his scaled palm. Lightning and flames erupted between the two, spreading viciously across the ground, tearing through the dark stone grey floor.

"Haa," Rasheed grunted, tightly closing his fist. That action destabilized the blade; cracks formed throughout it, but it didn't shatter. Rasheed's eyebrow ridges raised, his expression slightly surprised. He hadn't taken his attackers seriously. The blade continued its descent, hurried forward by Akeem's push.

" Stop ," Rasheed commanded and the blade halted. " Break ."

…

And the blade broke .

…

Queen Titiana moved, and Liana followed close behind. Their target wasn't the dragon, but the frozen golems next to him. In that moment of distraction, as he fought against the power of the (Blade Wind), the pair acted. Titiana fell, spear outstretched and body spiraling like a drill as she pierced her way through the air. A thunderclap was heard—just one of the many chaotic sounds of the battle as the space trembled—dust and debris falling from the dark ceiling.

Her spear connected, the bubble around the golems shattered and the voice of Lawruthian appeared in Minerva's head.

' To me, hurry .'

" Life is the Origin of Creating. Thus, this bond shall create a life link between us, to share the burdens, to share the pains— (Life Link)," Madria activated.

Just as she did, Lawruthian pushed forward and through the Imperius Army. He passed by his soldiers, his generals, and his Imperius Knights. His blade met flesh, cutting the head of a wyvern off in one fluid motion. He paused a single step as the bond established itself, stronger than ever. Then, the young man continued forward.

I pledge myself to thee, to the Citizens of Edryan, for I will never lead you astray. For I will always lead from the front and fight…

Madria softly smiled at his back before activating more spells as connections spread across the Imperius Army. First, Ade Oni, who was the closest. Then Lorde Drumian and Simra Enlar… Amaya was next, followed by the twins Selene and Helios Romus. Finally, Viviana was connected, her gaze on her father above as he acted.

"(Verdant Grove)," Vivian activated, his target the area surrounding the Final Dragon.

Large green trees sprouted from the ground, and fauna and other denizens of the forest seemed to appear within. In a matter of seconds, ancient trees, their heights controlled to be just a dozen meters, covered the area.

The Imperius Army adopted a defensive but provocative formation as the forest sprouted between the soldiers. General Alexandria kept her mental bond consistently flowing with commands to her lieutenants. The actions of the soldiers were already under a major boost from the (Blessing of War), which sported several buffs, including an increase in their strength. Now, they moved as if they were extensions of Alexandria's body—rippling like muscle fibers under an intense workout.

At every opportunity, one of the dark creatures was restricted while the combined forces gained 5% of their health points. Yet with every creature slain, two more seemed to drop from the sky, disrupting the area they landed in before swiftly being dealt with. The strength of these creatures varied from one star to being a Rising Calamity, yet with the cover provided by Viviana, many were able to retreat from the clutches of creatures beyond their ability.

Lawruthian controlled Adam, his actions precise and controlled as he fought as two combined into one. Adam defended, and Lawruthian attacked—his golem's large shield continuously flashed with spell enhancements.

{Nova Stacks} began to build from his repeated hits. His red-gold eyes stayed focused in a single direction. That very gaze seemed to pierce past the large trees and to the battle that took place at the center of the newly grown forest. Minerva still seemed weary, like she was recovering from a deep but interrupted sleep. Her mind seemed to be in a haze that she slowly stumbled out of.

' Minerva, wake up. I need to know what else Rasheed has to warn our mom. '

Lawruthian's voice once again resounded in Minerva's head, but this time, its effect was much greater than the previous attempt. The horned owl shook her sluggish body, shivering as an invisible chill left her bones. The final memory she held was of Rasheed finishing his lecture… finishing teaching her what Potential was—what Sol is.

Minerva's vision refocused, the ten golems around her seemed to be in a state similar to her previous. Her voice immediately broke through something as she spoke.

"Rasheed is manipulating reality—he's stopping you from acting," she chirped. It was raw, desperate and the anklet perfectly made for her translated it into the ears of the [Realm Guards].

Vita looked to Ignis, horror in her eyes at the implication of Minerva's words. And Ignis looked to Tempus, quietly singling the femme golem through his eyes. His body erupted, and intense flames scattered into the hall, spreading from end to end as it burned everything away. Light, like that of a star, scattered in all directions, neither playing favorites for friends nor foes. Space shook, rupturing in areas that were quickly stabilized by Spatium—preventing the area from collapsing and opening a rupture to the void.

Minerva was the first to go, silent helplessness in her expression as all sounds faded and the world turned dark. The trees, (Verdant Grove), and the creatures within followed, the [Path Walkers] barely activating abilities to shield themselves from the blast. Lawruthian burned away, his expression similar to his perk as everything faded to black. This was the second time he experienced this… at least it was less painful than the first. A silent gaze remained on his back as she too, faded into nothingness.

You have died.

A mother's wail erupted, drowned away by the flames as a dragon's eyes alighted on the egg—his reverse scale. It, too, began to burn away as those aged yellowed eyes gazed down on it, experiencing the very emotion one of his adversaries governed.

The flames of the strongest [Realm Guard] acted to purge the calamity before it could rise again. His flaming core was heavy, but the responsibility for his duty was greater. With a heavy sigh, he increased the output of his flames, pouring his everything into it and burning it all away as the world around him changed.

" No, it did not ."

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