I Know the Secret to Surpass Level 100

The aura that surrounded Rebecca as her shield vanished, leaving only her with helplessness and doubt. She wasn't able to defeat Midnight, and now a more powerful and pressing matter has entered the battlefield.

"What is that power?" Rebecca could only gulp as she bathed in the presence of Francoise. He grinned and watched the woman's resolve falter at his mere glance.

The shattered stones that was wrapped around his wrist fell to the ground, breaking further into sand that got lost in the soil. The old man stretched his arms, which caused a stir in the air. It was definitely not a simple stretch. It was a show of power, to feed his vanity and pride.

"This much power... where could you hide it?" Rebecca asked. "All the limiters that I saw are able to hide only twenty percent of the wearer's power. You hid over ninety percent. How?"

"I don't know where those kids got it, but what I do know is that they gave me one just so the influx of beasts would not increase in Avancia," Francoise replied. "Because you know that a powerful presence is like a flame, and monsters are like moths. They are drawn to the flame. I cannot let it endanger the child of my friend."

"All of you sacrificed a lot for Elliot," Rebecca sighed. "Even his parents. But why did you let Malice and the King of Heaven take them? You could've taken them head on. He could've lived with both of his parents."

"That's because they weren't given a choice," Midnight said. "Malice and the King are not the threat to us. It's the Man."

"The Man?" Rebecca tilted her head in question. It was clear how she gave up after Francoise entered the fray. She had no chance against him, even if she uses all her powers. She knew that the best thing she could do against him would be a lost limb, but it wasn't worth it if it's exchange for her life. "I think I've heard of that guy before."

"The fifth member of Pentos, Reginald's best friend," Francoise said. "The mere thought of his name makes me vomit in disgust and anger. He's nothing but a man who's only goal is for himself. He wanted to serve Reginald so bad that he was willing to sacrifice Reginald's family."

"But why is he a threat? He's surely not as strong as you," Rebecca muttered. "Even though he's a candidate for the next Absolute, he's nothing against you."

"The first rule of Pentos is to not attack your friend. The punishment for that is death," Francoise said. "The Man worked under our noses. He created a skill that would revive him even if he were to hurt us. When he killed Melissa and Reginald, he died that day.

"The Soul Collectors took the fragments of his soul, but something happened. The beasta suddenly exploded, leaving the fragments of his soul behind. The pieces formed togethere and entered the Man's body. He defied death that day. He's not a being afte that, not human, not angel. He was undead."

"Ew," Rebecca muttered. "That's utterly disgusting. To be an undead is to revoke your sense of belonging, your sense of sanity. He's a walking zombie, yet why can't you still fight him? He's already dead."

"Our pact is still intact," Francoise sighed. He looked clearly frustrated by the fact that he could not harm the one that killed his friends and made them all suffer. He valued his life, and he needed more time to raise Midnight and Sun."

"I actually underrated," Rebecca chuckled, making Francoise look at her in confusion. "To kill an undead is like cutting water. You can't do it. For whatever it is that they did, no matter how forsaken it is, it works. I fought several undead before and they all revive after taking large hits. I even pulverized their bodies, but they just bring back to life.

It's pointless and frustrating."

"But playing with death has consequences," Francoise said. "The first one would be to lose yourself. You are a mere walking shell of the once person you are. You can never recover, nor take back who you are. But even so, he was our friend. Those are just some of the reasons why we can't kill him."

"And so now you need Elliot because he can defeat the Man?" Rebecca asked. She placed a finger below her chin and was in deep thought. "If the Man is undead, then tracking him would be a b*tch. He doesn't have any mana to be read by us because his mana is altered. It's simply hard to find him.

"But then there is the Bout," Rebecca snapped her fingers. "You are trying to get Elliot to be a Candidate. So it he enters the Bout, he will face the man. He can kill him there!"

"Exactly," Francoise said. "The Bout does not hav any explicit rules about killing. Elliot should deliver his final blow and kill the Man once and for all. That way, we can all live in peace."

"Then would you now care to explain the thing you did on Terra?" Rebecca crossed her hands. "It's hard to assume it wasn't you because the timing was just too perfect. When one of the large aura was gone, you came here with diminished capabilities. You were injured and your mana was cut in almost half."

"I fought before my limiter broke," Francoise laughed. "But I had what I need. If only I could give this to—"

"No!" Elena yelled at a distance. The thrre of them looked at each other before racing to her direction.

Elena was clutching the portrait while Sun was protecting her from demon spawns. The spawns were a humanoid creature that was made entirely of shadows. Their eyes were yellow and their claws were long and sharp. Their heads form a cone-like shape that was bent at the tip.

"These are creatures sent by Malice," Sun said. He was strong, but he was already injured from the commotion against Rebecca. Then the swarm came and further injured him through their numbers.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you and that portrait," Sun said. His form was of a centaur with wings on the back of his lower body. It was fully adorned with armor while he carried a sword and shield on both his arms. "I won't let anything get past me."

"Please protect me from harm," Elena cried. "I cannot let anything happen to the princess. Not again."

"Good job, little brother," Midnight stepped inside the clearing where his brother was stranded. He fired a spinning sphere of dark energy on his side which ran around the clearing, killing all the monsters that it hit.

"You're so cool, brother!" Sun cheered. "How I wish I had your power."

"You'll have to train, but for now," Midnight paused. "We have to free the princess. It's too risky for her to stay inside."

"But it's also risky for her to escape," Elena said. "What should we do?"

Before they could even continue, a dark mist flooded the clearing. Midnight took Elena and jumped from the ground, stepping a few dozen of feet so they would get past the mist. He narrowed his eyes to find the culprit but he failed.

Midnight groaned, "Who is it this time?"