Life Hunter

Lanya and Karia were overwhelmed by the sudden killing intent and fell on their knees. Night glanced at them and used his own spirit so protect them the best he could.

The room they were in had already collapsed and the sky was visible from the inside. Fortunately, it was the highest floor or else the entire building would have been destroyed.

Many guards were already rushing there to see what was happening. But most of them couldn't even get close as they fainted or fell on the ground, unable to move.

A light flashed through Arima's eyes and he gritted his teeth. His slaughter intent was retracted in an instant. He managed to restrain it before it could spread further. He closed his eyes and his aura began to return to normal. Night and Lilis were silently observing without even trying to hide the confusion on their expressions.

It wasn't long before Arima sighed and his aura totally dispersed. He looked around the room and clicked his tongue. He took a step and forward and stamped on the floor. A wave of mana leaked out and the debris started to float. The stone and wood were reforming themselves and the walls and roof were being reconstructed. The furniture was repaired and even the cracks were being forcefully closed as if they had never existed in the first place.

Arima waved his hand and grabbed a chair that instantly reformed in mid-air for him. He then put it down next to the table and sat down. The room was restored to an even better state than before.

Karia watched in awe, "(What kind of control is this…)" Her eyes widened, then she recalled something and hurriedly left the room to deal with the unrest happening outside.

Lilis questioned Night with her eyes and the wolf only shrugged in ignorance. She looked at Arima and similarly grabbed a chair to sit beside him, "So? What happened?"

Arima sighed, "My bad. I lost control for a bit… There's something I want to ask you. That Seed of Chaos; can it work in a world without magic-circuits?"

Lilis lowered her head and mused, "…yes and no. To be fair, a world without magic-circuits is not a world that can't accept magic but a world that can't generate magic. Basically, it can't provide mana or alter the human body."

"But an already magical-being that goes inside that world can keep using magic as long as they have mana in their body; in their soul. But after expending it all, they'll never get it back. It's the same thing for the Seed. It can work in a non-magical world but only temporarily."

Arima stayed silent for a while, and so did everyone else in the room, even after Karia came back. They felt like if Arima didn't talk, they shouldn't even mutter something. It was an extremely oppressing feeling.

"That god…where is Karaskan now?" Arima inquired with a suppressed anger in his voice.

Lilis glanced at him, "Still in Heaven. As I said, Heaven is infinite. It's nearly impossible to find someone who wants to hide. Especially a god with a Dark Emperor Constitution. Out of all people, you particularly should know that shadows are the best way to conceal yourself. He also could have gone very far into the world and even discovered things that even the High Gods don't know about."

Arima's eyes flashed with a cold light. "I see. Then I just have to go there," He stated and turned toward Karia, "I'm sorry that you had to witness this. It definitely was unexpected. I will quickly take care of the Seed."

"You don't have to worry about that… I can only thank you if you're going to help me," Karia wryly smiled as she bowed.

Meanwhile, Lanya was still looking at Arima with strange eyes. With the time she spent with him, she had already built an image of him. Strong, kind, composed, and also childish at times.

But seeing him burst out in such anger, his expression distorted, and his eyes expressing more rage than she ever imagined, she felt her image of him fissure. She was gazing at Arima with fear and worry. Fear from what? She didn't know. Worry for what? She didn't know either.

Night glanced at her and then placed his full attention on Arima again. He shook his head and sighed. He knew Arima carried something like that. He was just surprised by how abrupt it was. It was even more confusing when the trigger was a god's name.

Arima extended his palm toward, "[Ubi est anima mea?] (Where is the soul?)" He initiated his chant and Karia trembled.

"[Non quia a Deo venisti?] (Does it come from God?)"

"[Non, ut numquam hominibus aut semini eius] (No, humans have never been his descendants.)"

"[Id a parentibus?] (Does it come from your parents?)"

"[Non, quod homines non habent potestatem] (No, humans don't have that power.)"

"[Inde ubi quis] (Then from who and where,)"

"[Est vitae essentia flore?] (Does the essence of life bloom?)"

"[Ne reveles scriptor] (Let's discover,)"

"[Anima Porta] (Soul Gate)."

Arima's eyes glowed with an ominous light. The furtive patterns in his pupils started shone and rotated. A blue light was emitted from Karia's chest. It continuously grew brighter until it shrouded all of her body. That blue radiance formed an ethereal gate. Karia's eyes were empty as if she was unconscious.

"I have to admit it; your magic theory is impressive," Lilis remarked.

"Thanks. By the way, does every Seed possess an individual ego?"

Lilis tilted her head, "Yes… but how do you know-" She stopped. She suddenly apprehended an unspoken fact. She fell silent and Arima smiled at her.

Arima glared at the gate in front of him. His smile widened and it transformed into a chilly and warped grin, "Well, it's time. I always wanted to see you again, you bastard."

Night slowly stood up, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. I will go in there alone," Arima replied and Night nodded as if he wasn't surprised at all. Lanya didn't say anything, rather, she couldn't say anything.

Arima went through the vortex behind the doors of the soul gate and disappeared.

****************************************

In an unknown place, the trees were red and blue, the soil was gray and dry, and the sky was adorned with two orange suns. In the middle of a large forest, miles underground, a shadow opened its eyes. White eyes that looked very sharp and cold. They were extremely clear and focused.

"Someone just entered in contact with one of my Seeds…" His voice echoed. It sounded very eerie and old.

"The problem is," The figure slightly moved, "Only Life Hunters have this kind of soul…"

He laughed and the animals at the surface ran away in fear. The ground shook and some monsters that were disguised as trees started shivering

"Maybe something interesting will happen really soon. That person seems to have endless hate against me… I wonder why? I do not remember offending a Life Hunter. The last time I met one was around two hundred thousand years ago… The last Hunter? Fascinating. Is this what the world prepared for me?"

The man chuckled and closed his eyes back, "Undeniably… the time where I will come out is near."

***************************************

Arima observed his surroundings. He had landed in the middle of a perfectly blue ocean. The sky was perfectly clear and bright. He looked down at his feet and noticed that he was walking on the water's surface without even using magic.

"So, this is the manifestation of a soul. This kind of pure environment… as expected from an elf. But," Arima paused and his eyes fell on an island that was located miles away from his current position. He could see a dark aura emanating from that island, 'polluting' everything around it.

His eyes became cold and he changed into a black lightning bolt that flew off toward that island. Arima cast 'Enraged Spark' and instantly broke through the sound barrier. The sonic boom caused a depression on the water and the sea split in two on a straight line.

Arima reached the island and landed heavily on it. The entire landmass trembled and the ground was crushed. Arima slowly walked out of the crater as lightning thundered around him and in the sky.

"Get out!" He shouted with his voice amplified by magic. His shout alone uprooted numerous trees and rocks around him.

At the same time, the dark aura covering the island converged into a single point above it. Arima raised his head to look at it. The aura was gradually compressed into a dense and black cloud which in turn started consolidating into something else. The final result was a creepy slime that wriggled strangely and was bulging at some places.

The slime fashioned a pair of eyes and looked at Arima. He moved awkwardly before falling. It took him a few seconds to crash just in front of Arima.

Now that he was this close, Arima could accurately judge that thing's size. If it was measured as you would with a liquid, that slime could fill around ten cubic meters.

After landing, the slime changed form. His body slowly started looking like a humanoid one but the legs were bent forward, a pair of wings sprouted on his back, and his head grew some horns. In the end, a huge black gargoyle was left standing there. His odd and sharp silvery eyes examined Arima.

"Why do you seem to know me, Life Hunter? And why do you hold that much hatred toward me?"

The gargoyle asked and Arima's expression twitched. His expression turned even colder, "You may not know me, but I remember that voice perfectly. It has been exactly 116 years since the last time I heard that voice. But I will never forget it."

The gargoyle twisted his neck in a way that shouldn't be possible and let out a bizarre and low grunt, "My voice…? Are you perhaps someone who met another Seed? But it shouldn't be possible. There is only me in this world and your power is not enough to travel between worlds. But, well, you are a Life Hunter, after all. Maybe you have your ways…" The Seed brushed it off.

"So? What do you want from me, Hunter?"

"To destroy you obviously."

Arima invoked and grasped Karma, "First; I want your life force. Two; I need to kill you to be able to get rid of this anger, having it going wild like this is not to my liking. Three; I want your memories," He declared and unsheathed Karma.

"[Primum, Secundum, Tertium, Gaudete] (First, Second, Third, Break)."

Arima immediately undid the three seals and Karma's aura burst. Arima swung Karma at the gargoyle. The forced produced by that single slash cut the monster in two and everything behind him was razed from the surface of the island. For a second, giant trees and tops of mountains had been ejected off the ground.

"…That's a transcendental sword, huh? A weapon that reached a higher level than a classic soul weapon," The upper body of the gargoyle opened its mouth while floating in the air. The legs moved on their own and jumped to reunite with the torso, "Hm, it appears I won't survive this fight if I attack you head on."

The gargoyle flapped his wings and flew up. His eyes glowed with a bright silver light. The island did the exact same and transformed into a giant silver slime. A powerful roar that didn't seem to match any kind of existing creature pierced Arima's ears.

He whirled Karma and sheathed the blade. He gathered his dark lightning and then added fire before chanting: "[Fortasse Aeterna Noctem] (Flamboyant Eternal Night)."

Arima's eyes opened wide and his blade couldn't be seen as he swung it.

A huge threatening flying-slash made of fire and lightning struck the ground and exploded with the roar of thunder. The whole silver 'island' was first cut in two then totally consumed by fire and lightning. When the two raging elements finally vanished, nothing remained and the water flowed naturally to fill the void caused by the 'island's literal obliteration.

From above, the gargoyle watched the scene unfold, "That's remarkable. To create a magic this destructive so efficiently and quickly… No mana was wasted. The theory was flawless. The result was calculated. The fire and lightning were impeccably harmonized. And that sword's devastating power was guided brilliantly."

The gargoyle praised his attacker with an emotionless voice and turned around. Arima was standing behind him with sparking electricity at his feet. He pointed Karma at him and smirked, "Bring it on. I want to destroy you. Until nothing remains."