Transmigration Into The Beginning After The End

CHAPTER 27 - THROUGH THE PORTAL

"What are you going to do about this Aya?" The white haired elf girl said, confused about everything happening. 

Lance Phantasm took a moment before answering her comrade's question. Of course, she had eyed me, maybe she was telling me to answer it for her but I instead walked towards the captured Alacyrans. 

Four Sentries and two Shields. Two of the Sentries were female while the rest were males. There was a chance that they were experimented on by Agrona. It was a slight one but I had to make sure that they knew important information that was necessary to me. 

However, before I could even say something to them, one of the Striker's personal team kept her eyes just behind me where their camp was. Her unnatural colored eyes quacked in fear or perhaps she had the feeling of hope in her mind as she saw me approach her. 

"...Scythe…Cadell …" Is what the shield muttered. 

That sole name gave me chills that were sent down my spine. Instantly I turned to where the Shield was facing and noticed a portal gate just a few feet away from the camp, it was active. Just moments before it wasn't. Dammit it was blending in with the surroundings! 

The air around the dungeon turned cold when a silhouette stepped through the portal. 

Revealing the most terrifying being that scared even the lances during the war after knowing who it was. Having his hands behind him like he was powerful enough to kill everyone here, his red eyes piercing everything they landed on, eventually his crimson eyes landed on me. 

Shit! 

Seconds after he went through the portal, he began to ascend into the sky. 

"Aya, use your mist attribute to get us out of here!" I let out, moving far from the pack of prisoners

"Why are you saying Luke?"

"Just do it! If he sees us we are dead!" I let out, ready to enforce and unleash that power if he caught on soon. I thought that maybe, just maybe I was fast enough to get us out of here alive. Maybe a prisoner or two to integrate for information that Agrona sent them with, their mission on this Continent.

As if realizing that I wasn't playing, Aya activated her mist deviant spell and filled the dungeon. Cadell had sensed her mana signature and he dashed forward in hopes of catching her but he was too late. The moment he lashed out his dark arts of mana to 'Aya', her body simply disintegrated along with the mist. 

Being just meters away from the Scythe of central dominion, I could make out the words he said before deploying his mana arts around him. "You lessers and your pity tricks." The ground around him erupted into sharp spikes headed towards its unknown target. 

We have to hurry up. I thought. Looking back at the dangerous spell coming for us, it felt like we might now make it out of here without a scratch. And if I ignited a spell, the alacryan scythe might sense my mana and hurry to me. 

Not only that but if I were to use a spell, it would be enough for stopping the dark arts but not the individual who casted it. None of us were strong enough, I even feel like if all the lances were to gang up on him, they would still lose with how they lost to the asura Taci. 

Is this the only way? 

My eyes wavered between Aya and Alea who had used their mana to transport the prisoners without carrying them. If Cadell were to catch us up, everything would end. Dicathen's resistance against Alacrya during the war. When Arthur is teleported into the RelicTombs and reborn as Grey. When they fight Taci. 

Everything that happens in the novel will not happen if these two die here by the Scythe's hands. 

Deep down, where my mana core resided, I called out. I called for the power I was granted, for a small commission of its ability to wield the deviant forms from the elemental affinities. 

Upon activating this power I would be different, I would see this world differently. Mana, elemental affinities, deviants, ect. Everything, living, breathing, none breathing. It would all be alien to me. As if I have never seen them in my life. 

That feeling is something intoxicating. The more I use it, the more greedy I become toward its ability of power in strength, mentally, and in mana. 

Almost like I am a superior version of myself right now. Maybe if I continue to use this power everyday and exercise it daily, maybe just maybe I will be able to fight this upcoming war without losing anyone dear to me. 

Well… Let this go well…

I closed my eyes as I continued to run behind the lances. In my mind, I imagined the mana in my core just freely flowed out of it and into my body, almost like body augmentation but differently. My perception of mana was enhanced to the point where it felt like they were a part of me. There was a strange connection that lingered on the surface of my palms. It was an addiction sensation that I couldn't or more like I didn't want to get rid of. 

My feet felt more lightweight than usual, also with every step I took it felt familiar to me. 

I shook my head, trying to get rid of these–at the moment–emotions. They were not mine to try to display them, no. It was a foreign connection that I couldn't know where it came from. Be that as it may, I know I need to control these effects of the power before I can confidently use them to a degree. 

With a heavy weight, I stomped onto the ground forcing my stop more rapidly. 

Aya and Alea heard my stop, and they too stopped before questioning me. "Luke, what are you doing? We have to get out of here before that thing catches our flee." 

"Your mana… you can't be serious–"

With a cold and a tinge of anger I said, cutting Aya off, "I am going to block this dungeon to buy us some time. For that, I must use it even though he might sense me." As my words left my mouth, I could see my breath from the ice affinity being in use. I wasn't cold or hot, it was a normal temperature for me. "However, I need a distraction… Aya, can you use your deviant in other places?" 

A facial confusion rose on Aya's face but she quickly regained her composure when she realized what I was asking her to do. On the other hand, Alea was still lost, which wasn't a bad thing since she isn't going to be part of this plan. 

"I could but it is going to take some time to replicate your aura." 

"That is fine with me. Just give me a signal." 

A simple nod that she gave was enough for me to start igniting every spell I had known just for things like this. Black jagged spikes rose up instantly, covering its wake. I exhaled and watched as it was still visible to the naked eye. 

A giant cloud of freezing temperature veiled over the jagged spikes and took over their structure, stopping them before they got any closer to us. The crystalized black spell was now halted, no worry came from there but rather Cadell's attention upon noticing such a large mana spike. 

Was it worry or anxiety? 

No matter, my role right now is going to end. 

I turned to the black haired elf awaiting her signal. Her eyes were closed, covered in concentration the moment they opened and told me that it was ready. Ready for me to unleash a large sum of mana inward the dungeon in hopes of destroying the entrances. No inside or outside. No living thing could get out or in. 

Yet to make sure, there needs to be some sort of guard outside–! 

That could wait…right now…stopping Cadell…

A sharp pain cruised through my body and mind. More specifically, my core. The aching pain that resounded like my heartbeat annoyed me, I became desperate at the thought of my power leaving me right now. 

[Star Crush] 

Lightning, Ice, Gravity, Sound. The four elemental's deviants, crushed into a small ball structure, intended to destroy anything in its path. It was difficult to amount this much power into a single self-created spell but that is the reason why I spent it training with the elven lances. Even though they didn't have half of the deviants I could control, they were still a great help in stabilizing it. 

If I held on to this any longer…I could possibly get worse consequences…

AYA GREPHIN

What is going on? 

This boy… Luke Hodges. The one me and Alea kept on training and pushing his limits in hopes that he would quit, yet, instead he kept on facing the challenge over and over again. After failing the first test, he would redo it again. No matter if he passed it, he would ask to redo them again. 

I thought that he was insane or a masochist, but what he is showing me right now tells me otherwise…

Now I could see what Elder Virion said about this human boy being something else…

 His mana signature ruptured, this is the reason why he wanted me to spread his aura around the dungeon, so that thing couldn't track us down as Luke destroyed the entrance. 

It wasn't just that, the boy's appearance changed as well. When he ignited all four deviants, it took a second to stabilize the spell but he only needed two seconds before firing it off into the cave where 'he' was. In between a flash of lightning, Luke's hair was longer than before. Even if it was just for a split second, he had changed. 

The lightning was resonating little branches of white lightning towards the surrounding paths of the dungeon. 

"I thought I told you, lessers' tricks won't work on me." 

A clad in sleek black armor and a blood cape that matched his eyes. The figure's pale skin. Two horns that curled down and under its ears, lining his chin. 

His raspy voice sent a chill down my spine. His power level was greater than mine and Alea's, by its immense pressure that radiated from him as if he was death himself. 

The entity with horns got a hold of Luke, grabbing him by the neck as Luke's feet could no longer touch the ground. "Hmm. It seems that I've found the second scoundrel that was with Lady Sylvia."

"D-don't you mention…her…name…" I heard the human boy struggle as he let out those words. Mana riled up in him that I was able to see his mana core stage. 

"The Sovereign might be pleased with your current power…" 

The Sovereign?

I must do something! 

"I will make you submit, no resistance is unbreakable in my presence."

The ground quacked. Thick green vines broke the ground surface around the entity himself, getting a hold of every limb. With force I knew who this was, Lance Alea. Her brows went forward and her expression of anger was painted all over her. 

Black fire spread all over the vines.

Good luck they won't be–

I was wrong. The black and white fire easily burnt through the vines that even I struggled to get off without using my deviant. 

Without batting an eye to us, the entity only kept his attention towards the boy in front of him. Seconds later, a cluster of black spikes broke free from the ground wanting to pierce us. 

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on pouring more mana into my deviant go get us out of here and far. 

"...id"

When I finally found the grasp, I opened my eyes only to find something else…

"Where are we?"