Chapter 5
Raine ran towards the other side of the bridge like his life depends on it. No, to be more precise; his life DOES depend on how fast he could run and how good he is at dodging.
If he makes even a single mistake, he would have to forfeit his life.
"How did this happen? To think I made such a stupid mistake!"
Remembering how confidence he was earlier, Raine could not help but smile bitterly.
Was he too naive?
Probably...
He should have expected that something was wrong from the get go...
How could crossing the bridge be as simple as bypassing the guardian and running a mere 100 meters to the other side? Is the formation prepared by the Dark Church to specially deal with him and Tiana be that easy to handle?
Of course not!
He should have known better. This is a world of magic and nothing as simple as it seems on the surface...
Of course the church would take all precautions to protect the formation core. If the preparations made by the Dark Church could easily be handled by a boy of 11 and a dark elf; then the church would have been destroyed years ago!
"… Concealment and illusion. I was really too naive.... I've already established the fact that the characteristics of the formation were concealment and illusion... So how could I have forgotten these points?"
Indeed... The stone bridge also possessed the characteristic of concealment and illusion. The illusion part is that the bridge looking very ordinary and short--just about a 100 meters long on the surface. On the other hand, what being concealed is the true length of the bridge!
Yes, the bridge does look like it's only a 100 meter on the outside. And Raine, being an engineer from his past life could easily measure the length of the bridge without the need of a measuring tool. But once Raine started sprinting towards the other side, he noticed that the bridge seemed to have no end to it!
He had been running, and dodging the guardian's beams for a while now and yet, Raine still is still to reach the other side!
With his running speed, he should have already crossed that 100 meters by now. But despite running for almost 2 minutes, Raine still hasn't reached the end of the bridge!
Even though the guardian is constantly harassing him with deadly beams, preventing him from crossing the bridge in 4 to 5 seconds, it shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to cross a 100 meter long bridge when running. And yet, he had been running for almost 2 minutes now...
The only explanation for this is that not everything in front of him is real—including the true length of the bridge!
The only consolation, if you could even call that, is that the beam uses a straight trajectory which gives Raine a lot of room to wiggle around. Still, it could not be denied that the constant harassment did affect Raine's plan of reaching the other side of the bridge in a short time by a lot.
"No, I should persevere! I refuse to believe that the bridge has no end! All I needed to do is to hold on a little longer!"
"Isn't my stamina one of my main selling points? Even if I ran for half a day, my stamina should not run out!
Invigorated, Raine found the strength to carry on. As long as he cross the bridge, and destroy the formation core, his safety is almost guaranteed. So what if the bridge is longer than it looks?
Even if the bridge is a mile long; Raine just need to keep dodging and running!
"Tiana should be having more difficulty than me..."
Remembering his dark elf bodyguard; Raine felt like he had it better. After all, Tiana should be the one facing the people sent by the Dark Church to assassinate him.
How could Raine be certain that Tiana's currently facing off against the assassins?
It's rather simple really. Raine has been inside the formation for a while now and yet he has yet to meet another person. Well, the guardian's not a person so it doesn't count.
Of course there might be other reasons why the assassins haven't found him yet.
For example:
Due to some sort of coincidence, something happened to the formation which in turn, also affected the assassins sent by the church thus making them lose sight of Raine inside the formation.
Could coincidence like that really happen?
...As if!
There's no way that something as convenient as that would happen!
"It's not like I'm the protagonist of a novel or something! I don't have such plot armor!"
Indeed, nothing that convenient happened. The formation is still functioning as it should be. The fact that Raine was still trapped within the formation and that he even encountered the guardian was proof of this.
As such, the only explanation why he hasn't encountered any assassins yet was that, they're entangled by something—the most likely scenario of which would be was that they are fighting Tiana.
"Since no assassins have shown themselves yet, it could also mean that Tiana is still alive! As long as I destroy the formation; Tiana's safety would be assured!" Raine said with glow in his eyes.
"It's almost time--the guardian should be ready to fire a beam right about now."
Raine's nerves grew tense and his all his senses are at a heightened state. He is very nervous. Despite dodging all the beams thrown his way so far; Raine still lacks the confidence to ensure that he would be able to dodge the beams shot at him every time. He knew that one small mistake is all it takes to spell his doom...
The boy waited nervously for the guardian to shoot its beam but despite waiting for 3 seconds now, the beam still did not come.
"What happened?
Raine was confused. The guardian should have shot three beams by now. And yet, there's no sign of it at all.
"Did the guardian finally run out of energy?"
With curiosity eating at him; Raine carefully turned his head, and what he saw almost made his soul fly away from his body!
"What the hell is that?!"
A bit far away from, he saw the guardian charging it beams. Yes, beams. Not beam but beams. In other words, not far away from his location the guardian is preparing to fire multiple beams.
"You have got to be kidding me?! Are you telling me that you still have a final form?!"
Isn’t this stone guardian following the standard template a bit too much?
Cold sweats flow on Raine's back like a waterfall. The unexpected move from the guardian greatly terrified him.
After cursing the cheat-like guardian, Raine no longer held back. And with but a thought, his mana churned wildly inside his body, and two horns made of energy quickly formed on the side of his head!
Awakening!
Feeling the extreme danger emanating from the beams; Rance finally used one of his strongest trump cards to quickly escape the stone bridge.
And as for worrying about the side effects of his awakening? Raine no longer cared about that!
By activating his "awakening", Raine's power and speed doubled instantly. But despite the sudden increase in power, Raine still has no intention of confronting the stone guardian--and with good reasons.
Firstly, he has limited time. He's awakening is indeed powerful but it has a time limit. Not to mention that the longer he remained in that state, the greater the backlash on his body.
Secondly, Raine's purpose is to find the formation core and not fight the guardian. Although, fighting and defeating the guardian would be really cool and would make finding the formation core a lot easier; victory still remained uncertain. Even though he's power had doubled after entering his awakening state, it would still not assure him of a victory.
And lastly, even if he did, by some coincidence, defeat the guardian; Raine is certain that he would most likely suffer some injuries from the battle not to mention the backlash from using awakening. If somehow he suffered from an injury that would affect his mobility; Raine's chances of escaping the formation and finding Tiana would be very slim.
And if he was found by one of the assassins while in his weakened state, then Raine's life would have ended there and there.
As such, Raine could not afford to be careless and fight the guardian unless he could ensure victory and that he would not be put at a disadvantage after the battle.
Therefore, Raine chooses the most logical choice--to run.
Raine ran with all his might after using awakening. Unfortunately, he could feel that the guardian is about the fire its beams.
"Not good... I must disrupt it from charging those beams!"
With a quick wave of his hands seven ball of light containing all seven elements appeared behind Raine.
Multi-elemental magic: Elemental Bomb.
Using "Chant-less" and Quick Cast", Raine was able to release one of the strongest spell in his arsenal--multi-elemental magic: Elemental Bomb!
The seven colored balls of light quickly flew towards the stone guardian. But there target is not the guardian itself but rather the beams that are currently charging!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The seven colored balls of light exploded simultaneously, releasing the destructive power contained within it!
Fire, wind, earth, water, lightning, darkness, and light. The seven elements showcased their might as they exploded on top of the guardian's head!
Raine did not turn his head to look back at his handiwork. Although his elemental bomb is very powerful, Raine is not certain that it would be able to cause major damage on the guardian's stone body.
Not long after the explosions caused by Raine's magic; the dust finally settled. If Raine turned his head and look back, he would be greatly shocked by the damage on the guardian.
Its stone head is completely gone, its left arm had fallen and it's body is littered with cracks. No matter how one would look at it, it's greatly damaged. And yet, despite the damage it suffered; the beams remained unaffected!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Multiple beams flew in a parabolic arc as it heads towards the running Raine at an incredible speed as if on cue. But despite flying towards Raine; the target of the beams is not the boy but rather the stone floor in front of him!
Raine heard whooshing sounds behind him and knew instantly the he failed to disrupt the charging of the beams.
Silently cursing inside his heart, Raine ran harder. But despite the boy's incredible speed, he could not outrun the beams of light.
“Am I really going to fail at this junction? I am not willing!”
Raine saw the beams flying pass him and panicked. He realized that the guardian did not aim at him but at the stone floor of the bridge!
"Not good!"
Raine's blood turned cold seeing the trajectory of the beams. He knew full well what would happen once the beams hit the floor of the bridge.
"I won't allow it!"
As if going mad, Raine's eyes turned bloodshot as put all of the power into his legs. For Raine to escape, he must cross the spot where the beams would land. If not, he would be at the mercy of the guardian after once the floor of the bridge is destroyed!
Raine no longer cared of the injury he would suffer because of his desperate action. The only thing on his mind is to get to the other side even if means getting hurt. In his opinion, being caught by the guardian is synonymous to death.
Putting all of his power on his legs gave Raine a sudden burst of speed. The sudden burst of power gave the boy the illusion that he could fly.
Seeing the beams about to hit the floor of the bridge; Raine jumped with all his might!
BOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!
Chapter 5
"Hmph!"
"Die!"
Sparks flies as Tiana deflected the two assassins' attacks with difficulty. Not willing to be on the losing end of the fight; Tiana countered-attack -- pushing the assassins back in the process.
Even though she had brought down two of the assassins bringing the number of her opponent down to two; Tiana still didn't have it easy. Because after seeing through her Shadow Burst, one of Tiana's strongest skill was pretty much sealed. Even though she could still use the skill, its effectiveness in the current battle is heavily discounted.
Of course it doesn't mean that Tiana is helpless in front of the remaining assassins. In reality she still has some skills she has yet to show in the current fight.
Unfortunately, like her Shadow Burst, her other skills also have strict requirements for use. And that's the main reason she is yet to defeat her opponents.
"I need to find the right timing..."
Knowing that timing is key in winning the battle; Tiana forced herself to remain calm. Even though she's extremely worried for Raine's safety, still knew what is truly important.
As Tiana and the assassins stares and measures each other; a huge explosion suddenly erupted; startling the two fighting parties.
"""What was that?!""" They blurted out.
Not long after the explosion, the space around them started collapsing.
"How is this possible?!"
Seeing the collapsing space, one of the assassins could not help but exclaimed out loud.
"Did someone from the outside destroy the formation core?" One of the assassins asked in confusion.
"How could that be? It’s way too fast! Even if someone from the outside was indeed deciphering the formation; they wouldn't be able to destroy the formation in less than an hour!" The other assassin denied his partner's conjunction.
The two assassins could not figure out what happened. The formation they're using was among the best that their organization has. In order to set up the formation; the church paid a heavy price and expended a lot a rare materials and manpower.
Even the continuous attacks to Raine during this past year were part of the plan to set up the formation!
Yes, the Dark Church sacrificed the lives of quite the number of assassins just to set up the formation. The formation was incredibly complicated and powerful that deciphering it from the outside is an extremely difficult task. At the very it should be impossible to decipher it in less than half an hour!
And yet the evidence is in front of them... The space, created by the formation is slowly collapsing--a telltale sign that the formation was losing power after its core had been destroyed.
"Just who is it?! Why was not the church aware that such a powerful and skilled formation master is in Noreen?" One of the assassins asked with agitation.
The moment this question came out; a small figure with noticeable horns of energy on the sides of his head, and drenched in blood and wearing tattered clothing that's no different from rugs came out of the fog.
"I finally found you, Tiana!" Raine blurted out excitedly after seeing his friend safe.
"R-Raine? What are you doing here?!"
Tiana's flabbergasted and amaze gaze fall on the blood-drenched and the rug-wearing boy.
Wasn't he supposed to be trapped and helplessly waiting for a rescue somewhere within the formation? Then, why is he here? Also, why is he drenched in blood and looking rather pitiful.
Tiana wasn't the only one surprise at Raine's sudden appearance. According to their understanding; the boy should be trapped inside the formation. He should be helpless, and even shivering at his lack of power to escape his current predicament.
So then, why is their target be here? And despite looking really pitiful and bloodied, is completely safe. Also, what is that horns made of energy on the sides of his head?
The assassins could not understand the situation. Despite being elites and highly intelligent; the assassins felt like they don't have enough brain cells to process the current situation.
"What do you mean why? Obviously, I came looking for you! Seriously, is that all you could say? Do you have any idea of the dangers I needed to go through just to find you? Is all the effort and hard work I went through just to destroy the formation core not worth it? Is my death defying escape from the guardian a joke? Why do I felt like you're not happy to see me here?"
Hearing Tiana's question; Raine felt annoyed and angry, prompting him to go on a short tirade as if to let out all of his bottled-up frustration.
Tiana and the assassins' minds went blank after hearing Raines tirade.
What do you mean by your words? Destroying the formation core? Escaping the guardian?
Are you saying that you're responsible for destroying the formation? You, destroy a grand formation that the Dark Church paid a heavy price just to set up inside the capital?
How could that even possible?!
The impossibility of the situation rendered everyone present excluding Raine speechless.
None of the people present even Tiana, though that Raine might have something to do with the destruction of the formation.
And who could blame them?
If someone told them that an 11 year old boy destroyed the formation that the Dark Church; one of the biggest organization in the continent set up. They would think that that person is not mentally right in the head.
Even an experienced adult versed in formation and magic would have difficulty doing so, what's more for a boy of 11? Granted, Raine is already inside the formation could act after knowing that he knew that the core is the formation's weakness. It won't change the fact that the difficulty of destroying the formation from the inside is still incredibly high!
Would such a grand formation not have traps or a powerful guardian protecting it?
Of course not!
Even the simplest of formations have a method of depending itself. If formations are so easy to destroy then it would not have such a fearful reputation.
And yet, reality slaps them on the face. An 11 year old boy, the same boy that everyone thought is akin to a fish atop the chopping board, manages to destroy the formation from the inside!
"Don't joke with us! There is no way in hell that a brat like you could possibly destroy the formation that took a year to for us to set up?!" One of the assassins barked.
One of the assassins could no longer hold himself back. The knowledge that their target; a boy of 11, managed to destroy the formation that they worked so hard to set up.
No matter what, he could not accept this fact. Because if he did, it means accepting that the sacrificed that his fellow assassins made in that one year was all in vain...
The assassin's words startled Raine a bit. He was not startled because the assassin scolded him but because he remembered that he's not yet safe!
Tiana was also startled by the assassin's outburst. Remembering her duty, she appeared in front of the boy to in order to protect him.
The other assassin, seeing the outburst of his partner and Tiana's swift response frown deeply and sternly told his partner to calm down.
As if splashed by a bucket of icy-cold water; the assassin who complained forcefully calmed himself down.
Seeing the two assassins recovering their bearings; Tiana became solemn. Even though Raine is now safe; she knew that they're not out of the woods yet.
"The other bodyguards should have noticed the situation a while ago. And with the formation almost destroyed; they should be able to enter soon. Therefore, I only needed to ensure both mine and Raine's safety." Tiana thought to herself.
"Also, it seemed that Raine had used his "awakening" not too long ago. He should be able to protect himself for the time being..."
Glancing at the two horns of energy at the sides of Raine's head; Tiana was suddenly reminded of the event inside the nameless forest that certain night. She knew that Raine's fighting prowess would be greatly increased once he used that ability.
If not for the short duration and the harsh backlash from using said ability; it would no doubt be an overpowered and broken ability!
As Tiana travels back to memory lane; Raine unexpectedly made his move and without warning, attacked the assassin who scolded him earlier!
"Are you out of your mind?!"
Tiana was taken aback and was forcefully awaken from her reminiscence. She never expected that Raine would ignore her protections and went to face the danger headlong!
The two assassins were also taken aback by Raine's unexpected action. They thought that the boy who destroyed the formation core and foiled their plan would be smarter than this.
Instead of hiding like a turtle behind the dark elf's back; he actually chooses to attack them!
If this is not stupidity, then what is?
"Hah! Hell has no door yet you forcefully barged in? If you want to die that badly then I'll be happy to oblige!"
The assassin that Raine targeted openly mocked the boy for his stupidity. And since Raine gave them the chance to succeed their mission, they would be fools if they let go of the chance.
Tiana was horrified at the sudden change of event. She could not understand what's running on Raine's mind. The boy has always been very smart and yet for some inexplicable reason, he became a fool and put himself in danger!
"Damn it, Raine! You're really going to get it if both of us survived this!"
Furious and helpless, Tiana could only do a follow up as she cursed the boy loudly.
"Why are you cursing me?"
Hearing Tiana cursing him, Raine could not help but ask back in response. And although confused by Tiana's cursing and despite asking back, Raine did not stop or slow down at all.
Is Raine really stupid as the others claimed?
Of course not!
The reason he attacked the assassin was because he has the confidence to win! After using his awakening, Raine noticed that his ability reached a new level!
In other words, his awakening has reached level 2!
And with his ability leveling up, the increased in his fighting prowess not only doubled but actually quadrupled!
Not only that, even the duration of his awakening had also increased. At the very least, it is double the time of that when it was still at level 1!
This is the main reason why despite looking bloodied and tattered; Raine was pretty much unharmed even after taking on the guardian's strongest attack.
By taking advantage of the unexpected level up; Raine was able to easily destroy the formation core and find his bodyguard and friend, Tiana among the thick fog.
"Seriously, we need to have a talk after this and discuss what trust really means!" Raine thought to himself as he let out an incredibly fast kick towards one of the assassin.
Seeing the fast kick barreling at him, the assassin let out an arrogant harrumphed and countered by kicking as well.
Since he was naturally bigger and therefore, stronger, the assassin was confident that he would win the battle of physical strength.
The kick he let out possessed at least 90% of his power, and should, by all account break the foolish boy's leg. It's obvious from the get go that the assassin was using the kick to vent out some of the frustration bottled inside him after seeing the formation they worked so hard to set up being destroyed.
Raine already expected that his opponent would counter attack. But when he saw his opponent counter his kick with another kick, Raine could not help but be slightly taken aback.
Using one's own body and physical strength against him while he's on his awakened state?
Is that assassin right on the head?
Granted that the assassin was unaware of his increase in power after entering his awakened state but being an assassin; he shouldn't be this careless and fight him head on, right?
"Am I being underestimated again?"
Knowing what's running on the assassin's mind; Raine decided to give his opponent as lesson he would never forget for the rest of his life.
Two legs, one long and strong while the other short and fragile-looking, met with an earth shattering clash!
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