The Extra of The Lunerra

Chapter 421 - 54: Two Frightening Beings

Humans are the only race on Lunerra that has the ’system’.

So, all other humanoid races have their own ways of becoming stronger, their own ways of using mana, and their own techniques.

For elves, it is... simple.

Too simple.

Elves are the only race that is known to be loved by mana, even though mana is known as an insentient energy.

They are born with an additional circulatory system in their bodies. And every elf, thanks to the genetics they inherit from their parents, and the mana vessels and hearts shaped by those genetics, can characterize mana just by thinking about it, without even needing runes.

They have enormous reserves and outputs of mana. And although each of them can only characterize mana in one attribute for the rest of their lives... their mastery and strength in that attribute reaches such a point that it is not a disadvantage for them.

There are two reasons why the Laute Family stands out even among all elves, why they are considered more powerful than even royalty.

The first is that they can directly control mana itself, rather than characterize it. Their abilities are not about characterizing mana in a certain way and using the characterized mana, but manipulating the mana itself.

Secondly, their mana circulatory system is much more efficient, their veins and hearts are much more advanced.

And Rian Laute... is the most abnormal, the most powerful person born in this whole family.

The most powerful elf on Lunerra.

If he had the system, his general level would definitely show SS or SS+.

He’s many times more powerful than someone like me, who’s a S grade.

Twenty-three years ago, when he and his son fought my father and other pillar family leaders, he proved that in spades.

To think that I could go up against him and win... was nothing but a big farce.

And as I looked up at the dozens of spears soaring in the sky, each tip pointing at me, shimmering in a pure white glow, I knew it was true again.

The defeat twenty-three years ago seemed so much more understandable.

"Heh... I shouldn’t have even listened to that crazy brat’s plan in the first place."

But...

Even then...

It didn’t feel so impossible.

Even though I knew that Rian Laute had used almost nothing yet... it felt possible to stand against him. Your journey continues at NovelBin.Côm

And at this moment, all the spears in the sky went into action. They all rained down on me, like a torrential downpour.

I raised my sword, grasping the hilt with both hands as I plunged the tip into the ground in front of me.

The Immovable Wall was an ability of my sword.

It could only be used twice a day... but the defensive properties it provided in return were so great that it could withstand the breath of a dragon.

And it was this barrier that welcomed the spears made of pure mana.

The first wave didn’t even scratch the barrier, but it shook it so much that I couldn’t help smiling involuntarily.

It was the first time I had ever seen it shake in my life.

But the attack was not over.

The second wave shook the barrier even more.

The third caused cracks to appear on it.

The fourth and final one caused the cracks to widen.

The white glow emitted by the spears that couldn’t pass through the barrier and ricocheted around, disappearing into the atmosphere, was so intense that I couldn’t see the outside world. I couldn’t even see the spears themselves, let alone the outside world...

~crack!

Finally, the barrier was completely covered with cracks, disintegrating and disappearing.

I expected all of the spears to be spent... but through the white particles that surrounded me, I found the pointed tip of a spear right in front of me.

It touched the edge of my sword, which I had stuck in the ground, and though I managed to deflect it slightly, it pierced the side of my waist with great speed and explosive force.

Then, just before the whiteness of my vision disappeared... I found a pair of emerald-green eyes staring back at me.

There was a translucent layer wrapped around his fist, his expression cold and flat.

But before I could examine it further, before I could react, he slammed his fist hard into my face.

My fingers left the hilt of my sword, and though I did my best not to fall backward... I was swept off my feet.

Even then, I didn’t collapse. I got to my feet, and even though I was thrown violently, I managed to anchor myself back on the ground and managed to stop after being dragged a few meters.

The left side of my stomach and my right cheek were burning with pain, yet... all I could do was widen my smile.

Because he could have killed me.

Using his mana to wield a sharp weapon would take a short time, but since it would still take some and he doubted I could react, he simply strengthened his fist...

If he had chosen to take a risk and actually attacked me with a sharp weapon, he would have finished me off.

Even though there was a huge difference in strength between us... he felt he had to do it.

"Shouldn’t you be stronger than before?"

I simply raised my hand, and Rian Laute focused his eyes completely on it.

But nothing happened to me. On the contrary, it was the sword that was lodged in the ground next to him. It twitched a little first, and then, despite its enormous size and mass, it flew out of the ground... straight into my hand.

I caught it in mid-air and squinted my eyes, ignoring the pain in my stomach.

"The people you fought twenty-three years ago were all S- grade. Meanwhile, I am only close to S+ grade... shouldn’t you simply destroy me?"

Rian Laute did not answer. Only... a tiny twitch appeared in his expression, almost imperceptible.

I couldn’t help my smile widening even wider than it already was.

"You’re... really sick, aren’t you? You should be stronger after all these years... but you’re the opposite, weaker than before, even."

Again, there was no response or reaction. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

"You’re dying, Rian Laute... aren’t you?"

He never broke his stance, sighing deeply as he closed his emerald-green eyes.

"If what you desire is to perish before you even realize what has happened..."

And when he opened his eyes again... his eye color was no longer emerald-green.

They were golden yellow.

"You should have said that before."

It wasn’t just his eyes that changed. All the mana around him had been drawn toward him until now, but now... it all became static. It was as if each particle of mana had become heavy, even collapsing. His hair was growing almost to his waist, and golden runic letters were forming on his face and various parts of his skin.

"Huh...?"

I almost choked on my tongue in shock at what I saw.

It was... It was almost like an ascension skill.

No, not ’almost’.

What he was doing was actually using an ascension skill.

But... he didn’t have the system, the man called Rian Laute wasn’t half-human.

And he had never used this before, not even in that fight twenty-three years ago.

So... how... could he use an ascension skill?

Was it an unheard application of the mana manipulation technique he possessed?

There were so many possible answers, so many possibilities.

But the other thing that haunted my mind was...

"Oh..."

I’ve... seen this before.

No, not when Rian Laute was using it.

It was when someone else was using it, someone who looked a lot like him...

Adrian Caleo.

"You little hustler..."

He specifically stated that the ’grandchild’ he said he had ’found’ was not Adrian.

And indeed it was. After all, it was a girl named Alice Liate that we had followed here.

"I want this to be confidential."

This was one of the reasons why he wanted that, right?

He didn’t want everyone to see, to find a possible connection between Rian Laute and Adrian Caleo...

How much more does he know, hide, and use...?

When I get back, I’ll have a long talk with him...

Now, though, I have a bigger issue to deal with...

I inhaled a deep breath, and as the golden runic letters on Rian Laute’s skin continued to form, I thought of a skill I had.

Although my eyes were closed, a crimson glow surrounded me. The mana that had stagnated around me began to be drawn toward me this time.

I felt myself growing, getting taller. The ground moved further and further away from me.

It was an act of respect to respond to one ascension skill with another one.

Therefore...

I used mine.

Ascension of the Crimson Giant.

*******

Leonard Quie was already quite tall, a literal giant in human disguise.

But after that... he became even more of a ’giant’.

As he grew to almost four meters tall, a horn rose from his forehead, reminiscent of a hannya. His blood-red eyes changed slightly as if they were literally made of blood now, rather than its color looking like it, while his skin also turned a shade of crimson.

The pressure he exerted on his surroundings due to the sheer power he possessed could be felt intensely from here. If I had been standing here by myself, I might even have died... But A-18 was right behind me. Even though she too was struggling, she was protecting us both from the pressure.

Still... my eyes didn’t stay on Leonard Quie for long.

My focus was on someone else, who was Leonard Quie’s current opponent... my grandfather.

How... was he capable of using an ascension skill? He wasn’t a half-human, it was an impossible thing and a fact known too well...

He didn’t have the system and I had never heard anything about elves being able to take such a form.

It... had to be impossible...

But, on top of that...

The form he transformed into was identical to Adrian’s ascension skill.

They were exact copies of each other, only... my grandfather’s had more visual detail and more power than Adrian’s.

I couldn’t stop swallowing. The fight... was not going at all as I expected till now. Leonard Quie was able to hold his ground against my grandfather when he should have been crushed like an ant in an instant.

But that was it, apparently.

Aiden would fail, just as I had predicted.

But with this last thought, I paused for a moment.

I realized something I hadn’t noticed since the very beginning of the fight.

Because Leonard Quie was in the spotlight, my focus had always been on him.

But...

Where was Aiden?