Angel Monarch-Chapter 320: Europe Aflame (12)

For everyone else, it seemed Sera was flying towards a wall of pure radiance, but in her eyes, there was nothing.

She could differentiate between brighter and darker areas, but no matter the brightness, she saw everything with crystal clear clarity.

As Sera flew above the hordes of monsters, she finally laid eyes on the creature hiding beneath the light. She was quite a bit surprised to see no actual monster. In fact, she saw a person standing in the empty corridor.

The light moved, weaved itself around him, like it was part of his body. In his white glowing eyes, there was lucidity. He wasn't like all the monsters sent here to kill them, but he also wasn't normal.

The man appeared neither Evolved nor even human. He had elongated, almost pointy ears and tall stature. His lithe physic, carried strength hidden from the naked eye.

His face held much androgynous beauty. At first, Sera couldn't even determine his gender, but seeing the lack of curves, she had to guess.

Even the person's attire was breathtaking. Millions of white strings closely attached to his breastplate and pauldrons fell over his athletic body.

They seemed lighter than feathers, while also having a slight glisten to them. The excessive light seemed to break apart when it landed on each string.

Sera concluded the man wasn't controlled like all the other monsters. He also most certainly wasn't human. He definitely originated from a different realm, similar to goblins, which made him a different species than humans.

It was rare and improbable, but it happened a few times over the years. Outsiders from the other more superior Realms would occasionally visit and explore Earth.

Surprisingly, no powerful entity ever appeared from these other Realms. Like no one above the level of Ascended could visit Earth.

Sera questioned the rule's origin. She felt uncertain whether it stemmed from the other Realms' leaders or from Earth's diplomats and Ethereals; regardless, it felt very unusual.

Everything they knew about the other Realms was vague. Either the Ethereals who regularly visited these places kept secrets, or there was some deeper mystery which nobody had noticed.

Sera wasn't sure either way, and currently she didn't care about such issues. She came to this lab with a purpose, and if this person obstructed her, she would eliminate him.

After flying over the horde, she landed close to where the man's light began, but she didn't enter. Instead, with one hand, she reached out and gently touched the blinding light.

It wasn't solid, but as she ran her hand through its edges, she felt something move between her fingers. Tiny particles, flying through the air around the man.

She reached a bit further inside, and that's when the searing pain began. Her armor ignored most, but she still felt a burning sensation everywhere the light touched her.

The man watched curiously as Sera pulled her hand back from the light and dismissed her gauntlet. Below the golden metal, red, swollen, blistered skin, peeled away.

Her regeneration was already taking care of the damage, but she should've been on her knees screaming in pain.

She did no such thing. Instead, Sera stared at her hand for a few seconds, snorted in amusement, then summoned back her gauntlet and stepped into the light.

Pain absorbed her body, but it wasn't anything new for her. She felt her skin burn everywhere, but her steps remained firm.

The man's eyes widened in confusion and disbelief. He saw many people enter his light, but no Ascended ever walked inside it so nonchalantly. She could also see through his blinding light with perfect precision, which also brought great interest to him.

Sera walked over and eventually stopped half a dozen meters away. Her signature golden glaive rested close at hand, but her body language suggested boredom and cautiousness.

The man was unsure how to respond. He held no weapon, but he most definitely wasn't harmless.

They stared at one another for a few long moments, unsure to begin fighting or engage in conversation. They gauged each other's patience, enduring the silence to determine who had the more superior composure.

Unlike Sera, the man couldn't see her facial expression, which brought advantage to her.

Behind Sera the sound of fighting reached their ears, but neither payed it any mind. She continued staring at the tall man, making him increasingly uncomfortable, until he finally broke.

With a slight smirk on the side of his mouth, he began speaking, without acknowledging his loss.

"So you are the famous Deathless Phoenix everyone has been talking about! Very nice to meet you, my name is Darunia…"

His voice sounded like a beautiful melody, echoing around the hallway with perfect harmony. The voice, though lacking supernatural power, briefly halted Sera's thoughts with their magnificence.

Darunia was about to continue when Sera quickly cut in, disrupting the man's flow.

"So what race are you, Darunia? I can tell you aren't human, and you seem too tall for a goblin… What are you doing here exactly?"

After hearing her statement, the tall man's laughter echoed around them, then it morphed into a creepy, cunning grin.

"Oh, how rude of me! You haven't met my kind yet. How unfortunate… I'm an Elf from Asyren, the Realm of endless forests, pure blue lakes, music and beauty!…"

Behind her helmet, Sera's eyes widened with surprise and curiosity. She never heard of the species called elves before, so meeting a new intelligent race was quite exciting.

Unfortunately, Sera was certain Darunia wouldn't reveal more about his birthplace, and his next words confirmed where their conversation was heading.

The elf continued to grin, and Sera didn't miss the small step he took towards her. She halted her muscles from moving, while keeping her eyes on every part of Darunia's body.

He kept his hands hidden behind his back. Small muscle movements over his arms suggested he was either nervous or fidgeting with something, possibly a weapon.

As Sera tried not to react to his every near imperceptible twitch, she listened to his words very carefully.

"Are you curious about my presence? Isn't it obvious?… I'm a mercenary hired by Harold for base security! My job requires me to eliminate every unauthorized personnel, and sadly not you nor your friends are supposed to be here."

His eyes narrowed and his fidgeting stopped. Behind her helmet Sera took a deep breath, and said, "Sad indeed… I assume you wouldn't back off if I asked you nicely?"

The tall elf snorted, his creepy grin changed into a mischievous smile. His voice became lower, hiding imminent danger within its depths.

"I think the answer is obvious to us both."

Behind her helmet, a sly smile grew on Sera's lips. Her voice changed only a little, but it was definitely more cruel and cold.

"It sure is…" she breathed before springing into action.

Darunia's eyes widened in surprise. He didn't expect her to react so aggressively, but he liked it! It was never much fun to fight someone unsuspecting.

He watched in relative calmness as the few meter distance disappeared in less than a moment. Sera's glaive cut through the air, aiming towards his head, but just before touching him, something strange happened.

The light around his body became more apparent and real. It seemed to turn into a solid object, abandoning all of its previous properties.

The small particles formed a thin wall around the elf's head, saving him from the deadly blow.

The glaive's blade connected with the wall in an explosion of blinding light, which Sera ignored entirely.

The elf, who was still smiling a moment ago, suddenly frowned in confusion. From just one blow, his small wall cracked and splintered. It wasn't supposed to be so weak against any form of attack.

There was something he missed, but he simply couldn't think about it since Sera didn't stop after the initial miss. Her glaive moved again, this time aiming for his chest.

The light particles moved again, obeying his silent command. They formed into a thicker shield this time, but even that wasn't enough to fully contain Sera's weapon.

With a loud crack, it punctured the shield, sending sparks in every direction. That's when Darunia saw it!

As Sera attacked again, her glaive caught on fire. Pure golden flames danced around the blade, holding white light within.

The weapon shined momentarily before it touched his newly made defensive wall. It hit the shield with such impact that the elf flew back a few meters after its inevitable explosion.

Sera almost killed the elf, then hesitated, noticing something in the elf's gaze. It was full of surprise, anger, confusion, annoyance, and, above all, terror.

She couldn't understand what had changed. The man's confidence seemed to evaporate. He stared at Sera, like she was the most horrifying creature he had ever faced.

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Initially, she linked the man's weird reaction to her purifying flames, since it only occurred post-usage. Her light also could've caused this sudden change in behaviour, but she fought with it all this time.

Even before the battle between them, she guessed his attacks and defenses would involve light, so she used her own ability to give her weapon and armor the same property.

It worked extremely well against his defense, so that might've caused his terror, since only a handful of creatures could use light that way.

She wasn't certain, and the elf wasn't much help either. Still lying on the ground, Darunia's whole body trembled. In a shaky voice full of despair, he whispered three words… "It's you…"

Sera just continued staring at him with confusion. The elf grabbed the opportunity, gathered his thoughts, and decided upon a quick getaway.

She wanted to follow, hunt down, and eliminate him, but something in his demeanor changed her mind. Somehow, Sera knew he wouldn't be a problem anymore.

The light disappeared as he sprinted away, slowly becoming more transparent with each step, until nothing was left of him.

Still bewildered, Sera watched the elf disappear, then turned and went back to help her group, putting this encounter away for less hectic days.