Chapter 1930: Aura Pillar
Aura pillars appeared when a Phantom or monster wanted to demonstrate its power. This could happen either before the start of a battle or to overwhelm a weaker opponent with just its aura.
Everyone knew this trick, since even relatively weak monsters and Phantoms could use it. But while it could be learned at a low level, there was no limit to how powerful a person’s aura could become.
Adam and Midgar’s auras caught the attention of several Lords wandering through the Light Field, though all of them understood that these two auras were not equal. Midgar’s aura was more powerful, denser, and brighter. Compared to it, Adam’s aura was merely a faint shadow.
But... Now everything had changed.
TREMBLE! TREMBLE! TREMBLE!
Space trembled. Cracks and fissures spread across the ground, and powerful gusts of wind swept for many kilometers, bending great trees to the ground and shattering unstable stone peaks.
Kalyso, who stood at the Fallen Amber Sun, smiled faintly, but his eyes were brighter than ever.
He gazed at the blue pillar reaching the upper boundary of the Light Field. If they had been at the Gray Sea, on the surface, this aura pillar would have pierced the heavens in a heartbeat and illuminated the dark sky.
Different rules applied at the Light Field, after all, this place was underground, beneath the Gray Sea, but everyone could appreciate just how powerful Adam’s aura was.
The basis for their assessment was the tremor emanating from Adam. The Barons couldn’t reach such a level. They simply lacked that density of energy.
"What the hell...?" Midgar muttered in disbelief. "How is this possible? How can a K4-Phantom possess such power?!"
Then, he looked at his hands. He had managed to defend himself against the crystal blade, but it had left a deep gash on his forearms.
"Tsk. So that’s why the Befallen Crown is so eager to get rid of him. No... They don’t yet know just how much stronger he’s become. Now he’s no longer a potential threat - he’s an actual one!"
Tremble.
Midgar’s aura trembled as gray currents appeared at his shoulders. They flowed down and enveloped his arms, quickly healing his cuts.
"His power is growing too fast. If he defeats me, he’ll become even stronger... No, even if I escape, it’ll happen sooner or later."
Midgar quickly reached the only logical conclusion: If Adam doesn’t die right here and now, regardless of the outcome of their battle, Adam will very soon become a Second Rank Phantom.
"I can’t let that happen. Every Second Rank Phantom is powerful enough to tip the balance of the entire world. The Citadel will become even stronger with such a warrior on their side!"
Midgar wasn’t going to waste any more time thinking as he assumed a fighting stance.
"Alright, I’ll do what I set out to do from the start."
Tremble!
Gray energy burst forth in powerful streams from Midgar, forming long claws on his hands, armor on his shoulders and legs, and two wings unfurling on his back. Strangely enough, they didn’t resemble dragon wings, but rather demonic ones.
"Attack, you bastard! I’ll show you what the Lord of the Befallen Crown is capable of!"
However, Adam wasn’t in a hurry.
Before doing anything, he turned around to meet Silvana’s green eyes.
"So, it really was you down there, wasn’t it?"
Silvana nodded, gently resting her head on his shoulder.
"My path... It ended just recently. I wanted to meet you, but I could tell I shouldn’t have bothered you. I only appeared when you wanted me to."
"Agh...? What does that mean?" Adam was confused.
A lot had happened at the Dark Field, but most of the time he was in a strange state, after all, he had died and was watching his own body from the outside like a ghost.
"I see. It seems you didn’t understand that..." Silvana purred. "After just one minute, the pressure of the Dark Field was already too strong for you, and the cold was rapidly bringing you closer to death."
Her eyes grew deeper as she recalled the events from her perspective.
"Then, everyone else and I: the Silver Weaver, Lone Blaze, your Evolution Tree, and even that new girl... whom I don’t know. We all tried to reach you, to give you our energy, but nothing worked..."
For a moment, Silvana fell silent before continuing:
"And then... we saw that monster just float right past you. Your heart stopped... You died right then and there, right before our eyes. I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to see you after such a long separation, but instead I had to watch you die."
She turned to him, looking into his bright, blue eyes full of energy.
"But just as I was about to sink into despair, the Path Construct trembled. It called to me and let me speak with you.
"My first thought, in a panic, was to tell you what had happened and to tell you that you had to do something to survive, so that your heart would start beating again. But... When I saw you, I realized I had to do the opposite."
Adam was confused. He remembered these events, but he didn’t understand what Silvana was talking about.
"The blue threads... They were with you even back then. One glance at you and at them was enough for me to realize that I simply had to greet you and let you be alone for a while, even if you were dead."
"That... It all sounds very strange..."
Tap.
Silvana pressed herself closer to him. He could feel that she didn’t want to let him go anymore.
"That was your condition, and there was nothing we could do about it. But now we’re here, and our enemy is the Viscount. Are you ready to try out my new powers?"
A smug smirk appeared on Silvana’s face.
"I’ve trained hard for this."
"Sure." Adam smiled bitterly. "After all, I already know all the changes, because... your power is no different from mine."
Adam reached out her hand as if trying to touch Midgar.
Midgar grew wary as a shiver ran through him.
At that very moment, a multitude of crystal blades rained down from the sky, forming an arena large enough for a battle of giants.