Chapter 70: No Equal
"Like hell! Get this thing away!" Leonard yelled in protest.
[Dimensional Storage activated!]
He took out his silver axe and swung it toward the Void parasite.
However, Orpheus effortlessly halted the blow.
"Be careful. Do you know how rare these things are?" He said. "There is a reason we aren’t constantly making more awakeners turn to our side. Void parasites are extremely difficult to obtain."
Observing from the side, Elizabeth bit her lower lip.
Her sleeve wriggled, and Rimy emerged, jaw clashing down over the Void Believer’s arm.
"Rar!" She cried, trying to inflict harm.
"Get this lizard away from me."
Orpheus swatted his hand aside, sending the hatchling ice dragon flying.
"Rimy!" Elizabeth screamed.
"Settle down. I already told you, you can’t stop the inevitable."
Just as the Void Believer was about to latch the parasite onto Leonard, he froze, his eyes locking onto the crimson pendant hidden just beneath his leather armor.
"Could this pendant be the real deal?... Who are you—"
Before Orpheus could finish the sentence, his senses flared, forcing him to abruptly look up.
Curious about what had startled the Void Believer himself, those who could still move their heads in the party glanced upward.
There, a giant eye hovered. It blinked slowly, observing the surroundings in eerie silence.
"Curses! Of everybody that could have found us, it just had to be the worst matchup!"
Without further explanation, Orpheus rose. He threw one last cautious glance toward Leonard to remember his face. Then, he tore through the fabric of reality and space, creating a portal through which he vanished faster than a blink.
The party of six found themselves alone, having to thank the mysterious eye for getting rid of the Void Believer.
’Orpheus... He seemed to recognize the pendant left behind by my mother. Things were on the verge of turning catastrophic. If he had taken it, I would have had no way to retaliate.’ Leonard’s eyes narrowed with determination.
He had to do everything in his power to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands. His mother had entrusted him with it for that very purpose.
"Finally, it’s really over! I feel like I’m going to pass out on the spot!" Harley lay on her back. "Ugh! I just want to go home, take a nice hot bath, and not think about anything for a while!"
"Umm... Guys? I’m sure that we would like to celebrate, but can somebody tell me why there is a creepy eye staring at us from above?" Winston asked with a slightly pale face, uncertain if he preferred the eye over being in the presence of a Void Believer.
Before anyone could answer, the temple walls behind them shattered.
A tall man with snow-white hair and deep black eyes emerged from the other side. His hands were leisurely resting in his pockets as he strode forward, completely unbothered.
"Sorry, I’m late. The Silver Palace is quite far away from Eternia Bastion, so it took me a while to get here."
"Could he be a member of the First Gradeless Unit I called for help?" Leonard didn’t recognize the man and glanced at his party members to gauge their reactions.
The man’s presence had the largest effect on Russell. He seemed to have trouble breathing, as if he were meeting a legend for the first time, and was now starstruck.
"Mind telling me who he is?" Leonard whispered.
"You uncultured, mindless Commoner!" Russell yelled at the top of his lungs. "He is Christopher, the Chief of the First Gradeless Unit and believed to be the strongest awakener in all of Eternia City, with even the acting King unwilling to face him in a real battle! Without exaggeration, he has no equal!"
Overhearing the discussion, Christopher tilted his head to the side and scratched the side of his cheek with a faint smile.
"Ease up on the flattery, young ones. At this rate, I’m going to blush."
"B—But Sir! You are the living myth himself! It’s a great honor to meet you in person. C—Can I please ask you for your autograph?!" Russell insisted, rushing over to his idol.
Leonard remained skeptical. Although he was grateful to Christopher for saving them, he found it hard to believe that the man had supposedly rivaled Gideon in power when he had still been alive.
Even if that was the case, shouldn’t that mean they have been comrades in arms? Why had Christopher not interfered with Gideon’s public execution, and why had Leonard never heard of him until now?
Despite the many questions burning in his mind, Leonard pushed them aside, knowing this was neither the time nor the place to ask.
"We owe you for saving our lives, Sir Christopher." He said, noting how the man was already signing an autograph for Russell.
"However, while we have managed to lower our corruption, the rest of the participants scattered across the forest haven’t had the chance, and there is a danger of them soon turning into Hollows."
’Why is he so unbothered?’ Leonard pondered. ’We are still in the Void, and most of us are missing.’
Christopher paused and met his gaze.
"There is no reason to worry, Leonard." He reassured him, pointing to the eye blinking above.
"Under my watch, nobody can die."
’Does he mean this whole place is crawling with eyes and that he can see through them?... Wait, how did he know my name? I never shared it... Meaning he must know that I am Gideon’s child.’
By the time Leonard glanced back at Christopher, the man had gotten on his knees, soothing the terrified Cassie.
"..."
Unsure what to think, he searched for Elizabeth. Her familiar, Rimy, had been flung aside while trying to save him, and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
Leonard found her next to the corpse of the Orc Shaman. Under all the chaos, he hadn’t bothered to teleport it with the teleporting ring after he killed her.
He suspected the Ice Dragon hatchling had coincidentally been thrown to the orc. Yet when he neared, the sight shocked him greatly.
Rimy, the adorable little dragon, had ravaged the shaman’s body, snatched out her mana core, and was in the process of devouring it.
When Elizabeth noticed his presence, she slightly bowed in apology.
"Forgive me. Since meeting the Orc Shaman, Rimy had been saying that she had to eat the orc to evolve, but I didn’t think much of it. When I found her chewing on the mana core of a monster you killed, it was already too late to stop her."
Mana cores were exceptionally rare and expensive. Case in point, Leonard had found only one way back when he added Joker as his summon.
To Elizabeth, one mana core from a monster not even Level 20 didn’t amount to much, but to Leonard, that could have been a substantial sum. Not to mention, it was incredibly poor manners to steal monster remains belonging to a fellow awakener.
Leonard blinked slowly, not expecting to see her of all people seeking his forgiveness. He watched Rimy devour the mana core with a carefree smile.
He chuckled.
"If it wasn’t for her slowing down the Void Believer, he might have latched the parasite on me. Furthermore, considering all the times you have saved my life, parting with a single mana core is a small price to pay."
Elizabeth studied him in surprise. Given the influence of her household, she had expected Leonard to try to extort her by tarnishing their reputation or harming her image by threatening to report her to her father.
Of all things, she didn’t expect him to drop the matter without making even a single demand.
’Why? I don’t understand.’ Many feelings raced through her mind, preventing her from speaking.
"Though I am planning to teleport the corpse away for extra points. Rimy, you only need the mana core, right? Can I have the rest?" He asked, crouching to her level.
"Kia!" Rimy nodded happily, giving him the go-ahead.
Leonard teleported the shaman with the ring.
Eventually, the other members of the First Gradeless Unit arrived and started to escort the lost awakeners toward a large gathering spot.
It wasn’t long before Professor Albert made his appearance, his gaze sweeping over those who had survived the interference of the Void Believers.
"Good job on surviving. You have all passed the entrance exam and are hereby enrolled in the academy. Congratulations, scholars."