People Like Us (bxb)

-Ray’s POV-

I couldn’t deny that I am on edge. Elder John Tucker. He was the bastard who led all this nonsense. The one who made Nathan suffer endlessly. I know that Nathan and Alex wanted to take him on as well but I wasn’t going to let them. He had almost killed me, he touched my friend - he sullied Nathan. So I’m going to take out this rage on him.

After all, Terui’s death has been lined up by Raphael and Alex.

“Oh? This is a surprise.” John smirked when he saw me. His eyes ran down my body and gave his lips a quick lick. “I don’t have anything against you, so why don’t we have some ‘fun’?”

A disgusted shiver went down my spine. The Elder had a malicious aura oozing out of him. General darkness seemed to blanket him. There is no doubt that he is even stronger than last time. His muscles bulged heavily, and he was at least a few inches taller than before. I may have underestimated him a little

“I would rather die than let you touch me all over.” I spat.

“Really? Pity. Well, we both know how this is going to end already.” He let out a sigh.

This time I came fully equipped. I slipped on the lightning bolt ring, channeling my mana through it, and summoned several energy bolts. I can certainly cast spells without a medium, but the mana cost is less efficient in drawn-out battles. Without hesitation, I shot the golden bolts.

“Pathetic!” He waved his hand, an unnatural wave of energy disrupted my magic. The bolts sizzled and faded in mid-flight. I scowled. It was just like that time, he was able to fend off Nathan’s wind with some weird power. Now that I have been infused with Nathan’s divinity, I could feel it even clearer.

The first thing to do is to find out what is that weird power. I retrieved two more rings from my pouch, one designed with an owl, and the other with a diamond shape. I pointed my left index finger into the air, channeling my mana through the owl ring.

“Come to me, Frost!” A golden magic circle appeared and a snowy owl emerged from the circle. He perched on my shoulder and gave me a knowing look. Frost let out a battle cry. Ice shot up from the ground and grabbed John by surprise, imprisoning him in ice. John’s eye seemingly twitched in frustration, as if he was trying to break free.

I readied myself for the foreseeable prison break, he won’t go down this easily. His body suddenly glowed a dark red from within the ice. As if he was setting himself on fire. I quickly took a back step, just as the ice prison shattered and burst apart. I launched energy bolts and rock spears in succession with Frost’s icicle spikes. The Elder howled ferociously.

A splitting headache rocked my focus and I screamed in pain. The magic in his voice resonated in my head and my control over my magic crumbled. Frost, however, was unaffected as he was a spirit. Spirits in their original form have this uncanny ability to be unaffected by mental attacks.

Flapping his wings, Frost conjured a clear ball of ice and rudely stuffed the Elder’s mouth with it. Gagged, John had to stop his howl as Frost relentlessly kicked at the ice ball, attempting to shove it in deeper and choke the man to death.

I manage to compose myself and focused my view back on Elder John. John draped his hands in flames. Dark flames erupted and burned his skin, you can hear the crackling in the air.

“Frost!” I shouted anxiously. I was too late. John grabbed Frost by his wings and the dark flames started spreading to his body. Frost hooted desperately, struggling to get away from the man but it couldn’t. Frost’s ring started to heat up and it started to turn black on some parts as the flames started to turn his precious white wings, black.

As a spirit summoner, it is taboo to forcibly return a spirit. But at this point in time, I didn’t have a choice. This asshole was trying to corrupt Frost. I pulled off the ring and clutch it within my fist, I muttered the spell and Frost started to fade out from his physical form. Just in time. Frost returned to his ring, and I quickly put it back into my pouch.

“Finally, that nuisance is gone.” John heaved when he finally fished out the ice ball stuck in his mouth. My face darkened when I saw that his hand was healed. So that was what this is all about.

“Blood mana theory,” I stated. Out of everything that I’ve read, the blood mana was one of the most corrupted and dangerous theories.

“Ah, so you do know about it.” The Elder mused

“1L of blood consists of approximately 0.1% of mana in a living body, to replicate skills, approximately 1000L from the same body. Despite a large amount of blood required, you can only obtain half the effect.”

“Exactly! Thanks to Terui and Nathan, we manage to obtain skills to create quasi-immortality! Fast recovery, and body rebuilding. Although it’s not at the same standard as the original, we are still invincible. We really have to thank Terui and Nathan for being mates, it made the blood transfusion easier than normal.”

“Blood mana theory also requires demonic blood. Where did you get it?” Technically, divine blood works too, but looking back, they cast demonic spells.

“That’s none of your business.” He smugly replied.

“I see, then I have no qualms in getting rid of you.” About 50% of my mana left. That’s enough. I pulled out my necklace. No one else except Hallie knows about this power of mine. Not even my mum or my dad. I grabbed the scythe charm in my fist.

“In the darkness, where the soul lies.

Your power brings forth the truth.

I offer my body to bring forth a god.

Answer my call,

Collect what shouldn’t have been lost.”

A shimmering golden magic circle encircled me. Slowly, the gold started to turn white. My white hair glowed together with the scythe. Letting go of the charm, the scythe grew in size, becoming bigger and bigger. I felt a coolness down my spine as a spirit descended on me. Spirit possession, is a skill that very few spirit summoners can obtain. Much less the type of spirit that I’m about to summon. A black cloak wrapped around me, and I felt my consciousness being pulled back into my mind.

I would never have thought that you would call upon me, Thanatos talked smoothly in my head.

Unfortunately, I don’t think I am able to take him on without your help, I thought.

No worries, someone has already explained the situation to me, he replied.

Someone?

“Offender, why have you chosen the path of destruction!” Thanatos boomed with my voice. The hall shook hard and Elder John flinched. He sensed a power much stronger than what the boy originally had.

“That is none of your business! I will gain more power and I will rule this world!” The Elder launched himself forward and rammed his fist into my body.

But Thanatos did not budge. His cloak of otherworldly protection repels anything physical or magical attacks. Unable to take the weight of his own attack, John was catapulted across the room and slammed hard into the wall.

Thanatos, I can only keep you here for a few more minutes with the remaining mana I have. I sent a thought to him. Thanatos smiled.

“Don’t worry, my contractor. With the divinity you received, I can unleash my original abilities even in this realm. A few seconds is enough.” Thanatos stalked towards the Elder. Elder John tried desperately to crawl away but there was nowhere for him to run. Thanatos brought his scythe up and swung it down. The scythe sliced into John’s body.

But he was not physically harmed, the scythe simply passed through the body. Or so I thought, when the scythe exited the body, a ghostly chain was linked from the scythe to the Elder’s body. With a gentle tug, Thanatos ripped the Elder’s soul, screaming and thrashing, out of his body.

“Alright, my job is done. I will bring this man to Tartarus, a judge is already waiting for him.” Thanatos said a quick goodbye and left my body, John Tucker’s soul in tow. Without a soul, his body crumbled and turned into dust. I collapsed onto the floor exhausted.

“Ray! Are you okay!” Hastie shouted as she and Druid ran towards me. I gave her a thumbs-up before falling unconscious.