Interlude: The Man Named Proel

-A few minutes prior-

“Oh, lindin fillimin e jetës. I bëj thirrje për të sjellë zjarr në gishtat e mi; për të hedhur poshtë madhështinë tënde mbi ata që guxojnë të blasfemojnë botën…”

Chants came down from the top of a grand and dated structure. A figure was waving his arms frantically, sweat coming off him in thin trickles. If anyone else were paying attention to him, they would have thought him to be a madman.

If Lisa were to see the figure, she would be pleasantly surprised; it was the handsome man she had met earlier. Only he looked a little bit different at a few choice spots. His black hair was now a light purple, and his eyes were utterly crimson red with golden pupils. The atmosphere around him spoke of archaic might. This atmosphere, combined with the scenery, gave him a sense of timelessness.

His eyes were transfixed on the ‘UFO,’ as coined by Victor, watching as it expanded and contracted. It was as if it was searching for something.

What the hell are those old fogeys thinking?! They only used a utility origin tool to establish a summons; not even an artifact! Did they run out of ideas? The worst part is… it succeeded!

A frustrated look on his face popped up for an instant before he returned to his awkward poses and chants.

The stingy bastards are trying to make this side power the summoning! Don’t they know that even if it were established correctly, then the destination would be up to fate?

It even forced me to start using the foundational technique to assist the spell in being correctly released… If I ever go back, I’ll kill them for sure!

The spell finished with a loud shout. An arrow of fire, made of golden flames appeared, floating atop his outstretched palm. The man directed it to the floating object and pushed out, where it shot out faster than a bullet.

The moment the arrow was in the air, it started twirling, growing even more substantial as it pierced through the wind.

“Hah, if big man Ardor were to see that, he’d lose his shit!” The man mused to himself as he watched on, thinking about the current situation.

While the origin energy here is very dense compared to how it usually is, it still isn’t enough to power the summoning. But why does it seem like they aren’t going to stop? And why here? This doesn’t make much sense unless someone set it up so that it arrived up here!

That’s impossible, how would they get someone over here to set that up? Even they don’t know how to influence the summoning destination from across planes, and if someone from Heaven’s Court came over I would have sens—

The man stopped his thoughts as the arrow hit the target without a sound, ripping through the ‘UFO’. It should have been a joyous occasion, yet a golden beam appeared striking a random point from down below. At the sight of this, his face stiffened, a twisted expression emerged. His handsome face looked like a devil’s in conjunction with his crimson eyes and purple hair.

They’ve already marked the Holy Grail! Victor’s in trouble… I need to destroy the summoning fast before anything else occurs!

I didn’t want to use this…

“Bloodline Open: Origin Affinity” He opened his arms wide, and a baleful aura materialized, coiling around his body like a snake.

His purple hair turned back to black, but it was a black closely resembling the Devil in Victor’s ‘dream’. The gold in his pupils swiftly took over the rest of his eyes, creating a holy aura in complete contradiction to what he had earlier.

“Arrow Barrage” He lifted a pointed finger towards the ‘UFO’ and a torrent of dark arrows appeared to soar over to their target.

The first arrows just bounced off the surface, but under the unending volley of projectiles, slight damage could start being seen. This continued to worsen with every continuing second.

Doing this under the effects of a skill is much worse than doing it manually… But still, it’s more potent than expected with all the energy here.

How many years has it been since I’ve used a skill like this?

“Lightning Spear” This time, a sizeable 10-meter spear made of coursing energy appeared above the man, where he directed it towards the same target. He intended to use this a finisher when the ‘UFO’ was damaged enough.

The spear was growing more substantial, more uncontrollable, as time went by, humming as if in anticipation. The man frowned a little, still concentrating on the different types of magic, as he continued to observe the slowly breaking object.

I still need to speed up.

“Judgement: 1st Mortal Sin.”

Countless miniature swords appeared around him, following his lead to provide cleansing on the object floating in the sky. Each sword looked as if it could be a children’s toy, but the aura that emanated from each one spoke of countless trials and domination. Altogether, it seemed like a sea of swords as it sped onwards.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face, “I really do still have it! This is still cool no matter how many times I witness this; it’s too bad there isn’t enough energy to use the other forms of Judgement.” He looked downwards as he observed the entranced faces of the ordinary citizens down below. “If only they could see this as well. It’s too bad I can’t use this stuff to dupe more people into joining the religion, but one can’t get too greedy.”

Time slowly ticked onwards, his smile growing more profound as he watched the ‘UFO’ fall apart.

This turned out to be a great day! I’ve found a trace of them, and I can ruin the plans of those old codgers. All finished with relative ease as well. I brushed up on some of my skills, and I found out that I’m still as spry as I was 20 years ago.

Maybe Victor is my lucky star?

…Yeah right!

Now, the ‘UFO’ was in a state of total disrepair, pieces of it were still falling into the air as it continued to be bombarded. The man waved his arm, dismissing both Judgement: 1st Mortal Sin and Arrow Barrage, leaving the sky nice and bright once more.

Time for the end of a busy day.

He pointed towards the broken recipient, focusing his intent at the core. Humming intensified from the energy spear, now 15 meters long and a deep purple color, as it slowly started turning like a drill. After a few seconds of highspeed spinning, it shot out, even faster than the previous fire arrow.

As it flew, the man turned back around. His hair turned back into a less deep shade of black, and his eyes turned into a deep blue. His aura turned back into one of a pure air, making him seem no more than a gentleman. He pulled out a phone from his pocket, dialing a number.

“You finished?” A hoarse voice with a slight feminine charm came from the speaker, seeming as if it belonged to a rough woman.

“Yeah, it was surprisingly easy. It looks like we don’t have to do much after all.”

“Well that’s good, we need more hands down at the base, there's a problem with the energy levels.”

“Don’t worry about it; the cause was over here. I’ve just about solved it so you guys can just treat it as a little hiccup.” The man paused, thinking of a good idea, “How about this, since I’ve done such a good job… treat me to a meal?”

There was no reply for the next couple seconds, and just as the man thought the other side had hung up, a voice answered, “You already know my answer, no romance with others in the organization. Besides, what would Victor think once you’ve brought me home to meet him?”

“What the are you thinking? Romance? I just want to ask you about something; I’m too busy for love anyway. Victor and taking care of the cult and all that, y’kno-“ His head jerked back around, as he felt the lightning spear he had sent out disappear without reason. Once he got a look at what had happened, he exclaimed, “Fuck, that’s cheating!”

“Cheating? What are you talking about? Neither of us is married, and I’m not seeing someo-“ The woman’s voice was full of questions, curious about what the man had going in his head.

“Sorry Myra, I’ve got to go! We can have a meal some other time, make sure to have it nice and spicy! He urgently interrupted the woman’s weirdly reluctant reply, cutting off the call.

The supposedly destroyed ‘UFO’ was rapidly repairing itself, as if turning back time. The man could feel the origin energy starting to assemble at the bottom of it, as it was unceasingly absorbed to supplement itself. The thing that horrified the man was the source of this new origin energy.

They’ve gone crazy! It’s stealing the origin energy from the citizens and buildings!

I fucked up big time…and it’s my job to fix it.

I need to find the weakness of this summoning medium!

“Unveiling Vision” A new spell appeared on the tip of his tongue, a golden radiance covering his eyes.

In his vision, the world had turned black and white, seeing only an unbelievable amount of origin energy entering the ‘UFO’. He watched on as people were being converted into golden lights at an alarming rate, listening to their screams. The ‘UFO’ was suspended loftily in the air, all black.

Shit, no weaknesses either…

I need to hurry before it can warp away the Holy Grail!

Victor should be okay for a while; the Holy Grail was only marked. As long as he doesn’t do anything stupid...

He closed his eyes, dismissing the magic once again, allowing his vision to return to normal. He tried to focus, to pump out any idea that can help the situation.

If there aren’t any weaknesses, then I must destroy the whole thing at once!

There isn’t enough origin energy in the atmosphere to power any epic spells, even now. At most, only mid-tier spells can be used. So…

A determined look appeared in his eyes, showing the man’s resolve. He stretched out his arms in front of him, palms on top of each other. “Bloodline Open: Heaven’s Will”

A burning feeling coursed throughout his body, intense pain accompanying it. The man stood firm, as unwavering as a mountain. A radiant light started to peek out from the outermost palm, slowly forming the shape of a sword.

Ah, this sucks. I left Soras because I wanted a peaceful life, yet look where I am now. Stuck burning my life force trying to prevent a multiplanar summoning!

If someone had told me this would be my life 20 years ago, I would be laughing my head off!

The radiant sword of light started to appear more genuine as time went by, settling at a length of around 7 meters. It was huge and unwieldy, looking utterly unfit for human use, yet was entirely controlled by the man. It was just about finished, only now he was waiting for the will to converge.

However, the situation took another turn. The ‘UFO’ moved off in a random direction, attracted by something, tearing up buildings and absorbing people at an even faster pace. It had found what it was looking for.

Damnit! They’re starting the transfer!

But it’s still not ready yet…

An exasperated look appeared on his handsome face, as he jumped down from the top of the building. A crazy act, done only by the suicidal, but he did it without a moment’s hesitation. Just before he was about to become a smear on the ground, he raised his free hand, and a mysterious gust of wind blanketed his fall. He turned himself just as he was about 2 feet the open road, balancing himself, before running off in pursuit of the ‘UFO’.

He nimbly dodged all the panicking people, as they tried to run away from a fate of being disintegrated. Some were still entranced by the sky, under the effects of the illusion. He made his way over quickly but was still delayed considerably. By the time the ‘UFO’ was in his field of vision, he saw a long line of people hanging in the air: it was the Human Nature Research club. (plus Holtan)

“…”

What even is this?

It was a strange sight for sure, but the man didn’t hesitate at all. He started running up the stairs to get to the highest floor, only to witness the person at the top of the line begin to disintegrate.

Holy, was that Victor?!

No, that’s impossible, the Holy Grail protects him. If he doesn’t do anything else and sits tight, I’ll be able to save them.

Heaven’s Will is almost ready to go out fighting! Just a little bit longer…

In the wait time, he watched as Victor closed his eyes as if thinking of something, with a peaceful expression.

It’s impressive that he has such an attitude in the face of death. But I guess it’s expected, especially after all the stuff I’ve put him through.

He started to look at the other people hanging from Victor’s legs, slowly making an astonished face.

Is that… Stella? Ardor’s little girl? Did she and Victor become reacquainted? She has grown quite a lot in these past couple years since I’ve last met her. She’s lucky she met up with Victor now.

Next is... Oh! It’s that girl I met earlier! What an unexpected reunion! Only, she’s crying a lot more than she was before…

Who’s that young man below her? Doesn’t seem like anyone from the magic clans, so why does he have a trace of energy? He’s unexpectedly talented! I hope he becomes friends with Victor… or I guess they’re already friends, huh.

He made a smug face, deep in the ramblings of a man about to die.

There’s one more person… it’s a pretty girl too! No magic though… that’s too bad. I could consider giving Victor over to her if she was a little magical. Or I guess someone normal is what he needs? Then again, she doesn’t really look normal in any sense of the word. In fact, there is something a little off about her; is it her calm face? Well, that shouldn’t be a problem.

But why are my instincts screaming at me…

It was a puzzle at the end of his life, and he wanted to find the answer. Others might have let it go, wanting to think about happy times or regrets at the end of their lives, but it wasn’t part of the man’s nature. Then it hit him.

The summoning could mark down the Holy Grail faster than expected… And coincidentally appeared in the area as Victor and Stella. The traces of them were here too…

It’s her.

A murderous intent filled the man, dense enough to catch the attention of Aria hanging off Ben’s legs. As she looked down confusedly, the man found her contented smile, making his killing intent soar even higher.

That little bitch… right under my nose too! I need to kill her before anything else happens. But the summons is about to happen! I’ve only got one chance, to destroy one of them, or to disrupt the summoning.

A trace of indecision appeared on the man’s face when presented this dilemma. But after an instant, he made his choice and prepared to act on it.

I’ll kill her while the will is still preparing, then slash down the summoning right as it finishes condensing. The timing will be tight, but it’s still doable.

“Ten more seconds, just ten more!” The man counted the time before he would sacrifice himself, choosing to burn Victor’s figure into his gaze before he died. “The world is lucky they have a guy like me. I’m the hero this place needs, but doesn’t deserve!”

No wait, I think I got the quote wro—

“FUCK YOU! ALIENS ARE PIECES OF SHIT ANYWAY!” A loud shout startled him before he started to chuckle along with their boisterous laughter after recognizing the voice.

Sometimes you surprise me, Victor, you really do. It’s my pride that I have a son like you…

Then he watched Victor take the Holy Grail and stick it into his mouth, chewing away as if it was the tastiest morsel in the world. The man had an indecipherable look on his face at the sight of this.

…what am I dying for again?

The world, it’s the world I’m dying for! It just so happens that my son happens to reside in the world…

He let out a short sigh before his face turned sharp once again. “It’s time.”

His legs exploded with energy, shooting him towards the sky like a rocket. He wielded the sword towards one side, making it look like a trail of sorts. He was planning on cutting off Aria’s head while he was building momentum upwards, and it seemed right on course to happen.

Aria, who was distracted by the yelling as well, finally noticed what was about to occur. A face filled with incomprehension first appeared, before fear started to creep in as the edge of the holy sword swiftly closed in on her neck.

First target dow- FUCK!

A golden sheen repelled the sword’s edge from digging into the young girl’s neck, and he was powerless to go any further, forced to keep moving onwards. Once she realized she was still alive, she broke out into a roaring laughter, filled with triumph.

Shit, was that the Holy Grail? Can’t do anything about that then… someone else will have to take care of her after I die.

I’ve got to focus, destroy the portal, and I ruin their plans, that’s the most important thing. If they get their hands on the Holy Grail…who knows what might happen.

The man concentrated on the gaping hole underneath the ‘UFO’. One good hit was all he needed. It would be better if he landed it on the core, then there wouldn’t be an explosion. Heaven’s Will, as he called it, finished forming midway up. The sword looked wholly physical and had shrunk down to a length of 3 meters. Blood started to drip out of his eyes, ears, nostrils, and the corner of his mouth.

Here it is!

The man lifted his hands above his head, the sword radiating a domineering aura, preparing to cut down on the last of his strength. He bent his knees, wanting to look cool as he finished this last strike. A smile appeared on his face, not for what he was about to do, but for who he knew he would see when he died.

BOOM!

Man proposes, but God disposes. A quote came from to his mind; it was one he was quite impressed with when first reading it on Earth. An explosion happened below his legs, moving him off course.

It was the Holy Grail.

He was thrown off the path he had calculated; it would be lucky if he could even nick the ‘UFO’ now. His momentum still carried him upwards, but a full look of disbelief appeared on his face.

So, this is how I die…

I’ve always thought that life was meaningless until I met you…

But it turns out I was always the useless one. Talent? Power? Intelligence?

I guess it was all useless in the eyes of Fate.

He closed his eyes, blood starting to drip out of every pore of his body. He began to reminisce about his life, everything that had happened. Hiding his talent for 15 years since birth, secretly joining Heaven’s Court at the age of 12. Level 25 at age 11, level 50 at 15, level 75 at age 19, a speed of growth that would have put fear in geniuses everywhere. And once he met her, he decided to leave Soras. An impossible task, but he had succeeded. But with a price. In the end, he was left with just a baby.

The times he had with Victor wasn’t that of fatherly love. It was more of a training, watching the life of her offspring, making sure he would grow into someone respectable. It wasn’t until now that he realized he took pride in him.

What a pathetic end for someone like me…

I’m someone who was destined to have the world at my feet, yet now I can’t even complete one task.

I just hope he turns into…someone that is better than I was.

A dejected sigh, accompanied with bubbles of blood, came out of his mouth.

I’ve still got one more card to play.

A specific person saying, ‘FUCK YOU!’, appeared in his mind.

His attitude really is something to be praised.

”Bloodline Open: Life Dispersal”

Status Name Ryder Proel Race Human Age 39 Sex Male Occupation Bloodline Elemental Sword Saint Level 75 Title Dimensional Traveler Attributes Health 50/572 (11789) (-5.0/s) Mana 0/653 (9817) (+4.0/s) Strength 12 (172) Magic 9 (157) Agility 8 (90) Endurance 13 (179) Dexterity 11 (102) Charisma 17 Intelligence 15 Willpower 40 Wisdom 12 Perception 2 (121) Dignity 147 Bloodline 0 (50) Leadership 69 Luck 5 Divinity 57 (126) Specialties Magic Scholar Elemental Affinity Origin Control Deft Hands Muscle Master Nimble Feet Robust Body Increased Regen. Intermediate Berserk Poison Resistance Curse Resistance Abnormal Resistance Sixth Sense Danger Perception Bloodline Ancestor Noble Will Swords Mastery Magic Mastery Status Effects Bleeding Overdrafted Cursed Marked

All your levels, attributes, titles, and specialties will be sacrificed to make a severely weakened Life Dispersal.

Yeah, yeah just hurry up and do it.

A bright, purple light, came into existence. It originated from his body, and in a flash, formed a sword-like appearance. It shot out, at blinding speeds towards the ‘UFO,’ cutting through half of it but failing to do any more damage as it disappeared.

The man smiled in happily, as he witnessed his last move doing some damage before he died. Then, his eyelids felt heavier and heavier.

It’s all up to fate now…

All went dark.

But it wasn't the end.

* * *

……..

……

…

.

Ugh… what is this smell?

A dank, pungent odor was the first thing I noticed when I had woken up. The next thing I noticed was a slight rocking sensation, comfortable to say the most, but it was a little creepy. I mean why would I wake up with a rocking feeling?

My eyes were still closed out of habit, as I liked to savor that last bit of darkness before having to look at other people. But I felt there was something wrong. It was the noises. I could hear the silent steps of something around me, and the loud talk of gibberish between a group of people. Honestly, it was annoying as hell. I tried to move my arms and legs, but it was impossible to do so. It felt as if there was something tying me to a rod of some sort, in a crossing fashion, preventing me from being able to move.

Am I getting pranked? Did people break into my dorm room and just leave me in the shared bathroom?

Wait, the bathroom smells pretty good though…

SHIT, DID THEY DROP ME OFF IN A PUBLIC BATHROOM?!

Even for a prank on someone you utterly despise, it would be too much. In the first place, there shouldn’t be a reason why you hate me!

These motherfuckers! I’ll piss on their beds! Let’s see how you like it then!

But, it’s too much work… and it’s risky also… meh, I guess I’ll give up on it. I’ll set their beds on fire instead.

After a moment of intense deliberation about my situation, I felt something wasn’t right. Why couldn’t I understand a single word they were saying? If I couldn’t understand a word, then the kidnappers couldn't have been from the dorm. The only people from the dorm that would do something like this belong to D class, and I sure as hell know that I speak more languages than them. It can’t be some secret language because those idiots wouldn’t have the patience to do such a thing.

I can feel movement, so I think they’re still in the middle of kidnapping me. But what’s with that smell?

Don’t tell me…

That’s what they usually smell like?

It seemed improbable, but I couldn’t think of a good reason as to why someone would roll around in something that smelled like shit. Unless they naturally smelled like that. Even if you wanted to disguise your scent, there are millions of different things you could have chosen to pick.

Why would someone want to kidnap me? Money? No, they could have seized someone else in the dorm, and made tons more ransom money. So, it couldn’t be wealth.

I kept thinking, but nothing made sense to me. Then it hit me.

It must be because of my father. His shitty cult got me into this mess, and his cult enemies are trying to get back at him by kidnapping me. What sort of fucking situation is this?

I’ve been in a couple of kidnapping situations (all simulated of course, or at least I think so…), and the first thing one needs to do is to keep calm. Check for that one.

Next step, observe the surroundings, try to predict what the kidnapper is going to do.

Well, first it seems like their steps aren’t too big as the rocking sensation is shallow. This means that the kidnappers are either very small or are being cautious, taking small steps. I think it’s the former because they aren’t being cautious, else they wouldn’t be talking so loud. Plus, the sound of their footsteps is light as well. Now the number. I could pick out 4 different, distinct voices. But it’s best to think of the loner in the back, so I would say, 5 people.

That’s it for the senses without vision. I didn’t open them up before because I didn’t want them to tip the kidnappers off that I was awake. So, I started. First was opening them up just a crack, and from that little slit, I could see long strands of grass, mixed in batches of dirt. It was close to my face, which strengthened my suspicion that my kidnappers were tiny.

The problem is, I didn’t recognize this ground. There is only concrete for miles outside the campus, how did I not wake up before then?

Well, whatever. Time for the next step.

I opened my eyes a little wider, letting myself see the world a little bit clearer. Just in time to see a bit green foot.

What?

I thought I had hallucinated for a second, so I opened my eyes a little wider, so I could get an even more unobstructed view. This time, I could see a pair of tiny green feet walking step by step.

What the fuck. What the absolute fuck is going on!

Amid the panic, I started to remember the past day. The presentation, the scramble for the survey results, Ben’s bullies, the bomb scare, that idiot Holtan, the weird dream (that apparently wasn’t a dream), the green sky, and the UFO.

OH GOD! Holtan died! I’ve always wished for you to disappear one day, murdered in cold blood by a family member, but it was just a joke! But you died! You actually died!

I feel…

…

Huh, I don’t really feel anything.

A little creeped out by my insensitiveness; I decided to not think about it anymore, focusing on how yesterday could be connected to this kidnapping.

Green feet…

A UFO…

I’ve been kidnapped by aliens! They’re going to take me to their laboratory and experiment on me! Oh my god, I thought my life before was bad, but now all I’m going to be is a lab rat! Damn, I should have died just like Holtan instead! (Too soon)

I began to panic again, this time ignoring the kidnapping rules. Rules can go fuck themselves; I’m being kidnapped by aliens that smell like shit! What happens if they make me smell like shit too?!

The realization that panicking didn't really do much to help with the situation made me regain my calm, but it was too late. I heard the alien carrying my legs behind me call out loudly in gibberish, resulting in a stop.

Oh shit, rules are there for a reason. Especially ones for kidnapping, you don’t want to break those rules or something terrible is going to happen to you. Except something terrible is already happening to me!

The aliens dropped me on the ground and kicked me so that I was facing them. I started screaming my lungs out, to get them to back away, but it got cut short once I saw something peculiar.

The aliens were, as expected, as tiny as little kids. The thing was that they were much uglier than little kids, so it didn’t give me any reason to get soft on them. If anything, it made me disgusted.

But that wasn’t the strange thing. It was the blue box floating above their heads that got me to shut up.

Goblin Lvl. ?? (2)