Invaders

Chapter 31: It's alive!

His pupils dilated and constricted several times, trying to adjust itself with the blinding light bathing onto his face. He could feel the warmness of a hand gently brushing his soft black hair.

A faint image of a girl could be seen in his view. A girl with long violet hair, which blended perfectly well with her pair of eyes of the same colour.

"Momo..." He muttered with a weak soft voice.

"Yes, master?"

"I'm back"

"Wel..welcome.. back... Master" Momo couldn't hold her tears as she continued to sob heavily after Kim woke up.

"Hey, I'm not dead aren't I? Why are you crying?"

"Because... because you are mean! Losing your control and end up hurting yourself like that. Don't ever do that again!" With no concern on how she looks, Momo cried with no restraint, covering Kim's face with tears.

Momo's remarks followed with her tears felt like a heavy blow to his soul. Especially when she didn't even mention anything about her injuries. The risk she took to get Kim back to his sense. None of that seems to matter to her as long Kim is safe. But to Kim, that was one of the biggest regrets in his life. Ever so, when she didn't even care a bit about it at all. He felt a strong burden in his heart.

"I'll never do it again..."

"Promise?"

"Promise"

"If you break your promise, then you have to give me more milk!" Momo didn't wait for Kim to reply and drop her face into his chest, crying heavily. Kim gently pets her hair and gently put her into his warm embrace.

The animals only stare at both them with fear of disturbing. It felt like Kim and Momo are within their own space with no room for anyone to enter.

Having gone through thick and thins together for the past 5 years, they have supported each other physically and mentally while they face life and death situation as daily struggles.

"Are you both done?" *cough*

"What do you want blackbird?"

"B-B-blackbird?!" Although it felt annoyed, Enggang didn't lose its anger and calmly replied

"I just want to congratulate you. Can't you at least accept that first"

Kim let out a loud sigh. Despite how much he hated getting up, there was still one business remained unfinished business. The passing of the trial. Although Rentap and nature were the testers, that monster was still the guardian and the owner of this lair. Enggang still holds the authority.

Kim wanted to get up, but Momo was hugging him tightly as she pushes her face into his chest. So, he just stood up while carrying Momo. Later, he found out that Momo was sound asleep. He poked her soft cheek to check and confirmed it.

"Although she looked calm, she was the most anxious one when you were fighting. She didn't even blink for a second and continued to believe that you will win. After you passed out, she didn't even sleep waiting for you to wake up. She stayed like that for days now so make sure you repay her back!"

It reminded him the first day when she found Momo. He had to carry her around since she was too weak to move. Now as strong as ever, she still likes to sleep on Kim since it became a habit of hers.Sleeping alone was scary she said, so Kim just let her be every time she comes to her.

Kim slowly bowed to the monster to show his appreciation. He did it gently, to make sure he won't disturb Momo. Enggang only shook its head.

"I don't need your appreciation. In fact, I'm the one who needs to thank you. The will of nature and the warriors is my will as well. We are one and the same. If they recognized you so as I. If they accept you as their master, then I shall give you this land as the new sovereign. Everything within this land will be under your control!"

"Kim, since the warrior trusted you so will I. Make a new legacy, and bring this land to glory!"

Kim nodded with flint of determination in his eyes.

Enggang fully spans out its wings and let out a mighty squawked. Then, white orbs of mana dispersed out from the land, forests, and the sky. Enggang then flapped both its glorious wings and produced a vortex which gathered the mana into one point. It then let out another squawked which caused all the mana to shoot up piercing through the sky. Moments later, that mana struck down at Kim like an arrow made of lightning making Kim absorbed everything.

As the mana slowly integrated into his blood and veins, Kim feels like he couldn't ever be closely connected to nature as he is now. He felt like with a flick of a finger, a mountain would appear from the ground, birds would dance in the sky and forest would sway madly as if they were alive as he could manipulate the mana in nature.

Besides mana, he could also sense other things. They felt like mana but they were not mana. Mana only felt like water flowing in and out of a channel. But these things felt like it could flow anywhere they wanted to. And it's numbered to hundreds of thousands. Somehow, Kim felt like he could manipulate them to as how he is manipulating mana.

As if knowing what Kim is thinking, Enggang gives him an answer.

"That's the soul that resided within this land. Rentap is one of them as well. Since they gave their loyalty to you, you have the rights to command them. Try to call them now!"

Kim gave Momo to Enggang to take care of as she was still sleeping. The monster keeps her in its wings. Kim then closed his eyes and spread his mana sense. He let his mana to be absorbed by nature. He opened his eyes and shouted

"Warriors, it's time to wake up from your slumber! Arise!"

The ground trembles violently.

One by one, warriors were formed from the earth with their body supported by mana. Then soul imbued within the body which they eyes of unanimated earthly body flickered with life. When he fought them before in the vine cage, he could only felt mana within them. Now, he realized that they were brimming with life as another kind of different source is fueling them. From what the monster told him, he understood this source as the soul.

Yesterday's foe is today's friend.

But in this case, warriors who fought Kim aren't just his friends, but also his loyal servant who would kill themselves for Kim. All made fully with earth, covered with leaves and vines as their clothing.

Suddenly, a tremor.

One of the warriors come up to Kim. Although his appearance is similar to other warriors, his aura, however, emanating a supreme pressure. His mere presence has caused the earth to shake. By a mere glance, Kim already knew who's soul this warrior belongs to. Although his face was expressionless, to Kim, he felt like the warrior is looking at Kim with a sense of camaraderie. As if they were blood brothers. This warrior is obviously a vessel to Rentap's soul.

"So, it was true. I had my suspicion, but believing is to see. The warriors, including Rentap, really did swear their sole loyalty to you..." Enggang said it with full admiration to Kim. It almost gave up trying to find a suitable successor to become the new guardian of this land, but due to the sudden calamity that befalls this land, it gave up as humanity had perished. However, hope come shining again when this one particular person come knocking the front door.

Still, the trials were harsh that even an extraordinary person would fall. The probability for Kim to achieve success was almost 0%... but it had truly underestimated Kim's power, to begin with. Now, that Kim is still standing tall in front of those warriors, it felt relief. It took a single glance at Rentap and had a nostalgic feeling lingering inside its heart.

"I guess it's for me to go..."

When Enggang was about to call Kim, it hearts trembles. Kim face... was dissatisfied?

Having the power to manipulate this land and to command thousands of glorious legendary warriors, somehow Kim's face is showing a faint feeling of disappointment.

'What is this Kim is thinking?' Unable to guess the answer it tilted its head from left to right and to left again.

After observing all the warriors for a while, Kim felt like something was off. Those warriors are all brimming with life with their burning fighting spirit and yet they seem dead. Not to mention they were dead, to begin with. It's just that for Kim, they were too doll-like.

"Rentap was not like this when I talked to him. He was far more annoying! This... my brothers are not my servants nor they are just a doll. They are full of lively and cheerful people!"

"Nature was supposed to be full of life. Using nature to become a vessel to these souls was right but it isn't enough. I need to bring forth the life within nature itself to support these souls... the souls need to make their vessels as their own and not supported by my power"

Suddenly, Kim was reminded with the vision of the golem created by the jade-scale dragon. Although it was something that was created through manipulation, the golem was sentient. A life of its own. Not bound with its creator. As if, the golem itself was alive.

"I need to make a vessel as close as that. Or maybe better. But how? That wasn't just a mere manipulation, but also a conjurer skill. Conjuring life..."

Kim gathered his mana and was about to do something but... he holds himself back.

"No, wait... I don't need to conjure life... these vessels already have lives. The soul itself... so why they still seem dead. Unless..."

Enggang ends up giving up guessing what Kim's going to do. It focused on taking care of Momo instead and decided to observe and see how things will go. It already saw many miracles created by Kim, and somehow it felt like another one will happen.

"The soul is the core of life...and mana what tie both of them together..."

"Mana is what makes life work, and the soul... the soul is also the core of mana..."

"Soul, mana, life... nature... these vessels is only a container of their souls and not their life"

Suddenly, Kim's eyes flickered with lights. He smiled with an evil grin that sends a chilling sensation to your spine. Making all your hair stands up!

"Where is a soul to begin with? It's not just in one specific point like our organs. The body is not just a simple vessel to contain one's soul. Instead, the whole body of a person is integrated with a soul and thus create life. The soul pumps mana which enables life to work the body!"

"What I should do is not prepare a vessel to contain these warrior souls, I should combine their souls with nature and let them relive!"

Kim made a gesture with both his hands and all the warriors crumbled into the ground. Enggang was taken aback and started to question Kim actions. But Kim was fully focused on he's about to do and ignored Enggang. Momo also woke up due to the commotions. And also, she felt fluctuations of mana as if something big is happening. Enggang felt it as well and stayed silent.

Kim is breathing heavily while he gathered all his mana. He never used as much mana as this. He even continuously absorbing the mana of nature to supply him so more mana! As more and more mana is gathered, Kim whole body was radiating with brilliant white lights. Huge black clouds formed above Kim. The wind suddenly blew wildly and rains pouring down, producing heavy storms. Then followed with chains of lightning, strike into the ground.

"Well, this is it. Can't hurt to try!!! Rise, my brothers!"

Kim concentrated more mana until the whole world was trembling with intense tremor. The sky ripples and the earth started to crumble. Suddenly, a human hand come out from the ground and grabbed Kim's leg. Then, more hands appeared out of the ground. They were numbered to thousand! It shook Enggang a lot that it flew into the air feeling scared.

"He... he manipulated souls as how he did with mana!"

Kim suddenly laughed in a lofty manners, with his head behind and his arms opened wide side to side, he shouted.

"It's alive... it's alive!!!"