Reborn: Evolving From Nothing

(Long chapter - hence the higher SS price. Reminder - 200 word = 1 SS)

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Thud

Dorian's feet skidded slightly as he landed atop the jutting rock. The golden circle that glowed atop it was filled with magic energy, concentrated such that it gave Dorian goosebumps.

"Great Lord!" Leader's voice echoed with respect as the powerful Demonic Human crouched down on the edge of the jutting rock, his Ruler's Bow at the ready.

'There are ten of these, but only 6 people can go in each one. There are four of us, counting the two dragons.' His mind raced ahead of him as he scanned the nearby surroundings.

The Ascension Ruins entrance portals would start to activate as soon as a single being walked into range of them. As Dorian stood within it, he could see faint yellow particles starting to rise off of it, glowing brilliantly.

According to the information Dorian had gained about the Ruins from the leader of that all-female mercenary team, the portal would take approximately 60 seconds to fully charge.

After that, all it needed was for six beings to step within its range. It would then automatically activate.

There was a several minutes wide window after it was fully charged to get in the zone to be teleported into the Ruins. According to the logs he'd obtained, if the number of people in range of the entrance was less than six, it would still automatically activate after a few minutes of waiting.

''All we need to do is hold it till it's fully charged and then stand still on it. There's only 4 of us, so we'll either need to let others step up and join us, or defend it till it automatically activates.' Dorian went over the plan he had thought up on the way, nodding his head. He squinted as he walked out of the direct portal area, looking out at the ground around him.

He could make out swarms of figures moving about atop the shell chaotically. The lava that was exposed to the air had rapidly cooled, the outer surfaces hardening. This allowed everyone present the ability to move freely atop the back of the enormous beast, instead of having to jump from boulder to boulder like they did on the Magma Sea.

'Why did he build his Ruins atop a freaking lava-swimming turtle, anyway? That seems needlessly complex.' Dorian shook his head, unable to fathom Yukeli's thoughts.

He bent down for a moment as the turtle shook, trying to keep his footing.

THWUNK

Not even a full second after Dorian knelt down, a resounding impact sounded off as a dark brown arrow slammed into the jutting rock, cracking it slightly. Black energy crackled off it dangerously, fizzling ineffectively into nothingness.

The arrow pierced directly through the area Dorian's head would've been if he had been standing in the same spot.

Dorian's eyes widened as he saw this and spun around. His body reacted almost on its own as he stepped forward in a crouched position, what was left of Yukeli's memories in his mind making him go on guard.

'Woah! That came out of almost nowhere.' He mentally thanked his Fate-twisting soul, once more, for saving him. Fighting against him must be incredibly annoying. The same probably applied for all Anomalies, with their obscene luck.

"Nice dodge, Great Lord! The attacker is from the south!" Leader's voice burst forth as the fighter sprinted to the south side of the jutting stone, his Ruler's bow at the ready.

SWHISH

SWHISH

Leader launched off two energy arrows in a fraction of a second, at a pair of figures that wielded dull grey armor, standing about a hundred meters off. Dorian barely managed a glance at them in that split second.

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Species: Human

Class - Lord Class (Middle)

Maximum Energy Level: 58,223

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Species: Aethmen

Class - Lord Class (Late)

Maximum Energy Level: 74,223

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BOOM

BOOM

Both the human and Aethmen were knocked away dozens of meters by the blast despite their sizable strength. The ground they were standing on only cracked slightly, however, the bright yellow explosion of energy unable to damage the environment.

It seemed the rocky surface of this enormous turtle was extremely tough and durable.

WHOOSH

A resplendent rainbow Aura burst out around Leader as he unveiled his Kingly Pride. His physical appearance transformed from that of a drab huntsman clad in camouflaged clothing to that of a royal, kingly being with incredible bearing.

SHWISH

SWHISH SHWISH

Just after that, Leader unleashed a swarm of arrows as he intercepted a multitude of fireballs, balls of ice, and energy bolts that were hurled at him. Every arrow he fired was imbued with his Law of Pride, a Law that he had mastered completely, stepping into the King Class.

Dorian's eyes widened as he looked at the sheer deluge of Spells that had been cast their way. Green fireballs containing poisonous flames, black bolts of deadly lightning, bright balls of dangerous fire, hurtling boulders of jagged ice.

By standing up on the jutting rock and taking over one of the portal entrances, they had made themselves targets for attacks.

Attacks that Leader took head-on, his incredible skill with a bow on display. Dorian watched in astonishment as the powerful warrior intercepted more than a dozen powerful Spells, each one detonating in mid-air and raining down with chaotic energy on the world around them.

'I should help.' He thought, instantly making a decision. He couldn't afford to just stand here.

He also didn't want to kill anyone. But when he was openly being attacked, just sitting there and letting people try to murder him was unacceptable. He would defend himself.

He needed to conserve energy. He willingly admitted that without Yukeli's memories to help him, he was only average at best at physical combat.

Ever since Yukeli woke up inside him, the memories that had once merged completely with him seemed to have receded. Dorian only had scraps of them left over in his mind.

He could still remember certain basic techniques and practice styles. But all the epic Absolute Law infused moves, the virtual wealth of combat experience, all of that had been absorbed back into Yukeli when he awoke.

'I still know how to use the Mystic Martial Arts I already practiced, like the Boulder Breaker punch or the Flush Gale moment technique, as well as those Hira-Gira martial techniques.' He hadn't forgotten anything he'd physically used, the memories of those techniques and exactly how to do them firmly imprinted on his mind.

'Still… let's go long range for now.' His Perfect Body Ability drew far too much energy to use and without it, Dorian was unsure how he would face up against so many foes.

'Hyperion Beam, charge!'

Instantly, a black ball of energy began to condense in his hand. The air around this ball distorted slightly as it drew on the latent energy, becoming stronger and stronger. At the same time, Dorian activated a second Ability.

'Black Flames, go!' He combined his Black Flames Ability, the powerful Dragonfire that his Black-Scaled Rage Dragon form held, with the Hyperion Beam, giving it an even more potent impact.

Rapidly, the ball of energy in his hand began to charge.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

A deluge of explosions rang out as Leader intercepted several more Spells, his skill and accuracy unerring. Not a single one of the attacks had made it past the energy shots from his powerful bow.

Despite all the attacks that were sent their way, however, far more Spells and attacks were spread out around the shell as neighboring groups attacked each other, trying to force them to flee.

Nearly 300 Wizards or warriors of various varieties were concentrated near their entrance, a relatively smaller number. The place they had arrived at was one of the farthest sections due to their speed, and therefore had the fewest nearby challengers.

Everyone was aware that the fewer men or women left on the shell, the greater a chance anyone would have at securing an entrance.

That, and a large number of participants were here simply to prey on others, looting their Spatial Rings and treasures. There were many a wealthy Wizard here intent on trying to break into King Class or complete their understanding of a Law.

Magmor, unless one was tucked away in one of the Oasis Cities, was essentially a lawless land controlled by no Major Power. The Blazing King had little interest in stopping crime beyond his city, and none of the other Oasis Cities dared to do anything different.

Even now, Dorian saw at least a couple of groups turn tail and flee, carrying injured teammates as they fled the battle.

However, their luck seemed to have run its course.

As Leader shot down a few more Spells, a loud voice suddenly rang out, catching the attention of the nearby fighters.

"Everyone! The entrance has been activated by that King Class archer! If we don't work together to take him out, none of us will stand a chance at securing it when we tire or are wounded!"

The speaker was a sly-looking Aethmen dressed in a full set of red robes. He could be seen standing with two other robed Wizards. All of them had a powerful, red Aura covered in flames surrounding them, giving their group a united, powerful appearance.

"He's got a point." One white-robed Wizard said, a middle-aged woman wielding a large black staff.

"How many of us are King Class?" A black plate-armored warrior exclaimed, waving his sword around at those nearby.

"Taking down the King Classes now and fighting for it later is a solid idea." Another warrior agreed.

"Archer! Identify yourself!" A slightly overweight Wizard wearing a pair of large spectacles said, motioning at Leader angrily.

The combat all around them drew to a temporary pause as the voice finished its echoing reverberations. Loud conversations replaced it as the various Wizards and warriors discussed aloud the merits of the suggestion. Many of them demanded Leader identify himself, wanting to be sure of who he was before they attacked. Few were willing to enrage a Major Power or any sizable force.

Unfortunately, Leader and Dorian were decidedly neither.

'Crap.' As Dorian looked out at the sea of faces, he realized that very few of them were what he would consider very strong.

Almost all of them were Lord Class, which meant very strong when compared to most beings. However, Dorian's Black-Scaled Rage Dragon form was already capable of taking on more than a dozen Lord Class Wizards on his own.

En masse, however… That would be a very different story. Not even a King Class expert like Leader could block a hundred different Lord Class Spells or attacks.

Dorian's Hyperion Beam ball was still charging, having gained a decently large amount of energy.

"You dare ask for my name?! Hahaha, what foolishness is that? Consider me nameless and come at me if you dare!" Leader's voice was full of arrogance as he responded to the crowd, his rainbow Aura of Pride bursting forward tremendously. A huge amount of pressure washed off his body and slammed into the crowd, causing many of the onlookers to step back.

The crowd seemed to mill about in confusion, the pauses in combat continuing as no one made the first move.

At the back of the crowd, a black-skinned human wearing a set of loose, open vest and pants, both originally white but stained slightly gray from the ash falls on Magmor and time, nodded his head in approval. His shoulder-length dreadlocks moved slightly as he nodded.

"Nameless, this monk does agree, an apt title for any man." His words were quiet and unnoticed by most, containing no special aura or power. His presence almost seemed to be invisible, in fact, as he watched the battle and current standstill with passive interest.

"Hmph. Useless archer, you can't even secure the entrance against a bunch of measly ants." A majestic, powerful voice rang out, smashing down on the scene as a huge, golden Aura spread out. One full of majestic nobility and arrogant strength.

This second Aura smacked into the crowd and sent even more Wizards or warriors reeling back. Many of them began to back away, unwilling to engage in two powerful King Class experts.

Aiden, golden eyes flashing, waltzed forward as he landed on the jutting rock. Mira landed right behind him, her eyes demure as she looked around.

The two dragons had been lying low in the crowd, not engaging in combat. They seemed intent on hiding their presence as much as possible until it was no longer possible.

Dorian's heart filled with relief as he saw them. It seemed like they would manage to take this entrance without much danger.

"Everyone, are you sure you want to give up on your chances like this? The dreams of a lifetime, of reaching the Heavens themselves, lie within these Ruins!"

Dorian's eyes hardened in anger as the same red-robed Aethmen from before yelled out loud, agitating the crowd.

"There's only 2 of them and more than 100 of us! We three are members of the Blazing King's team! As long as you help us take them out, we guarantee that none of the Blazing King's other men will participate in the fight for this entrance!"

The crowd reacted to the Aethman's yells, especially when they heard he was a member of the Blazing King's entourage. That Wizard's name had a huge amount of influence on Magmor, especially this close to Tomo City.

'Damn it! We were so close! I will NOT allow myself to fail and let William die because of you!' Dorian swore.

'Black Flames-Hyperion Beam! Go!' He unleashed his attack without holding back. He would not show mercy to those trying to kill him.

The black orb of energy and fire that Dorian had been charging for several seconds had already reached a sizable amount of power. It could've been charged longer, if Dorian had had the time, increasing its power, but he needed to make a move now.

WHOOSH

A black bar of flaming light seared across the air, moving at a very fast speed. By combining his Black Flames with the bar of light, Dorian had slowed the Hyperion Beam attack down slightly, but greatly increased its melting power.

It crossed the hundred or so meters between Dorian and the Blazing King trio in a split second.

BOOM

A small explosion shook the air as black fire and energy shot outward, throwing up a cloud of ash and cracked stone from the magma that had solidified. The crackles of energy swept the air from the remnants of the attack, a dangerously intimidating noise.

The entire crowd jumped away a good dozen meters at this, several of them outright fleeing from the scene of battle, wanting nothing to do with the confrontations happening at this entrance. Dorian's concentrated Hyperion Beam attack, combined with his Black Flames, was something that could easily annihilate a regular Lord Class Wizard, enough to fully punch through an innate barrier.

As the dust settled, however, Dorian's eyes widened in shock.

Instead of the expected result, taking out or at least injuring the Wizard that was trying to incite the crowd to murder them, his attack had been completely blocked by a single, robe-enshrouded figure. Through the shadow of the robe, Dorian could just barely see a hint of a smile.

"Consider that your reward for drawing our attention here and helping us find two of my targets early." That smiling figure said, a man whose appearance was mostly covered by that long, black robe.

The man pulled the robe down, revealing a face that was half covered in what appeared to be crystals. Crystals that gleamed with pure, blue light, sparkling in the morning air. Not just crystal, but raw, glistening diamond.

The Vice-Head of the Diamond Department that they had clashed with earlier.

The Wizard Taemin.

"Huh! You again, you arrogant fool! Did you not lose enough face the last time you appeared before us?" Aiden's voice boomed as he glared at the Diamond Wizard, crossing his arms.

"Us? Did you happen to turn half your brain to diamond too, rockface? I only see one of you." Leader immediately bit back, refusing to back down as well.

The crowd watched the unfolding drama, all of them standing still as if they were still unsure what to do, caught up in the exchange.

*Hic*

"I believe he is referring to me, young archer." A boisterous, rowdy voice cut into the air, one accompanied by a monstrously powerful Aura and a strong scent of fruit alcohol.

"Why hello, my Draconic friends! It seems we've met again!"

Dorian stared at Head of the Diamond Department. He'd avoided scanning the man last time because, according to Ausra, his Demonic Eyes Ability that allowed him to closely detect an opponent's strength could be detected by those close to the Angelic level.

The moment had been so tense that Dorian had opted against it, not wanting to force an unnecessary battle. Now, however, it seemed it no longer mattered.

His eyes flashed as he looked at the powerful, hostile Wizard, one of the 12 Walls of the Borrel Autarchy.

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Species: Human

Class - King Class (Pseudo-Angelic)

Maximum Energy Level: 5,221,223

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'Oh dear. This is not good.'