Seed Of Speed

"Give us twenty-four hours before you start the march. I'll take us as deeply into the Demon Snake's mountains as I can then start my advancement when you set off. If everything goes as planned, we'll be back the day after," Diego said.

"I'm going to hold you to that, brat. Zedava would be heartbroken if you didn't return," Celita said.

"Only Zedava?" Diego teased.

He could see an illusionary tick on her forehead before she sent him flying back with a kick to the gut. As he had expected such a response from her, he had already covered his body in a [Chi Skin Barrier], so he did not feel the attack. The members of the War Council were the only others present so she had no problem smacking him around, despite the snickers and laughs.

"Did I truly agree to escort this fool?" Tirano asked himself as he shook his head.

Laughing, Diego dusted himself off as he stood up. His relationship with Celita was quite unique. Just like when they first met, he could not help but tease her when he had the chance. There was just something about when she narrowed her eyes and glared at him that never failed to put a smile on his face.

"Alright, if you are ready, we should get going," Diego said.

Tirano nodded and stepped over alongside Diego. Diego casted {Wings of Wind} and activated his [Six Silver Wings] before he grabbed Tirano's outstretched hand. Although it would have been more efficient to hold him like he had Celita, there was no way Diego could bring himself to holding another man so tightly, especially considering where Tirano's tail would be up against.

They had discussed where to hold the advancement for the greatest impact and decided on a special location. The lava fields where they headed for was a valley was flooded by a tunnel that traced back to the volcano despite the long distance. What made this spot particularly special were the Alcoma Flame Roses that were being cultivated by the Demon Snake. Although heading straight for the valley was foolish, landing on a nearby mountain would keep them out of sight from demon patrols until Diego started, and would become a real headache for the Demon Snake later on when his opponents discovered the field of flowers.

Diego and Tirano touched down on the eastern face of the mountainside and in the distance, the lava field could be seen. The roses in question stood out tall across the black and red ground as the petals glowed with blue flames. Imps and horned demonspawn patrolled the lower region, but they were not likely to head so far up the mountain, until Diego made his disturbance.

"Don't come within fifty meters of me once I start, or the ritual will attack you. It will be attacking me as well, but while my body will be refined, yours would be destroyed. This will make a lot of ruckus, and I won't be able to stop no matter how many demonspawns that comes, so be ready," Diego explained.

"Can anything disrupt it or hurt you?" Tirano said.

"During the first part, no, but I will be helpless once the flames rise and I fight off the effects."

He gave a serious nod and replied, "Then begin, I will stop anything that is foolish enough to come this way."

Diego gave him a nod of his own and started pulling out everything he needed for the ritual. He could not shake the nagging voice in the back of his mind that said this was all Katalina's plot to speed up his advancement, but as he was tired of being looked down on, he would not complain. Even if this was just her plan, it did not change the fact that it would give the beastmen a great cover to escape towards the Zivot Tree which is why he was brought along in the first place.

Diego activated his [Mimic] skill and his body fell under the robotic control of the power. He walked around in a circle five meters wide placing a Thunder gem down every so often that they were evenly spaced. He took two steps inward then repeated the process with the Fire gems and Shadow-based beast cores, alternating between the two. Once the gems and cores were placed, he retrieved the bottle and began to pour the contents to create a thin line of powder that circled each of the Thunder gems and connected them together. Next, he did the same around the second ring then drew out a series of runes in the space between the white circles.

When he had finished the last of the runes, he returned to the center of the circle and sat back down then commanded, "Siv Jonkan Terulo, I summon the trial of Heavenly Thunder. Duno Yehin Shere, I summon the trial of Hells' Flames."

The white powder ignited with violet, red, and black flames and released silver smoke that had the faint glow of energy, although when he checked, it contained neither chi nor mana. The [Mimic] skill controlling his body deactivated as a rumble echoed overhead and the clouds were tainted by the crimson lightning that was quickly gathering.

Diego looked to the storm clouds and took a deep breath. Having faced the lightning once before, he knew what to expect, but that did not make him feel any more comforted than the first time he had faced this trial. Before, he had the [Complete Scarlet-Gold Body] to bolster his defense, but now he was forced to contend against it with his weaker skill, [Chi Skin Barrier], and whatever else he could come up with.

Unlike the gentle white lightning in the other world, the crimson snakes of lightning were angry and filled with hatred. The Heavenly Thunder was not something meant to exist in this world as it source was in direct opposition of the Daemora that had claimed this place. Unfortunately for Diego, this meant that the thunder trial would be more painful and tainted with otherworldly resentment that he would have to overcome.

The first golden bolt of lightning came racing down for Diego, encased in deep crimson. He covered himself in the [Chi Skin Barrier] and fed it thunder-aligned chi to dye him violet. It mercilessly crashed down on his head, engulfing him in red, both and mind. Although his thunder-infused barrier had done its job in preventing the power of the electricity from hurting him, it did nothing for the second effect of the lightning.

It was as if hundreds, if not thousands, of fiery ants were drilling through his flesh, just under the skin. Activating the chi inside his body only caused the sensation to go into a frenzy, attempting to destroy his body from the inside out. Sadly, this was just the first of the nine bolts of lightning that he had to endure.

This time, despite the blood dripping down his face, Diego forced himself back on his feet and greeted the ninth bolt of lightning with open arms. It crashed upon against ċhėst and caused him to release a guttural groan and a mouthful of blood, but he remained standing tall, even as his consciousness wavered.

As his body let off an impressive amount of steam, when the inner ring ignited with red-black flames. He watched with mild curiosity as the ring slowly crept towards him since he had not watched this part before. The red-black flames reached his body and blanketed every inch of his skin while the silver smoke had cut off the outside world.

Diego could no longer see the flames, or anything for that matter. Despite him being in a more conscious state than the first time he attempted the Hells' Flame trial, all it did was make him aware of the fact his mind had been separated from his body. He was floating across a strange void of blackness, his time in his mental plane the closest thing he could compare it too, but even this was not a good example.

He had no body here, physical or manifested through his thoughts, just the endless, nothingness that define this place. As he simply existed within this place for an unknown amount of time, slowly all his thoughts faded away while he slowly lost himself to the emptiness. Pain vanished, his thirst for revenge no longer matter, the faces of those he once held close began to disappear one by one.

His real mother and father and grandparents, the friends he had made in his past life, even the new ones like Peyni, Tovao, and Stormblade began to fade and the memories of them were filled with empty warmth, like they had never been there in the first place. It was the memory of his sister Emily that was the first that refused to fade, but then Rainshower joined her… as well as Zedava and Celita.

"That's right… I've made a promise to protect her, to save her. I can't stop here!" Diego roared internally.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass rang out throughout his mind and the darkness broke apart as he opened his eyes a moment later…