NOVEL WEB Ch 30 : Who Are We Truly ?
Chapter 30 : Who Are We Truly ?
The crowd begins to murmur loudly, but neither Mercuria nor I make the slightest movement. Besides, this place isn't really an arena. The Colosseum of Iveralmn, in reality, is nothing like a true colosseum. Originally, it was just a small cube, very tiny, fitting in the palm of a hand. The first king of Iveralmn, the one who had unified the entire continent, received this strange cube as a reward. Not knowing what to do with it, he stored it in his home. But one day, inexplicably, his home was destroyed, replaced by a massive arena. The cube had the power to transform according to its owner's desires. The first king, a conqueror at heart and passionate about combat, had unconsciously transformed it into this gigantic colosseum.
I draw my sword, but I don’t attack. I observe carefully, trying to understand the nature of her magic. All I know is that she’s a sorceress, but the details escape me...
"Guh…" A sudden discomfort takes hold of me. My legs give way, and I feel an immense pressure crushing me. It becomes hard to breathe, my muscles paralyze. Could it be...?
"So, it’s not you either... What a disappointment," Mercuria mutters indifferently as I struggle to stay on my feet. The crowd starts to stir, intrigued by my immobility.
"Why isn’t Aley attacking?" asks a spectator.
"He must be scared to hurt a girl!" mocks another. Suddenly, the royal voice resonates in the arena.
"Ah... It’s impossible to defeat my daughter. What a shame, Aley... Her magic is like poison for humans," says the King of Voltruite.
Those words... they irritate me to the highest degree. I was planning to fight peacefully, but fine. I activate my skill:
"Will to Live..." I murmur.
Instantly, the pressure disappears. I regain control of my body, and I raise my sword. Surprise flashes across Mercuria’s face.
"How did you do that?!" she cries, visibly frustrated that her magic didn’t work.
I propel myself toward her with Quick Step, my sword ready to strike. She seems surrounded by a magical barrier, so I can strike without holding back...
No. Something’s wrong.
I stop my blow at the last second.
"Mercuria, what are you doing?" I ask in a grave voice.
"Attack me!" she orders, her tone almost pleading.
"I won’t attack you."
"But attack me!" she repeats, growing more and more frustrated.
The crowd is in shock. I was a hair's breadth from victory, but I stopped. The reason? Mercuria deliberately removed her magical barrier, exposing her body to my attack. She wanted me to hurt her, maybe even kill her.
"Why did you remove your protection?" My gaze hardens, searching for answers.
"That’s none of your business. Anyway, whether it’s you who kills me or the other one..." She suddenly stops.
"The other one? Who is it?" I ask, curious.
But before she can answer, Alfira’s voice echoes throughout the arena, accompanied by Elvaria’s.
"ALEY!"
"HE'S HERE!" screams Alfira.
The sky immediately turns gray, a menacing shadow looming above us. A heavy silence falls over the arena. There’s no longer any doubt: a minor god has just been summoned.
"Do you see this splendor? A god, a true god! Grant me your mercy, oh angel of the heavens!" Mercuria falls to her knees, her eyes fixed on the sky, as if in prayer.
"Citizens! I am Almus Si Iveralmn, by royal order, evacuate the capital immediately!" The King of Iveralmn shouts, his voice trembling with fear.
Everything then spirals out of control.
"ALEY, MY EYE DETECTED A WAVE OF DIVINE ENERGY HEADING THIS WAY!" yells Alfira, but her voice suddenly cuts off.
A blinding flash floods the arena. When the light fades, everything around me is frozen. The world seems to have become… gray. The spectators, Mercuria, even the referee, are like statues. But… Elvaria and I can still move.
"What the...?" I murmur, stunned.
Elvaria, too, looks confused, her gaze shifting between me and this strange distortion surrounding us.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoes in the absolute silence of the frozen world.
"Aleystria, Elvaristria, a divine wave was about to remind you of your past. So, I took the liberty of stopping time before it could happen, otherwise, you would have killed each other," murmurs a female voice, the one who reincarnated me into this world. At the same moment, a light appeared at the center of the frozen arena.
This light slowly took shape, that of a woman, before continuing:
"Come closer..." she murmurs, her ethereal voice resonating like an echo. She gives the impression of being a goddess, but she doesn't quite have the appearance of one.
"Who are you, and what’s happening?" Elvaria asked, approaching the strange figure of light.
"It’s true, we don’t understand anything that’s going on. Why would Elvie and I have killed each other?" I said, intrigued. But at my words, the luminous form gave a slight smile.
"I’m going to limit the memories you’re going to see, as well as the skills you’re supposed to receive, just enough for you to kill the god," added the mysterious voice, completely ignoring our questions.
"We asked you a question! Why would we kill each other, and what’s really going on?!" I yelled, frustrated. It’s natural. I love Elvaria with all my heart, why would I want to attack her?
"It makes no sense! Since our meeting, we’ve gotten along so well, and even our pasts seem connected!" added Elvaria, visibly upset.
"It’s useless to express your anger toward me. I am merely a machine following the will of the world. I am the 'Will of the World,' the supreme force that regulates magic and the balance of this world," she replied calmly, continuing to ignore our demands.
"And why did you help us?" I asked, crossing my arms, Elvie nodding beside me, wondering the same thing.
"To prevent the balance of the world from collapsing due to your awakening, as no Holy War has been declared yet," she replied in the same calm, almost monotone voice.
Suddenly, a memory from the past resurfaces. Elvaria also seems to be lost in her own memory.
In my memory, I see myself surrounded by thousands of floating swords, standing before... Oscar? No, it’s not a fight. My swords pierce into his body one after another, without him being able to defend himself.
Another memory quickly replaces this one.
I see Elvaria, holding a huge lance, smiling at me tenderly.
Then, another memory arises. This time, I’m in a battle against a minor god. By my side is the Elvaria of the past, as well as Veron and Oscar. Now, everything seems clearer. The mage with blue hair is Oscar, and the dwarf with two swords is Veron. Something is wrong. In this memory, we’re friends, but why did I attack Oscar in the other one? The speed at which these memories come is far too fast!
The battle is blurry, but I notice that we are all using a kind of magic, a power that seems to be the only thing capable of harming this minor god. I’ll need to understand it better...
— Access granted: Stria.
"What...?" The words escape my mouth without me realizing it. "Stria"... It’s the suffix of my old name, Aleystria, and that of Elvaria, Elvaristria.
"Surprised, aren’t you?" murmured the mysterious voice, still enigmatic. "But I still can’t reveal everything to you. I’ll just enlighten you on the essentials. The Holy War that occurred millennia ago was caused by the gods, not by humans. The violence and power of these wars warped the world, and they cannot end until one side has been completely annihilated."
I cut her off abruptly, a realization dawning in my mind.
"Until one side has been completely annihilated... But if the gods had won the Holy War, humans shouldn’t exist anymore!" I shouted, challenging the luminous figure.
"Humans won the Holy War, Aleystria," she replied in a teasing voice, a smile forming on her lips.
"H-Humans won... ? But... nothing you’re saying makes sense!" I tried to rationalize, but my thoughts were muddled.
"It doesn’t matter. You’ve now acquired the magic of 'Stria.' It has several hidden properties. Take your time to discover them, emissary of humanity," she concluded, before suddenly disappearing.
At that moment, Elvaria came back to herself.
"Aley... I saw Veron and Oscar..." she murmured, tears streaming down her cheeks. "And I was plunging my lance into Veron’s abdomen..." She broke into sobs.
I took her into my arms, trying to comfort her, but suddenly, the frozen time resumed. The sky, still gray, began to drop a few rain droplets. We were at the center of the arena, and I was holding Elvaria. Mercuria, still kneeling in prayer, looked at us with disgust.
"Ugh, you’re about to die, and that’s all you can find to do?" she sneered.
But suddenly, Alfira’s voice rises above the general panic. Despite the crowd hastily evacuating, I hear her distinctly.
"The minor god is heading straight for us, avoid—" But she doesn’t have time to finish her sentence...
A humanoid creature appears, resembling an angel, with a gaping hole where its torso should be, within which floats a glowing sphere covered in mystical writings. Its eyeless face and skeletal body send shivers down my spine. It’s him, the minor god. And at that moment, he rushes directly toward Alfira, a blade of light in hand, ready to slice her in two.
"Alfi—!" Elvie shouts, rushing forward to protect her.
"I’m coming!" I cry, using Quick Step to launch myself after her.
But it’s too late. The god is already too close. The blade of light is about to strike Alfira’s frail body...
— CLANK.
A metallic sound echoes through the entire arena. I’m stunned. Valentin is shocked, Mercuria is frozen, and even Almus Si Iveralmn, overlooking the arena, seems incapable of believing what he’s seeing. Elvaria can’t believe her eyes, and the public, who had been trying to escape, has stopped dead in their tracks.
Alfira... Alfira had just parried the minor god’s attack with her foot, and then, in a fraction of a second, she punches the creature in the face with incredible force, sending it flying across the arena, crashing into the opposite stands.
"Phew, Aley, you suddenly got stronger, so I just copied your skills! Now you can fight however you want!" she says, flashing a wide smile, completely oblivious to the feat she just accomplished.