Power Up!
All this time, I've been thinking about becoming strong so I can face the demon that killed everyone in Hope Orphanage. I've been blaming him and the vampires but…
It turns out I am partly at fault as well.
Levton, from what I can deduct from my conversation with Regina, have been searching for the [Shards of the Primordial]. Why he's searching for them, I have no idea but Levton is familiar with its aura and can therefore sense it and trace it. Just so it happens I have the [Heart of the Primordial] within me.
He tracked its presence in Mt. Ilihan where he got into conflict with the vampires and ended up fighting them.
So… It's my fault too.
I… I caused them to die.
Realizing that, I can't seem to think very well. My head, my subconscious, keeps on blaming myself for what happened. I feel like I'm sinking to an abyss the more I think about it.
I admit I'm a very optimistic person. I'm also pretty good at making excuses for the sake of others and myself but I'm too wrapped up at the thought of causing the death of my beloved ones in Hope Orphanage to lift my mood up.
"It's my fault." I start to murmur, not really aware of my surroundings any longer. "It's my fault they died. I caused them to die."
I-
*SMACK!*
Eh? My face stings… Did I just get slapped?
Looking up, I see Sylvia with tears in her eyes.
"It's not your fault! You didn't know he's after it! You didn't know what was going on! So it's not your fault!" she yells, tears still streaming from her eyes.
"But I- If I wasn't only-"
"Don't say that. Please. Big brother, it's not your fault."
Sylvia…
"April." Hiiro-san calls. "Rather than blaming yourself, which is not very healthy by the way, why not focus on protecting what you currently have? Those that died are important as well but you can't just be stuck on thinking about it. You're going to have to move forward you know. In the end, those that are alive are the ones that are with you."
Hiiro-san is probably the last person I expect to spout some words of wisdom, but he actually did.
"Whether you're partly at fault or not, whether you chose to be stuck in the past or move forward to the future, the decision will always lie on you. But if I were you, I'd probably chose the future and live the present."
To be honest, I don't get his logic. I do get what he's trying to say but the way he conveyed it was sort of all over the place. Hiiro-san is probably not used to giving advices but he's trying his best to give me one. Perhaps he noticed me falling to despair? Still, I'm glad for that.
Sylvia woke me up from my internal conflict while Hiiro-san gave me the support to stand up and move forward.
It seems like I do have good people around me this time.
"I'll… avenge everyone in the orphanage. Levton might've come to Mt. Ilihan because of me but the fact still remained that he was the one that killed them." I say. "And as of the moment, we're in danger because of him. We have to fight him, or at least, we have to run away from him."
"That's the spirit."
It's really reassuring to have such people beside me. I-
In the blink of an eye Hiiro-san and Sylvia is thrown away and I find myself slamming to a tree not that far from where I was sitting.
*COUGH!* *COUGH!*
Blood? I actually got internal damage for me to cough out blood?
[Warning. Danger approaching. Would you like to activate Code Alpha 6T54?]
Oh, I seem to remember Slayer saying something like that a while ago but it got cut off and I got side-tracked. Anyway, what the hell is Code Alpha 6T54?
[Answer. An emergency code that activates whenever the host is in a life-threatening situation. It will unlock one of the locked skills by sacrificing some other skills and/or points. The host will experience a temporary power up and use high-level techniques.]
Err… I remember getting into a lot of life-threatening situations you know?
[…]
Fine. Will it let me defeat Levton?
[…]
Why aren't you answering? Maybe I should rephrase the question?
Hmm…
What percentage is the possibility for me to defeat Levton while activating the code?
[Answer. Fifty percent.]
So basically fifty-fity. And if I face him without the code?
[Answer. Less than ten percent.]
Wah. You sure don't sugarcoat it. I'd probably barely survive too.
[Would you like to activate Code Alpha 6T54?]
[Yes/No]
*SIGH*
I can feel Levton getting closer his aura feels very dark and menacing. Even I don't feel like I can't defeat him at my current status.
Very well.
"Slayer, I choose YES!"
[Activating Code Alpha 6T54.]
[Initiating…]
[The [Slayer System] has chosen elemental magic (ice, fire, earth and lightning) to unlock skill.]
[Process successful.]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the skill
[
It sounds complicated. Can I even use it now?
[Hint. Host can use it to enhance your stats for a period of time and shoot energy beams or balls just like the opponent.]
Eeeehhh… I guess that works.
[Activating temporary power up. Due to body condition, host have thirty minutes to use the power up. Once time is up host will experience backlash.]
I'm not sure whether to be glad or not that Slayer is so specific at her instructions.
I can see Levton now. I guess it's now or never.
Still, how will I-
Wait, I usually use my elemental magic to support my body at times for convenience. Didn't Slayer say I can do that?
Let's give it a try then.
I imagine energy wrapping around me, making my body lighter and making a barrier. Once I got the image in my head, I run to the side, just in time for a ball of dark energy land on my previous spot.
In the blink of an eye, I'm already a few yards away from Levton! And I didn't even use
No, this one is fighter than
Now it's time for offense.
I gather the energy around my hands. I imagine a ball of pure energy forming in my hands.
I can see a ball bluish-white light form above my hands and it keeps growing. I can see it drawing energy from the surroundings as well as inside me. Well, more on the surroundings though. Once it's as big as my head, I launch it at the lunging Levton.
Since he's coming at me at an incredible speed, I bet he'll have a hard time changing his direction. He has no time to evade and he has no other choice but to take the attack head on!
*BOOM!*
I was right! He did not evade it!
But damn! He managed to shield himself with dark energy so he didn't get that much damage. I guess even though I have raw power, experience and application is still on a whole different level.
I'm not giving up though.
I will defeat him.