665 Precursor's Aura (2)
The streets of New Lycania were soon packed with people trying to know what was happening there. The ever-growing crowd of people around them made it increasingly difficult to maintain privacy.
In the shock of sensing the long-forgotten Precursor's Aura, Vulcan didn't consider their location and spoke whatever came to his mind.
Flintmace leaned closer to Vulcan and spoke in a hushed tone, "I don't think this is the right place to talk about that, Vulcan."
"Right," Vulcan nodded, noticing the influx of people around them. "Let's change locations before I say something I shouldn't. Besides, the kid needs to get used to his new body, and we might as well assist him while we can."
Saying so, the two headed towards the arena, gesturing for Ashton to follow, and he did so without wasting any time. Ashton picked up on their intentions and fell in step behind his masters as they began to navigate through the crowd.
It was as if they were parting the sea of people, But their imposing presence commanded respect and cooperation from everyone, and they made a path for Ashton and his masters without being asked to do so.
However, as Ashton walked past Ricochet, he told him to block the arena's access to everyone, and when he said everyone, he meant everyone.
Not a single soul, not even Anna, was to be allowed entry. Ashton was well aware of the importance of the upcoming discussion, and he wanted only those who were privy to the truth about the Precursors and their history to be present.
[Technically, as the incarnation of Lilith, she has a right to know about the Precursors. After all, she was the first creature the Precursors dispised.]
'Be as it may, that's not enough reason for me to allow her to join us,' Ashton replied. 'Also, the less she knows, the safer she would be in case something happened to me.'
[I don't really like the tone of your voice, Ashton. Is there something you're hiding from me?]
'You stay with me 24/7; you think I'm even capable of hiding something from you?' Ashton scoffed. 'But yes, there's something that's bothering me.'
[Is it the Xyrans?]
'Yup. There's no way in hell they haven't noticed me now. They are most likely gathering the troops to send them here for investigation reasons. If not for that, they should have taken notice of Beelzebub's absence by now.'
After all, it had been quite a while since he defeated Beelzebub and turned him into Guilt. The lack of response from the Xyrans till now meant only one of two things.
"Either they didn't care about him in the least, which I doubt," Ashton mumbled. "Or-"
[Someone wanted to eliminate him, and his lack of communication with the Xyrans would prove they were successful.]
Ashton nodded as Astaroth finished his thought. Even though Ashton was stronger than he had ever been or probably ever would be, collectively, the Xyrans were no ordinary adversary. If they were indeed on the move, it meant trouble on a cosmic scale.
However, they reached the arena before Ashton could dwell more about it. Flintmace and Vulcan, still deep in their discussion, gestured for Ashton to follow them inside. He did so without hesitation.
In fact, he was anxiety-ridden to know what the deal about this 'Precursor's aura' was and why his masters were being so secretive about it. Hell, even Astaroth had refused to tell him anything about it, and it only made Ashton more anxious to know the truth.
However, as soon as Ashton entered the arena, his masters jumped him. Taken aback by their sudden attack, he moved his arms towards them as if pushing them away.
The masters immediately jumped back. As such, Ashton's hands never reached them. But somehow, they still got flung backwards. Even Ashton was surprised to see it because their retreating forms carved a new path into the stands.
[You call that a path? You just wrecked an entire section of the arena!]
"I didn't mean to!" Ashton yelled back. "I don't know what happened because I didn't even touch them!"
Vulcan and Flintmace, now lying on the ground where they had been thrown, slowly got back to their feet. They exchanged wary glances. It was an expression Ashton had never seen on their faces before.
"That's... the Precursor's aura I mentioned earlier," Vulcan explained, his tone strained as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
In all the times Ashton had known Vulcan, he hadn't seen him bleed once. But seeing him coughing up blood made him feel conflicted. He immediately turned to look at Flintmace, who was also nursing his wounds.
While Ashton was glad of his strength but also scared of it, if just a wave of his hand could make a couple of S-grade beings bleed, he could only imagine what it would do to everyone else.
If this was the level of his strength when he had just evolved and was categorically weak and starved, he could only imagine what he would be capable of if he were in his best condition.
At that moment, the gravity of Vulcan's words became crystal clear. They needed to train him while they still could. If his abilities were evolving at such a rapid pace, it was only a matter of time before he completely overshadowed his masters' prowess.
As the thought crossed his mind, he couldn't help but feel both excited and worried. He was excited about the strength he was about to possess but also worried that if he couldn't harness that strength properly, then having that strength would turn into poison.
However, more than anything, he was more concerned about the 'Precursor's aura' as he thoroughly understood it. As his eyes returned to Vulcan, the dwarf immediately knew what Ashton wanted to ask them.
"You can say the aura you possess is the force capable of destruction," he said while pointing at the scene behind him. "As well as creation."
"Though the creation part would come after you have tamed the power of destruction," Flintmace chimed in. "In other words, you can say that the aura you possess now is what separated mortals from the Precursors."
"God gene, ever heard of it?" Vulcan asked Ashton, who didn't even need to reply as the answer was written all over his face. "Damn, to think you achieved something I have been trying to accomplish my entire life... as you master, nothing could make me more proud."
Vulcan continued, "However, as a follower of the path set out by the Precursors, I can't help but get jealous!"
"Easy, old man," Flintmace laughed. "You don't want our disciple to get all riled up. Or else, who knows what he might do with his next attack."
"Wait, we're still going to fight?" Ashton asked, clearly surprised. "In your condition-"
"Relax, kiddo," Vulcan scoffed. "This body has been through much more than what you're capable of dishing out. So suck it up and come at us!"
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ewebnov(e)l.com