Ronin heard the scared shouts from the distance, and just ventured without turning back, glowing sword on hand.
He could not procure Sunburst, because this was not his Mage Focus, but the natural sunlight glow should be enough.
He raised it high once he was far enough for Cermin to see him, which he couldn’t anyway because of the Blinding Darkness.
He had drawn some runes from dirt on the golden blade, multiple this time, and used all his focus on activating them.
Soon enough…..
A tall beacon came from the sword!
“Come out, little birdies.” Ronin whispered with a sneer.
It took a while, but then…
The sound of flapping wings arrived, along with cries similar to that of a heron. But this bird could not be seen, not until the circle around the beacon that the sword created.
Ronin did not need to see them. What he need was to have them nearby, so he can command:
“Follow.”
In the eerie silence of the night, there was only the sound of flapping wings as Ronin walked slowly and carefully. It was like he was being followed by ghosts that were drawn to the light of the Sword of Solaire like a moth to a flame.
Then, he tossed his rune stone for ‘absorb’ to capture some of the sword’s light…...
And then drew ‘explode’ on the opposite side, and throwing it into the ground like a grenade!
Soon enough, the ghostly phoenixes that cannot be seen in the dark became visible at this explosion of light!
One was very near Ronin, and he did not hesitate to stab it through.
“SCREEEEEEEECH!!!” The bird yelled, and soon its companions tried to attack him for hurting its kin.
Ronin just raised a hand and commanded. “Halt!”
The birds were stuck in place as if they were put on a pause button.
[Level increased!
Now at Level 41
EXP: 100,015/350,000 ]
“One phoenix is equivalent to 300,000 EXP then.” Ronin grinned. “Sweet!”
Suddenly, the sound of more wings flapping arrived, as more phoenixes have been summoned not just the light, but the cry of its fallen.
But Ronin paid no heed to them and just slashed mercilessly at the birds.
It turns out that when you kill a phoenix permanently, they burst into ashes and these ashes get blown by the wind, never to join together again for rebirth.
Ronin tested bashing ones head with a normal stone, and it burst into a flame but quickly came back to life. He did not gain any EXP from that kill either.
So that was the secret all along. A weapon of Aurion was the only one that can permanently kill an immortal phoenix.
It was like fighting fire with fire, or diamonds only being cut by diamonds.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
[Level increased!]
[Level increased!]
[Level increased!]
‘It was all too easy! At this rate, all I need to do is to kill phoenixes and reach Level 50 to become an Anthracite Coal!’
Yet Ronin was wrong.
It was not that easy.
Aurion’s Sword of Solaire was not enough. What really killed these phoenixes was…..
So many phoenixes had been commanded ‘Halt’, and the limits of his One Word Command had been reached.
But he wasn’t worried, as all he had to do was to hide at a nearby log as these phoenixes attack, then wait for them to enter their beaks…..
And push through the sword into their throats!
He did so at one of them, and it combusted into ashes…..
But there were no EXPs added.
Soon, the ashes coalesced into a phoenix once more, burning bright with its flaming wings!
Ronin narrowed his eyes as more beaks tried to penetrate into the wooden log that he uses as a shield, and he slashed through every single one of them…..
But they were still not killed.
He had no choice but to use Blinding Darkness to blind them until he can run away and find another place to hide and decode how to kill them.
“SCREEEH! SCREEH!” They were unable to see, but they still flew after the sound of Ronin’s footsteps.
Some hit a tree from the blindness, while some were still able to follow suit.
Ronin raised the sword to cut them before one of them could pierce their sharp beaks into his eyes—-
And it burst into ashes permanently.
[EXP gained.
Now at Level 44
EXP: 124,560/950,000 ]
Ronin now realized what this meant.
“A creature of both light and darkness…..” He said, as the sword clanged with the beaks of the blind birds going after him.
“Then…. Phoenixes are creatures of Aurion and Fausforus?”
He calmly blinded more phoenixes that came after him, and used the thick trunks of trees to dodge their attacks with their beaks and talons.
The Sword of Solaire was not enough, he needed to activate a certain skill of his too.
As he ran and fought throughout the night, his mind that thirsted for knowledge could not help but desire more information out of this mystery.
How can a creature be owned by two gods, not to mention two opposing gods that are enemies of the other? And why is that creature then associated to another god, Diamant?
He had soon spotted a cave, and went inside to hide for a while, only resolving to killing phoenixes that goes near him. After all, they were only easy to fight because of his skills.
Without them, these birds could have easily torn him to shreds. Their speed and ferocity were at an impossible degree, leaving Ronin breathless and wounded from the tussle.
The worst of his injury was at his wrist that had been pecked by these razor-sharp beaks. It bled and bledz leaving a trail of blood as he went, and making it difficult to wield the sword, but he endured it.
A phoenix had managed to follow after him, and he sliced on of its wings off, making it fall to the ground. In anger and tiredness, he yelled as he soon ended this birds life—
Only to have someone grip his hand before he can strike!
“Who dares kill my flesh and blood? My children… Our children?”
Ronin turned around. “Cermin?”
No, there was something wrong with Cermin. It appeared as if he had been crying, and his dirty hands had clawed through his eyes as he did so it looked like he was crying black tears.
And it seemed like he was clawing at his heart as well, as a spot of black was there, making the illusion that it was hollow.
He gripped Ronin’s already bleeding wrist tightly, until he seemed to have a look of recognition.
“You…”
There was a look of joy, so much joy that it was unsettling, his expression crazed and desperate.
“You! My brother! Have you returned to me—-“
Ronin pushed him back, never feeling scared of anything his whole life…..
But that crazed smile almost made him.
Soon enough, he had seen something from the mind of this person who was and was not Cermin.
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