The three Noble Spirits and the three 4-leaf Dark Elves started their fight at that side which made us have to hurriedly move away or we might be implicated.
I only escaped their pursuit and killed one 4-leaf Dark Elf due to a surprise attack, Jayna's help and swift judgement of the situation.
Fighting them head-on? With how inexperienced I am from fighting them, I will suffer a lot from the unpredictability of their skills which I have limited knowledge of.
From a distance and through my Adaptability, I could see how Harlan transformed into something like a Beastman with lion-like manes all over his body. His body bulked up as he fought the Peak 4-leaf Dark Elf barehanded.
With a Sea of connection manifesting around him, it transformed into an illusory stampede of various types of quadrupedal beasts which aided him at fighting Leandro who's completely bombarding him with the shadow-like daggers and other types of projectiles while moving elusively through the use of his aura and the Dark Phantom that's allowing him to phase through Harlan's attacks.
Jayce and Malborne also started facing off against the two 4-leaf Dark Elves. Since we're moving to the other side, the scene soon escaped my eyes, as to what will be the result of their battles, maybe we'll hear it later.
"For you to escape the pursuit of a Peak 4-leaf, what method did you use?"
Rei asked Jayna who was lying comfortably on her lap. Like a spoiled child, after getting out of the fortress and releasing the tension she was feeling, she immediately went to Rei for comfort.
Ever since she got off from my arms, Jayna kept avoiding my gaze. As to what she was thinking, I don't know. Maybe she started to get interested in me after what we experienced there. However, without her saying what's really on my mind, I could only guess.
She'll come around soon when she finds another thing that can trigger her curiosity.
She's not like Erin who's too straightforward or Avelin who's too innocent.
Well, Zerina is also different as she's somewhat reserved being a noble lady. I recalled that she inherited some kind of ancient heritage which propelled her strength to approach the veteran party members of Yuko.
Not only the Heroes are growing in strength but also the designated main characters of their world. Maybe it's a way the various representations of the World's Will prepare their world for the threat that will soon to come.
Enemies stronger than their current powerhouses. Maybe there will also be enemies whose power level will be higher than the 5th realm of every path.
Looking at the trend, that's probably the point where the various paths will converge but without reaching it I could only make this guess. I kept on guessing. Though some eventually turned out to be right, it's inevitable to guess something wrong. I wouldn't voice my guess out until I'm certain anyway.
"Ask him. I was carried by him the whole time."
Jayna pointed at me which made Rei and Ren look at my direction, with a puzzled look on their faces.
They knew that I'm just a Fused Spirit while Jayna is a Transformed Spirit with 4 Rivers. Though they heard about Ember and my abnormal progress they might still have an apprehension that the story was possibly embellished by exaggerations.
That's why Jayna saying that it's all because of me was a bit unbelievable.
Only when they really saw me in action would they fully believe it.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"We ran. As fast as I could. And Jayna's a big help along the way. We wouldn't reach the gates if not for her."
With my words, they nodded before their gazes turned back to Jayna who couldn't refute what I just said.
"I see. You both worked well together."
Rei let out a dry laugh as she tried to smoothen the slightly restrained atmosphere.
"He also killed a 4-leaf Dark Elf and a bunch of 3-leaf Dark Elves."
However, Jayna dropped in more revelation that made the twins gulp down their saliva.
"W-what really went on there?"
Ren asked, now half-believing what Jayna mentioned. She's their companion for years already and they know she wouldn't lie about it.
Should I really detail everything that went on?
Ah. Since we're travelling to the other side of the fortress, I guess we could use this to pass the time.
Ren continued driving the carriage while I relayed to the twins the important parts of the mission.
The time it took us to travel was prolonged because we needed to take a detour to avoid the main battlefield that's still raging on.
From a distance, I already saw Yumiko standing on top of the Spirit King while they're watching the ongoing battle. To be that close to someone who she dreaded to meet…
Rei used the equipment they're using to communicate with Yumiko to relay what went on during our mission. Word by word. Including what I just shared.
It seems that was Yumiko's request.
Err. I don't know why she needed to hear all those. It sounds like I was bragging how we killed the 4-leaf Dark Elf in less than 10 seconds when Rei started relaying to Yumiko.
I heard from their communication equipment Yumiko's exclaims of surprises as well as the Spirit King's snorts.
Uhm. Excuse me but why is the Spirit King also reacting? What's really the deal with that huge dragon?
Ah. I need to ask Yumiko for the same communication equipment. Maybe it can be used in other worlds too. That way I can talk to Yuko and the others to know their situation if I'm in another world like this. If it's run by Spirit Energy then I just need to make battery-like equipment filled with my Flux Energy.
There's probably a reason why that kind of equipment is rare here when it's a convenient tool for communication. I'll go and ask her later when the events happening here settled down.
Having closed the breach, those from Earth would've already noticed it which meant the reason for our trip here was already done. We just need to travel to the other possible places which contain the same traces of the portal to erase them.
After that.
Ah. Yumiko had to deal with the Spirit King first as well as the Council of Twenty.
"Yuko is right about you, you're really this reliable, Daisuke"
Yumiko's voice rang from atop the Spirit King when we arrived at the area below them.
Unfurling her wings, she jumped off from the dragon and landed in front of our carriage.
"Yumiko, if I had to ask, what's your relationship with the Spirit King?"
It seems only I don't know about their connection. Her three companions weren't saying anything about the strangeness of it so it's possible that they knew about it.
"Uhm. Jayna did not tell you?"
Eh? Was she supposed to tell me about it?
I looked back and saw Jayna covering her face while muttering an apology.
"I got too absorbed with the surroundings, sorry."
Her curiosity got in the way, eh?
Yumiko could only smile wryly before telling me what the curious girl forgot to tell me.
Though Raiden was right when she told me that Yumiko was constantly being chased by the Spirit King, the reason wasn't malicious at all.
When Yumiko first encountered the Spirit King, it was during the last 3-way major skirmish between the Spiritas, Spirit Beast and the Dark Elves.
After the Dark Elves were sent to retreat by the two forces, 5 Representatives from the War Faction of the Council of Twenty and the Spirit King faced off for the bid in the territory that the Dark Elves vacated.
Right there were Factions inside the Council of Twenty. Those who wanted to keep fighting the Spirit Beasts called the War Faction and those who wanted to come to a peace with them called the Peace Faction. Both factions have 9 members each which leaves 2 Council Members having a neutral opinion.
In the end, despite being ganged up by five Peak Noble Spirits, the Spirit King still prevailed against them.
Such is the difference between a Ruler Spirit and Noble Spirits.
Because of the indignation of the War Faction, they were about to launch a campaign that concerned the Spiritas Federation as a whole.
Harlan as part of the Peace Faction asked Yumiko for help. It's not to stop the War Faction but to negotiate with the Spirit King.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmYumiko was initially unconcerned about the denizens' war amongst themselves since she's in this world to repel the Dark Elves.
But Harlan helped her and it's the first time he asked for her help.
What Harlan wanted to do was for Yumiko to act as an intermediary between the two sides. It's not asking for immediate peace but to have the strongest existences of both sides to stop participating in battles which only consisted of Spirit Beasts and Spiritas.
Yumiko accepted and went to meet the Spirit King. Though she's known as the Priestess from another world, the Spirit Beasts considered her as part of Spiritas Federation.
During their meeting, the Spirit King was targeted by the Dark Elves, disguised as Peak Noble Spirits, 10 Peak 4-leaf Dark Elves tried to assassinate him to pin the blame on the Spiritas. They only doubled the number of Noble Spirits who fought against him but with it being a surprise attack which the Dark Elves excel at, the Spirit King fell into a disadvantageous position.
Yumiko seeing the assassination attempt with her own eyes helped the Spirit King. She channeled a Higher Spirit which lent her the power to Dragonify.
Transforming herself into a Golden Dragon that exuded some sort of Divinity, they managed to repel the assassins and even killed 3 of them.
Because of that, the Spirit King started seeing Yumiko as a fellow dragonkin even if she explained that it was only a borrowed power.
In the end, that also made way for the Spirit King to accept her suggestions, limiting the Noble Spirits of the Spirit Beasts to only defend their territories and not join in any attacks. Yumiko was also raised in status among the Spirit Beasts, like a sister to him. She was even granted territory which she has no use of.
In light of the event, the skirmishes between the Spiritas and the Spirit Beasts became the place to nurture the younger generation and lower realms of both sides
Due to Yumiko's success, the Peace Faction took the majority of the Council when the two Neutral Council Members chose their side. That stopped the violent War Faction to drag everyone with their misplaced hatred.
Now, every time Yumiko is in this world, the Spirit King will immediately find her, like a kid who wanted to see her transform back into the Golden Dragon.
"And that's it."
Yumiko ended her story with a wry smile.
"Then, why are you running from him?"
I asked to clarify what's the last thing that I couldn't understand.
"Because he's bugging me to visit the Spirit Beast Territory and enter some sort of ruins of an ancestral place for dragonkins."
Yumiko explained before looking up. The Spirit King was currently descending and was in the process of transforming into his humanoid form.
"And this time?"
"I asked for his help in exchange for us visiting that place."
Ancestral Place for Dragonkins? Sounds like a place for main characters to acquire some good fortune.
My gaze switched from Yumiko to Jayna who still couldn't face me directly. If that's where she could acquire a fortuitous encounter then it's really a must to bring her there.
Since she already agreed, we're bound to enter it, maybe I'll also acquire some good fortune inside it.
Err… won't the place be already swept clean by the Spirit King? Or there's more to it than what they've seen?
Ah. I should stop speculating, we'll see once we arrive there.