Chapter 21
He had waited for this day. Trained for it and today, finally, he would learn of it today. He would understand what made this lone solitary leader of the Allied Beastkins so capable and efficient that in all of the scattered allied realms, he was revered.
Perhaps Bello was the perfection he was seeking after?
'Bello, I am most excited you have come in person. Sending those useless minions of yours-'
The bull humanoid's cloven hand rose into the air, a wave of tremendous aura bursting about.
'ENOUGH! Those minions you say, were people. Peaceful loving people of the Allied Beastkin whom you snuffed lives from.
As the leader of the Allied realms, it has become my personal crusade to banish you.'
The treant laughed.
Standing at a height of 50 meters, the treant was an impressive humanoid. It had a face built into its main body of tree trunk with little wooden twigs at the top of its head. Going downwards, were a pair of ma.s.sive wooded limbs ending in palms that slapped at themselves as the treant laughed followed by an obvious lack of legs that were supplemented for by a thick gnarl of roots.
'Perhaps, if you had honored my call earlier on, it may not have become like that.' The treant replied, earning a snort from Bello.
'I have heard of your new feat. And I have come to see, with my own eyes to test your powers by my own strength. And hear this, Bello, just in case you do not live to expectation, then you would die with the honor of meeting me.
I am the Helios, the Eleventh Born Ascender'
The treant spoke, pride radiating heavily from its speech.
Bello only shrugged. What did he expect after all from the user of the Law of Pride? Humility?
Certainly not!
The laws of darkness had certain appeal. He knew that himself after becoming a tainted. But however, the laws of darkness as much as they empowered the negative aspects of reality, also turned the users into irrational and mindless creatures off less worth than animals.
But, he was not here to give a lecture.
"Your arrogance will be your undoing, Eleventh Born, for I am weary of you." Snapping his hands together, the Solitary rulers hands flexed as he weaved a construct with the speed of light.
Just then, the treant grew its arms into the ground, forming a streaking and twirling rush of growing roots towards Bello.
"Law of Annihilation, Come Forth! Goodbye, Ascender." Bello slammed his left hand forward, using the right hand to channel energy out of his soul.
In a split second, light energy and dark energy appeared, fusing into each other, causing a whiplash of furious winds to shoot about.
Dust swirled as Bello grimaced lightly before shooting out his right hand.
BOOM!
Energy shot forward towards the treant like a meteor, sucking out the air in the atmosphere, in one straight flash of blinding light.
"Finally!" The treant grunted. "I see
In a second, a compressed net of wooden knots had formed before the treant as it air became increasingly hot.
Just then, the energy blast slammed home, tearing through the wooden knots like paper, towards the Treant.
"Well, how far you reach?"The treant smiled, using both hands to push at the air.
The action seemed to slow the movement of th energy beam, allowing him time to jump back but not enough time for anything else.
Still the Beam Tore Through...
Quickly, he slammed his fingers together forming a replica of him as he jumped back again.
KAZZZAAAAT...
The beam tore through, scattering everything it touched into splinters before pulling them together and slamming the pieces back to each other till the pieces disintegrated into nothing.
No chaff, no dust. Nothing.
Like nothing had ever being there.
"How long does this thing take to burn out..." The treant muttered, jumping back and replicating himself to take the hit with hope of causing the beam to burn out its energy.
The eleventh born weaved his hand again, desperately forming another replica, but he was too late. The energy split itself, circling around the replica before homing on his chest.
BOOM! KAZZZATT!!
The energy exploded, a swirl of opposing energies scattering his body and dragging them back again before exploding once more, each time making less and less of the remnant of the treant remain.
In a flash, white and black light had exploded outwards, licking everything it could find into nothingness.
In the Treant's position now was a gaping hole of a crater.
Exhausted, Bello huffed, resting on his staff. Seconds later, he gripped at his head, stifling a groan as he coughed.
The whole worlds had come to know him as a legend. But what the worlds hadn't known, was that with great power comes greater danger.
He was dying but his house was not set.
He would keep strong, until his realms were in other.
And then, he would rest.
This life, it simply was fatiguing.
A figure walked forward, cat ears sprouting from the curl of black hairs on her head while her red kimono swirled noiselessly in the air.
"You need rest, Lord Bello." She said, patting his back.
"It's nothing." Bello waved a free hand dismissively. "Lady Grant, Prepare me a record of all sightings of unusually powerful creatures. over the last two weeks."
"Why, Sir?"
"When I destroyed that creature, he called himself an Ascender."
"Anyone can give themselves t.i.tle sir.."
"Not that alone, I felt traces of the soul of Trixius within." Bello said, turning away from the battle scene as Lady Grant gasped.
"I need that report, as soon as possible." Bello said, walking off with support of his staff. Just in front of him, a raft of bamboo with a circular red rug in the middle hovered into view.
"B-but, Lord Bello, That could as well be a result of your Trixius Paranoia. Don't you think so?" Lady Grant said, turning towards Bello.
The Solitary hulking bull of a ruler stopped, puffing heavily, his aura rising slightly.
"What commander beast posted you to the Twin Realms, Lady Grant?" Bello heaved.
"Shadowbeast commander Kai."
"Did you know how he got that long never healing scar on his face?" Bello turned his head to look back.
"I-I do." Lady Grant winced.
Commander Kai's unhealing scare was a result of his opposition to the ruler's command. When Lord Bello has paid the Commander a visit, he had been stopped by warriors at the gate of the command center. Enraged, Lord Bello has bulldozed his way to the Commander asking for an explanation only for the commander to walk him out.
Lord Bello surprisingly turned around, walking a few feet's away before swirling around and slapping Commander Kai.
A week later, the Commander was found at the outskirts of the First Heaven. That story had remained as a bitter reminder of the power behind Lord Bello's form and only fools had tried to challenge him.
Like the treant earlier.
"Lord Bello, I will do as you said." Lady Grant bowed slightly before jumping up and vanis.h.i.+ng in a poof of smoke.
A twig of wood suddenly turned green and flexible. It burrowed into the ground, vanis.h.i.+ng from sight. Just then, Lord Bello turned, a slight smile on his face.
"Ascender Helios." Bello muttered, stepping onto the raft. He settled down in a meditating pose, huffing once more as he watched the environment.
For about 50 meters or so, vegetation was absent, a visible crater remaining of the forest expanse that had once occupied the place. Shrugging, he knew that wouldn't matter. With the aid of Agbara infus.e.m.e.nt, the land will resp.a.w.n once again. But that would require heavy funds to pull off.
Something that he didn't really have time for. For now, the Ascenders were his focus.