Alucard moved quickly, his fists raining down on the temple in just a few moments, however, to those who watched that brief moment, it seemed much longer.
Especially to Nakano and the other guardians of the Axalt World. Their leader, the ruler of an entire world, was not prepared for this and could not stop the looming threat.
He may have been the strongest, but that didn't mean he was omnipotent. Some things were impossible even for him, like saving a temple from destruction.
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
As Alucard's fists reached the ground, a bright red flash appeared, covering the area of the snowy mountains for a moment and even going beyond it. Then, the flash abruptly shrank to the size of an atom, releasing all of its power in a single moment.
A gigantic explosion with chaotic streams of auras, destroyed most of the temple, leaving not even a mere stone from it.
Massive cracks appeared in the snowy mountains around it, growing in a web pattern, and affecting the outer land where the snow layer ended and the brutal winds did not rage.
Anyone who was near the epicenter of the explosion risked being injured, especially Nakano who, on Gael's advice, had canceled her protective aura.
"No... no... no!" Nakano exclaimed fearfully, looking at the blast wave that was coming at her like a storm, with tremendous speed. She wanted to protect herself, but she had too little time to create her aura again. Her decision could lead to her death right now.
Whooooooooooooooooooosh.
At the last moment, a metallic gleam from the long sword of another swordsman on the Transcendence Stage flashed in front of her.
Then, voluminous streams of ash appeared out of nowhere, becoming a sure shield for Nakano as well as the other guardians. Aura armor couldn't protect them from such a thing, so Gael had to step in.
"Well, well, it seems Alucard has decided not to hold back. It's curious what this will come down to." Gael said calmly, not at all worried that it might anger Liang.
"You protected me...?" Nakano asked in disbelief, she realized that the explosion must have killed or seriously injured her.
Gael nodded, "Yeah, you wanted to use the protective aura again, didn't you? I don't think it would have helped you, look at the others."
"Agh...?" Nakano was puzzled, then she turned around, and her eyes went wide.
? ? ? ? ?
All the keepers, including Wang, were injured, their bodies covered in burns, quite serious as well as smoke coming from them. Only Nakano remained unharmed as Gael had used more ash to protect her.
"Sure, without my help your wounds would have been even worse, but if I gave you advice then I should help you in an emergency, shouldn't I?" Gael said calmly, "Now answer me. Do you feel fear? Do you want to defend yourself again?"
Nakano gulped. She didn't know what else Alucard was capable of, but she realized that this was not the limit of his abilities. There could be more powerful attacks ahead and she had to be ready for it.
"I... I won't change anything... You can't run away!" Nakano clenched her fists tightly.
Gael nodded, "Good. If you can stay here until he shows it, I'll be delighted."
"Agh...? What are you talking about' And who?" Nakano gave him a questioning look.
"Just look. I think I know what Alucard is going to do. It's going to show you something you've never seen before." Gael said serenely, "I'll give you a hint, it's what made your ruler as strong as he is."
Nakano's eyes went wide, 'So it's true...? A ruler has some kind of secret...? Something other than labor and perseverance?'
Step. Step. Step.
Alucard walked across the scorched earth, the only thing left after the explosion he had set off. He didn't possess the fire attribute himself, but the speed he had developed before attacking and the power of the blow was enough to create a temperature equal to the sun for a moment.
"Well, well, Liang, Progenitor of Axalts, The Strongest One, how much greatness is in those words, and yet you couldn't protect your own temple... What a shame. All you had to do was stop a mere Vampire." Alucard glanced at Liang.
Liang had a great grimace, but despite what Alucard did he wasn't angry. He was good at keeping his emotions under control and should strive to remain calm at all times.
"Just look at yourself. You're trying to keep your anger at me at bay and you're succeeding. You look calm. However, I'm even more calm and you know why? Because I'm doing what I want to do." Alucard said coldly, keeping his hands in his pockets and looking arrogantly at Liang.I think you should take a look at
"Go away." Liang said with a swing of his sword, "Leave my world right now, and I will forgive you for what you have done. The temple can be rebuilt, but not my patience!"
"I don't want to." Alucard shrugged, "However, perhaps I will change my mind if you tell me what your goal is. Why do you want to fight in the Great War on the side of the Arkans?"
Alucard sighed, "Surely you don't desire something trivial like power, territory, or worse just to own others like Arox plans. In that case, what is it?"
Liang frowned, clutching his sword tightly. He pondered for a while, then he glanced at Gael and took a deep breath.
"Damn, you really can't be persuaded, can you? You always get what you want. Fine, I'll answer you. I'm doing this because I want to go through the toughest fight of my life, and naturally it will end in a crushing victory!" Liang majestically uttered, as his voice spread around for many kilometers beyond the snowy mountains.
"Hm? What kind of nonsense are you talking about? You help the Arkans win then they will take control of the entire world. That doesn't really fit with what you said." Alucard raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Liang shook his head, "You don't understand me. I want to help them win so that they control the entire world except for the territories of their allies. Then, I will single-handedly change the situation! I will single-handedly go against the entire world under their control and it will be a fight I can enjoy!"
When Liang said this, everyone was puzzled. They had expected to hear absolutely any reason but not this. It seemed strange to them, but someone understood Liang and it was Alucard.
"I see... You're bored, aren't you?" Alucard muttered as if it was obvious to him, "Well, boredom is something everyone who has reached the peak of power must face. Whether we want to or not."
Liang didn't answer anything, he was good at controlling emotions, but that didn't mean he wanted to. He needed a fight that would be the greatest in his history, and he wanted to enjoy it.
Alucard glanced off into the distance as if he was pondering something, then he extended his hand towards Liang.
"Agh...?" Liang was puzzled.
"Become my friend. That way we can fight from time to time, and against me you won't need to hold back." Alucard shrugged, "Moreover, I doubt you'll be satisfied if your wish is granted."
Liang gave him a questioning look.
"If you fight against an entire world, it will be years before you reach the capital of the Arkan World. You will have to pass through hundreds of obstacles. Sure, you'll defeat every opponent, but it will take you a long time, too long that by the middle you'll be bored." Alucard sighed as if he didn't want to upset Liang, but he had no other choice.
Liang's pupils narrowed. He hadn't thought about it, as he had envisioned this battle as something great, a war where there was only one fighter on one side.
Unlike him, Alucard had been through similar feelings before and he knew it couldn't help the boredom, it just had to be accepted.
"Even though we are the strongest, we are no different from the regular people in this. Sometimes they have fun, sometimes we do, sometimes they're bored, sometimes we feel the same way. That's life." Alucard said quietly, giving Liang time to think about it.
Liang didn't expect to hear something so profound from Alucard at all, since he thought that Alucard was just a chaotic person.
"Well, obviously someone who has been an immortal for so long understands some aspects of our world better than others. I guess that's why Alucard is so rarely serious because it's boring." Wain muttered quietly, understanding a little of what Alucard was feeling.
Sven and Osvald remained silent, sometimes they felt the same way, they as the strongest had something in common.
"Wait... Where is he looking...?" Marlis muttered, pointing at Alucard.
"Hm?"
Alucard's gaze was directed towards one of the largest cities in Axalt World. His ears moved slightly, and his pupils flinched, then he waved his hand, directing the bloody stream towards the city.
"What the hell are you doing!" Liang angrily exclaimed, "They're just ordinary people!"
Liang did not expect Alucard to do something so despicable, but, then his eyes went wide. A huge hovering island, partially made of metal, appeared above the city.
Then, a very powerful laser containing a huge amount of energy rained down on the city.