Chapter 176: 170: Rakash

Ryu and the others were transported inside a large hall with stone columns supporting the dome ceiling. Sands were piling at the corner with no sight of an exit. 

The only thing present was an old man who was sitting on a chest. His sagging burnt skin was hugging his bones, and his large ears were hanging on the side of his head. His staff on his hand, he sat on a large chest with a leg over the other.

Ryu and the others looked at each other before Marcus broke the silence.

"H-hello?"

The old man didn't open his eyes, but he did move his head over to them a little.

"A long time. .. ," the old man said, voice crackling and grating, "since I have a visitor. . ."

Abby hid behind Halfjack and clutched his clothes.

"Who are you?" Seraphina asked.

"Hmm. . ." the old man barely moved, and every little movement he took, his limbs shook like he would fall apart. 

But the group felt that they couldn't even hope to defeat the oppressive aura it tried to conceal.

"Patience. . .  there is still one more of you. . ."

Ryu frowned, and he sniffed the air, but he couldn't find another smell besides theirs. Could someone be using the same shadow skill that the Owner, Vein, and Ferris have?

Marcus roamed his eyes too but found no one.

From start to finish, the old man didn't open his eyes, and with a thud of his staff on the floor, a large wave of invincible wind swept the area, and Ryu and the others finally found their last companion.

Twenty meters from them stood Azor with his dark skin and two large horns on the side of his head. His built told of a lean frame, but his aura was packed with oppressive strength.

"That's. .. ," Marcus was breathless for a moment before he said in a strained tone, "Azor."

"Azor? The leader of the North Oasis?" Seraphina didn't expect that they would meet both the North and Right Oasis leaders at these ruins.

"Just what the hell happened in the Oasis?" Marcus muttered under his breath. More importantly, how did he get here? Did he come from another door or portal?

"Amazing. You could cancel an ability." Azor crossed his hands and didn't assume a fighting stance. He wanted to observe the situation first and see if he could beat the old man, but from the looks of it. .. he couldn't. 

Without help, at least.

"Now that you're all here. .. ," the old man said, still not standing from his sitting position, "My name is Rakash. A once-mighty elf that roamed the lands in times of the Gods."

"Rakash?" Marcus mumbled the name, but it was so unfamiliar to him.

Ryu looked at Seraphina, and the latter shook her head, saying that she didn't know.

But Azor's face turned pale at the name, and he was startled from his calm state. "You are once the leader of the elves who seek unending power!"

Rakash nodded before his head tipped back, reminiscing about the past. "That's right. Elves have a long life, but eventually, they die of old age. I, however, refuse to succumb to death. There is so much power within me just to die an old man. And so I seek the Lost Jewel of Tethyt. . ."

The Lost Jewel. Ryu's eyes shone. His hope was rekindled at the idea that the Jewel might exist!

"I left my people and ventured into the nightmare sea with the others to overcome the challenges of the Islet and find the Lost Jewel.  But. . ."

Rakash shook his head in dismay. "My powers weren't even half of the God Tethys, and she trapped me in this accursed islet. .. and in exchange of my freedom she made me a deal. . ."

Rakash finally stood to his feet, and his eyelids opened, revealing a pearly set of eyes. "Collect one million souls, and you're free. . ."

Rakash eyes glowed. ".. . and you are my nine hundred and ninety thousand soul!"

Pointing his staff, a bolt of white lite burst forth, aiming towards Halfjack and Abby.

"Look out!" Marcus raised his shield and attempted to protect them, but the shot was so fast he didn't have time to react when it struck Halfjack and Abby.

Seraphina gasped when Halfjack and Abby's bodies fell lifeless on the ground, and their soul floated towards Rakash's open palms.

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"That's two." Rakash grinned and the lines in his eyes wrinkled, showing his yellows stained teeth,

Marcus turned pale. "What kind of attack is that?!"

Seraphina's sweat coated her beautiful face. Their enemy was no joke. "It's Devine magic. A high-level one at that."

"Are they. .. dead?" Ryu couldn't believe that they had lost two of their group within seconds.

Seraphina readied her spell. "No. but look at their limbs."

Ryu and Marcus was shocked that Halfjack and Abby's body was turning to sand. Then the piles of sands at the corners must be. . .

"If we don't return their soul to their body soon, then they'll just be piles of dust in here." Seraphina cast a spell that boosted Ryu and Marcus's defenses and speed.

"That won't work here." With a thud of Rakash staff on the ground, another wave of wind dispelled all buffs.

"Kyagh!" The bolts of sharp wind hit Seraphina while Ryu was quick on his feet and shielded her.

"This is bad! With him dispelling all buffs, we could only rely on our normal defenses and speed." Marcus wasn't confident with his speed, but he wasn't sure if he could shield that Devine light also. His eyes then went to Halfjack and Abby's disintegrating body. He suspected that they had ten minutes at most to return them to their normal state, which was near impossible considering their opponent.

"Enough chatter! All of you, surrender your soul to me!" Multiple lights burst from Rakash's stuff, aiming for Ryu and the others.

It was a good thing that the light was only traveling in a straight path. Though it was fast for the naked eyes to follow.

"Left!" Ryu growled a warning to Marcus, and he took Seraphina in his arms and leaped over as the beam of light hit the wall. It didn't leave a sound nor a single crack on the stone wall. It just vanished like it went past the stones.

All thanks to Ryu's warning, Marcus didn't think, nor did he attempt to follow the path of the Devine Light. His body just automatically heeded Ryu's warning, and he jumped over to the left, avoiding the beam of light by a hair.

While Azor avoided the incoming white light by appearing and disappearing through space. He didn't have any problem avoiding the beams since he was fast enough.

But those were the only few shot. More was coming from Rakash's staff.

"W-we. .. we can't keep this up!" Marcus was evading shots after shot of Devine light his way without pause while Ryu gave him signals of which way to go. 

Ryu agreed. But they couldn't even close their distance at Rakash due to the multiple lights bursting from his staff. Though he was immune to mana attacks, he didn't want to gamble. He still didn't know his own power nor the enemies. What if he grew confident and decided to take Rakash's attacks head-on, and his soul left his body because of it? That was too much of a gamble that he couldn't afford!

"Doesn't that thing run out of mana?" Marcus huffed and jumped again at the series of white lights his way. At this rate, he would run out of stamina and air before the light could even take his soul.

At this moment, thorn of vines erupted from the ground and shot towards Rakash's direction. Seraphina was silently casting her spell in Ryu's arms while he carried her away from the beams of light.

"This little trick is useless." Without moving from his spot, a burst of wind enveloped Rakash, and the thorns were shredded into pieces.

But within a blink, Azor appeared in front of Rakash with his dagger and took a swipe at his throat. "Die!"

Azor's confident grin vanished when Rakash merely pinched the edge of his blade, stopping it just inches from his throat. And with a light push from his staff, Azor was sent flying, and he crushed on the wall with a gaping hole on his stomach.

"Hmmm. . ." Rakash inspected the dagger and merely tossed it to his side. "A god-tier item that ignores all defenses. Too bad. .. you're too slow."

Slow? Ryu and the others were dumbfounded. Azor was the fastest amongst them. If he was slow, then what were they?

Azor spat out a mouthful of blood and stood to his feet while his stomach regenerated at the fastest haste, and within seconds it was good as new. 

"Hey!" Azor called Marcus and the others' attention.

"If you want to beat that thing, then we must work together." He didn't want to, but Azor was pressed for options.

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A/N

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