BXBX NOVEL Chapter 54 - 54
Chapter 54:
"Who are you? You are not of the Braveheart lineage. What do you want?" Ignis's ancestor demanded.
"My name is Noboru Chikara," Noboru stated, his tone formal.
"Chikara. You are not a member of my lineage. How dare you touch the ancient relic of my family and kingdom, given to us by the legendary hero who ended the great elemental wars?" Ignis's ancestor exclaimed.
"Relax, I am not the enemy here," Noboru said calmly.
"You're not? Then how dare you touch this relic?" Ignis's ancestor persisted.
"I am doing this because the Disciples Of Darkness, led by an unknown force, wish to gather these relics to free Yami. They plan to use the four relics, given to each kingdom or realm, to control the elements and create a singularity that will be devoured by the Void and release Yami. I think you understand what that means," Noboru explained.
"Of course, I understand. My descendant, the current Fire God, and the Wind God's descendant have been dealing with this problem, but it seems they have failed," Ignis's ancestor acknowledged.
"Well, we can't let the world be destroyed. We can't let her escape. I will stop this and defeat the Disciples," Noboru vowed.
"That is noble of you. But you aren't worthy of this relic. I see you possess Excalibur, Aeritha's Relic. The sword of the wind god of my era. Excalibur is meant for the future king. So why does someone of your standing carry it?" Ignis's ancestor inquired.
"Aeritha is not my home, but know this: I am a prince in my dimension. I came here to save this world as part of my mission," Noboru answered.
"Oh, a foreign prince. Well, that's acceptable. But, are you truly strong enough to save this world? You might have defeated Akuma Yaminoya, but you are still young. The Disciples are formidable," Ignis's ancestor warned.
"I understand that, but I have to defeat them," Noboru asserted, his voice filled with determination.
"Very well, I will allow you to use the Braveheart Shield. But be careful. Do not lose it, or the world will be doomed," Ignis's ancestor stated.
"I won't let that happen," Noboru promised.
"Good, now go, and good luck," Ignis's ancestor said before disappearing. The shield materialized in Noboru's hand.
"So this is the legendary Braveheart Shield, huh? It's not that impressive," Noboru commented, examining the shield. "But still, it's a powerful relic, and I can't afford to lose it." He decided, placing the shield on his back and leaving the temple.
"Well, I guess I should head to the capital now," Noboru thought as he made his way towards the capital. "I'm not sure what the others will think of me now that they know I can use the void, but I'll just have to deal with it. After all, thanks to Omni Energy, which allows me and its users to adapt to different energy forms and power systems from various dimensions, I can use the Aura and Void Energy of this world even though I'm not from it. Omni Energy is the purest and original form of all energy types, and Aura and Void Energy, just like the magic, chakra, and ki of my world, are just lesser branches of Omni Energy," Noboru said to himself as he walked out.
"But I wonder who that elder Fire God was in the shield, and why he thought I wasn't worthy of it? I must get stronger, not just to protect this world but also to protect Ayame and avenge the dragon kingdom." Noboru's thoughts went back to the events before he arrived in this world.
"Don't think about that yet, Noboru. It will only make you angry," he said to himself, trying to calm down and not dwell on those events. "Let's focus on the task at hand. First, I have to get to the capital, then help the others and see what the story of this world holds for me now. I must become the strongest."
With determination, Noboru headed towards the capital, unaware of what awaited him there.
"I will not fail, not this time," he vowed, continuing his journey with the shield on his back.
Meanwhile, With Sky and the Others
"Wow, Noboru was awesome," Layla commented, her voice filled with
awe.
"He was really strong, stronger than any of us," Sky agreed.
"Not just that, he's a good person, and he saved us from the Disciples," Yumeko added. "I can't believe how quickly he learned Fire General Kai's move and improved it."
"Not just that, he learned to manipulate the void and took it a step further by manipulating True Void Energy, just by observing the Void Crystal the Disciples used back in the Wind Temple and the Void Manipulation Akuma Yaminoya used. He even took it to a higher level and can use True Void Energy like the Void Queen. I'm glad we can trust him," Sky said.
"Yeah, me too. It was a close call when he drew that much void energy, but the way he handled it and even transformed void energy into something else. That's truly amazing. It's as if he's not from this world," Fire General Kai said in awe.
"But he is human, right?" Layla asked.
"What are you talking about, Layla? Of course, he is," Yumeko replied.
"Are you sure about that?" Layla questioned further.
"What are you talking about, Layla? Are you suggesting he's a beastman or a demon? There's no way," Sky exclaimed, disbelieving.
"I know that, but are we sure he's human? What if he's not? What if he's a god? Have you seen any human learn so quickly, possess bloodline powers like Noboru, or have his level of strength?" Layla pointed out.
"I agree with Layla. He's too strong and mysterious to be just a human. He must be a god," Fire General Kai said. "A real god, not like my lord Ignis who holds the title of Fire God. I mean a genuine deity."
"I still believe he's human. I can't explain it, but I have a feeling he is," Yumeko said.
"Maybe, but what are the chances a human can possess the power he has?" Fire General Kai pondered.
"Maybe there are some humans out there with that kind of power, but the question is, how does he have it?" Sky added.
"And that's not the only thing. How did he access the void, and how did he master the power of the void and Higher Void Energy, and even learn to control it in such a short time? This is not normal," Layla stated.
"We saw him replicate and improve Fire General Kai's signature attack just by a glance. Before the general could even finish the move, Noboru managed to predict and accurately execute the move, even improving it by transforming the fireballs into dragons. With such precise control, he burned a single strand of grass. A move big enough to level a country, perhaps even more, burned only a strand of grass. So, it's not impossible for Noboru to use the Void Energy; he's just built differently," Sky said, defending Noboru.
"Yes, but he shouldn't be able to, or even have the ability to learn the void so easily," Layla countered.
"That's true, but hey, who are we to say what should or shouldn't be possible? After all, the void is just nothingness, so it's not impossible," Sky reasoned.
"You may have a point," Yumeko conceded.
"Yeah, maybe," Layla said, still sounding unconvinced.
"Plus, he saved you and Yumeko from Red me. So he's good in my book," Sky added.
"I'm not denying his power or that he's not on our side. I'm just saying he's not normal, and we should be cautious," Layya said.
"Red you?" Fire General Kai asked, confused.
"Yeah, Sky had this split personality who calls himself Red Sky. He's a very dangerous individual," Layla explained.
"Oh, that's interesting," Fire General Kai said, curious.
"Yeah, apparently in that state, I'm the worst version of myself but also really powerful. My red wind doesn't follow the rules and is immune to being erased," Sky said.
"Like the Relics. You're saying in this mode or state, whatever you call it, you're immune to existence erasure," Fire General Kai asked.
"Yes," Sky confirmed.
"I see. That's a fearsome power, but I guess the reason you don't use it often is that you could hurt your friends," Fire General Kai inferred.
"Exactly. Not just hurt, he tried to force himself upon Yumeko and Layla and apparently hates me for being weak. He tried to convince Yumeko and Layla that I'm not strong enough for them. Not only that, he wanted to kill me to gain full control. So yes, I will not let him take over again," Sky said firmly.
"Wow, that sounds terrifying. I would do anything to stop myself from hurting those close to me," Fire General Kai empathized.
"
Sky, that's not you. He's a sick and twisted version of you. You would never do something like that," Layla reassured.
"But I still have the power inside me. He's a part of me," Sky admitted.
"Don't worry about him. When the time comes, we'll find a way to deal with him," Yumeko assured.
"Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it," Sky said gratefully.
"No problem," Yumeko and Layla responded in unison.