Chapter: 121
Aniks Griza.
The firstborn of the Griza family, destined to lead Staron.
In the future, he would be known as the ‘Archery Master’ and become a pivotal figure among the Three Heroes.
Yet, at this moment, he was swallowing a dry laugh over the choice he made.
Facing down a monstrous foe, he was stalling for three minutes alongside the Double-Fold members.
And trusting nothing but the uncertain skills of one person.
That person was none other than Kraush.
In reality, it could be said that the lives of the entire Double-Fold team depended on him.
If Kraush failed, the team would exhaust their strength trying to buy time and would be unable to flee, leading to their annihilation.
If they were lucky, perhaps a few might survive.
‘The rational choice I’m making…’
Who would have thought he’d end up making such decisions?
Aniks recalled the events of that day.
Two years ago at the Sanctuary of Stars.
The day he fell victim to a boy’s all-out strike during their meeting at the Ara-Long Pavilion.
Boom!
“Aniks!”
At that moment, Elfin’s desperate voice echoed and Decarabia’s four arms stretched downward.
From those four arms, tentacle clusters poured forth.
Each tentacle, bearing its curses, aimed straight for the Double-Fold members.
Angered by Kraush’s disappearance, it unleashed a massive assault to locate him.
Seeing this, Aniks immediately slammed his foot onto the wooden floor.
In that instant, his Recovery and Wood Sky Technique intertwined, causing trees to swirl upward like shields.
Thud, thud, thud!
As the tentacle clusters collided with the trees, their elasticity failed under pressure.
An unpleasant sound resonated from above as they met.
However, he couldn’t block the four fists that followed.
Snap!
The strengthened trees buckled under a single blow.
Through the gap, Decarabia reached out again.
But Aniks wasn’t alone this time.
The Double-Fold members jumped in unison, unleashed their individual attacks toward the stretched-out arms.
Slash, thud!
Without a mage, they couldn’t execute a large-scale barrage.
For that reason, their strikes only managed to leave minor scratches on the tentacles.
However, that was enough to provoke Decarabia’s wrath.
“Graaaargh!”
Roaring like a bug repulsed by its own biting, Decarabia wildly swung its arms.
Aniks immediately created makeshift platforms and yanked his members away before their fists could land.
“Ugh.”
Perhaps due to the repeated actions, Aniks felt a severe drain on his aura as fatigue surged.
But he bit his lip and forced himself to endure.
He broke into a cold sweat while continuing to support the Double-Fold team.
The way he was pushing himself was something he would never have done ordinarily.
But without him, no one here would survive.
The throbbing headaches plagued Aniks.
Yet, he ignored the pain and pushed the Wood Sky Technique even further.
This behavior was strikingly reminiscent of someone else.
Aniks clearly envisioned that singular figure.
A boy his age who would burn himself out to surpass his limits in all endeavors.
And someone who would soon be trampled upon in comparison to the star Charlotte.
Kraush.
Aniks had been showered with praise since birth.
As the firstborn of the Griza family, he possessed natural talent.
Once he made a pact with the divine, Aniks’ life had been nothing short of miraculous.
No one could belittle him; in fact, they sought to curry favor with him.
It was no wonder that the princess of Staron became infatuated with him and followed him around.
However, that day.
Aniks came face to face with someone who negated all his achievements.
Not a small fake star like himself.
An overwhelming star that outshone even Staron and the world itself.
Charlotte Valhaim.
The first time he met Charlotte at the Sanctuary of Stars, she was beautiful.
Her unique gaze contained an arrogance and nobility that was unmatched.
Such qualities weren’t for everyone.
They were privileges granted only to the strong.
Thus, Aniks grew intrigued by Charlotte.
He wondered just how far this fellow genius, who was said to be like him, could go.
And he ventured to touch a Pandora’s box he shouldn’t have.
Aniks couldn’t do anything against Charlotte.
His once-prided Wood Sky Technique crumbled at the strike of her sword, and he couldn’t even track her movement with his eyes.
All he felt when he regained consciousness was the pain radiating from his face.
That’s because he had been smashed face-first into the blade.
“What a disaster. They say Valheim is a den of disasters, and it seems to be true.”
Elfin, one of the Three Heroes who had also been defeated, swallowed a dry laugh as he cradled his broken arm.
“Wow, she’s really strong! I want a rematch!”
And Balak, another hero, showed spirit even with two shattered legs.
But Aniks was different.
He couldn’t carry the pure respect and acknowledgment like Elfin.
Nor could he harbor the longing for strength and pride like Balak.
Aniks, who had reigned at the pinnacle in the Sanctuary of Stars, was reduced to nothing when compared to Charlotte.
Had he even matched her in battle, that would be one thing.
But he had faced unrestrained brutality.
It felt like all the pride and self-esteem he had built up to that moment were shattered.
From that point on, Aniks began to cut back on his training time.
It was only natural.
No matter how hard he tried for a lifetime, Charlotte would surpass him in a single step.
Spending a lifetime in her shadow, the stigma of merely being second best would cling to him.
For someone who had always lived as the best, that realization was unbearable.
Thus, Aniks let it go.
Instead of desperately chasing after, it felt better to simply exist.
Yet still, he couldn’t take his eyes off Charlotte.
He knew that the more he looked, the more he would blind himself.
Yet every day, he found himself observing things about Charlotte.
He was aware that roses had thorns, but Aniks kept reaching out to the rose.
Then one day.
A figure entered Aniks’ view.
It was none other than Charlotte’s younger brother, Kraush Valhaim.
Seeing Kraush, what Aniks felt was mere curiosity.
‘I wonder how Charlotte’s younger brother measures up?’
Because he had also heard rumors that Kraush was the “fool” of the family.
So, he made a simple provocation.
How would he handle living in the shadow of a giant star like Charlotte?
And then.
Aniks witnessed a sword cleaving through the sky.
An all-consuming resolve to take down his opponent, no matter the cost.
The Kraush Aniks had encountered was indeed a fool.
Lacking skill and far from rivaling a genius.
Given his upbringing in the Valhaim family, he could be considered a failure without question.
And every moment of Kraush’s life was surely riddled with comparisons to his sister.
With her as his only blood relative, he was destined to live forever in her brilliance.
Far behind in comparison to Aniks, who came from a different family.
But there wasn’t a shred of despair in Kraush’s eyes.
He was solely focused on the path ahead.
As if even spending time comparing himself to Charlotte was a waste.
He began to shatter the destiny of being labeled a fool by his own hand.
The steel he hammered endlessly and relentlessly resembled it.
And with Kraush, Aniks was bygone in an outright defeat.
He felt he had no chance at confronting Kraush’s strike.
But why?
Aniks somehow began training again.
Watching Kraush, who had endured under Charlotte’s head, refusing to give up, sparked a thought in him.
Maybe it wasn’t time for him to give up yet.
There was also an embarrassment to consider.
Having once been hailed as one of the Three Heroes, to have been crushed before siblings twice was quite a thought.
For the sake of shattered self-esteem, he began training again.
Amidst this, news of Kraush reached his ears.
The resolve he showcased that day was no fluke.
Kraush kept causing a stir enough to rattle the whole of Staron.
Every time he heard this, Aniks’ concentration surged stronger.
“Kraush hasn’t given up!”
With that realization, he found himself refusing to accept failure.
And the moment he saw Kraush again at the entrance ceremony.
Kraush achieved the remarkable feat of defeating Professor Kairan.
Somehow, witnessing that scene made a smile and a competitive spirit surface on Aniks’ face.
“If you can reach that point, then I can too!”
And now, here he was.
Demonstrating that years of training were not in vain.
Alongside the Double-Fold members, Aniks stood firm against Decarabia.
‘Why is that?’
Every time he hit a wall, his concentration climbed higher.
He had no intention of allowing even one to perish, and so his focus surged toward new heights.
That’s what genius was.
At those moments of crisis, nearing their limits, they would leap forward once more to surpass those limits.
Such individuals truly deserved the title of genius.
And Aniks had also risen to that status of genius.
Aniks’ Wood Sky Technique began to craft itself with greater precision.
As Decarabia started feeling Aniks’ presence more intensely, his technique firmly constricted the creature.
“Elfin!”
“On it!”
Gasping for breath, Elfin soared up with her feather-like body and blocked one of Decarabia’s arms.
With Aniks’ extreme focus, he lost track of how much time was left.
“Ugh!”
Amidst all this, a member exposed to Decarabia’s poisonous tentacle fell.
Aniks immediately snatched the member up with a branch before securing him against the wall for protection.
The members of Double-Fold were perpetually dwindling.
Retirees kept increasing.
With each passing moment, Aniks felt the losses weighing heavier.
Then came the moment.
Decarabia, perhaps feeling cornered, opened its mouth wide.
Bright beams of light began swirling within.
At the sight of that, Aniks felt chills run down his spine.
This is dangerous.
If that hit directly, not only would their time be wasted, it would be the end.
“Everyone, retreat!”
Thus, Aniks forcibly urged his Wood Sky Technique upward.
Rumble!
From behind Aniks, a colossal arm and body soared upward.
A tree giant emerged, matching Decarabia in size.
Wood Sky Technique (木天菿式)
Five Forms (五式)
Wood Sky Giant (木天巨人)
Aniks grasped his throbbing head and extended the Wood Sky Giant to reach out.
Then, the Wood Sky Giant, unified with Aniks, swung its arm powerfully in response to his fist.
Boom!
The colossal fist of the Wood Sky Giant struck Decarabia’s face.
Bang!
In an instant, Decarabia hadn’t reacted in time, and its beam of light was severed.
“Just as expected, Aniks!”
“Block it again! Not much time left!”
At that moment of relief, believing all was well, Decarabia began to unleash the light beam thought to have disappeared from its mouth.
“Not again!”
Aniks’ attempt to block came too late.
A flash of light blinked above the ceiling.
Those caught in its radiance soared into the air, and the Wood Sky Giant crumbled.
Naturally, the Double-Fold members beneath were swept away by the shock.
They were left dazed.
Even Elfin lost her fighting spirit momentarily, as Decarabia’s flash was lethal enough to take everyone down.
Yet, in front of them.
The towering trees piled in mad layers rose high above.
The endlessly accumulating wooden walls wrapped tightly and continuously around the ceiling.
Wood Sky Technique (木天菿式)
Three Forms (三式)
Wood Sky Wall (木天長壁)
The speed at which the trees grew now surpassed anything Aniks had shown so far.
Blood trickled from Aniks’ nose.
Due to the excessive use of aura, his eyes were bloodshot.
Yet, Aniks poured every last ounce of his aura into that wall.
Boom!
At last, the flashing beam descended upon the Wood Sky Wall he had erected.
The light shattered against the wall.
However, the wall continued to stand strong.
The pouring recovery kept the trees growing, continuously expanding the unending barrier.
In a way, it was an infinite wall that kept blocking the path of the oncoming flash.
Splatter!
Blood leaked from Aniks’ mouth.
His body trembled as he surpassed breaking point.
The shockwaves threatened to knock him unconscious at any moment.
However, Aniks’ Wood Sky Wall showed no sign of failing.
Crash!
And in the end, Decarabia’s light beam was extinguished first.
Seeing the flickering light cease, hope arose in the faces of the Double-Fold members.
Aniks, who had poured it all into the barrier, knelt down onto the wooden floor.
He had virtually exhausted his aura.
Boom!
At that moment, something landed heavily onto the now crumbled wooden wall.
Decarabia’s face became visible through the wreckage of the wooden wall.
Everyone’s faces drained of color.
Aniks’ all-out attempt to block had merely been one of Decarabia’s attacks.
So at that moment, the eyes of the others began to fill with despair.
“Three minutes!”
Elfin shouted.
Flap!
The wind whipped through.
And within that gust,
Two figures descended with hair billowing in the wind.
One of them was a boy with dark blue hair.
The other was a girl with a mix of black and violet locks.
Their clothes fluttered while remnants of black flames danced wildly around them.
The heat radiating from them felt intensely fierce, even from a distance.
Through those black flames, Kraush’s eyes shone brightly.
Seeing that made Aniks sigh in relief, finally feeling the weight lift off his shoulders.
He knew he had fulfilled his role.
“Kraush, unleash your full power!”
As Aniks spoke, he sank to his knees.
Warily, Decarabia sensed a danger and lifted its head.
But it was already too late.
The sheath enveloping Kraush’s sword shattered amidst lightning flames.
“Graaargh!”
As Decarabia screeched, extending its hand,
The black flames finally unleashed themselves upon the world, bolstered by Aniks’ relentless resolve.
Inferno Erosion (滅火浸蝕)
Three Forms (三式)
Inferno Sky Thunder (滅火天雷)
The storm of black flames engulfed the plaza.
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