Omega Ascension System[BL]-Chapter 273: _Radio Silence

Elian’s POV

*****

[Alright—tactics on battling a witch who’s at least a transcendent core mage: (1) You don’t. Not at this level. (2) Run as you’ve never done before!]

Elian ignored the system, creating one force bubble after another and teleporting Lucian and himself out of Amara’s wrath.

At the same time, he tried to forget an odd feeling he had. Deep inside him.

After he healed Lucian and the High Matron appeared to ruin the moment, he felt something. A shift that disoriented him and his connection to Kyren’s necklace—which was already running out of juice.

’I know scanning powerful energy sources is difficult for you—’

[If only you’d complete the mission to level up your mana core from... Ooops. I got carried away for a second there.]

Elian frowned at the same moment that he and Lucian got to what seemed close to the very edge of the city. He watched a crystal tower flickering with fading runes before crumbling into shards, plummeting to the ground with all the screaming people inside.

His heart stuttered.

The city was literally falling apart around them. Not because of Kyren’s battle against the others. But because the High Matron had ordered a whopping thirty per cent of the city’s power supply channelled into protecting the Obsidian tower.

Which she wasn’t even in at the moment.

He wanted to scream, or cry, or call Kyren’s name—but the world refused to stop falling apart. To give him even a second to think.

"So this is our life now?" Lucian asked, panting with frustration. "Teleporting around the city aimlessly just to escape that... That—"

Words died in his throat when a sonic screech boomed through the clouds above them.

Elian raised his head, squinting when the dark red clouds darkened even more before parting. A stream of sunlight shot out of the parted clouds.

[DING! DING! Congratulations, fruitcake! You’ve completed your main mission: Finding a way to push your mana core to the Intermediate level. All thanks to the mana from Kyren’s necklace.]

He glanced briefly at the ruby necklace. A sudden gust of wind blew strands of his blonde white hair over his face.

[Reward as promised: System upgrade. The system will now undergo a mandatory upgrade. It should take twenty minutes—during which time, you’ll have no access to me.]

Elian’s heart dropped to his stomach so hard he thought it might plop out of his ass.

WHAT?!

’The fuck do you mean—’

"Elian!" Lucian grabbed his wrist, snapping him out of it just in time to see what awaited them in the clouds:

A giant black bird, crimson fire blazing on its wings which had a combined span of fifty meters. Its eyes glowed like blood orbs, its jagged beak opened as it swooshed at a speed that broke the sound barrier.

"Fuck!" Elian clawed desperately at whatever mana was left in Kyren’s necklace.

But he couldn’t do anything on time.

Fortunately, Lucian came in clutch, stepping forward. The Alpha Prince’s arms crossed in an "x" over his head, creating a large force bubble of pure silver white energy.

BOOM!

The next second, the black bird crashed onto the force bubble—shattering it on impact. Elian and Lucian got pushed backwards by several meters, light, dust and bursts of wind hitting them like bullets.

Time seemingly froze as he and Lucian flew through the air. The black bird—Amara—was still on the move, screech rattling the air like lightning. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Elian’s head turned to a nearby crystal tower. Its runes flickered from the base all the way to the top before collapsing. Crystallised glass windows shattered. People fell to what seemed like certain doom.

Some managed to save themselves and a few others with magic—the rest didn’t have that luxury.

But where most saw chaos... Elian saw a weapon.

He reacted fast, eyes glowing with a final burst of crimson. A flash of light surrounded him and Lucian, teleporting them to the rooftop of another building two hundred meters behind the black bird.

Simultaneously, an invisible force held the crumbling building in place, as well as the people screaming for help as they fell. With a grunt, Elian sent every last one of the Arcadians to a separate building.

Then the crumbling building twisted, forming a giant crystal spear tens of meters high that shot straight at the black bird.

"Ugh." Elian fell to his knees on the new building.

Forced breaths left his lips, the last sparks of Kyren’s magic in the necklace fading away. At the same moment, Amara cried out after getting pierced through the right wing by the crystal spear.

"Elian!" Lucian grabbed him before he could collapse further, placing one palm on his chest. "You’re heating up. Literally."

Elian’s cheeks flushed, heart beating quickly. If the system were available right now, it would’ve praised his magic skills or dragged him in the most sarcastic way possible.

But now? His mind was radio silent.

"The timer or whatever from the necklace has finally worn off." Elian tried standing properly, tempted to lean on Lucian’s shoulder. "Which means—"

A sudden sharp pain in his right arm caused Elian to yelp. He fell into Lucian’s grasp, burying his face on his shoulder.

The pain was insurmountable. As if his arm had been—

"By the gods..." Lucian exclaimed. "Your... Your arm..."

It was at that point that Elian took a look at his right arm. When he did, a shiver crawled down his spine.

A bloody gash, as if something sharp had ripped right through his bone and skin, stretched from his upper arm to just above his wrist. The fabric on his arm was torn to shreds.

"What in the—"

"Won’t it have been pathetic for the High Matron herself to fall because of some parlour trick?" That silvery voice echoed, chiming like bells of death.

Amara materialised a few metres to their left. Her hood was lowered now, revealing her beautiful face and blood red lipstick.

And on her right arm—there was an injury. Fresh. Gory. Just like the one Elian had.

Yet it healed up before their eyes, her fingers glowing as thick storm clouds swirled around the city.

"A true transcendent level witch always has contingencies under their contingency." She took two steps forward, forcing Lucian and Elian to back away.

The Alpha Prince’s right fist flared with silver which he pointed at her.

She scoffed. "We all remember how that ended last time, son of the Stormborns. Don’t make this any more complicated."

This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be how she inevitably captured him.

’Come on, system!’ he opened the notification bar but it still showed that annoying message.

[System updating... 14% complete. Please, stand by.]

Fuck!

"What are you doing to Elian?!" Lucian refused to back down. To give up. "How does he have the same injury you have?"

Amara didn’t answer him. Instead, her lips curved into a cruel smirk.

"Maybe you’ll find out... After joining your father." She stretched out her palms, about to cast a spell Elian was sure Lucian wouldn’t survive.

The air went still. Until—

"MOTHER!" A roar thundered, sending shockwaves that cracked the glass on several buildings and forced Elian to squint as they struggled to stay stable.

He whipped his head to the horizon behind the High Matron—whose expression paled instantly.

Because blazing through the sky, heading toward them like a meteor given rage, was the only being who seemed to slightly intimidate her.

Her own son.

"Lay a finger on my mate and I’ll make Arcadia the new Dark Lands!"