Chapter 176: Training Program: 12 [I Will Annihilate Your Existence]
"...."
Silence prevailed in the black bloody place.....except,
'step, step'
'Drip, Drip'
Eli walked through the dark, bloody place, his footsteps echoing in the eerie silence.
Drips of black blood fell from his shoes, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
He observed Celestria and Ember, 'They are Evolving' he thought.
During the battle, he noticed the weapons drawing out the mana he had stored in his body, although it was a minuscule amount....It never happened before.
Eli also found it intriguing that the black Faunmia, which were tough to cut through with his strength, had been easily sliced apart.
He hypothesized that the dark mana released by his weapons might weaken the monsters' dark mana, but he wasn't entirely sure. He considered the other possibility that the second form strengthened his physical abilities beyond those of a typical Domain Realm Cultivator, allowing him to cut through the creatures more easily.
Eli couldn't help but wonder about the mysteries surrounding Celestria, Ember, and.....Lilith.
Putting aside the weapons, Eli took the sack and moved towards Arlyne's group.
'Slck'
Eli put the bloodied sack down before Arlyne's group.
"T-th-that's m-my brother," Arlyne muttered, her eyes filled with lifelessness.
He wasn't sure what he heard but looking at her lifeless eyes and others' eyes beyond disbelief.....awkward laugh left his mouth and asked,
"haha....I'll help you, but first, heal me"
Eli's impatience was palpable; he didn't want to prolong this situation any further. His main goal was to finish this fucking, maddening, unending dungeon.
Arlyne's anger surged as she grabbed Eli's collar, her frustration evident,
"You heartless bastard! That's MY BROTHER....How dare you---"
"..." Eli remained silent, studying her for a moment before sighing,
"I'm sorry, but my ears were damaged....So, I can't hear anything".
His explanation left everyone in the group bewildered, unable to make sense of the situation.
Eli didn't want them to uncover his deceit, so he requested healing in general before, rather than specifying his hearing issue.
However, after seeing them coming to help him, Eli thought maybe they were good... not realizing that some in the group were forced to follow.
Arlyne stared at his red ruby eyes before backing off and letting Kira step forward,
/Heal/
Eli was enveloped in a brilliant white light,
"ssshhh--ttrrrrr--drrr--drip, drip--'inhale', 'Exhale'"
The healing energy surged through him, Eli's senses gradually returned, his ears slowly picking up the sounds of the world around him.
"OOOHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Then, an exuberant shout burst from Eli's lips, startling everyone around. Kira stumbled back in surprise when she heard his joyful exclamation.
"I CAN HEAR!!"
Eli's triumphant voice echoed through the chamber, and he cupped his ears in delight. With a theatrical flourish, he continued, "My dear ear, I am sorry I missed you so much....without you, I feel like the world of silence....without you, I feel like I'm in the world of loneliness...."
As Eli recited an unusual poem? The others gazed at him with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement, while Kyra watched with an enigmatic smile.
Only the deaf truly understand what silence means.
"Deep Breath"
Calming down,
"Thank you, Ms. Ki-Ky--Saintess" Eli, who was about to say her name, immediately got confused.
"...ppffttt...haha" Kira, who wore a blindfold, burst into laughter.
She then corrected him with her name, "My name is Kira Chola, Mr. Asher Eli"
Eli, still slightly confused, explained his mix-up,
"I know Ms. Kira...it's just both of your names sound the same to me" Eli pointed at Kyra, trying to justify his mistake.
"Hehe..." Kira simply giggled, and she was about to say something, but she was pulled away by Kyra, who had aurora night sky eyes.
Eli glanced at Kyra with a curious tilt of his head.
"Help him" Kyra said with a wry look.
Eli squinted his eyes, trying to discern her intentions. Nonetheless, he brushed it off and turned his attention to a sack.
"Good" Theo muttered quietly when he noticed Kyra's action.
Eli crouched down, about to open the sack. However, he paused and looked at Arlyne's group before asking,
"Before that--"
But before he could finish his sentence, Simon interrupted him, his frustration evident,
"We helped you and in return just help him and get the fuck out of here, nothing more" Simon stated firmly.
Eli directed his gaze at the blue-haired man, then disregarded him and inquired,
"How do you know I have the cure?"
Initially, Eli had approached them, taking advantage of their disorientation.
He had pretended to assist them in hopes of being healed by the Saintesses.....it's not like they knew his directionless sense, right?
He wasn't exploiting them...nope, he never did it.....That's what he told himself.
'But it seems they approached me to get the antidote' Eli thought as his eyes scrutinized the group.
"You fuc--"
"Simon"
Theo interjected firmly before Simon could curse at Eli.
Simon hesitated and ultimately swallowed his words.
"Kira said you had.....now cure him," Theo said plainly, not delving deeper into the matter.
Eli's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed the hint of command in Theo's tone....He then turned his gaze towards the blindfolded, pink-haired girl.
"Tell me how many fingers I am showing?" Eli asked, holding up four fingers.
"What the hell...?" The situation irked both Arlyne and Theo.
Kira giggled like a little girl and replied,
"Hehehe....I am sorry, but I cannot see"
"Is that so...." Eli said, still harbouring some doubts.
'Well, whatever' He shrugged and removed the sack, revealing a battered boy with yellow-golden hair. The boy was gagging heavily, his hands and legs cuffed behind him. His eyes had sclera showing, and his face was covered in blisters and blood....
Observing the heart-wrenching scene,
"Bro-ther" Arlyne's eyes welled up with tears.
Eli couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt, 'Ah, maybe I shouldn't have played it so roughly' he thought.
"...Just out of curiosity, why have you decided to torture him instead of sending him out?" Eli inquired with a genuinely curious expression. From his perspective, it appeared as if they were subjecting the boy to torture.
"Just do what you asked" Simon interjected.
Eli sighed and looked at the group,
"Well, your team and you are responsible. It's not like I'm in the right place to say anything" he mumbled and inwardly adding, 'If I have the chance, I'd like to give this same treatment to that Damn Hero'.
Eli proceeded to remove the gagging ball and cuffs from Oliver.
"Brother" Arlyne watched her brother, who was attempting to stand on his own, wobbling like a drunken man.
"I-I a-am sorry, A-Arlyne" Oliver croaked, his voice hoarse, although his eyes had yet to return to normal.
Eli then took out two vials, one containing a dark grey liquid and the other a green, sticky substance.
Kyra and Kira looked at the vials curiously, eager to understand their purpose.
Theo and Simon exchanged curious glances, wondering how Eli, a mortal, could possess something that a Saintess couldn't cure. It was a revelation beyond anything they had heard thus far.
Eli was just about to hand the vials to Arlyne when suddenly,
"BROTHER!!"
"ggrrrrrooooo"
Oliver, seemingly losing his senses again, lunged at Eli.
However, Eli swiftly dodged the erratic advance, his expression remaining indifferent.
"ggrrrrr"
Oliver smiled with horniness....which greatly irked Eli.
"Aa" In a low, threatening tone,
"If you look at me like that...I.will.annihilate.your.existence" Eli's voice was laced with a chilling intensity as a surge of killing intent emanated from him.
The trauma from that fateful night still haunted him, and its echoes were evident in his menacing words....Pitiful man.
Eli's pupils momentarily glowed pink, before returning to their usual state.
"rrr-Huh?" Oliver's eyes reverted to normal, and he gaped at Eli in dumbfounded disbelief.
Arlyne, Theo, and Simon had their eyes wide open, equally stunned by the sudden transformation.
'That's all it takes for him to return to normal!!!' Simon couldn't help but scream inwardly, haunted by the memory of his own past actions that he desperately wished to erase.
'Not only that, I was kissed by the brother of the girl I love' Simon muttered, his gaze lifeless as he looked at Eli, his thoughts filled with resentment.
'It's all because of this damn bastard....You should have come before.....If you were there, everything should have been fine... rrrrrruuu—I fucking hate this filth' Simon thought unreasonably.
"Here" Eli offered the dark grey liquid first.
"Drink it" Eli commanded, rather than requested.
"....Okay" Oliver responded, a little bewildered by the situation. However, he understood that Eli was trying to help, so he drank it after getting the nod from Kyra.
'gulp'
His mind began to clear, and he exclaimed, "Wow, I feel like I drank an energy potion".
"Brother?" Arlyne approached him with a worried tone.
"Don't worry, I am fine" Oliver reassured her with a smile, but then...
"PUUFFFFF"
"W-Why?" Oliver crouched down, clutching his crotch and wriggling in pain.
His face contorted in agony, and Theo, Simon and even Eli instinctively covered their own groins.
'That must be one hell of a kick' Eli couldn't help but feel pity for Oliver.
"Hmph" Arlyne just hmphed and responded with annoyance, "That's for your carelessness and inappropriate action"
"I-I-Iam zzzoorryy" Oliver stammered in pain.
Ignoring his screams, Arlyne turned to Eli, her eyes curious as he held a green sticky liquid bottle in his hand.
"What's that?" Arlyne asked.
"Well, it's for the body" Eli replied casually.
"Oh!" Kira exclaimed with curiosity, "Should we have to apply it to his body?"
Eli turned his gaze towards the struggling Oliver 'A Man', who was trying to stand up without causing any more embarrassment.
"No, it's for drinking... only for drinking, nothing more," Eli said with sudden seriousness.
Kira tilted her head, noticing the change in Eli's tone, and felt an odd sensation.
Upon hearing this, Oliver's eyes brightened, and he stood up and accepted the bottle from Eli to examine it more closely.
"Why does it look sticky and green?" Oliver questioned, noticing the unusual texture.
"It's made of jelly" Eli offered a fabricated explanation.
"...." Oliver squinted his eyes and asked further, "What kind of jel---ppp---gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp"
However, before Oliver could react further, Eli swiftly snatched the bottle from his hand, cupped Oliver's mouth, and forcefully inserted the bottle's opening into Oliver's mouth. The suddenness of the action left everyone in shock.
'pop'
"-ha-ha-Wh-at-ha-hell-ma-ha-man?....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaraarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr"