Authors note:
Speaking: "…."
Thinking: '….'
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Two years later
Floor 36 { the silver forest}
Coliseum of the rukarai
Loud battle noises could be heard all over the town, and the rukarai living there already knew who was making them. Over the last two years, it had become an almost daily occurrence, Thorin sparring with the two humans who had made quite the name for themselves since their arrival.
"Clang," "shing," and "boom" were some of the sounds that could be heard. "Your aura potency has improved, brat, so go on, show me what you're capable of," the towering, silver-haired man known as Thorin commanded another silver-haired man, though much shorter. They were currently in a deadlock, Katsuki with his greatsword and Thorin with his massive warhammer.
"Don't think you've won already; after all, we're a pair!" the blue-eyed man retorted, before seeing the familiar eastern dragon made from green aura appearing out of a black ethereal mist, with Izuku riding on top of it. Preparing what looked like a green flame spell in the creature's mouth and wielding a brightly glowing green sword, he charged at the man who had already thrown the greatsword wielder aside and was preparing a counterattack.
"What do you think you're doing? I'm not through with you yet," Katsuki snarled at his opponent before conjuring his awakened manifestation, "the Hands of Time," a giant pair of clock hands made from his silver and blue aura, and then turning the hands backward. In response, Thorin's prepared counterattack was rewound, and he stood there completely unprotected.
'Nice move, Kacchan, now we'll finally beat him,' Izuku thought with a smile on his face. However, noticing the grin on his opponent's face, he wasn't as sure of their victory anymore. Before he could sense it, a lightning bolt struck him from the sky where a storm had formed, along with hearing the warlord say, "Release Recollection."
Raising his hammer, it became charged with electricity before a white beam of light struck from the sky, hitting Katsuki dead-on and causing a massive explosion in the process.
"Hahahaha, looks like I win again. So what kind of snarky comeback will I get this time?" Thorin asked the two young men lying on the ground in front of him, one charred and twitching and the other severely burned with a broken arm.
"You said you wouldn't use perf- eckkkkt weapon control," Izuku managed to say, unable to stop twitching from the amount of electricity he had been struck with. As he said this, a serpentine creature made from metallic and electric blue aura came down from the sky and started circling around the hammer user.
"I never said I wouldn't use it, I just said I'd consider it. But you two have better teamwork than you think. In a real battle, you wouldn't hold back your strongest attack against a foe, would you?" Thorin said, petting the serpent and looking at the other young man, who was weakly trying to form his awakened manifestation.
After finally succeeding, Katsuki rewound his body by a few minutes and was back to normal.
"Gahhhh, when the hell are you finally gonna give us our own divine objects? I'm sick of waiting!" Katsuki screamed in anger, trying to rip out some of his hair.
"Well, I suppose it's time. Listen up, brats. I'm officially ending your training. The two of you have a talent for wielding Aura like I've never seen before. You've learned everything I had to teach you in record-breaking time and drastically improved your overall skills and knowledge. I've got nothing left to teach you. The rest is only a matter of time and experience," the towering man said, pride visible on his face and a single tear escaping his left eye.
"But we still couldn't beat you. There has to be more you can teach us," Izuku questioned, not wanting to end his time with his master.
"Sorry, kid, but you're just so darn talented. Don't worry, I'm not gonna kick you out or anything. You'll always be welcome to return and have a good time here. After all, you've kind of grown on us," Thorin reassured him, placing a hand on both of their shoulders.
"Now, you said you were waiting for your divine objects, right? Well, we can't make them, so you'll have to do that yourselves. But I'll give you a hint and something that'll help you achieve it. Go to floor 40. There, you'll find a tribe of elf-like people who know how they can be made. If they say anything about your relationship with us, give them this scroll," he explained, handing them a brown paper scroll tied with a silver cloth.
"And how's that gonna help us, Gramps?" Katsuki asked, a bit annoyed by the cryptic explanation.
"You'll just have to find out for yourselves," the man who had been serving as their mentor for the past two years told them, waving goodbye with his other hand as he left the area, leaving the two alone.
"You wanna go?" the green-haired boy asked.
"Obviously," the silver-haired one answered without hesitation.
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One week later
Floor 40 {Elyndor}
Entrance
Opening the heavy gate, two young men emerged, currently chatting. "The bosses got kinda easy after sparring with the geezer every day. We don't even have to lift a finger anymore," the silver-haired one remarked. He was wearing one of the yukatas Thorin had given him, with his trusty greatsword strapped to his hip.
"Yeah, it kind of did. Anubis and Shira can pretty much handle it themselves now. And the fact that Anubis can extract the souls of bosses makes it even more boring," the green-haired one replied. He wore black pants, a green formal shirt rolled up at the sleeves, with a vest and tie, black gloves, and a black cylinder hat with a green strap. His grass-cutter sword was mounted diagonally on his lower back.
"Jeez, when did clearing floors get so boring? I hope getting one of those divine objects is more of a challenge, at least," Katsuki complained, punching a nearby rock and shattering it in the process.
"Well, I'm sure things will get interesting from here on. I mean, look at this floor, it's enormous," Izuku nudged his friend to look at the scenery before them. They were standing on a small island in the middle of an ocean. To the right, there was nothing but water, while to the left, a beautiful beach that led to a large forest. The trees had leaves in stunning colors, ranging from blue to green to purple. One giant tree, its trunk probably a kilometer thick, loomed with leaves spanning over ten kilometers, almost as if it connected to the sky. Above them, large floating mountains connected by vines and bridges held buildings, castles, and temples in the vast distance.
"Well, that's something. It's one heck of a floor," the blue-eyed man commented, hands behind his head as he gazed at the view.
Their admiration was short-lived, however. From the water, bubbles began to rise, and soon about ten people emerged. They were tall and thin, with elven-like ears. Their skin was smooth and faintly iridescent, like a pearl's surface, and their silver or blue hair moved fluidly as if constantly floating. Their webbed hands and feet, along with their almost-glowing blue eyes, gave them an otherworldly appearance. Some had markings on their skin resembling swirling water. Most wore similar underwater armor, but one stood out from the rest and approached them directly.
His skin was vibrant sea-green with a translucent quality, especially around his hands and arms. His hair, a wild mass of bright teal, constantly shifted as if blown by underwater currents. His piercing icy-blue eyes and the staff topped with a swirling orb of water gave him an imposing presence.
Stopping in front of them, he eyed them intensely, his hand gripping his staff. Noticing the silver-haired man's hand wandering toward his sword, the elven man spoke. "So there really was someone here. I thought it must have been a false alarm since no one has come here in ages," he said sternly, his stare unyielding.
"Well, yeah. Obviously, not every run-of-the-mill fool is gonna make it past that geezer," the blue-eyed one snarled back.
"Geezer? Are you referring to Thorin Ironfist by any chance?" the green-skinned man asked, visibly agitated, his grip on the staff tightening.
"And what if I am, seaweed?" Katsuki retorted, grinning as he unsheathed his sword.
"Then you must be eliminated! Guards, permission to kill!" the leader yelled, unleashing a powerful wave spell. The guards formed a half-circle behind him and began chanting for a water-bullet spell.
Conjuring his manifestation, a blue tiger, Katsuki got into a striking position. Before the clash could happen, Izuku snapped his fingers, summoning portals of black and green ethereal mist that absorbed the water spells and called forth Anubis in his adult form. Anubis, in turn, summoned a horde of low-level undead, along with the twin-headed dragon boss from the previous floor, intercepting the fight.
"You think a couple of skeletons can scare us? We are the proud warriors of the Lyn'ari..." the leader boasted before being interrupted by a certain blue-eyed man. "Damn it, Izuku, it was just about to get interesting! Hey, you there, seaweed, let's cont—" Katsuki was cut off as a portal under his feet sucked him in, teleporting him away.
"Well then, let's start this conversation again. My name is Izuku, and the man who'll land next to me in about half a minute is Katsuki. We're not here to fight, my partner just got bored fighting weak bosses, so he needs to cool off a bit. Your tribe isn't on good terms with the Rukarai, I assume. I think there's something you should read before making any judgments." Izuku calmly explained, retrieving a scroll from his inventory.
The elf looked skeptical at first but, driven by curiosity, reluctantly snatched the scroll. As he read it, his eyes widened in disbelief. Just as he finished, a blue blur slammed into the ground, creating a Katsuki-shaped hole.
"You calm now?" the green aura user asked nonchalantly, not even looking at the hole. Instead of a verbal response, a hand rose from the hole, flipping him off.
"Good enough. You were saying?" Izuku prompted the elf to continue.
Clearing his throat, the elf gathered his composure. "You were right. It seems I misjudged you, and I apologize. You did the right thing stopping the fight. My name is Lorian Crestfury, master of hydromancy from the Na'ari folk. It is my high honor to guide you to our capital city, Azura Reefspire."
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30 minutes later
{The Abyssal Reaches}
After 30 minutes of underwater travel, using oversized octopuses as pulling devices, to a place far from the shore of the island, a surprised group of Na'ari watched humans use incantation-less sacred arts to breathe underwater.
They arrived at the ocean tribe's capital city, Azure Reefspire. It was a stunning place as it wasn't only underwater but also above water, on the coast of a small tropical island. Above water, the buildings were made from plant materials, with hanging houses connected by bridges and beaches. Below the water is where the true beauty of Azure Reefspire lies. Entire structures are made of living coral, sculpted by the Na'ari. Glowing algae light the streets, and massive seashells serve as homes and gathering halls. The city is alive with ocean life, schools of fish swim through the streets, and dolphins or sea turtles glide lazily through the open spaces. Magically crafted water currents help the inhabitants of the city move around.
"It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like it," Izuku commented under his magical air bubble, staring at the sight before him. Katsuki, while still upset, nodded but didn't give further comments.
"Yes, I'd imagine so. Humans don't typically live underwater, do they? But let's leave exploration for a later date, you have a meeting with our leader," Lorain informed them, leading them toward the deepest point of the city, through the water currents, to the Abyssal Throne. Carved out of coral and adorned with luminescent pearls, it stood tall, with an airfield around it to allow breathing, making communication easier.
Sitting on the throne was a male Na'ari. His skin was the color of stormy seas, a deep bluish-gray with a shimmering, almost metallic sheen. His hair was long and silver, always appearing wet and flowing as though underwater. His eyes were a fierce aquamarine, sharp and focused, with a glow that could make even the largest beast scared. His body was muscular and lean, built for both combat and agility in the water, with webbed fingers and toes. He wore armor made from dark coral and shells, engraved with ancient oceanic runes, and his trident rested by his side. On his neck were markings of tentacles and ocean currents, glowing a gentle turquoise.
Stepping inside, the two swordsmen deactivated their air spell and watched as the elven mage approached the man on the throne before getting on one knee and greeting him. "My lord, I have returned from my mission, and I bring news that will surely please you," he spoke humbly.
"Then give it to me. I'm interested to know why you've brought humans here," the imposing man commanded in a serious but warm manner. Complying with his superior's demands, the green elf stood up and handed him the scroll. Opening it and reading it thoroughly, a gentle smile appeared on the man's face.
"So, he finally decided to end it. I'm glad to have him be the one doing it; otherwise, this might have taken a while longer. So, you must be the 'brats' Thorin was referring to, right? Then let me introduce myself. My name is Kaelen Tidecaller, and I'm the chief of the ocean tribe known as the Na'ari and the warlord of the entire Lyn'ari. And I owe a debt of gratitude to you," he spoke softly, leaning on his right fist and smiling gently.
"So, what did the geezer write to give us this kind of greeting? Did he blackmail you or what?" Katsuki asked rudely, still visibly annoyed at not being able to fight the mage.
"Geezer, huh? Well, I guess Thorin's gotten older. But the matters of this are irrelevant to you right now. You came here to get your hands on something, didn't you? So, what do you say we start with that?" Kaelen explained, now standing up and holding out his hand for them to take.
"Oh hell yeah! I've been waiting for this," the silver-haired swordsman excitedly stated, taking the offer rather quickly and encouraging his friend to follow.
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Authors note:
For all of those who've read this story till this point, I first of thank you for all the support you've shown. And secondly I'd like to ask a small favor of everyone reading this story, from now on at the end of every chapter void you leave a small review of the chapter with one thing that supprised you, one that you liked, one you disliked and one question. To those that comply I will respond to every review and give my thoughts to you. I appreciate every review massively and am always grateful for any criticism to improve my writing, to me any review is worth more than any powerstone you can give me.
Thanks and hope you continue enjoying the fic