The Mage Emperor, Ian Emrys Skyrune, gently carried the unconscious Kaelus out of the damaged arena. The arena floor was a disaster: a mosaic of shattered obsidian glass spikes, scorched earth, and vaporized ice.
Ian re-entered the majestic main hall where the Obsidian Phalanx and Aethon were waiting. Their guild members immediately rushed forward, concern etched on their faces as they saw Kaelus's pale, exhausted form and the residual scorch marks on his skin.
"Kaelus!" Sylva gasped, rushing to his side.
"He's fine," Ian stated calmly, handing Kaelus over to Zane and Vara. "Just completely mana-depleted. I pushed him to the absolute limit to measure his reserve and confirm his nature."
Vara immediately produced a vial of potent restoration pills, a 5 Star High Rank Stamina Replenishing pill, and a 6 Star Low Rank Mana Restoration pill. She administered the pills and held to Kaelus's lips.
"Confirm his nature?" Zane asked, his voice low and serious as he supported Kaelus.
Ian stepped back, his expression now one of profound satisfaction. "Yes, I suspected the origin of Kaelus's power, and I still have no definitive answer. But his nature and temperament exceed my expectation. So, whoever or whatever Kaelus is, as long as he's on humanity's side, I will not be his enemy."
Sylva, relieved Kaelus was breathing steadily, answered the Emperor. "We also have doubts as his party members, but as we are fighting alongside him, unnaturally, we have learned to trust each other's backs. Despite the doubts and questions in our minds, he has gained our trust completely."
"As his master in swordsmanship," Zane added, "I can say for sure that he's too innocent to be something like the Eastern Territory's monsters."
"Anyways," Ian said, his focus shifting back to the mission, "the Obsidian Phalanx mission will commence tomorrow. Morthos has already prepared your supplies and carriage for the trip. Also, you must give me an update every eight hours."
Ian brought out a rare device crafted by the Royal Court's Artificer, Soren Gremhart. He held one piece, a delicate silver orb, and offered the other, a matching orb, to Sylva.
"This is the 5 Star High Rank Twin Communication Artifact," he explained. "The 'Receiver' artifact, held by me, will receive a thirty-second voice message from the 'Sender' artifact, held by the Obsidian Phalanx."
Sylva examined the orb skeptically. "So it's not actually a real-time communication device?"
"This is just a prototype, an urgent request by me," Ian explained, a hint of impatience in his voice. "There was no time to create or experiment with a true, continuous communication artifact, so you will have to bear with this."
"It's more than enough, Mage Emperor," Zane interjected quickly, accepting the technological limitations.
"Good," Ian confirmed.
Ian then walked over to the holographic map of the Eastern Territory. "Morthos will now escort you all to the dining hall for some much-needed rest and supplies. Aethon will handle the detailed mission briefing there, but I will give you the core objective now."
"As you guys dug deeper into the Eastern Territory, you will encounter another danger like the S+ Rank monsters, and as time passes by, they might be stronger than the last encounter. The leaders of the three territories will provide support, surrounding the whole Eastern Territory as the risk of a new monster wave will certainly occur. If that happens again, there is no need for the Obsidian Phalanx to hold the monster wave; just focus on your mission. The information you gave us in stopping the psychic link is enough for us to stop it without your help."
He stabbed his staff at the innermost point of the map, the location of the Dragon's Cave.
"Your goal is to reach the nexus point, the Dragon's Cave, and determine two things: First, is the barrier truly gone? And Second, what happened to the last Dragon of Mythos that was stationed there? If the barrier is truly gone, the Players of Atlas will soon flood Terra. Knowing the extent of the damage is our only chance to mobilize a full, coordinated defense before it's too late."
Ian took a deep, heavy breath, his gaze sweeping over the guild members. His voice dropped to a level of cold, final command.
"And finally, I will give another mission for the Obsidian Phalanx, an unreasonable one. I believe that your primary mission will be resolved by Kaelus. And it is good that Kaelus didn't hear this."
He stared at the collective group, his voice echoing the highest authority in the land.
"If the Obsidian Phalanx encounters a life-threatening situation, prioritize Kaelus's life, even if the whole Obsidian Phalanx will die as a result."
The members of the Obsidian Phalanx were silent, absorbing the shocking, impossible command. But instead of showing dismay or surprise, a quiet resolve settled over them.
"Do not worry, Mage Emperor," Sylva said, her voice firm. "We will do everything for this mission."
"This is the most exciting adventure of my life!" Zathis declared, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"If the Mage Emperor said we'll die, we will die," Grund stated simply.
"Definitely," Vara agreed, nodding sharply.
Jian nodded in silent agreement.
"Right!" Kaelan echoed.
Zane placed his hand on the unconscious Kaelus's shoulder, looking directly at the Emperor. "Let's go, guys! We, the Obsidian Phalanx, will die for this continent."
The Emperor then turned to his advisor. "Morthos."
Morthos stepped forward, carrying a cushion upon which rested a dark, pulsating object. The sheer energy emanating from it indicated a chaotic mana fluctuation of SS+ Rank Water Elemental energy.
"This is the one I killed in my early years as Mage Emperor," Ian explained, his eyes fixed on the object. "An SS+ Rank Scaled Hydra's monster core. Please give this to Kaelus. I feel like he needs this one."
Zane frowned. "He didn't manifest Earth or Fire after absorbing the S+ monster cores. I think even if he is capable of absorbing this SS+ Rank monster core of Scaled Hydra, I believe he can't manifest a Water element either."
Ian responded, "This is an experiment on my part. I believe there will be a transformation after he absorbs this. Also, I feel like, during our battle, the Fire and Earth elements are still inside Kaelus; they just need a catalyst or something. As for what that catalyst is, I don't know."
The Emperor offered the core to Sylva. "Carry this safely. He needs to consume it when he wakes up."
"The Elven Kingdom will provide swift ground transport to the border," Ian concluded. "You leave at dawn."
The meeting ended. Zathis gently hoisted the still-unconscious Kaelus onto his back, and the team followed Aethon and Morthos out of the Grand Hall, eventually entering a waiting carriage.
Just as the carriage began to pull away from the Magic Court, Kaelus stirred and slowly opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" Kaelus murmured, his voice groggy.
Zane, seated across from him, smiled in relief. "We just left the Magic Court, headed for the Eastern border. How are you?"
"Just a little dizzy," Kaelus replied, rubbing his temples. Unintentionally, Kaelus's focus drifted inward. He noticed that his monster core felt slightly stronger, and the purity of his mana had become more potent. It was like a breaking of muscle fiber to produce more muscle to become much stronger.
"I'm better," Kaelus confirmed aloud. Then, he remembered his purpose. "What time is the meetup for tomorrow's mission?"
"At dawn, why?" Sylva asked.
"I need my sword and armor," Kaelus stated firmly. "I will visit Mr. Grolnuk first, and then we'll meet up at dawn."