Chapter 16 - Deterioration
Anderson was standing majestically, atop the rubble as his skills effects finished. A green crystal was rising up as the boss had been killed and he walked down to observe the expressions that he had wanted to see so badly. The expressions of fear and reverence from the people below him
He saw these usual expressions on his old party members, and turned his gaze towards the two new ones.
As soon as he looked over though, a piercing voice rang throughout the destroyed hall. "What the hell were you doing? Why did you play around and almost kill your teammate?" Rachel, the berserker that was shooting blade lights all this time had a questioning look on her face as she directly asked this question.
Anderson seemed to be surprised as if he did not expect this type of reaction at all. He looked over at Rachel in a skeptical tone and asked her. "Oh? What’s giving you the balls to talk to me like that? Were you watching the same scene as everyone else?"
Rachel defiantly replied with "Why the hell does that matter? I’m asking you, the leader of this party, why you would purposefully act negligent and try to harm your party member when you were in the position to protect them. How can they feel comfortable to hunt with you again? You’ve lost all trust, starting with me"
An incredulous expression arose on Anderson’s face as something seemed to have clicked in his mind. He gave a loud laugh as he spoke. "My goodness. I am so sorry. I seem to have not gotten my point through. If it wasn’t extremely clear from my actions and from my words, I don’t give a damn." Anderson finished with these words in a condescending tone.
Rachel didn’t stand down as she continued. "So what? Because you have a higher rank skill and are more powerful than us, that means you can choose to do whatever you want? You would endanger your party members just to get your point across? For what?"Trace the lineage of this substance back to the dawn of Nøv€lß¡n★
Another loud laughter was heard in the clearing as Anderson pushed the girl aside. And looked towards Noah. He looked him up and down and said "This entire time I’ve been trying to figure out exactly where the level of your power stands. I was not thinking correctly just keeping tabs on you and feeling you out little by little. I should have done what I’m about to do now a long time ago. Do you have an inkling of what I’m about to do right now?"
Noah looked at the man that was gradually getting red color on his body back again and calmly replied "No. I don’t know. What exactly are you about to do?"
Anderson had a cold smirk as he said, "I am about to teach you the rankings of the city. I am about to let you know that I am on top and you are on the bottom. I’m going to teach you what strength really is. Because apparently, watching me take down a ten meter tall giant was not intimidating enough."
As Noah listened to the enraged mad man’s speech. He turned his head towards his team members. There were two fully grown men that were the Knights on the party and the two women that were the mages. He looked over to them and asked "Are you guys going to do or say anything about this?"
The four of them gave him a blank stare before they shook their heads in a depressing manner and turned their faces away.
Noah shook his head as he saw this and he looked back towards Anderson who was speaking with a fully furious expression.
"Haha. I have been talking too much. Words were never my forte. I always let my strength do the talking. After my strength was registered, everybody fell in line. Now, be prepared, because you...are about to fall in line." A hazy red smoke was coming off Anderson’s body as he finished, tightened his muscles, and sprung forth
I looked at the man that was flying towards me and sighed at the complete breakdown of everything. I then casted [Arcanist’s Sphere of Protection], [Aura of Haste], [Life Essence], [Increased Penetration], [Arctic Armor] and...[Whirlwind].
My body shone iridescent colors as multiple defense and support skills were activated. I looked at Anderson and I was surprisingly calm facing him. I didn’t feel angry at him or hate him in any sort of way, I just...pitied him. Maybe this was what happened after facing the pressures of this new world and not coping well. I did not want to become someone like him in the future. My gaze seemed to have made the charging bull even more furious though, as his power seemed to increase further. But...none of it would be of any use against the current me. With a sad sigh, gales of wind surrounded my body as [Whirlwind] was fully activated and I made my move.