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Erin felt not the tiniest hint of Mana before she opened the secret door. But now, she was overwhelmed by it. The Mana wasn’t just abundant but also pure. The purity of Mana denotes the efficiency in the conjuration of spells and the usage of skills. Pure Mana was the Mana equivalent of Exalted Spirits.

The Pure Mana was not the only thing that Erin took notice of. The room, from its insipid appearance, gave off the impression that it had once been something but time and negligence had turned it into nothing worthy of note except its past.

Seeing no other way but forward, Erin stepped into the room. Contrary to her expectations, the door did not close up behind her. It stayed open.

She scoured the room. She peered at all its corners. She studied the ground closely. Nothing. She found nothing that was of any interest, save for the abnormally wet floor and the throne that was perched atop a tall dais that took a third of the room’s height.

“A throne room?” Erin muttered her guess. Aside from that grand chair, she couldn’t discern anything else that might suggest the point of this room.

As she trod deeper into the room, her Sixth Sense flared up but by then, she felt the unseen attack had drawn too close for her to react— but not for her tails. They moved to protect Erin, clad in Arcane Armour, deflecting the attack. The hard and loud clangour made it clear the means of the attack.

Erin spun around with her sword manifested. “What the hell is he?” she wondered out loud as she laid eyes on her assailant.

A man stood in front of her, naked from the waist up with only a ragged cloth wrapped around everything below his navel. His skin was blue and his hair was white. His ears were long, pointy, and fin-like. There were webs between his fingers. The nails were akin to talons.

In his hands was a three-pronged spear, a trident. The material it was made of was something called Azurite but it was clearly not the kind of Azurite Erin knew of in her former world.

“True Naga?” Erin mused, reading the information Appraisal had given her. “Level fifty-six. It’s doable but his Arcane Arts… Fucking hell.”

The list was short but just a few were already putting Erin ill at ease. She had never seen or heard half of the skills and spells the True Naga had but the names themselves were self-explanatory. Silence and Scentless, these two were the reason Erin didn’t notice the True Naga’s ambush until the last second or two.

But the most worrisome Arcane Art it had was its Unique Talent, Water Exalted. Reading the description given by Appraisal provided no comfort to Erin.

“Damn… what have I gotten myself into?” Erin sighed.

The True Naga lunged without a sound.

Erin twirled her sword and easily parried the blow. “As expected. His Spear Art is only level five after all and like many others, he’s also System dependent going by his form and the efficiency of his movements.”

The True Naga was about to lunge again but Erin stopped him with a hand raised.

“Irmin, wait!” she said. She got his name from Appraisal.

And wait, the True Naga did.

“Perchance, is there no way for us to resolve this without—”

Erin hadn’t finished speaking but the True Naga, Irmin, had already resumed his attack.

She deflected her attack once again and she went for a riposte.

However, Irmin dove past her. It would seem this was the true purpose of his lunge. Once behind her, he began casting a spell.

Erin cast a spell in response, Storm Shell.

Irmin cast a Water Javelin spell but as expected, the water spear hit the lightning barrier and a lightning bolt was shot out in return. To Erin’s amazement, he destroyed the lightning bolt with his trident.

“Alright, that’s a tad unnerving.”

Drops of water rose from the floor and converged around the True Naga’s trident.

“Oh, that’s really unnerving.”

When the Irmin thrust its trident, a torrent of water shot towards Erin in the form of a trident.

Erin clad her sword in lightning and swung down on the torrential water-moulded trident. She turned the spell back into thousands of water droplets with that single swing— perhaps she shouldn’t have. She realised her mistake when the water droplets began to glow.

The True Naga flicked his hand as if giving a command.

And Erin was enveloped in a blinding light, cast by the water droplets. In actuality, the lights were merely thousands of gleams and glitters, given off by the water droplets as they turned into lethal edges.

Irmin sighed. His tensed shoulders loosened— but only for a second. His shoulders perked up as he ducked low. A blade streaked over his head.

“And I thought my instincts were impressive,” Erin said.

“How?” Irmin asked, finally speaking, as he quickly distanced himself away from the elusive Fox-kin.

“You’re welcome to make a guess,” Erin responded in a coquettish tone, which she immediately regretted doing. “I’m so glad none of them are here right now.”

“Irrelevant,” Irmin snorted. He twirled and swung his trident. The water soaked in the floor appeared to dance along with his performance. Countless water droplets flew with the tip of the trident, slowly forming into torrents.

“What do you gain from this?” Erin asked.

“The Elevation of Astranis,” the True Naga answered and sent the water torrents rushing towards Erin.

“Astranis…” Erin mused as she swiftly dodged all of the water torrents that threatened to turn into minced meat. “The Lady of the Depth, was it?”

Irmin responded with his actions, sending another wave of water torrents Erin’s way.

She cut them all down without breaking a sweat but that was not the end of the onslaught. “That’s not fair.”

The more he danced, the more water torrents he commanded and the fiercer the water raged as if they were mirroring the True Naga’s will.

“Oh, fuck off,” Erin swore inwardly when she noticed the True Naga’s Mana pool was recovering faster than his expenditure. “Is it because of Water Exalted?”

Despite her restless state, the odds weren’t tipping against her favour. The water torrent assault continued to bombard her in a flurry but not a single attack made it past her defence. Her entrance into the realm of level sixty had cast a wide gap between her and all those below her level, due to the emergence of her sixth and seventh tail.

Perhaps seeing the futility in his current method, Irmin changed his tactic but the deviation was huge. The water torrents turned into blade-wings and flocked towards Erin.

“I do not want to fight you,” Erin said and retaliated with Lightning Barrage, striking down all of the water-blade wings.

“I do not wish to fight you either. Your death at my hand is all that I ask for.”

“And what would my death accomplish?”

“Everything.”

Erin rolled her eyes. “Look here, Irmin. I have killed plenty of people. I do not wish to kill if I don’t have to. But I will kill if I have to. This is your chance. Stand down.”

“The salvation of my people lies in your death.”

“Says who? Those relics?”

“Your kind has proven their malice time and time again throughout the course of history. Such is the prophecy and such is always the way things came to be.”

“Bollocks,” Erin scoffed. “This is beginning to feel a lot like one elaborate scheme. Tell me, do you know what a self-fulfilling prophecy is?”

Irmin arched an eyebrow but he said nothing.

“You do, don’t you?” Erin chuckled. “I see now. Maybe those relics weren’t wrong about the malice the otherworlds could bring but to label all of them as the one and the same? That’s a stretch. Clearly, the truth has been distorted, manipulated.”

“Lies,” Irmin hissed.

“Use your head, idiot.”

Irmin flinched, seemingly startled by the crude language that came out of a Fae’s lips.

“Surely you know of the consequences that come with killing a Fae, especially one that is greatly loved by the Spirits.”

“Only a cretin wouldn’t know.”

“What makes you think that your faith will be elevated upon taking my life?”

“The Ancient Guardians had promised—”

“Yes, they guaranteed that but that’s only your reward. Had they guaranteed that you would be absolutely free of any consequences that would befall you upon my demise?”

Irmin opened his mouth but no words came out.

“They didn’t, did they? They promised you a reward but they didn’t promise you an absolvement of the consequences. Let’s say before they grant you your reward, something tragic happens as a result of the consequences. And you are to be blamed for this tragedy. Your actions caused this tragedy. Using this as an excuse, they can just retract their promise with very good justifications, won’t you agree?”

“The Ancient Guardians cannot lie!”

“Perhaps, they can’t, but they don’t necessarily need to. They can simply withhold the truth and relay only a part of the whole truth.”

“Impossible!”

“Not impossible. Despicable, but possible. From all that I have heard about them, they aren’t exactly paragons of virtue, not even close.”

“Impossible… Impossible… They are not— This can’t be! You’re lying!”

“I can’t say that this is the truth but it is worth contemplating over it, no?”

“No… no… No! This cannot be the truth! It cannot be!” The True Naga’s continuous denial turned into a screech. “Not after all that I have done…” His voice trailed off.

“All that you have done?” Erin caught those dubious words. She narrowed her gaze. “What have you done?”

“What have I not done…”

At that moment, Erin understood. “How many?” she asked.

“You saw those bones… You have your answer…”

“All of them?”

Irmin laughed, deliriously, with tears streaming down his cheeks. “All of them. Children and women too…”

“And you never once stop and think about any of this?”

“I am the last of my kind. The only True Naga in this world.” Irmin had a smile but there was no happiness in that smile. “I have stopped and thought about my actions countless times, but the return of my kind is all that ever was in my mind.”

“...I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No!” Irmin snarled. “You’re not sorry. Not at all. If you are, then give me your head.”

“Do you still believe that my death can grant salvation for your kind?”

“I have come this far… I have… taken so many lives. To stop now… I will not. It’s too late. There’s no way back for me.”

“Please, don’t do this.”

“There are already hundreds of them down there… What’s one more?”

“You cannot defeat me.”

“Then, you should just kill me,” Irmin said and lunged with water swirling around him.

“Irmin, please!” Erin begged as she deflected a heavy blow and dodged another. “It does not have to be this way. You can still—”

“Save your breath, Fae. This is my resolve and I shall see it to the end.” The water enveloped him, forming an armour that covered his entire body.

“Despite knowing how dubious the arrangement is, you seek to continue down this path?”

“I have almost reached the end. To turn back now is just… folly.”

“Ah, I see. I am your last mark.”

“After you, they will grant what is promised to me.”

Erin sighed. “I said my piece. I have been merciful. I have been reasonable. So, remember, this is your choice.”

“Enough. I hate stalling.”

Erin smiled wryly. “I’m not stalling. I’m giving you one more chance.”

“I don’t need it.”

“Very well.”

Before Irmin could launch another attack, Erin disappeared from his view. When she reappeared, she was already behind him, standing yards away with her back turned to him.

“Farewell, you stubborn fool,” she bade.

Irmin frowned. As he was about to question her words, his neck suddenly felt wet. He looked down and saw blood oozing out from a slit that had formed around his neck.