"We need to leave before its completion. I will explain everything!" She dragged him but then came to a halt in the tunnel—a man in golden armor stood before them.
"Hello, Nyara. Long time no see!" he said casually. His face was hidden under his helmet, but Eiran could see yellow glowing eyes beneath.
"Move away!" she snarled.
"Come on. We haven't seen each other for a long time. How about a hello?"
Eiran was confused. "He knows you. Is he your enemy?"
"No, we're friends. We went to the same school together," the man answered Eiran.
"Prince Eiran, keep moving. He won't dare stop you," Nyara said hurriedly. But then the atmosphere around them changed, and a mist reached them, swirling around Eiran.
Eiran's body froze, his skin began to dry. Nyara grabbed him and dashed deeper into the tunnel.
The man had disappeared the moment the mist appeared. His goal achieved—delay Eiran within the vicinity of the forming annihilator beast.
She reached the pyramid through the underground entrance faster and entered. The mist was cut off and Eiran breathed deeply.
His dried skin returned to normal, his face scrunched in a frown. His mind recalled everything, making judgments.
"I'm sorry," Nyara said. "Someone attacked me and froze me in place. I couldn't move until the Dragon King made his move!"
"It's alright." Eiran walked forward, stepping on the stairs to reach the upper chamber. "Tell me about the beasts!"
"Yes." She was still nervous. "There are two types. Those evolved are dangerous and powerful but aren't annihilators. They have limited stamina, limited energy, and need to rest.
"Annihilator Beasts are an entirely different race. They're characterized by an Annihilation Force Core above their head. It provides them with seemingly endless energy to empower themselves, heal, and evolve. They're also incarnations of destruction—if left loose, they will continuously create havoc until they destroy everything around them. They also have ranks: Rank 1, Rank 2, up to Rank 4. Each one is more powerful than the previous.
"But the good thing is few of them can rank up. Those that can will have one Annihilation Force Core above them with an additional one of smaller size. The moment one of those is sighted, they're hunted until they're killed.
"They're all hard to kill. Even the Dragon King's fire now only destroys their physical body, but from the bone remains and some flesh, they will regenerate back to normal—supplied energy from the Core."
Eiran was thoughtful. The flames had passed close to him, but the heat didn't burn him despite the proximity. But he felt the spike of power from the gorilla as it resisted the flame for just a moment before being blasted and roasted.
"How can they be killed?" Eiran asked.
"Only Phase 2 can kill Rank 1 and above Annihilators. For some reason still not yet understood, Phase 1 cannot unless they use special weapons. Even that will only keep them down, but if another beast appears, they will be resurrected."
They reached the chamber. Food had already been delivered, but Nyara forced Eiran to wash first and soak in a special liquid. Which he did, wearing something light before digging into the food.
"So, what now?" Eiran asked.
"We fight back. We must take control of the new beast. If not, they will try to study its capabilities to counter you."
"Ah. That was the plan." Eiran was silent as she fed him the food. "That was the plan from the beginning. Not that I must kill the beast, but find my weaknesses!"
"I apologize, Your Highness. I should have seen that coming. I should have intervened once they released the second beast."
"I doubt you could have. Perhaps they already set someone to face you from the start. They didn't react because they knew you would be hesitant at that moment!"
"Still, it's my fault." She appeared almost crying. The pain on her face reflected her heart.
"You need to eat. Your strength has gone down due to your change. I need you at full power in case something—"
The chamber door swung open and a man in a black suit came in, face rigid, eyes like stone, walking with the stiffness of a robot.
"General Gerard!" Nyara Dume exclaimed, moving back and bowing slightly. Behind him was a woman in full-body red armor with a helmet that covered her face.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Dr. Gerard's voice was as grating as ever as he stared at the baby turned young boy.
The woman in red armor went ahead and knelt without a second's hesitation. "Master, I have returned."
Eiran's gaze was on the woman. The Celestial Blood Essence in her had been used up, but that had brought her to life—or the equivalent of life. Eiran didn't have a frame of reference to confirm.
"Welcome back." His voice was charming but not akin to the celestial wonder it once was.
The woman stood and remained by the side, very silent as if she never existed.
"Have something to eat!" he said to the red-armored woman. She hesitated before coming to pick up a plate and pour what she wanted, then found a quiet place at the side.
"You should have said something!" Dr. Gerard exclaimed again. If he'd known she needed food, he would have fed her.
His gaze turned to the boy and he sighed, hand on his hip, not understanding what to say. "How?" he asked.
Eiran stared at the man before beaming with a smile. "It happened." He stood, ran to his royal attire, and brought his sword. "Look!"
Eiran made some slashing movements and stabbing motions. Then his body flickered, making the same movements but in an instant.
"Marvelous!" The doctor was not impressed by those moves but by his sudden growth. "How then?"
"Don't know. Add this and that and it happens," Eiran said.
'Cough!'
Nyara Dume attracted their attention. "General Gerard, my name is Nyara Dume, Chamberlain of Prince Eiran Thorne. I have some complaints."
She didn't wait for approval and went on. "First, he has no Royal Uniform that matches him. He almost got disqualified due to lack of one. Second, there's no reasonable way to contact you in case stronger factions make a move. Third, someone should be at the first fight to prevent foul play. Please, may you rectify that in the coming events?"
Her eyes were down, but she spoke those lines with a demanding tone.
"Ah. The uniform was for a toddler, right?" Dr. Gerard asked.
"Yes."
"Well, I apologize for that. And also, knowing your reputation, that's why I didn't feel the need to be present. I also don't want to make the other candidates uncomfortable. Besides, certainly, I'm not a fan of gatherings anymore."
He said before his gaze returned to Eiran.
"I created a Blood Techniques. Do you want to see?" Eiran said excitedly.
"Impressive. Show me!" Dr. Gerard said with a smile, but Nyara's voice cut in. "Apologies, my prince." Her voice turned grave as she spoke to Dr. Gerard. "There was an incident and an annihilator—" she didn't finish when the atmosphere changed. "Quick. Follow the chamberlain and destroy that beast. Bring—"
He too didn't finish. The red-armored woman and Nyara flickered away inside the pyramid.
Dr. Gerard's face was graver as he gazed at the boy before him. His sternness melted and he sighed. "Annihilators that mark a person are extremely dangerous to deal with. Not only will they develop the potential to rank up, they will have a set of skills to counter that person. But the worst part is they will be able to track the said person from hundreds of kilometers away."
"Oh!" Eiran exclaimed, but he beamed and said, "Do you want me to show you?"
A smile tugged at the doctor's lips and he said, "Yes. Show me." He stepped aside to give the boy space. 'He feels at ease with me—that's why he's so welcoming.'
'Slice…' The blade wasn't completely unsheathed when the small palace lit up and the stone at the center of the chamber glowed. Words formed.
[Ethiopia Ruin City Gate has been Unlocked.]
[You have ten hours to reach it.]
Dr. Gerard's face became grave, his eyes snapping to the pyramid entrance where two blurs came back.
"Apologies, my prince. Prince Robin has reached the city. With him, the annihilator that was born!"
"Prince Robin?" Dr. Gerard repeated the name as he brought out a tablet and went through some lists. A sigh escaped his lips. "This is bad."
"Task me with his hunt. I can bring you his head!" the red-armored woman said to Eiran, her voice resolute.
"Hmm." Eiran threw the sword away, upset that no one wanted to see his sword skills. "I don't even know why the commotion. It's just a beast with some killer desire. Nothing dangerous."
Eiran went to his remaining food and began eating the meat there.
"Oh, Your Highness. It's just that we're worried about your well-being. That's all. Having your weakness exposed will make it easy for them to get to you!" Nyara tried to reason.
"Blah. Blah. Blah. That's not worth ignoring me," Eiran shouted.
"Well, I think we overreacted!" Nyara said. "Let me help you with the food!" She went over, took the fork, and began cutting the meat into smaller pieces and stuffing it into his mouth.
Dr. Gerard then said, "I have brought some supplies too. The most important ones are in a locked chamber, if you want to practice the advanced healing methods."
Eiran looked at him and waved dismissively. "You can leave. I'm busy now." The chamberlain pretended not to see that as she stuffed Eiran's mouth with food, knowing that man was not someone you could play with.