"Ganeer what the hell is going on!" Drake shouted.
"Nothing for your pretty little head to worry about Goldilocks. We're leaving just like Tan told us."
"Don't bullshit me! I heard what that thing said, Tan is Han Kol! We can't leave him to fight something like Marun' Dune alone!"
"And what are you going to do about it, pipsqueak? You can't even lift your own arms," Ganeer yelled back.
Attempting to leave, Ganeer also scooped up Vale who was exhausted from keeping up her buffs and healing Drake. The rest of the squad kept close. Gnobin, Kuuwei, Silvester and Norris ran in pace with the giant Ganeer, each one not even daring to look over their shoulders.
Their faces began to drain, becoming pale despite the splatter of blood and effort they were putting into fleeing.
"T-there's nothing we can do about that. Do you know what that is?!" Kuuwei stammered, "A voidling of the Primordial Titan, the World Eater, Father of the Void! Doesn't matter what name you call him, we might as well be dead already! Why the fuck is he even here?!"
"He's after Tan," Ganeer said firmly, still running as fast as he could.
There was a small break in the conversation as Drake and the others began to distance themselves from Han and the Voidling. The pair beginning to shrink in the distance.
Drake also noticed the lack of insects in the immediate vicinity. Confusing him further to the events unfolding. Even with how many they had killed, the supply the swarm provided never seemed to end.
Had the arrival of the Voidling cleared out the invading force? But could only being -that Drake couldn't even identify or perceive the power of- do such a thing?
Even if this thing could kill everything in an instant, there would be remnants of a fight. I don't even see a single corpse. It's like the swarm just turned tail and left. Drake thought.
Suddenly Ganeer skidded to a stop, his heels digging into the ground, jerking Drake from his shoulder
"What is it? Why'd we stop?!" Drake shouted, trying and failing to turn around.
Forced to use his Aura, he expanded its sphere of perception, seeing only a single person in front of them and out of his view.
"Is it Han?" he asked.
"Now where are you running off to?" a voice asked. Drake recognised it right away as the Voidling from before.
What happened to Han? Did this thing win that fight that quickly?! No, it couldn't have, if Han died here I would have never been born.
"I never said you could leave."
Drake heard the eerie voice speak once more, the sound of flesh being torn and sqeltching blood behind him as he felt two bodies hit the floor through his Aura.
"Kuuwei! Norris!" Vale screamed in horror.
Then Drake felt an immense pressure appear. Next the sound of a bomb impact next to them, Ganeer suddenly thrown backwards knocking Drake off his shoulder to the ground.
Drake groaned and slowly opened his eyes against the pain of his body as he struggled to get himself upright.
There, locked in a grapple was the Voidling and the spitting image albeit younger version of Han Kol Asura, The Grand War King of the Asurans. Drake's blood father and the one that had forced him into this Legacy Chamber.
Long golden hair, striking blood red ruby eyes, and robbed armor to match his own.
There was no doubt left in his mind, Tan was Han Kol. Tan was Drake's father and the greatest warrior the Asuran's had ever known.
"Come now little brother, I only wanted to say hello to your friends!"
"Do not dare speak to me with that face! I searched for years! Years to find him! Where-" Han growled, his body glowing red as he began to overpower the Voidling. "-Where did you kill him!?"
The Voidling smiled, its teeth a dark black making it difficult to see the expression.
"If I told you, that would ruin all the fun! And you know better than anyone that I'm not really here. I only noticed the fun happening and decided to join! Fear not, my children will be here soon enough. I want to have them grow all big and strong and nothings better than consuming a planet or two that's at war!"
Han roared, pushing the Voidling back and down into the ground, the potency of the red glow around him growing. Soon Han had the Voidling crushing the ground below it.
Releasing his grip he wound back his arm, black knuckles appearing around his fists.
"Earth Magic?!" Drake exclaimed.
Han unleashed a flurry of blows that made even Drake wince. Each one carrying enough power and force that it buried the Voidling deep within the earth by the end.
But the Voidling was the manifestation of a S-Rank being and Drake was sure that level of power wouldn't kill something like that so easily.
And unfortunately Drake was right, a moment later the Voidling appeared behind Han as if stepping from a shadow made physical, almost a tear in space itself.
Unharmed and smiling.
"How long are we going to do this Han? You know I won't kill you until you've become stronger. As you are now you couldn't even scratch this form…" the Voidling sighed visibly disappointed.
Han blurted out in rage, his black knuckles shifting and becoming two short swords, one suddenly going up in flames of black. The other in violet lightning.
"Silence! How long! How long must you torment us!? Toy with our lives for your little games?"
Han disappeared, moving faster than Drake's eyes could follow and appeared in front of the Voidling. His blades clashing with two hands adorned by black gauntlets.
The elements covering Han's weapons soon swelled and began engulfing the Voidling.
However the Voidling swung both arms extinguishing both elements. But Han was unrelenting, alreading swinging down once more.
Every swing came down with more power and speed than before, the area erupting in a mass of fire and lightning.
Then Drake noticed the other spells forming in the surroundings. Spikes of earth, spinning blades of water and small tornadoes. But the spells did not attack, left to hover mid air.
Soon Drake realised why. The fight between Han and the Voidling was at a stand still. Han unable to gain ground and the Voidling simply holding him off.
Han brought his swords down in a cross slash, the blades snapping against the Voidling's gauntlets. And without missing a beat, Han pulled a long spear of white from thin air.
He must have an inventory item that isn't affected by combat. Drake thought in amazement. It was almost as if Han had nearly everything Drake did in his skill kit.
The spear sung through the air with deadly precision, passing through the spells hovering in the surrounding and igniting with each element it cut.
Drake's eyes widened.
He's using the same technique I used, just with a different weapon. Did him watching me for just that short fight let him adapt it to his own fighting?
The Voidling was still wholly unimpressed. Fighting languidly against Han.
"You say games, but it is all just a game. It is what the system wants, it is what all Primodials want. Power beyond compare, to step over others, to fight with someone on equal footing and triumph. And most importantly, to perpetuate the system's growth by killing those people. The system endorsed even me. At least until I grew tired of taking orders. Now I'm the bad guy," Marun' Dune scoffed.
"Then fight me! There is no purpose in killing my squad," Han growled, his spear still flying furiously at the Voidling.
"I would, rather I wouldn't even be here. But sadly it is a side effect of my skill, consuming someone also means their personality. Which means I get a little erratic at times. Apologies in advance."
Marun' Dune laughed, grabbing Han's spear out of the air with both hands. The next moment pulling Han in close as he snapped the spear like a twig.
"Your brother. This, vessel. He knows everything you are about to do before you do it. We taught you after all. You should be happy I took him in, training to be the next head of the Asurans, what a poor fate to be beholden to, no?"
Han's face twisted in pure fury.
"I've heard enough. I will remove you from this plain of existence, avenging and reclaiming my brother's honor!"
Han's Aura exploded with such power it tore at the ground around him and he pulled from the air two golden gauntlets connected by chains. On each link visible in a glowing red were battles of a single man overcoming armies.
Another blast of power, this time infused with mana hit Drake and the rest of the squad forcing him to briefly shield his eyes. In the split second he took, Han and Marun' Dune vanished, reappearing locked forearm to forearm as the surroundings boomed from the impact.
The following seconds were filled with Drake doing his best to follow the fight, the two moving at a speed nearly impossible to track.
Soon a hand touched his shoulder.
"Come on Goldilocks, we're getting out of here!" Ganeer said desperately as he tried to scoop Drake up.
Drake managed to hold up a hand, pushing away the giant's.
"I can't. I won't leave until I've seen who wins."
"Are you burning crazy?! Let's get out of here while Tan has that thing distracted!" Vale chimed in.
"You four go, I'm not leaving! I can't help him, but- I have to stay and see this through. Please, I promise I'll make it back somehow."
"You heard him, he's made his own choice. I have a family to get back to, I won't stay here another second," Silvester told Ganeer and Vale, Gnobin close behind him, "Make it back Goldilocks, you and… Well, the other Goldilocks I guess."
Drake chuckled, "You're really bad at nicknames Jacob."
"That isn't my name?"
Drake smiled, keeping his attention on the fight, his Asuran blood beginning to boil.
He began hearing footsteps from behind him, the squad beginning to flee from the fight. But Drake wouldn't go. Not that his feet would carry him right now.
Suddenly feeling at odds with himself. Something deep down told him to witness the results of the fight, the pride of his lineage that he was unaware of was finally bubbling to the surface.
He could not help Han, Asuran honor dictated he allowed Han to fight Marun' Dune in one on one combat. That and the fact Asuran's received a bonus to their stats when fighting alone. And Drake could see that Han could use all the help he could get.
The fight in front of him was unlike anything he had seen. Each exchange left the area they reappeared at in shambles. Reminding Drake of anime scenes. Tree's turning into nothing but splinters. Any semblance of a rock or boulder turned to fine rubble.
Spells of every kind fired out with each throw of a punch from Han. Fire, ice, lightning, earth, even spikes of metal and vines of plants attempted to attack Marun' Dune.
But the Voidling countered and disassembled every element regardless of what it was.
Drake however noticed something. The Voidling's black smoke-like Aura was diminishing. Albeit slowly but surely it was shrinking in size and ferocity.
Han was winning. Somehow despite having every attack stopped, he was exhausting Marun' Dune.
Is this how higher ranks fight on equal terms? A battle of inches? Drake thought, trying his best to track Marun' Dune's strength every time they reappeared.
And that wasn't all. Drake suddenly noticed the red on the gold gauntlets that Han wore, were growing in brightness. As if it what was actually happening were the gauntlets converting Marun' Dune's strength into Han's.
The voidling must have also been aware of it as well. Without losing its smile, it began to fight with more ferocity. The explosions and fight reached a new fever pitch.
The force of the exchanges started to test Drake's own strength to hold himself to the ground against them.
Soon the loudest impact yet sounded, both Han and Marun' Dune separated.
"Asuran's. Always so much fun yet so troublesome," the Voidling scoffed.
The sound of blasts and explosions rang out in the distance drawing the Voidling's attention for a moment.
"It would seem my children have finally arrived. Pity… Any longer and you might have vanquished this vessel. I suppose you will just have to settle for your friends."
Drake looked on in confusion as the Voidling found the bodies of Norris and Kuuwei.
Bending down slightly, a purplish black thread moved from the Voidling's finger to the bodies. A tear in the space opening up and swallowing them whole.
Drake's eyes widened as he debated if what he saw was real or not.
The next second a tear opened up next to the Voidling, two new figures stepping out.
"Oh… Isn't that unfortunate for you. Three on one, little brother."
Drake gritted his teeth. There was no way Han would be able to fend off three at once. That was when Drake heard a voice scream at him.
"What are you doing!? Get up! My father! Our father needs us! How have you fallen so far, have you forgotten your Asuran pride?! Get up damn you! I will not stand for myself to be so weak! Find a way! Stand up!!"
His head turned seeing his younger self shouting desperately at him. Begging him to get up and continue the fight, to help his father survive the fight.
"I will not tolerate defeat! Is this where I stop!? Think about the next fight, it can not end here! You-" his younger self pointed, tears of frustration running down his face, "-You are the son of the Grand War General of the Asurans! The Prince of the ultimate warrior race! You- We! Will be the best, or we will be nothing! Now get up damn youuuu!!!!"
Drake's curled fists slammed into the ground, feeling the frustration from his younger self deep within his soul. As if they transcended space and time. In that moment they wanted the same thing.
"Who do you think you're talking to kid! I haven't given up yet, I'm not stopping now! Who the hell do you think I am!?"
His legs refusing to work, Drake had only one option. He would use his magic to make himself move. Because if nothing else he was a mage at heart.
"And to bring your imagination into reality is what being a mage is all about."
Summoning a gust of wind he lifted himself up into the air, willing a chair of earth beneath him he used his fire spells to stabilize.
Drake cackled, "Check it out I'm Professor X!"