[Access to information not granted.]
"Hearing the same thing over and over again is annoying. Can you let me know how I can get access to the information stored in you?" Rudra asked.
[To unlock all the information and locked functions, collect more fragments and become more powerful.]
"Fragments? You mean there are more pieces of you scattered around the world? Just how many more do I need to gather?"
[Information access denied. The host needs to get stronger to know more.]
"...." Rudra opened his mouth to inquire more; however, listening to the last message, he didn't even bother asking.
[Brace yourself, time is going to start once more. The host is very weak to handle the backlash. According to my calculations, the danger to the host is medium. I will shield the host from the impact; the host may still lose consciousness.]
Rudra was instantly confused. "What do you mean? I am going to lose concio....ous....." mid sentence, he lost his consciousness.
*****
"Well, first give me the tear. I will think about saving lives after I get my hands on that thin...." The masked man paused mid-sentence. 'What just happened? Why do I feel so weird?' asked the masked man to himself. He wasn't the only one who felt the same as him; a few of the others felt the same sensation as him.
Only a few were feeling strange; most of the people seemed unaffected. It was only a few of the powerful people who could tell something was different. Maria was no different; however, her focus was on something completely different.
'What just happened? I am sure I just felt Rudra's life suddenly slipping away; I thought he had died. What changed?' Maria questioned herself as she glanced towards the tattered bell tower. Although she couldn't see Rudra, she could, however, feel his vital force. He seemed to be doing better than before.
"But, how? How is this possible?" Maria said that when she heard a loud cracking sound coming straight from the bell tower. To her surprise, The Tear of Lumina had shattered; even if she didn't see it, she was able to clearly feel it as she was connected with the artifact. 'What happened? What changed? Did the artifact save your life?'
"What? Now you have lost your mind as well?" Masked man said with a hint of ridicule in his voice, Maria, on the other hand, hadn't even heard a word he said as she was busy with her thoughts. Seeing that his provocations had next to no effect on her, he was about to continue once more. 'Humm?
Suddenly, the masked man felt something inside his pockets, and he dug something out of his pocket. He pulled out something that resembled a compass. When he looked at the compass, his aura had suddenly changed. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?" Asked the man angrily.
"I didnt do anything, as you can clearly see, I have been standing in front of you since the beginning," Maria replied in a very sarcastic voice. She instantly understood what the man was talking about; she, too, was as bewildered as the man.
'So he had some type of device that locates the tear of lumina? I think that device is just capable of showing the general location and not the exact place of the artifact. If he knew the exact place the artifact was stored, he might have gone for it the moment he came here. Is that the artifact he is holding in his hand?' Maria mused, looking at the strange artifact the masked man was holding.
The artifact looked just like a modern compass. 'How is this possible? The artifact must have been near here somewhere, only a few minutes ago. This compass went wild, indicating that there really was an artifact here. However, now the stick in this compass has no reaction?' masked man asked himself as he examined the compass in his hand.
'Is it a bad thing or a good thing? Such an artifact breaking, was it because of you, Rudra? Although the artifact doesn't have any power to speak of, its origin remains a mystery. Why is all of this happening right now?' Maria mused, although her expressions didnt change, there still was a storm brewing inside her head.
"Tell me right now what you did to the artifact, or die. No one will be spared here." The masked man growled through clenched teeth as he was seething in anger. 'What went wrong? Was the compass defective? How am I going to answer them?' masked man mused, although he seemed angry from the outside, he had a hint of fear in him when he thought about 'them'.
"Pulse Lance," Masked man bellowed as he raised his sword once more. Once he used the ability, he channeled mana from his body. As the spiritual power gathered around him, his blade started to absorb all of the blood that was spilled in his vicinity. Even the blood Rudra had lost earlier flew towards him. In just a second, all of the blood he gathered coated his sword dark red, forming a layer around it.
"NOO, STOP!" Maria screamed. The masked man, on the other hand, had no intention of stopping. He swung his sword anyway, and the blood that covered the sword shot in the direction of the orphanage. The blood started changing form; it turned into countless different droplets, and the droplets later started taking the form of spears. Countless spears made out of blood were on the way to attack the orphanage.
"I won't let you," Maria muttered as she flew in front of the orphanage. She activated her defensive skill once more. Although she was already severely injured, she was left with no choice. "You think you can stop me? You don't even have much power left; you are just going to die a pointless death," the masked man sneered.
Maria didnt care as she stood like a wall between the spears and the orphanage. "Aghhhhh," Maria grunted as the spears collided with the defensive wall she had created. Just like the Masked Man said, Maria didnt have much strength left; her shield didn't even last a second, and none of the spears lost any momentum. As soon as the shield disappeared, most of them went towards the orphanage, a few of them unfortunately struck Maria.
"Nooooo, SISTER MARIA," yelled sister amber.
"You shouldn't be distracted when you are on a battlefield," a voice came from behind her. Following the voice, she was stabbed in the back with a sword. As she looked down, all she could see was a blade covered in blood, sticking out of her belly, blood gushing everywhere.
"UGGGHHH What is this? Who is it? Just who dares mess with me?" bellowed the masked man as his knees started to buckle. He felt immense pressure pushing down on his body, and he tried to get rid of it to no avail.