Chapter 46: Erica's determination
The distant land beyond the Bright Blade Sect was a wasteland of broken earth and smoke.
Far from the eye of the main battlefield, the Soloman Clan had already begun their retreat.
With secret reinforcements, careful planning, and decisive orders, they had left before the demonic meteor rain consumed the skies.
But even their foresight couldn't shield them entirely.
The heavens cracked open.
Hundreds of burning dark meteors rained down from the ash-blackened sky, each one a harbinger of death.
The Soloman forces fought desperately, shielding their vital members behind barrier after barrier, spells clashing against flaming projectiles. Though the worst of it was behind them, every second survival was paid for in blood and battered shields.
In the chaos, Erica Soloman moved with grim purpose.
Face pale, heart pounding, she sprinted through the wreckage, narrowly avoiding sizzling shards of magic residue.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, mixing with dirt and blood.
"Elton! Elton-Onyem, where are you?!" she screamed into the roaring winds.
Most of the Soloman elders and guards were too busy fighting to notice her mad escape.
But not John Soloman.
Hidden beneath an invisibility shroud, his sharp eyes never left her.
Suddenly, a flash of black.
A mysterious woman materialized in front of Erica, wearing a long black veil that swayed ominously in the violent winds.
Her voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of urgency.
"Are you a friend of Elton Solman?"
Erica stumbled back in shock, but forced herself to nod fiercely.
"Yes! He's…he's my—!"
"No time."
The woman cut her off.
"I'm Shia, disciples of the Fighting Brawlman Sect and also a member of the Aka Boshi no Tengan Clan."
Shia glanced up at the shattering sky, tension tightening in her jaw.
"I don't know exactly where he is… but I saw the direction he fled toward. We have to move Now."
Erica wiped her tears, breathing hard. "I… I can sense him! Barely… through our bond!"
Shia's eyes widened.
Without another word, she snapped her fingers.
A flash of golden light exploded next to her as a High Gold Star-ranked Magic Vehicle appeared.
They barely had time to react as small meteors rained around them.
Both girls, without hesitation, unleashed quick bursts of magic and ki, deflecting the minor projectiles.
Shia gives a tired sigh.
"Get in."
But before Erica could take a single step—
A brutal gust of killing intent slammed into the clearing.
"STOP."
John Soloman emerged from behind a shattered stone pillar, his body radiating a ferocious, oppressive aura that made the very air tremble.
Shia's eyes sharpened into deadly slits.
Without hesitation, she gathered a condensed ball of red energy, ready to erase him in a single instant.
"Move or die."
Erica threw herself between them, arms outstretched, shrieking.
"NO! Don't hurt him! He's my relative!"
Shia's energy sputtered out reluctantly, her body tensing like a drawn bow.
John exhaled heavily, a cold sweat trickling down his back.
Regaining his dignity, he fixed both women with a hard stare.
"You're not leaving me behind. Not with her life on the line."
Both girls grimaced.
There was no time for arguments.
Shia snapped her fingers. "Fine but if you slow us down, I'll leave you behind."
Her voice was so casual it made John's blood run cold.
Without another word, the three of them piled into the magic vehicle.
It shot off, carving through the broken landscape, dodging flaming craters and the devastating shockwaves of the still-falling meteors.
The High Gold Star Vehicle strained under the pressure, its engines roaring as Shia funneled her raw magic into the core.
Their target — Elton Solman.
Meanwhile….
Near a small ruined village, two battered figures sat hunched behind a broken stone wall.
Bloodied, bruised, but still breathing — the two Aka Boshi no Tengan clan members who had once clung desperately to Elton during their frantic escape.
They chuckled bitterly through split lips.
"Dammit… I thought we could hang on," one groaned, clutching his shoulder.
"The wind was too strong. That last explosion threw us into the dirt like damn scarecrows."
Both of them sat in grim amazement.
Because before they were forced to let go…
they had seen something absolutely impossible.
Elton had moved faster than even an early Mortal Shedding Realm expert.
No…
By the end, he was matching a Late Mortal Shedding Realm expert's top speed.
And he wasn't even a Gold Tier yet!
One of them shook his head, voice awed.
"That kid… what the hell is he?"
A sudden pulse.
Their clan insignias — a subtle, magical signal unique to the Aka Boshi no Tengan — flared faintly.
They looked up sharply to see a golden vehicle roaring toward by them.
Recognizing the source immediately, they leapt up and signaled back.
In seconds, they were aboard greeted by a steely-faced Shia, a relieved Erica, and a grudging John Soloman.
The vehicle sped across the shattered plains, as behind them, the sky continued to collapse under a rain of fire.
None of them spoke.
Their grim faces said it all:
They had to find Elton.
Three days.
That's how long it had been since Erica and her group had left in search of Elton.
Progress had been frustratingly slow. Injuries plagued them, forcing long rests. More than once, they had detoured for miles just to avoid brewing skirmishes between humans and Demonic Beasts. Every delay gnawed at Erica's nerves. She would stare out the window of the Magical Vehicle, fingers clenching and unclenching in her lap, as if willing the path to open faster.
Across from her, Shia sighed heavily for what felt like the hundredth time, muttering under her breath. John Soloman sat silently, arms crossed, his face unreadable but his eyes sharp and faintly irritated.
Then, as they topped a small rocky hill, they caught sight of it — a vicious battle raging below.
Four demons, bristling with Silver Tier 2 and 3 levels of power, surrounded two lone figures. Those figures were barely standing, their black martial gi shredded, Bright Blade Sect mantles clinging to their bloodied forms like torn flags.
"Stop the vehicle!" Erica barked.
Without waiting for a response, she and the two Aka Boshi no Tengan Clan members leapt out. Wind whipped at her face as they sped down toward the chaos.
The demons barely had time to notice before they were obliterated.
Gold Tier 1 attacks — bright, sharp, and utterly devastating — rained down in the blink of an eye. Heads rolled, bodies thudded to the ground in seconds.
The two embattled fighters stared wide-eyed, disbelieving.
Erica rushed closer and gasped.
"Kuroha! Kageha!"
The twins blinked through blood-smeared faces — and recognition dawned. Even John Soloman was acknowledged with a curt nod, though he barely grunted back in response.
Quickly, they tended to the worst of the twins' wounds with basic healing salves and spirit pills. They needed proper treatment soon, but at least they would survive the next leg of the journey.
As they traveled toward a nearby village, Shia pressed them with clipped words, her sharp gaze making it clear she wasn't in the mood for games.
"What happened to Elton?"
The twins exchanged glances. Kuroha gave a dry, almost bitter laugh, while Kageha sighed heavily.
"…We don't know," Kageha finally admitted. "Same as those 2… At some point during the chaos… it was like we were just flung away. Lost all trace of him."
The disappointment was palpable. Even the 2 Aka Boshi no Tengan members frowned grimly.
John Soloman let out a low grunt, unconcerned.
Erica closed her eyes for a moment.
That faint, almost non-existent thread still tugged at her heart. Weak… but still there.
She opened her eyes, fierce determination burning in their depths.
"He's alive," she said simply. "I can still feel him. Somehow."
The others said nothing, but the mood shifted slightly — a grim acceptance settling over them. After a night's rest, they would move on.
Kuroha and Kageha declared that they would join the search. They too had another goal: finding Zoro.
Eleven days had passed since the ruin of the Bright Blade Sect.
One day ago, another minor sect was nearly wiped out by a Demonic Beast Tide.
But this time… things ended differently.
Reinforcements, coincidentally nearby for another mission, responded swiftly.
The Demonic Beasts were slaughtered. Even a hidden force of powerful demons that had been lurking was wiped out.
And in the aftermath, they discovered something incredible…
Near the battlefield, an old Spatial Gate to some sort of Sacred Lands had been activated.
Unbeknownst to anyone it was triggered nearly 2 weeks ago by the lightning fast energy ripples caused by a certain some who happened to be flying by there.
Word spread fast.
First, to nearby regions. Then, across countries.
Major sects and noble clans that normally wouldn't bother with backwater regions were mobilizing.
Powerful Demonic Sects, sensing opportunity, moved just as fast.
The Spatial Gate itself had widened far beyond what anyone thought possible.
It now hovered over the land like a small town swallowed by swirling, shimmering energies bringing forth a terrifying and awe-inspiring sight and it continued to grow larger by the second!
Yet none could pass through it.
Erica stood amidst a sea of Soloman Clan banners.
The Soloman family from Brawlmanica and other regions had gathered in force. Elite warriors, mages, and powerful elders from many Major Sects and clans studied the portal cautiously.
But Erica didn't see them.
She stared into the swirling depths of the gate, heart thudding, mouth dry.
She didn't need anyone to tell her.
She just knew…
Elton was in there.
And somehow — whether through accident or destiny — he had caused all of this.
A cold wind swept across the field.
Erica shivered and tightened her grip on her Staff.
Hold on, Elton…
I'm coming for you.
She turned around and entered one of the Soloman clan's Portable dimension shifting cultivation chambers, secluding herself from the world to break through as many cultivation barriers as she could. Her eyes glowing with an insane determination. The Elders clan members of the Soloman family encouraged it even though they weren't sure about what caused her to be so determined. They supplied her with the best resources as well before she went into seclusion.
John Soloman was the only one that had a vague inkling of why she was suddenly like this. This in turn also caused him to ignite and even brighter fire in his heart as he too went into seclusion to which made the elders even more ecstatic. And so time moved forward.