Chapter 59: Intrusion
"Haaa…" Gray rubbed the back of his neck. "…This should be it. Do you have any questions?" he asked, knowing that grasping everything on the first listen was difficult.
"The strange flame I saw before…Is it your ability?"
Gray gave a light chuckle.
"It isn't. It's just small, one-time use ritual I discovered yesterday. By using the quintessence inside my blood and a few tweaks here and there, I can transmute my blood and create elemental matter."
"Creating matter is that easy?" Nekare was impressed.
Gray rubbed his nose.
"I mean…you do have to draw a kind of magic circle by smearing your blood on a linen parchment. It's pretty hard not to smudge your blood everywhere…There are also some symbols and names to memorize…"
Gray smiled.
"But if you want, I can teach you."
Nekare refused politely.
"It's fine. I'm not really sure for what I can use it."
Gray thought otherwise.
He had a very specific plan concerning the use of his blood.
While he had used this spell as proof of his identity as a Nephilim and to cause Nekare to fully comprehend that what he was saying was the truth, it wasn't the main goal he needed the ritual for.
His goal wouldn't take days to complete; he was sure of it.
It would take more.
To achieve the goal he wanted, he needed to shed blood.
Lots of it.
Gray couldn't help but smile.
The days where he couldn't protect anyone were long gone.
Nekare tilted her head to the side. "If the flame isn't your ability, then what is—" she trailed off, embarrassed.
"Sorry. I forgot I couldn't inquire more about your powers."
"…And." her cheeks became rosy. "I apologize for observing you like that. I won't get mad if you start calling me a stalker, you know."
Gray couldn't help but snicker.
If only Nekare knew the details of Gray's own stalking!
"Believe me, Nekare. We aren't much different in that aspect." Gray said amidst chuckles.
Come to think about it, the two were really similar.
They both enjoyed being alone, immersing themselves in their hobbies, not letting anyone take them away from their quiet, safe havens.
As Rowan had said, the two belonged to the same species! Before Nephilim, they were introverted creatures!
Seeing Gray's lifted mood, Nekare smiled softly.
Following a few seconds of silence, she thanked Gray wholeheartedly.
She thanked him for being mindful of her ignorance about the Nephilim, for allowing her to understand everything, and for taking this responsibility upon her, even though he did not need to do so.
"But now…it's my turn." her eyes glittered with anticipation.
"Is it time for us to study?" Gray smiled.
"It is." Nekare replied with conviction.
And so, the two began to study together.
Nekare explained Anaxagoras' life thoroughly—his birth, his family, his exile, and teachings.
Instead of a student, she seemed more like a professor.
…
"Incorrect. Anaxagoras was born in 496 BC, not 492 BC."
"Damn it. I always mess up with dates."
"I noticed…" Nekare muttered before realizing what she had said.
Her stalker score seemed to have gone up!
She shook her head frantically.
"…Eh-em. He was a philosopher who belonged to which category?"
"…Pre-socratic…?"
Nekare nodded. "If you want to be precise you can also mention the Pluralists, but I doubt the professor will ask us to delve deeper into this precise topic."
"Seems like the situation is not so hopeless…" Gray exhaled. "Having Intra active right now would really help…" he said out loud.
Nekare's eyes narrowed.
"Intra?"
"I forgot to mention it…sorry."
Gray then explained about Intra.
After Nekare heard the explanation, her gaze seemed to fix itself onto an undefined place.
She seemed to be in deep thought.
As Gray proposed to teach her the activation process for it, she snapped back to reality and demanded Gray to explain it.
"Y-Yes, of course." Gray was surprised by her reaction.
He placed his backpack on the floor and searched inside for a few moments. He then took a pen and a blank paper and started writing the steps, including the mantra he had created.
As the two began to study once more, Gray could perceive that Nekare had something inside her mind.
He smiled bitterly.
Truly, he knew how she felt.
"…"
Just like of how Gray used Intra to enter inside the memories when his mother was alive, he figured Nekare would do the same for her brother.
"…Gray?"
"…Sorry. What was the question again?"
"I asked you to explain the Nous." Nekare replied.
"Ah yes, the Nous. The Nous was…The Nous was…." Gray said, but no words came out to continue his phrase.
"Pfft." Nekare half-chuckled, yet she almost seemed out of it.
"The Nous is the rational and divine mind that separated the original mixture."
"…Sorry." Gray apologized for his ignorance.
"It's all right. I have enough time to make you into a great student." Nekare smiled.
"Thanks." Gray smiled back.
Although the air seemed lively, there was a slight tension between the two.
…
"Where was Anaxagoras born?" Nekare asked.
"He was born in the Clezomenae during the Persian Invasion—a period where it's highly likely he served during the Persian War." Gray replied concisely.
"Excellent." Nekare nodded approvingly. "What happened after the war?"
"He fled to Athens and became a good friend of the statesman and general Pericles."
"Why was he exiled?"
"He was exiled due to his charges of impiety, sent because of his philosophy's failure to comply to greek dogmatic ideas and due to his possible friendship with Pericles."
"What beliefs did he hold?"
"He believed in the omnipresent existence of everything pertaining all things, believing that everything existed in infinitesimal small fragments of theirselves. For Anaxagoras, everything was composed by the seeds of everything of which the predominance of some seeds prevailed over the other, creating different matter."
"Good job—now you're properly ready for tomorrow's project. Although I'm not sure if I can say the same for the other two…"
Gray chuckled.
"As long as we make a good impression, everything should go smoothly."
"I'd hope so." Nekare nodded.
The two stayed in silence for a while.
"Well," Nekare stood up from the sidewalk and dusted her legs. "It's time for me to go home."
Gray checked the time.
"Are you sure? It's quite early." Gray said.
"Yes but…" Nekare gave an indecipherable smile. "I don't want my parents to worry about me."
Gray rubbed his neck. "…I see." he then stood up. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah." Nekare nodded. "See you."
The girl then took off.
…
Gray sighed.
"…Another goal has been accomplished."
Although their exchange felt awkward many times, he felt that the chats they had were fun.
He turned to face where the warehouse was supposed to be located.
The miasma had just finished creating it.
"Heh…I missed you."
Bearing a genuine smile on his face, he stepped inside it.
…
As he worked out, he instantly noticed that his strength had increased from before.
If you work out, your muscles get damaged.
With enough rest, your body will fill the micro-tears you've gained by exercising with stronger and firmer tissue.
But…what if there is no rest?
What if the muscle can instantly heal?
Naturally, your strength would increase.
Let's take it a step further.
What if the exercise was something incredibly strenuous, reaching a point where the muscles were almost entirely filled with micro-tears?
After the instant heal, the strength would increase even further!
This was exactly what Ophelia's healing had done to Gray's body!
Tap…Tap…Tap…
"Uh?" Gray stood from his bench to look at where the sound came from.
Meters away from him, he saw a figure.
The person, mostly hidden within the shadows, wore a white, feathered venetian mask.
Gray's forehead instantly produced cold beads of sweat.
An intruder?'
How could it be possible?
The miasma could detect unwanted visitors and cloak itself to hide from them!
The intruder suddenly rushed towards Gray!
How they entered inside the warehouse didn't matter anymore!
Gray had to act!
He immediately grabbed two weights and hurled them at the moving person.
The intruder dodged the weights without any effort, soon coming in front of Gray.
Right as he raised his guard, the intruder raised their leg, twisted their body and jumped—instantly hitting Gray's face with a spinning kick!
"Hweuk…!" Gray spat blood.
Gray's mind went hazy.
He jabbed at the intruder, but with a slight movement of their neck, they avoided his blow.
Bang!
The intruder then punched him right in his guts!
Gray heaved, feeling an immense amount of pain coming from his stomach.
'Not only is he fast…he's also strong.'
One strike, two strikes, three strikes, and more!
Gray dodged some, but couldn't react to everything, neither possessing Genesis or Desensitization.
A flurry of punches hit Gray all over!
He staggered backwards as he picked his breath up.
This person's fighting style was completely unlike anything he had seen before!
Whereas Selene and the Tiger of Rosano's minds were cluttered by anger, making their movements be harsher and more violent, this unknown figure's fighting style was calm, awfully so!
Every single one of this intruder's movement was perfect!
'…Could this be one belonging to the Root of Virtue, a special kind of Nephilim who can enhance their physique?'
The intruder somersaulted sideways, their body spinning like a cartwheel.
Before Gray could even perceive the attack, his body moved on his own, allowing him to barely dodge his enemy's kick!
Gray jabbed at his opponent once more, but unlike last time, the intruder parried Gray's fist and instantly hit him with a quick strike on his face.
As blood trickled down his nose, he couldn't help but wonder:
What was the purpose of this intrusion?
Why was this figure just beating his ass?
What was the point of doing so?
Why not just kill him?
There were two options.
Firstly, the information about his Mercurial Fragments had been revealed. This intruder, knowing the specifics of his power, would avoid killing Gray, as it would activate his powers. They would instead tire Gray out and render him unconscious to transfer him in some other place.
Secondly…this was a test.
As Gray now knew the specific requirements to enter inside the warehouse, he was aware that nobody without having their blood taken by Casanova would enter.
Hence, this intruder was someone sent by Casanova. And naturally, they would not kill Gray.
"So be it!" Gray screamed, rushing at his opponent.
He hurled a barrage of fists at his opponent, who avoided them all with a minimal amount of movement.
The intruder stuck his leg out, making Gray trip.
Gray instantly rolled away, a downward kick soon following from his opponent.
As Gray stood up, the intruder jumped, hitting Gray with both of his legs, making him stumble backwards and fall once again.
Picking himself up with a kick-up, Gray returned into his fighting position.
As the intruder approached, the young Nephilim took a deep breath.
Haaaa…
His focus heightened as his vision deepened.
What he needed was maximum concentration!
Nothing had to exist, only him and his enemy!
Right as a kick was aiming for his jaw, Gray twisted his neck backwards, dodging the move. Immediately after, the intruder twisted their centre of gravity and propped themselves up for a second attack.
As the second explosive kick came, Gray parried it with his arm, pain soon shooting from it.
The young Nephilim attempted to hit the intruder with his punch, but his opponent followed with a fist of their own, their knuckles smashing against Gray's.
"Argh!"
A frenzy of strikes came from the two!
The intruder dodged, slipping against every strike with ease, performing the most efficient move to avoid and counter the attacks.
Gray…did not do so well.
Although he was very good at dodging in normal context, without the presence of supernatural forces included, this intruder sent by Casanova was on a whole different level.
One of every three attacks hit him, causing his face to swell up, blood to fall, and pain to hit him all at once!
Swoosh!
Gray barely dodged a punch and countered with one of his own. His opponent grabbed his hand, and with a swing of their arm, they threw Gray away, making him fly several feet in the air!
'…Huh?'
In mid-air, Gray twisted his body, barely landing on his feet.
Near him was a metal bar, the ones used to hold the weights in!
After grabbing it, he instantly started to use it on his enemy. Gray thrust the bar, slashed, and swung it in every possible direction.
But no matter what he did…
He couldn't break through his enemy's guard.
The masked opponent became a blur as they avoided every hit. To think that someone could be so perfect at dodging! Gray was a mere ant compared to this guy!
Gray swung his weapon at his enemy's face!
But…
It only took a moment.
Doing a cutting motion with the side of their hand…
The opponent sliced the end of the metal pole, sending a spray of ember-like sparks!
Gray kept with his continuous flurry of swings and thrusts, but the more he attacked, the more his enemy sliced his weapon, cutting it short!
'…Is this guy for real?!!'
Gray's weapon was now barely longer than a knife!
He switched his grip, beginning to attack his opponent with the now-sharpened weapon.
Amidst the slight pause between one attack to the other, the masked opponent kicked Gray's calf, weakening his stance, making it almost crumble.
As a kick instantly followed, Gray barely blocked it!
'…My ribs!'
The situation was bad.
Gray's energies were almost extinguished.
And throughout this whole fight, this whole test…
He did not hit his opponent even once!
The masked figured aimed for Gray's face with a kick once more, but the young Nephilim ducked, sweeping the floor with his leg, hoping to catch the intruder with a surprise attack!
The masked figure leapt meters in the air to avoid it, and as they fell down, a sudden kick struck Gray at the back of his neck, causing him to pass out.
"…"
The masked figure slowly removed their mask, emitting a soft sigh in the process.
A face with bandages over their eyes then crept from the shadows.
Franz!