There may also be some inaccuracies, since English is not my native language.
Essentially, TBATE is first translated from English into my native language — and in that process, some details are already altered to make it more understandable for us. Now I'm taking that adapted (and somewhat distorted) version, revising it, rewriting it, and then translating it back into English.
I hope you'll point out any mistakes in the text that I might have missed.
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Lucius Zogratis
A monstrous scream forced my gaze back to the scene unfolding right in front of me.
With a vast field of uneven ground trampled by hundreds of monsters and a blood-red sky matching the pools of blood and fire scattered across the battlefield, I couldn't help but wonder if this was hell.
During my journey through this dungeon, I encountered giant ethereal centipedes, deadly moles, and shadow monsters of all shapes and sizes, oh, and let's not forget the reptilian centaurs. However, none of them could compare to the strangeness of these monsters.
Each of these two-legged creatures had painfully pale skin and a huge head resting on narrow shoulders, which could only be described as creepy babies. Their clawed hands and large mouths were painted red, and sharp, fang-like spikes protruded from their lanky bodies.
From the hundreds of monster corpses scattered across the field and the people covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, it was easy to conclude that they had been fighting for quite some time.
It was strange how precisely we had appeared in this zone, but perhaps it was fate at work again? Making sure that the aether continued to spread through my body, I grabbed my white dagger and rushed forward.
Since we had been communicating telepathically since entering this area, I heard Regis' voice.
"Why can't we ever fight a half-naked succubus or some seductive demoness? Why are they always so disgusting?" Regis lamented.
"Hey! Are you waiting for our permission or what? Help us get out of here!" barked the large female warrior standing next to Arthur, dressed in gilded armor, a few meters ahead, releasing a wave of blue flames from her golden halberd directly at the group of demonic infants.
Chirping cries rang out from the monsters as the fire engulfed them, but they were immediately replaced by another group.
"What should we do?" Regis asked.
Arthur said nothing, but I could sense his confused thoughts. In an instant, ether spread through his body, and he grabbed his black sword and rushed forward. In a couple of steps, he was right next to me, as we had already worked out our attack patterns during this time. Also, because we communicated using telepathy, we could send pieces of memories to each other during the battle.
So we fought against the centipede, our joint attacks and the moments when I needed to be covered were understood in a split second. We didn't talk, but we could see immediately from three sides: Regis, me, and Arthur. Our thoughts and emotions also played a role in such moments, because at the moment of attack, we didn't need to say anything; we just had to think, and either I or Arthur would attack exactly where we needed to.
It was the most effective way to fight.
The demons with children's heads were fast, ruthless, and their skin was tough, but with aether passing through my limbs in powerful surges, I tore them apart, wave after wave.
Although the remaining thirteen of us were fighting a common enemy, it was clear that teamwork was only present in certain groups with previously assembled partners. Except for Caera and her two guards, there was one other trio, while the rest fought in pairs, trying to stay alive instead of trying to help the others.
Streams of blue flame belonging to the warrior who was shouting at Arthur lit up the red sky, but that wasn't the only magic filling the battlefield. I saw giant earth spikes bursting from the ground, water bullets sparkling as they pierced through monsters, and gusts of wind cutting through everything in their path. But even with all these powerful mages mowing down demon babies by the dozen, their numbers only increased.
"Where are they all coming from?" Regis wondered.
"I wish I knew," Arthur replied, pulling his sword out of the bulging black eye of a demon baby.
"It's a wave, the carallians will keep appearing until a certain point, just like in a game," I said, clearly cutting down one of the demon monsters. Even if this dagger wasn't that powerful, only fourth rank instead of my native sixth rank, it was still good.
"Carallian? What a fitting name," Regis muttered.
"H-Help!" A painful cry rang out a few meters away from me. I didn't turn around. The sound came from Arthur. It was his job, not mine. I had to fight off these monsters. I wasn't some great savior, and honestly, fighting off twelve carallians, I just couldn't turn around, expose Arthur's back, and rush to save someone.
If it had been someone in my field of vision and I knew I could temporarily expose Arthur's back, then fine, I would have reached out to help, but not when I was being held down quite firmly, even if only temporarily.
"You! S-Save me—please!" the same voice cried out in panic.
I heard Arthur step forward to help the man fighting for his life, but moments later Arthur stopped, unlike anything else, anger flooded my mind through the mental connection, it was Arthur. Taking another step, but this time backward, he returned, ignoring the cries of pain and anger, until the guy surrendered to a bloody death.
How strange, but hearing these sounds, some part of my consciousness compared them to the sounds of a dying two-tailed monkey being devoured by a giant centipede.
"Arthur, you could have helped him," I said calmly, not angry at him for the death of a man he could have saved. I didn't care about the death of a man I had never seen before. Yes, the screams and the sound of flesh being torn apart were horrible, but I was strangely calm.
"He's an Alacryans," he said simply, though his tone was frighteningly calm.
I didn't respond. These were his grievances, which he would keep to himself for some time, and my words would change little now, so I simply sent him information about the carallian who was running at Arthur from the right. At that moment, Arthur received the information, made a sharp move to the right, and cut off the monster's head.
I continued to rage like a deadly storm, leaving only corpses in my wake. The aether inside each monster was scarce, but enough to absorb and keep myself in good condition.
I had no wounds, as I was much calmer than Arthur, who had already made a couple of mistakes, but the wounds he received regenerated long before he even noticed them. The monsters must have finally realized that the newcomers were not the weakest, because they began to gradually avoid us.
However, in my field of vision, I noticed the familiar three I had encountered when I first woke up in this dungeon.
These three were separated from the rest and surrounded by more than a hundred monsters. As I approached them while killing random monsters, I continued to observe this trio because, although I had read the original and seen many artworks featuring Caera, I had not seen any artworks featuring the other two, and at the moment of awakening, I was in a state of fear and concussion, trying to befriend Arthur so as not to die in these Relictombs, and I paid little attention to anything else.
Taegen, the red-haired mace wielder, fought more like a beast than a warrior — crushing, pounding, kicking, and throwing animals despite the wounds he had received in the long battle. Arian held himself more dignified, deftly wielding his long sword, clad in mana, while a layer of sweat covered his face and neck.
Caera stood between the two warriors, who were obviously protecting her. She held a thin, curved sword that was longer than she was, with a blade the same color as her ruby eyes. As she cut down monster after monster, I realized that her movements reminded me of Arthur. They were sharp, effective, and deadly, yet did not lose an inch of grace.
She was beautiful, the combination of her dark blue hair cascading down her back and her ruby eyes was mesmerizing, she was quite tall, just over one hundred and seventy centimeters to be exact. Her white shirt with gold buttons and straps crisscrossing her stomach was covered in blood. The shirt was tucked into her gloves and fit snugly around her ample bosom, the gold buttons holding fast to her impressive curves. Her tight-fitting, opaque black pants hugged her toned legs, cinched at the waist with a belt with a gold buckle.
To be honest, I was distracted by her beauty for a second, just for a moment. I noticed it even at the moment of relocation, but I suspect that because of the strength of my soul, I became much calmer and more logical, even when I almost drowned in lava a couple of times, I didn't panic. Now, the brief excitement disappeared when I forced myself to look at the battlefield instead of Caera.
Even without her two defenders, she was able to withstand the waves of beasts that continued to attack them. A flickering white aura surrounded her entire body as her movements blurred, drawing arcs with the blood of her enemies. However, it was not difficult to see that they were barely holding on. They were clearly running out of mana, their bodies exhausted and wounded.
"Despite the sight for sore eyes that is the beautiful Lady Caera, I think it would be a good idea to leave right now," Regis commented.
"Yes," Arthur agreed.
"Wait a moment, it would be bad if she died now, we need her so that after we leave the relictombs, we won't be asked a lot of questions." Those were my honest thoughts. Even though she was stunningly beautiful, my goal was to return to my home world to see my mother and my younger siblings.
As soon as I answered the two of them, I saw Caera make a fatal mistake. She tripped over a corpse, giving the wave of monsters a chance to pounce on her like starving animals.
"No!" Taegen roared, trying to make his way to the girl, pushing and throwing aside the horde of monsters that were practically climbing right over him, ignoring any damage done to his body.
Arian was not in the best condition, doing everything possible to prevent the monsters on his side from joining those who were trying to devour the girl.
Sending aether through my legs, I used an explosive step to get very close. My dagger blurred around me, cutting down all the monsters that stood in my way until I finally approached Caera.
Her words when I pretended to be dead in the Sanctuary echoed in my head.
"Have mercy on them, Tegen."
If she hadn't heeded Taegen's prudent warning, my transmigration would have ended before it even began. That, and the fact that she was a valuable asset that would allow us to move more freely, forced me to do something I didn't normally do. Pumping aether throughout my body, I released my aether pressure.
Arthur flinched in my mind as a translucent aura rose around me, making the air itself heavy, and the demonic monsters reacted. Their pale, bony bodies tensed from the sudden pressure, and some of the weaker ones even fell, losing consciousness.
After removing the monsters that had fallen on Caera, I found her lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Without hesitation, I leaned down and put my ear to her face, trying to hear her breathing. Everything would have been much more difficult if she had died; I needed her protection when we left the relictombs.
"Get away from her," a growling voice came from behind me.
I calmly stood up, dusting off my pants. "Tell her when she wakes up that we're even now."
"Even? Who do you think you are..."
I turned to face the two guards, looking at each of them calmly.
"You're one of those girls we saw half dead in one of the Sanctuaries," Arian said with slight surprise, although I couldn't understand how anyone could mistake me for a girl. His gaze shifted to Arthur, who was a meter away from me. "And you're the other girl."
However, Taegen, standing next to him, was far from as calm as his companion. He lunged forward at explosive speed, and his lightning-wrapped mace blurred right in front of my face.
Stepping forward, I dove slightly below the trajectory of his weapon. At two meters tall, I was extremely agile and fast, and I struck below his ribs, right in the liver, concentrating some of the aether in my fist.
In a split second, he managed to raise his other arm to block my blow. And although I wasn't serious, it was impressive that he was able to block a fighting blow.
Nevertheless, the force of my attack caused the crimson-haired warrior to recoil. The expression on his face changed to surprise as he looked at his hand, which had turned into a bloody mess from blocking my attack.
"We're guys, I think that's obvious," I corrected, straightening up to my full height.
Taegen raised his mace again, his face filled with rage, but Arian, his comrade with the sword, raised his hand.
"I apologize for his rude behavior... and thank you for saving her," Arian said. As he bowed, I noticed his gaze linger on the turquoise cloak draped over my shoulders.
Perfect.
At that moment, the sky suddenly changed. The once blood-red sky cleared, revealing a beautiful blue expanse.
Arthur Leywin
"Finally!" a cry came from somewhere in the distance.
I didn't quite understand what was happening, but the hundreds of corpses that littered the deserted land disappeared along with the red sky.
The swordsman sighed as he sheathed his long sword. "It seems this wave has finally come to an end."
"This wave?" I asked. "So, it's not over yet?"
I could have asked Lucius, but he said that in this area, I just had to be careful not to say too much and ruin his plan. I didn't know what the plan was, and he only said that if everything worked out, we would get out of the relictombs without any problems.
It was foolish to rely on a single source of knowledge, so I began to ask the fencer questions.
Kneeling on one knee, he handed the girl's sword to the mace owner before carefully lifting her up. "Until we can get close enough to destroy the energy source, these waves will continue."
"Energy source?"
"That giant red moon you saw in the sky," he explained.
"I apologize for the questions, but this is the last one," I said, looking at the magicians who had set up camp, and although Lucius had already said it, it would be good to confirm his information. "Why are there so many Ala-people here?"
This time, the fencer looked at me with a strange expression. "Why? Have you never encountered a convergence zone on any of your ascents?"
My brain strained, trying to find some way out of his question. At that moment, Lucius's hand rested on my shoulder, his voice as calm as ever. "This is our first ascent. Don't pay attention to this idiot. Someone was looking out the window too often instead of reading the book."
But at that very moment, Lucius's voice rang out in my head. "I'll tell you everything myself. Don't expose us in this zone."
At that moment, the fencer narrowed his eyes as he looked us over. "Even if it's your first ascent, you always get thorough training, unless you're looking to die, of course. And with your strength, it would be more likely that you've had formal training. Where are you from?"
"We're from the outskirts of Vechor," Lucius said calmly.
All I could do was nod.
"Then talents like yours would have been reported to the capital. Unless returning alive from your first climb is your initiation rite," he said, as if thinking aloud rather than addressing us directly. "In any case, I must take care of Lady Caera before the next wave begins.
The fencer's gaze shifted from me to Lucius, and he nodded slightly. "I will deliver your message to her."
The swordsman left, followed by a warrior with crimson hair. A soft white aura enveloped his hand, stopping the bleeding.
After a few steps, I noticed the chestnut-haired warrior holding the girl stop and look back over his shoulder. "It will be about twelve hours before the next wave comes. It would be better for you to rest a little before moving forward with the others."
I frowned. "With them?"
"You can go together to see if it's better for you, but the fact that the red moon is still rising means that those who have tried to do so so far have died, because destroying it is the only way out of here."
Ignoring the irritation in my chest, I shifted my gaze to Lucius, an action that forced me to raise my head. "Maybe you could at least tell me about the power structure of Alacrya."
He nodded weakly, his eyes slowly scanning the battlefield.
A few moments later
Surveying the battlefield, I watched to see what the other Alacrians would do.
My gaze fell on a black-haired man in thin leather armor, except for his greaves and bracers, which seemed to be made of copper-colored metal. He knelt down next to the corpse of the warrior I had allowed to die.
I expected some kind of burial ritual, or at least for him to be covered with a tarp, but instead, the black-haired warrior began rummaging through his belongings, stealing any remaining equipment that had not been eaten or torn apart by these demonic monsters.
Even though I was the one who left him to die, the behavior of his people disgusted me.
"It's customary," Lucius said through mental space, sensing my emotions. "It is considered proper to rob a comrade's body in order to return his property to his Blood. Besides, leaving a soldier at the place of his death is considered an honor, especially in relictombs."
"Blood?" I said, digesting the information about this tradition.
"The Alacryans use the word "Blood" to refer to their family. The reason behind this custom is because Agrona and the Vritra Clan spread their blood among the lessers. How rich the blood of someone is with Vritra lineage is something very important. The Named Bloods are nobles, which are descendants of Ascenders that made themselves famous because of several successful ascents and by the riches they earned. Although important, they are socially one tier below to the so called Highbloods, that are considered the true nobility because of their lineage often tracing back to an actual Vritra." Lucius dumped a lot of information that he hadn't mentioned before.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" I asked, a little irritated.
"You didn't ask," he replied, his eyes widening comically.
Not knowing what to say, I shook my head and moved away, wanting some distance between myself and the Alacryans.
There were no hills, rocks, or any other natural formations on these vast plains, so I simply found a place far enough away to freely observe the Alacryans. I sat down on the hard, uneven ground, nervously twirling the dry grass that had grown tenaciously into the earth. Lucius sat down calmly next to me.
My eyes wandered over the six separate camps that had already been set up after my short walk. The collapsible tents had already been assembled, and the fires lit. Raw meat, stored in thick containers pulled from various spatial storage units, was roasting on their personal fires, filling the air with the sweet and smoky aroma of meat mixed with copious amounts of spices. Since I had come here, I had been able to survive by consuming ether, focusing solely on survival and becoming stronger, but at that moment, I remembered the wonders of food.
"I never thought I'd see a picnic right here—wait, are you drooling?" Regis chuckled.
The laughter snapped me out of my thoughts the moment Regis finished speaking.
"Wh—no!" I exclaimed, wiping my chin, ignoring Regis's giggles and Lucius's obvious laughter.
Only when several Alacrians turned in my direction did I clear my throat, close my eyes, and begin to circulate ether throughout my body. I didn't need to eat and hardly needed to sleep, so I could even do a little training.
"Someone's coming," Regis warned. With his form currently inside me, he was able to see through my body, into the outside world, as if through a "slightly tinted glass container," as he put it. Although it was a little unsettling at first, I had long since grown accustomed to it, and it was somewhat comforting to know that I had another pair of eyes that could see everything behind me, even though in most cases, as now, I didn't need it.
I turned at the sound of clearly unmasked footsteps.
Just a few yards away stood a girl with light brown hair that fell just above her shoulders. Her slender, petite figure was covered by a dark mage's cloak, which was deliberately untied, revealing clothing that was revealing enough to attract more than a few admiring glances wandering over her body.
In addition to her provocative attire, she held a plate of roasted meat and vegetables in each hand, still steaming.
"I come in peace," she said, lifting the plates.
"I already like her, Arthur," Regis remarked with a sigh.
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I remained silent, staying alert.
"I know there are all these terrible stories about betrayal in the convergence zone, but I just wanted to express my gratitude," she continued, looking at me and Lucius with a shy smile. "If you hadn't killed so many carallians, I'm not sure my team and I would have been able to do anything."
"I appreciate the gesture, but it's not necessary," I said, frowning.
"I insist." The girl bent down to place the plates on the ground before tucking her fallen bangs behind her ear and meeting my gaze. "By the way, my name is Daria Lendhert. If you're looking for a team, we have an extra simulet, and strong forwards are always welcome... especially attractive ones."
"Oh man... the inner Uto in me is having some very inappropriate thoughts," Regis muttered.
"Do you know what a simulet is?" I asked.
"The inner Uto is too busy thinking about other things to care about what a simulet is."
Not wanting to waste time on an idiot, I turned my gaze to Lucius, who was lying relaxed nearby, propping his head up with his hand and slowly rocking his head. His gaze was distant and a little sad? His long hair cascaded over his body like a waterfall, rippling slightly with each movement of his head.
Waving my hand in front of him, I woke him from his reverie. His eyebrow rose, but after a moment he replied as if he had been listening to our conversation all along. "Simulet is what guarantees that all ascenders will end up in the same zone when crossing the portal. We moved through the zones purely because we wove our aether together."
Nodding my head, my eyes lingered on her figure as she slowly returned to her camp, trying to remember what spells she had cast and what abilities she possessed. Her clothes hid any marks, crests, or emblems she might have had on her back.
If only I could still see mana.
A couple of hours later
The camps began to pack up their belongings, each of them preparing to move out, as if they had agreed on it in advance. As far as I could tell, there was no leader in this group of thirteen people, excluding me and Lucius (who had already returned to normal and now stood as usual with his stoic face).
I also got up, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a spare shirt that Lucius had kindly provided. Taegen, Caera, and the fencer left first, and Daria's group, the only remaining group of three, followed shortly after. Daria looked at me and my partner knowingly, expecting us to follow her, but when we didn't, her thin eyebrows furrowed and she turned away abruptly.
The only person traveling alone was Trider, whom I had talked to after eating. I nodded to him in appreciation before following the others, who were traveling in pairs behind the two groups of three that were leading the excursion.
Our pace was like a constant sprint as we tried to cover as much distance as possible without using too much mana, or in my case, ether, before the next wave came. I might have been able to keep going nonstop to the exit of this zone, but for everyone else, a few hours of rest were crucial if we were going to fight the new wave.
As we ran in formation toward the source of energy, I could feel the tension in the group mounting. When the sky actually turned red, the Alacryans' tension culminated in bursts of mana as each of them immediately prepared for battle.
I decided to stay close to Lucius as usual, not joining either Traider or Daria. The Red Sun, presumably the energy source of this zone, stood high above us, but this time it was closer, no more than a day or two away.
Power flowed through my limbs as the aether circulated within me. My eyes scanned the surroundings, expecting to see a horde of monsters approaching from afar.
But that was not the case.
The carallians rose from the ground like undead from their graves, clawing their way out of the cracked, dense earth around us with their red claws. Spells immediately took effect as the ascendants began their preemptive attacks, but I couldn't help but stare at the claws sticking out of the ground.
I wasn't the only one. The rest of the ascendants froze when the first carallian managed to crawl completely to the surface. He, like the rest of his brethren, was twice as large as the previous wave of carallians, about three meters tall, and had an extra pair of arms. And judging by the expressions on everyone's faces, it was obvious that this was not normal.
"The zone reacts to the aether and increases the difficulty in the hope that whoever controls it will rise above the rest or die trying," Lucius' words echoed calmly in my head.
× × × × ×
25 Power Stones and a new chapter tomorrow.
I have a small problem. The reason Arthur became an academy teacher is because he accidentally killed three people during the first ascent.
And I have no idea how to handle this. If I don't do this, Arthur and Lucius won't become teachers at the academy, which will prevent Lucius and Caera's relationship from developing—and that's the main part of this story.
But if they simply don't take that blood with them, they'll never become teachers because they won't need protection, and it will turn into endless ascents.
The only idea I had was to take that blood and change the zone, adjust the plot so that one of them, the most important one, dies protecting his juniors.
That way, it won't be a blatant repetition of the plot, since the zone and the trials will change accordingly. But the outcome will be similar, since the most prominent member of that blood dies, and the lord decides to crush Arthur and Lucius in anger. And this is where the academy comes in handy, and then it will be possible to develop the relationship between Lucius and Caera.