Return of the Woodcutter

Prompt to take any opportunity given to him to become stronger under the guise of making a place for him and someone he had forgotten, Lucius was bound to become pitiful. 

'Who was it?' He knew who she was, but his injuries, foggy mind, and pride denied him entry to this knowledge. 

Pride. 

After entering the Tower, had first fought for a noble goal, then progressively fought for himself and only himself. 

Comrades, friends, kept dying around him as he climbed this accursed Tower, source of power and wealth. But as long as he survived, then all was fine. His pride told him that all would be fine because of one of the two things he treasured and prided himself on having. 

Power. 

Or so he had thought until now. 

'I… hate myself…,' Lucius shuddered, disgusted by his own selfishness and powerlessness he could now see, hear, touch, and even taste in the form of his own blood in his mouth. 

This illusion of power was now shattered in a thousand pieces that, even with his great pride, were beyond salvage or repair. 

But from this significant loss came a reminder echoing stronger and stronger in the hazardous halls of his subconsciousness, hinting at something. The small hints became whispers, which in turn, became a voice.

A voice he knew was calling and yearning for him despite everything he had done. 

"AAAHHH!" Elizabeth's scream echoed in the corridor as the Goliath resumed her corruption. Grey veins appeared on her body, slowly, awe so very slowly changing her into a monstrosity. 

The fearmonger wanted to take its time, build up the fear and make its next meal even tastier. It prided itself on being an excellent cook after all and knew how to cook them all Medium Rare.

Also, it wasn't every day the Goliath had visitors on the 9th floor. 

Lucius felt a great familiarity with the voice. It had accompanied him all this time in life, death, and even after death. 

'Who… is it?'

It had been there for him when it needed it the most.

It had made him smile in a world so boring he wished he had never been born into it.

It had supported him when he was crawling on the ground when all the other voices kicked him in the guts. That same voice was now crying out of pain, calling for help. 

Calling for him. 

And yet, he could not move to see who it was. He was too tired, too broken, too injured, but… that voice was pushing him to move. 

Throb...

Lucius could not see where it came from because his vision was clouded by blood, pain, and fear. However, somehow, he could hear it… he could sense her aura, her soul. 

Soon he realized he could sense more than just one soul.

In a semi-conscious state, on the verge of death, Lucius was able to perceive a new colorless world that was opened to him, in which he could sense the strongest emotions of those surrounding him. 

The baldie, who, despite the Fear, had one firm hope, probably seeing his daughter again. George had hope. Sheyla had hope. Ogoro shared the same, albeit a stronger one, as if he knew something would happen. 

Unlike him, they had yet to surrender. 

There was also one person he felt extremely familiar with but couldn't put a face or name on her.

'Who… is it?' 

Unlike the others, she had no hope, but something else, Love. Love for something, or was it someone?

Even in that accursed place, on the verge of being turned into a monstrosity, she clung to her love for... who?

Somehow, feeling her strongest emotion was... infectious, like a virus. Lucius's heart throbbed strongly. One tear trickled down his cheek as the virus of love infected his very being. But all it did was rekindle what was once his.

More tears poured out of Lucius's eyes as the voice grew more familiar, progressively turning into a blurry image until it finally became all clear.

'Eli...,' was the first name that came to mind. Short for Elizabeth, it had been how Lucius called her before everything went sideways. 

'My pride, my joy,' Lucius's tightened his fists despite his injuries. 

His breathing accelerated. The broken pieces of ribs inside his chest threatened to pierce his lungs.

'I remember now who all this was for...,'

His broken spine, ribs, and exhaustion would not let him move, but…

'... so even if I must die again…'

… his Pride would not tolerate this. 

Something throbbed inside Lucius's chest. It was like a heartbeat, albeit stronger, fiercer, commanding powers he had previously sought but was not aware existed within him. His soul pulsed strongly, aligning with his once forgotten desire, love, and pride.

'… I will make this right.'

THROB!

Pride temporarily stepped over the Pain as he remembered the first most precious treasure he already had but, in his foolishness, had mistakenly discarded.

Unable to move, Lucius instinctively tapped into his latent potential. His soul pulsed, forcefully overruling the Pain by manipulating the electricity inside him, sending signals to his muscles. 

'MOVE!'

Lucius's soul core pulsed so strongly Ogoro picked up a slight vibration emanating from the warrior mage. Mana and soul power ran down his spine, linking the broken bones with electricity, reestablishing the link between his brain and lower muscles. 

His arms and legs budged slightly. Unfamiliar with this way of moving his body, Lucius resembled a broken robot, a furious one. 

"Release her…," he said with a voice so weak no one heard him.

Electricity floated into his hands, shining yellow, sending sparks charring the nearby walls, causing enough ruckus to attract the Goliath's attention.

"What do you think you're doing, weak man?" It said with a smirk, applying Fear to Lucius before he could do anything pointless. 

A heavy pressure fell on Lucius, weakening his already feeble body, but a warm golden aura enveloped him from head to toe.

He smiled at the irony of it, sensing through his newly acquired Domain there was another familiar soul nearby, a soul he thought had perished. And yet here it was, helping him. 

The smirk on the Goliath's face disappeared when it looked at Lucius first with confusion, then horror. 

"It cannot be. You are no braver. You're a failure! A failure! So why… why is this accursed aura here!?" 

Lucius cared little about this monster's nonsense. All he wanted was for him to cease his wife's corruption. 

"Release my… wife." 

"Answer me, you filthy human!" 

Lucius activated the new skill he had received for surviving the Sacred Duel. He had never used it, thinking it was earned through the accomplishment of another. However, he knew now it had been just pride.

He channeled all his remaining aura into this one attack, pushing his powers beyond their limits, unconsciously doing what Aito had to train for weeks to acquire under Gwen's guidance.

—Active Skill: Lightning Spear Lv3 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Hyper Conductivity Lv2 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Wind Blade Lv3 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Compressed Air Lv2 (Overload)—

—Active Skill: Wind Wall Lv3 (Overload)—

Driven by sorrow, anger, and the fear he might lose the person dearest to him, Lucius stood his ground despite his tattered state and unfamiliar feeling of electricity coursing through his spine. 

In his hand was a spear of pure electricity emitting sounds akin to a thousand birds' cries. Its sparks hit random areas, some even landing on his own body, charring the already damaged flesh.

At the tip of the spear was an almost invisible blade entirely made of wind. On the butt, gusts of winds—that were originally a wind wall—were being compressed, getting ready to propel the ridiculously powerful projectile.

The Goliath took a step back, interrupting his corruption. Knowing that skill would be too fast to dodge, it braced itself, placing its four arms on the front.

"RELEASE MY ELI YOU BASTARD!"

A deafening thunderclap broke out as Lucius hurled his Enhanced Lightning Spear, releasing the trapped wind that fueled his weapon's flight, propelling it at a speed so fast even a Lv 4 Awakened would find it difficult to dodge.

BOOM!

It struck the Goliath's defenses head-on, propelling the monster backward who clenched both mouths' teeth upon impact. Lightning charred its bulging muscles, face, torso, and legs. The wind lashed out on its skin, pealing the creature, infiltrating its wounds to cut deeper.

The Fear that had seized the challengers receded, freeing them of their invisible prison. 

Lucius might have praised his strength a little too much before, but those weren't empty boasts. He was the challenger with the most innate talent when it came to wielding skills, partially due to his gifts.

Compared to some who had one, two, or rarely three gifts, he had six of them. 

______

Gifts:

Wind Runner (Increases affinity to the Wind Element.)

Stormblessed (Increases affinity to the Lightning Element.)

Specialist (Increases control over mana and soul power and facilitates skill fusions.) 

Agility Blessed (Permanently Increases Agility by 1.)

Mana Blessed (Permanently Increases Mana by 1.)

Stamina Blessed (Permanently Increases Stamina by 1.)

______

Lucius rushed to his wife, only to cough up blood. He fell next to her because of his injuries and a lack of soul power and mana. Surviving in the labyrinth had taken a toll on everyone. Like the others, he was also running on fumes.

Unable to speak, he looked at her with eyes full of tears. The corruption might not have been complete, but her skin had already turned grey and had weird, bulging purple veins. And yet, she was smiling.

"Welcome back, honey," Elizabeth whispered. She could read worry in his eyes. The worry she had once seen and felt before everything had changed. "It's okay. Don't be afraid. Everything will be fine. Don't be afraid."

Although he couldn't talk, Lucius knew his wife was right. The Goliath certainly wasn't dead from that blow, but another monster would soon be here. 

After all, it takes a monster to kill a monster.

*****

"Lucius's pride and confidence in his powers did not come out of nowhere. Reborn with six gifts, as a dual elemental mage and with innate talent, he was akin to those overpowered main characters in Earth's online novels. Now that Aito has transcended the Challenger Realm, Lucius is, without a doubt, the strongest challenger in the Tower." 

Extract from "Yggdrasil Chronicles, The Woodcutter of Iris," by Roan the Merchant.

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