On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

"It is not unnecessary for us to fight, Ghost of Lysimork. I am here only to take the Hero with me," the Light Elf stated, positioning his halberd before Mark in a protecting manner.

Layland frowned and looked around vigilantly. He wondered if Teanosvera had slipped since no one from the outside should be able to enter the forest he made. The Forest Spirit in question arrived on his side not long after. The Forest Spirit remained emotionless, yet one could tell something was bothering him from the solemn aura surrounding him.

"What happened?" Layland asked simply but seriously.

"Something--"

"Our Guardian Beast, the Mighty Phoenix Phoebesius tore down the Dimensional Barrier if you are wondering," the Light Elf cut Teanosvera and answered in his stead.

As Teanosvera clicked his tongue in displeasure, Layland turned to the Light Elf. He quirked his eyebrow lightly and then pointed Rexorem at the said Light Elf. A dark ball of Mana condensed at the tip of Rexorem in the blink of an eye. It tore through the air in the next moment, heading to the Light Elf\'s head.

The Light Elf calmly swung his spear to cut the Mana ball; however, it exploded before he could cut it. Worried that Mark would die, he covered Mark with his Mana and forewent his defence. He didn\'t mind suffering some injuries for the Hero. It didn\'t happen in the end, though, since something came to his safe.

Whoosh!

It was a 20 feet tall bird with gold and vermillion feathers decorating its body. It had an eagle-like head but a body like a rooster. Golden flame covered almost every part of its body. It was dazzlingly radiant and warm. This was the case for almost everyone, of course. The two Cursed Creations--Layland and Kruff--immediately developed a dislike toward the bird.

"Divinity? Is that Phoenix a God or something?" Layland wondered to himself.

"No. Forest Spirits generally produce Divinity...once they are old and powerful enough, that is," Kruff responded.

"What are you hinting at? We must let go of Mark or we will be fucked?"

From Layland\'s tone, it was clear to Kruff that he wouldn\'t back down even if he persuaded him to leave, which was something that he wouldn\'t do. Shaking his head faintly, he smiled softly and told Layland not to worry.

Layland felt something off from Kruff\'s behaviour but immediately shrugged off the feeling since they were in a fairly urgent situation. Mark had to die here; should they dilly-dally, the Light Elf might get away with the failed Hero.

"Tell me what you want from him, pointy ears," Layland said toward the Light Elf while motioning for Kruff to prepare himself at the same time.

Thumping his golden and green armour once, the Light Elf said, "First of all, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Third General of the Eternal Light Army--the fourth strongest person in the Empire of the Elf, Elegast Lumenio. I am here under the order of the brightest light--"

"Sum it up in two sentences," Layland cut. "I don\'t need that information."

"Kuhum! Very well. Essentially, the Hero is needed because of his heart."

Silence descended upon the place as everyone heard the reason. Mark frowned, thinking that he would end up dead whichever side got him, and Layland did too since he felt there was something more to it and it wouldn\'t be in his favour.

"What is with his heart?"

"The Hero who had the heart didn\'t come from the other world. He was a victim of the human\'s cruel experiment--a warrior born from the uterus of an Elven Shadow Chaser who was violated by a human Hero who came from another world."

Elegast had a disgusted look as he recounted the story. This made Mark frown deeper as he became even more sure that he would die.

"Our kin had tried many ways to save the Hero, yet we failed splendidly. The then King of Antares and his detestable father had managed to taint his mind. He willingly became a slave to the people who brought him misery and he was happy for it. When he died, we thought that we could finally retrieve a part of him, yet we couldn\'t. The most important part of an Elf\'s body, the heart, too, was kept until the end."

Layland took a few seconds to digest the information before nodding his head lightly. It seemed to him that he could cooperate with the Light Elf.

"Well, pointy ears, I think we can work it out together. You want that bastard\'s heart and I want him dead, so--"

"The Hero shall be alive and breathing. None but him, currently in this world, can put the heart to good use. He is necessary for the improvement of our military power."

Unfortunately, Layland had misunderstood Elegast. The revelation made the desperate Mark ecstatic and brought a frown to Layland\'s face. Everything was decided in an instant. He would kill Elegast and Mark.

"Teanosvera..."

"I will do my best, Master."

"Kruff...keep your eyes on that bastard."

"...leave it to me."

Layland kicked the ground and appeared before Elegast in the blink of an eye. Elegast hastily raised his halberd but managed to block Rexorem; though, he still received an injury. Layland\'s advancement marked the beginning of the clash between the two sides. The Phoenix lit up the forest with his golden fire, meanwhile, Teanosvera brought darkness upon it with his shadow.

The fight astounded the unoccupied people, namely, Kruff and Mark. From the fierce pressure clashing against each other, they could surely say it was out of their leagues. While Kruff was ecstatic about it since his junior was already that strong, Mark couldn\'t help getting more indignant. He couldn\'t accept the fact that Layland had far surpassed him.

Swish!

Amid the fierce fight, Kruff snatched the immobilized Mark and ran away with him. He ran in the direction where his Instinct led him and only stopped when his Instinct stop screaming at him.

Dropping Mark to the ground, he caused the defeated Hero to curse. He ignored Mark completely and sat down under the tree beside where he had dropped Mark.

"Phew...those monsters. Are they going to kill everyone?" he remarked in astonishment and amusement. Turning to Mark, who was squirming on the ground as he tried to sit up, he continued, "Frustrated that someone you underestimated has surpassed you? Perhaps, is it your first time losing?"

"Shut up!" Mark shouted in irritation.

"Ku-Ku-Ku. I know that feeling well. I have driven people into that state a lot of time." Grinning mockingly, Kruff added, "Too bad that you will end up as a sore loser, huh?"

"Fuck you! That Light Elf is strong! He will kill you and that bastard altogether. Just wait--I will be the one having the last laugh!"

Mark\'s outburst surprised Kruff slightly. He then couldn\'t help laughing at Mark, further irking the Hero. It wasn\'t long until he shook his head faintly, though. His mood also changed drastically and it caused Mark to wonder if he suffered from the bipolar syndrome.

"Don\'t get me wrong, cowardly Hero--I was not laughing because I think your words are nonsense. I was laughing because you only said one incorrect thing during your outburst." Looking into the distance, Kruff stood up. "No one will be able to kill Layland."

Mark looked weirdly at Kruff for a moment before widening his eyes in horror. An overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon the place, making it hard for him to breathe.

Kruff merely smirked as he stared at the incoming golden streak that was chased by a dark black streak. He channelled his Mana into every fibre of his body, causing it to grow bigger as his muscles became even more prominent.

Taking out his war axes, he crossed them before him. The pressure he was exuding added more misery to the already struggling Mark. Mark did not for long, though. When the golden streak was revealed to be the Phoenix Phoebesius, an ethereal golden blanket wrapped around him. He could no longer feel the pressure and his pain was alleviated.

At this, Kruff smiled bitterly. "It is time for me to go. Sorry, junior...I will entrust my legacy to you."

Burst!

The Phoenix\'s golden flame was shot out of its mouth at Kruff as soon as the Legendary Beast appeared before the Orc. Kruff roared valiantly and took the fire head-on. He managed to withstand the fire for a few seconds but it was proven to be too dangerous for a Cursed Creation like him. His defence failed him and so his body began to incinerate.

Phweet!

The flame stopped coming out of Phoebesius\' mouth soon after. Teanosvera managed to wrap his shadow around Phoebesius\' neck, thus immobilizing him. Unfortunately, at this point, Kruff\'s entire body was already completely on fire. His greyish skin was now completely charred, making him look like a gigantic sculpture made out of coals.

Teanosvera\'s eyes darkened. His facial expression changed as panic washed over him.

Boom!

This was the moment when Layland and Elegast arrived at the scene. Both of them were bleeding. Elegast suffered the most injuries but Layland\'s attire suffered the most damage. The two immediately turned their heads to Teanosvera who was immobilizing Phoebesius on the ground. Elegast widened his eyes because of Phoebesius\' state; however, Layland\'s gaze was planted on the scene that wasn\'t far from the two.

Unhesitatingly turning his back on Elegast, he rushed at Kruff. He couldn\'t think of anything as he looked at the state of his third mentor but he wished that everything was going to be all right. He used his fire to kill the Phoenix\'s fire engulfing Kruff and he succeeded. It didn\'t matter, sadly, since as soon as the fire was put out, the body of the Orc crumbled.

"Oi...you didn\'t just...die, did you?"

With disbelief, he stared at the black crust that fell in his hand. His eyes darkened as something snapped in him.

The natural limiter in his body crumbled down at this moment.