Aurora Scroll

“Vufufu!”

Futon was like a kid with his arms on his waist, chest sticking out, and saying “ehem!” proudly.

In reality, the cloud elemental was twirling in the air.

“Yaaa!”

Faiya puffed out flames from on top of his head. He couldn't deny what his water vapor brother was saying. He greatly helped Master in defeating a strong Level 4 enemy.

Faiya then asked for an explanation from Viers for this ginormous injustice. Why did he use Futon’s lightning while not his flames? Shouldn't his flames work better against the hateful one’s oil?

“...Hmm? Oh,” Viers was appreciating his newly acquired Dark Moon Greatsword. The shimmering glow of the sword was captivating but Viers was more moved because of the sentiment. Of the past mighty foes that he’d slain in games from a certain game company. He put down the sword before answering Faiya.

“Your fire will react to his oil, the resulting flaming oil is greater than each of yours alone. The question then was who has the sovereignty of the conflagration. Under normal circumstances, I would not doubt you, but the enemy is a Level 4. He was more likely to wrest control and come at me with a greater power, just like what he did at the volcano.”

“Yaa…”

Faiya sulked.

“Aww, don't be sad sweetie,” Clarissa embraced Faiya like a plushie. “There is compatibility in battle. Just because Viers did not use your power this time doesn't mean he thinks less of you.”

Faiya mellowed in Clarissa’s bosom.

“Yaa.”

“Ehehe, I missed you too.”

Futon looked at the two of them while fidgeting. Looking at him, the lamia smiled.

“Come here~”

Futon rubbed Clarissa’s cheek with his body.

“I missed you both,” Clarissa giggled.

Viers silently nodded twice. How touching. While exhaling, he looked at his surroundings. Scars of great battle remained in the plant paradise of Viridis. His fight with Marvin was only a small part of it. The bulk of the damage came from the power of the Divine Weapon and the energy clone of the Level 5.

Dia had defeated the failsafe Duke Lucan placed on his son-in-law-to-be and was crucial in mitigating the power of the Divine Weapon Starfang. However, the deed was not without cost. The Biome’s energy had greatly fallen.

Dia drew power from the land to fight with such power. Previously the ambient mana was thick in the air and the land was brimming with vitality. Now there was barely any, like a dried-up lake. The dryad herself was currently exhausted and recuperating.

Unless replenished, there would be many complications that would arise in the Biome. The plants would wilt, teleportation would not work, and so on. The realm might even break apart in the long term. Viers was aware of the risk and still ordered the attack.

Fortunately, Viers had the means to reinvigorate the Biome. Sacrifice rituals on monsters of enough quantity would suffice. The dungeon core from another world’s gimmick in harvesting vitality from deaths and wounds gave Viers the inspiration he needed. The biomass would also serve to restore the life energy he spent to restore his wounds from fighting Marvin.

He’d brought some fast-procreating monsters from the Monsterlands for this eventuality. It would only be a matter of when.

The Biome wouldn't begin changing today or the next. He still had time before the situation became dire. The Biome would recover. Viers wouldn't let such a crucial infrastructure to his world domination (maybe) wither under the desert sun.

He wasn't sure world domination was on his bucket list but he’d like to keep the option open.

He had losses but he also had gains. Drawing inspiration from his power fantasy Fables, Viers always strived to gain greater benefits from his fights. Increasing experience, techniques, wealth, and intelligence with each encounter… With that, the MCs opened the path ahead as cultivators. If the fight would result in only loss, Viers most likely wouldn't fight at all.

The wealth he gained from Marvin was only the start. All the wondrous items like the Divine Weapon and Ruler’s Globe were now Viers’.

Then there was the prince himself. A live prince.

The value was nigh immeasurable.

Viers had gone to great lengths to bag the Latias royalty. He would not be satisfied before he extracted every single value he possessed.

After the meatbag was inspected and processed, there was already a buyer waiting. The buyer wanted the product fresh and alive.

Naturally, Viers Corporation only delivered quality merchandise.

Before that, Viers would take very strong precautions to prevent an enemy he defeated but not killed from enacting a revenge situation on him. This was paramount in Viers’ mind.

It needed to be said that by now Viers was not treating Marvin like a fellow human.

Poor, poor prince.

One could argue getting killed by Viers was better than not getting killed by him.

“So, you can defeat Level 4s now. How fast have you grown?"

Clarissa’s query detached Viers from his musings.

“Not single-handedly,” Viers replied without modesty or exaggeration. He only conveyed the truth as is. “Even with 500% Horizon, that guy still towers over me in pure stats.”

Even the weakest of Level 4 was at least twenty times stronger than a Level 3. This was without counting his other abilities such as Imaginary Domain.

“I managed to scrape by thanks to my other self-”

During the fight, Arsène was also fighting with Viers from the inside. He was like a second CPU. It made Viers’ Artes twice as strong, twice as fast, and halved the casting time.

“-Dia, Futon, Faiya, and of course, you too. He underestimated the power of bonds. Villains that did that are destined to lose.”

“So you favored the power gained from cooperation over personal strength now?”

Has he changed during the time I was unconscious? Clarissa wondered. She hoped Viers did. It would be better for the world, she thought.

Viers faced the lamia with a quizzical look.

“Por qué no los dos?”

***

“It is already this late, hm? The errant took longer than I thought,” Farley replied.

This time they took on a request to obtain the tail meat of a dino monster in the mountains for an elderly man’s last supper. It was the center ingredient for a dish that meant a lot for the dying man. The devoted son would have done the trip himself if he could but it was too dangerous. Paina and Farley who were passing by decided to lend him their aid.

“Now, now, don't you feel all fuzzy inside seeing how happy the family is?” Paina said with a satisfied look. “I can feel how much they love each other. Isn't that what family is supposed to be about?”

“...I wouldn't know.”

“...I’m sorry if I brought up some bad memories,” Paina said.

The two had pretty awful fathers, who were dead now. The two traveled the road under the moonlight after the conversion died between them. The next village shouldn't be too far.

“Ahh, what beautiful moons,” Paina looked to the sky. The two moons were looking majestic tonight.

Suddenly, Farley stopped.

“Farley?” Paina asked, having a suspicion.

Farley walked like she was sleepwalking away from the beaten path.

“Here we go again,” Paina scratched her head. “Guess we’ll be camping out tonight.”

The region was carpeted with green grass and a rural atmosphere, scenic and tranquil. The area was quite safe, proven by the existence of scattered villages all around. Therefore Paina didn't think this time there wouldn't be anything dangerous.

Paina followed after Farley. They didn't walk far until they stumbled into a clearing behind a curtain of trees.

“Another nice place…” Paina was in awe.

Meanwhile, Farley made her way to a patch of red flowers and hopped on a relatively flat stone in the middle.

While humming, Farley removed her mask and began to dance. A beauty dancing under the moonlight on the stage sculpted by Mother Nature.

Each of the three were already captivating on their own but together, it made for a dreamy sight.

Furthermore, Paina added something of her own.

“Tonight… I’m in the mood for this one.”

Paina also removed her mask before taking out a violin from her spatial pouch.

“The piece…” Paina took a moment to observe Farley’s movement and picked music that fit the theme. “This one.”

Standing straight with perfect posture, she started a magic with her fingers.

Canon in D.

The instrument began to sing with the command of the young musician. From the very moment the bow touched the strings, Paina poured her soul into it.

Soon, Farley matched her dance with the music. Every movement of the hands, every step of the foot, every turn of the body, was a spell of enchantment.

The music, played by a master, created a world of melody just a legendary magic of creation. As the seconds went by, the duo were lost in the art.

Farley’s Profound Codex, Moonreacher Chronicle, had a side effect. Sometimes, when the moon was out, the practitioner would be bewitched to dance. They seemed to be able to seek a suitable venue and elegantly dance as if giving an offering to the moon.

Should they complete their session, they will make great progress in their cultivation.

This was not the first time Farley was moonlight dancing. At first, Paina was focusing on standing guard. The timing was out of Farley’s control after all. However, after that one time where she accompanied Farley’s dance with her music, she had done that ever since.

Music and dance go hand in hand.

It was a type of dual cultivation. The duet elevated both sides. As a water-sound Pathseeker with a fae body, the musical performance greatly affected Paina. As for Farley, even though she wasn't a sound Pathseeker, the dance was part of her Profound Codex so it went without saying.

Farley wasn't a dual affinity Pathseeker but after her resurrection, she had the bloodline of the Dewavi Swan, which some called the dragon swan, one of the most beautiful monsters.

As the duet continued, fantastic phenomena began to manifest. Above Farley, a hard-to-see feathered dragon, sleek and slender, swam in the air, as if trying to reach the moon. Colorful musical symbols began to appear from the sounds Paina created. They flew and frolicked before fading like fireworks.

The spontaneous recital didn't go unnoticed.

Nature spirits and animals such as owls, deers, coyotes, and squirrels gathered around them. Even brutish monsters came, yet their arrival didn't make a splash. All present were thoroughly captivated. Lacking in intelligence they were but they knew by instinct they witnessed something special.

Paina didn't make her music louder using Arte but the sound inexplicably traveled farther than it should. People from the villages nearby also came. When they saw the beasts and monsters there, they didn't dare to disturb the peace.

The two women, who they thought were celestial maidens, gave them permission to be here so who were they to object? The first people, Pathseekers, arrived just at the tail end of the music. Before they grew disappointed, Paina already began playing the next tune.

After roughly one hour of audio and visual treat, Paina and Farley woke up from the spell. They had sweat on their brows and they were tired but there was a feeling of great satisfaction welling up from their breast.

“...Hm?” Farley was the first to realize they were surrounded by a crowd.

They received a standing ovation from the audience. The claps and praises were falling like rain showers.

Paina and Farley looked at each other with blank faces for a few seconds and then smiled bashfully at each other.