NOVEL NEXT Chapter 219: Familiar Face
She was walking casually, her expression calm, as though she was just another citizen going about her day. The stylish brown trench dress she wore fit her figure perfectly.
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The design was simple yet elegant, with off-shoulder detailing and a belted waist that made her look like a model.
The dress swayed lightly with her movements, and the soft, muted tones contrasted beautifully with her dark hair.
Her hair, still as silky as he remembered, was styled neatly, with a small braid tucked into one side and adorned with a yellow flower pin.
It gave her an air of innocence, but her refined makeup—subtle yet effective—added a layer of sophistication that made her presence even more eye catching.
She was no longer the girl who used to be naive.
'Elaine.' he muttered to himself.
The last time they'd seen each other was during that incident at the school, and now, just seeing her again stirred a sense of nostalgia in him—perhaps because she was the first familiar face he saw after coming back.
But something held him back from calling her out.
Trailing behind her was a dark apparition, swirling like a person made of smoke.
Instinctively, he felt threatened, and then Pantheon's voice echoed in his mind.
(Do not approach her lightly.)
Asher's brow furrowed. Pantheon's warning spoke volumes.
"What is it?"
(That thing following her is an Elemental God—an entity that even ancient dragons don't like to deal with. If you agitate it, this entire city could be reduced to ashes in seconds )
Asher nodded slowly, the memory of Lucy's words surfacing in his mind.
She once mentioned that Elaine could have an elemental guardian.
But a god?
"If I use 100% of my power, can I kill it?"
(Even if you unleashed 100% of your power—no, even if you pushed beyond that, like you did against Julius—you wouldn't stand a chance.)
(An Elemental God isn't something you can measure against ordinary power. It's a being of pure essence, tied to the fabric of existence itself. You'd be fighting a concept, not a creature.)
(But it has a weakness: it doesn't have consciousness like us. As long as its host is not threatened, it will not make a move, and if you simply create some distance, it won't chase you. It won't even remember you—a price for having such an overwhelming amount of power.)
"A concept, huh?" he repeated, a term he came to know through Pantheon.
According to the dragon, someone could only be considered truly powerful if they were referred to as a concept. It meant having one's own law and logic that could not be explained or copied.
If there was a silver lining, it was that they lacked self-awareness—they simply existed .
'And here I am thinking that I'm already strong,' he shook his head and walked toward her.
As long as he wasn't hostile, the elemental god wouldn't be triggered, and even if it was, he could just teleport out of harm's way.
But just as he was about to get closer to her, a sleek red sports car screeched to a stop on the side of the road. The engine growled as it idled, and the door swung open.
A man stepped out of the car, his black jacket hanging open, revealing a crisp white t-shirt beneath.
"Elaine, I'm really sorry for what happened. I was just drunk last night, and those girls came at me," he apologized, his fingers running through his short, faded brown hair.
The reaction came immediately, but not from her. It came from the crowd. They gasped and began snapping pictures.
"Oh my god, that's Spike! One of the strongest S-Class in the region!"
"Man, I heard he can fight whole horde of monsters without breaking a sweat!" someone else chimed in, their voice full of disbelief.
"Yeah, even Skyler was taken down by him in just five attacks. They say he's the closest human to potentially reaching SS rank,"
"Wait, so if he's apologizing , does that mean she's his girlfriend?"
Elaine, hearing all of this, looked annoyed.
"You don't have to apologize. We're not even dating. To be honest, I'm relieved that you did that—now maybe you'll stop bothering me," she turned around.
"Don't be like that, Elaine," Spike said, gently taking her hand.
The sound of clicks and murmurs echoed around them. It was a reminder that social media was still alive and thriving, and people couldn't resist feeding the spectacle.
"She's acting hard to get," one voice murmured, just loud enough for those nearby to hear.
"Girls would beg to date someone like him," another chimed in, their tone dripping with envy.
Elaine's face tightened in discomfort, her gaze flicking toward the growing crowd. She was being judged unfairly, simply because Spike was a celebrity.
"Stop touching me!" she shouted, trying to pull her hand away, but it wouldn't budge at all.
"Let me make it up to you. How about we go on a date? I'll book us the most expensive restaurant," he suggested.
"I don't want to! Just let me go," she snapped, yanking her hand with enough force to pull her body away from him.
Unfortunately, the gap in their powers was too vast, especially since
Elaine didn't have any abilities whatsoever. She was as weak as a human from five years ago.
She stared at him, her fists clenched at her sides, her breath quickening with frustration.
"'Just forgive me this once, I promise I won't do it again." he insisted.
His words ignited a flame of fury within her, but what made it worse wasn't just his voice—it was the roar of the crowd behind him.
They weren't stopping him, weren't even questioning his actions.
Instead, they cheered for him, their voices rising in a chorus of support.
"A hero like him deserves another chance! He's done so much for us!"
"Think of all the lives he saved!"
"Everyone makes mistakes!" another voice chimed in. "He deserves to be be forgiven—he's given everything for us!"
Elaine was overwhelmed by disbelief.
The only reason she allowed him to pursue her was because her friends insisted.
They saw his charm, his power, his wealth, and encouraged her to give him a chance.
And she did, but he wasted it.
Just as the tension between them grew and the crowd kept getting bigger, someone stepped in.
A man wearing sunglasses and a face mask grabbed Spike's wrist.
"Stop forcing her. That's sexual harassment, you know."
The crowd was stunned. Someone was actually dumb enough to confront one of the strongest—if not the strongest—Awakener in the region.
Spike's eyes narrowed, irritation flashing across his face. He might act kind in front of Elaine, but he was anything but generous with others.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he intended to shove the man away, to show him who he was dealing with.
But as he did, it was as though he was pushing against a solid wall.
No matter how much power he threw into it, his arm stayed locked in place. He could release his ability, but he hesitated. This was a public place, and there were too many civilians around
"Who the hell are you?" Spike demanded .