Chapter 1297  Trans.m.u.tation Arts

"I doubt that"s the reason you came here. What is the heir of a different nation doing in Hikma?" asked Alaric with confusion as he deactivated his ability with a frown. "Even more, protecting the royal palace of Sourna?"

"You realized my ident.i.ty, so you should piece together what is happening," said Rolan with a smirk as he waved his hand. Humanoid creatures rose from the ground, fortified with elemental mana that seemed to change every second.

"We should nip this in the bud," said Diana as she summoned her mana. Before they could attack, Diana released her frost to freeze them. However, the humanoid elementals turned red, bursting with flames. Their high heat melted down the frost, rendering her attack useless.

"My elementals are far stronger than any other because of their adaptability," said Rolan with a confident smirk as he created even more. "I have studied your abilities and created these elementals specifically to counter them. They are soulless and can summon elements as they desire, just like you."

"Is that so?" asked Diana as she stared at the elemental golems with a relaxed expression that did not suit the situation. Alaric had a feeling that she was planning something, and he couldn"t wait to see what it was. "Although I would love to kill you straight away, there is the issue with the sand thieves. I need you to release them."

"These are my precious statues, a testimony of the fragile resistance that they represent and their foolish ambitions. This hall will remain like this until they turn to bones, reminding whoever steps in that the rulers cannot be defeated."

"A rather cruel mindset," muttered Diana with a frown. "But since you are the only one who can undo the damage, I have to let you live. Name your price, Rolan of Orlan."

"I don"t need a thing," said Rolan with a smile as his body finished forming. "But I did not expect the King of Wrath himself to step into Sourna and disrupt our plans. If he promises to return to his runic city, I will spare their pathetic lives."

Alaric was silent the entire time because he reactivated his ability. Although it was a hacker ability, it was different than what one would expect from the name. His ability to hack is not limited to technology that Earth now possesses. Its main usage was against runes, and the world was full of them.

While Diana and Rolan conversed, he was studying the structure of the pillars that held the sand thieves, still groaning while being suffocated. Once their chests became immobile, there was no way for them to breathe normally. Thus, he had to make haste to release them.

"As expected," thought Alaric while watching the pillars. "The thieves are not fused into the pillars, only trapped in them. It seems that the mana cost to manipulate the human body was too great for Rolan to consider. If this is the case, I might be able to save them."

Alaric faced one issue in particular that prevented him from achieving this. The pillars themselves were not created from runes, only manipulated to be a vessel for the thieves. Rolan did not need to expend mana to keep them in their current shape.

"Miss," whispered Alaric as the tension rose between the two sides. "I made sure of it. The thieves are only entrapped inside the pillars, not fused. If we destroy the pillars, we might be able to save them."

"That"s too risky," said Diana as her attention did not leave the rising golems. "One wrong move and one of them could die. I cannot let that happen, since Arthur delegated the task to me."

"We can summon him here."

"Not a chance," said Diana with a frown. "I don"t want to disturb his reunion with his family, so I will handle this situation before following him," she said. Alaric was once again amazed by their indestructible bond. He had no idea what the two of them faced together to be inseparable, but he knew it wasn"t anything he could obtain himself.

"Your puny thieves will meet their end in ten minutes," said Rolan while taking out an hourgla.s.s before flipping it upside down. "After that, they will suffocate to death inside the pillars, and you will have a reminder of your failure inside this hall. That is, if you refuse my offer."

"You can try all you want, coward," said Diana with a laugh as her wings burst with flames, engulfing the hall. As they touched Alaric, he found them to be gentle and warm, not harming him in any way. "I can see through your fear. You are afraid of what Arthur can do to your nation."

Rolan frowned as she revealed his true feelings. If Arthur indeed fights them, they would be in big trouble. "If that"s the case, I just have to capture his weakness: you." Rolan then waved his hand, and the elemental golems rushed forward, shooting different kinds of elemental attacks toward the two.

Alaric stepped back as a wall of ice appeared to shield him. At the same time, Diana allowed her blue flames to burst, covering the entire hall. The elemental golems did not disintegrate but simply fell to the ground without the control of their master.

"The golems might be resilient, but not the fragile control you have over them," said Diana with a smirk as she raised her hand, summoning an ice sword. The entire hall began freezing the moment it appeared, and even Rolan lost his cool a little. "Arthur is not the only enemy you should be afraid of, Rolan of Orlan."

As he watched the golems fall, Rolan realized his mistake. He did not gather enough data about the effects of the Soulfire, expecting them to only work on living targets. This mistake stemmed from the lack of understanding of spiritual energy and how it affects the world.

"If this is the case, then I will fight you myself," said Rolan as he stepped forward, his existence merging with the very nature of the world. "I will show you the real terror known as the trans.m.u.tation arts."