Chapter 73: Lunax.

Chapter 73 - Lunax."What do you think?" Lee was slurping dinner while massaging his sore right shoulder, when Potato came over.

Lee wasn't really in the mood to entertain the guy – earlier today one of the vanguard soldiers grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled out from the formation, almost breaking Lee's collar bone in the process.

Considering the move was executed so casually, the difference in physical strength made him depressed. And it was without the guy using his sparks!

It was hard to imagine Lee's peers were supposed to join the vanguard ranks in the nearest future. From what Lee could judge, it'll take at least ten years for them to develop half of such strength.

"I don't understand how these children can become warriors so early." Lee said, carefully picking his words in case someone was eavesdropping.

"Well, they will experience incredible boost after absorbing one spark and the another after the second." Potato said with a shrug, and sat down next to him, "But you're right, they all are mentally challenged."

"That's not what I said." Lee threw a sideways glance at him.

"Sure, sure." Potato nodded, "No worries, I hear you. But no one else does. Despite what the common rumor is, the omnipotent Lunax is only an elemental lord who has awakened the spatial spark. He could open as many rifts as he wants, but his combat abilities will still be lacking. I don't know why he's here though. Normally people with his skill set are highly sought after by everyone ..."

It was as if Lee had won a lottery. He didn't even need to ask anything – the guy was happy to share all the information he had. The only thing Lee needed to pay attention to was to remember the conversation so he could analyze it later.



"Too bad for the kids ..." Lee said something that could provoke Potato's oral diarrhea, and didn't miss.

"Fucking bastard!" Potato immediately flared up, "Give me another thirty years and I'll come back, and blow his ass up! I was one step away from becoming an elemental lord myself in the last life when I won the ... well ... you know. But to dare to kidnap me – this guy is asking for trouble. I don't understand, though, how he was so lucky to invade my continent exactly at the time when the main force was away ..."

"Didn't you see?" Lee was surprised there was something the know-it-all didn't actually know, "The phenomenon with the eyes in the sky?"

"Ah ... so that's how. No wonder ..." Potato nodded, "I've heard about that technique. But a mere elemental lord shouldn't be able to possess it. Damn it ... I was in the closed door cultivation at that time ... you know, trying to ignite the spark before my fifth birthday. If anyone would have warned me about it, I would've crawled somewhere so deep no one could find me. Instead the bastards dragged me here and I somehow had to ignite the spark in the fortress. Fortunately it was decided that the previous barracks building was simply too old and collapsed on it's own. Wouldn't be that easy to explain if I had the fire affinity, though ... "

The last part he said proudly, obviously showing off, but Lee pretended to ignore it and shrugged as if didn't care.

"Don't worry, even water sparks can be amazing." Potato said, and laughed noticing the change in Lee's expression.

Then he said with a grin, "You can't hide the color of your blue eyes, my friend. And that you have a spark awakened ... well ... it's only logical. With our background at this age we should've already ... sigh ... anyway ... I have to go back. Looks like tomorrow we'll help to kidnap thousands of Loswonians. I've never heard of that world – it's probably a poorly developed one. My bet is that the locals in Loswon are not that strong – Lunax would never send the younger generation out there to die. He's an evil bastard, but not a fool ... don't worry guys, I'm just giving your mate some pointers. After all his position in the squad is the most important one!"

The last part was directed at Lee's squad members who finally gathered the courage, and marched over after seeing Lee's face turn unsightly. But Potato, just like the last time, walked away with his head high.

"I'm fine!" Lee pacified his agitated buddies before they tried to do anything stupid.

He was baffled, though.

In all of his lives his eyes have always been dark, almost black. Even Lisa joked they were the only handsome thing about him. Did the spark change the color? At least that was what Potato implied. And what was all the talk about igniting the spark?

The guy claimed he ignited his spark in the fortress! Did it mean he had his own spark, instead of one that once belonged to a beast? But that went against anything Lee knew about the subject ... although he had to admit his knowledge was rather limited.

Once again Potato made sure Lee had another sleepless night. There was simply too much information to digest.

***

The next day was the last day of training, but also the hardest one. The army imitated charging through the rift gate, and as it turns out, it was much harder than the newbies anticipated.

The gate itself was around ten yards wide, but the opening was at most five. It meant that at most five squads could orderly pass through at the same time.

No one, including Lee, could believe it could be done by the large members of vanguard, dressed in full armor and carrying their spears and bucklers. But when hundred experienced soldiers demonstrated the process that looked like a sand flowing trough an hourglass, the younglings were left speechless.

Obviously the vanguard forces practiced it for years and years, but fortunately the kids were only kids and their size allowed them to imitate the procedure much easier.

To Lee it finally became clear how the scourge swarm in Sunwell was formed, and he had to admit – from the other side it looked much more impressive. Of course, it wasn't that he wished for anyone to experience it ever.

***

The following morning came with a surprise, though. The army gathered at the rift gate to patiently wait until it opened.

Lee was particularly curious how the process went, because according to his understanding one had to have a mountain of equipment and incredibly advanced scientists to pull something like that off, and even then it was complete science fiction.

But as it turns out, the superhumans were capable of things beyond understanding of a regular person.

On the top of the arch, out of nowhere, appeared a person.



Apart from the dark-purple robe, the man very much looked like a normal human in his forties, or maybe sixties – Lee had hard time telling since he couldn't see whether there were wrinkles on the man's face. His bold head made him look young and old at the same time, but the dark purple robe gave off a surreal feeling.

He calmly looked at the crowd below, smiled, and everyone, this time including the instructors, knelt and bumped their foreheads on the ground.

The God Lunax had arrived.

Lee already knew the guy, whom Potato called elemental lord, opened rifts in person and thus was real, but he was excited to see how it was done exactly. Unfortunately he had to bear with a lengthy brainwashing session first.

"My children!" Lunax spoke, and his gentle voice reverberated over the kneeling crowd. Even the treasure hunters far in the back clearly heard him, "I want you to know – I love you all! I have seen your efforts and struggles, and you will be appropriately rewarded, but today ... today we are facing far more urgent matters. Your younger brothers and sisters are waiting for you, suffering injustices in Loswon ..."

'How in the world anyone can take this crap seriously? Would I similarly be so retarded if I was kidnapped at a young age?' Lee thought, and glanced to his left and then right, but all the people, no matter the race, were gazing at their God with starry eyes.

Lunax held a long speech, but Lee noticed that below, at the bottom of the gate, four purple-cloaked guys were getting busy. They carried over boxes from nearby parked wagons and emptied them, putting the contents inside the base of the gate.

Only when they were done, Lunax finished his speech and to a careful observer it was clear he dragged it out so the guys below could finish unnoticed.

Of course, only rare individuals in the crowd dared to take their eyes off the God, but not knowing Lunax was getting assistance by others, probably, fueling up the gate, made what happened next look more wondrous.

'Ok! A guy who can do that is qualified to be called a God!' Lee thought to himself, his heart skipping a beat. What he saw was actually impressive.