Nameless King

"What...? I never thought of that..." Alas muttered.

Wain's suggestion shocked him. He was quite mighty, but he dared not align himself with the ruling Royal Families. Moreover, he was going to go to the Forgotten Forest alone and help the Royal Family if he could. He had no idea that he would suddenly become the one to compete for the Royal Spirit.

"Wain, are you sure? Damn it. These are Royal Families, even Dragons are no barrier to them. They will wipe us to dust." Erza resented.

"Shut your mouth. The Forgotten Forest is definitely a very powerful zone, comparable to Purgatory. Even if they're stronger than the Ancient Dragons there, it won't help them. We'll all be about equal." Wain said harshly.

Erza frowned but remained silent. She didn't want to argue with him.

"Ahahahaha, I like that. We may not be able to break the Royal Family formation, but if Alas kidnaps the Royal Spirit, things will change completely." Ern laughed.

"Alas, agree. You will have no other option." Ern smiled, "Moreover, haven't you ever wanted real power? The Royal Spirit is an exceptional chance, if not now, then never again."

Alas was silent for a while, then grinned, "Of course, I want to do it. Getting the Royal Spirit is every Elf's dream! Okay, I agree, fuck the Royal Families. I'll make the rules myself!"

"Fine." Wain nodded, "How long do you think it will take them to find the Forgotten Forest?"

"Hmm... We're lucky and nomadic, so we got here faster than anyone else. I think we have about a week. Do you want to get ready?" Alas asked.

"Something like that. I've recently evolved, but I definitely don't have the strength yet to fight members of the Royal Families. Give me five days." Wain said seriously.

Alas looked at him with a strange look, "Five days? Man, do you even know what you're talking about? Five days for Third Chronicle is like nothing, just empty space."

"Ahahahaha." Ern and Erza chuckled.

"Hmm? Did I say something funny?"

"No... I mean yes..." Ern nodded, "That's pretty funny. You just don't fully understand how different the humans are from us in that respect. They're natural-born soul eaters, on the battlefield, they grow faster than bamboo under the best fertilizer."

"Are you serious? I'd offer you some work if you need to fight." Alas muttered.

"Hmm? Can you offer me something better than the Arena? I don't believe so." Wain waved his hand.

"There's a nest of ants a few kilometers from here, and they're pretty strong. A lot of them are about midway through the Third Chronicle. If the most important thing to you is the number of souls, it's perfect." Alas suggested.

'Hmm... I've only recently reached Third Chronicle... Will I be able to handle a lot of monsters of the same level?' Wain pondered.

'No need to worry. It won't be a problem. It's just a bunch of insects.' Someone's voice rang out in his head.

"Okay. Show the way."

"Sure." Alas nodded.

...

They headed east. Erza, Alice, and Ern joined them as they wanted to see how Wain would fight. His abilities were some of the most unusual they had ever seen.

After a while, they reached a dense forest with tall trees with thick red foliage. The forest's center was empty because of a huge nest of ants, it was as if a meteorite had fallen there.

Hundreds of ants came and went from the nest. As in any colony, they were divided into groups, some building, some hunting, some looking after their young. The ants had red skin, long front tendrils, and powerful jaws.

"Looks pretty good, huh?" Ern nudged Alas lightly with his shoulder.

"Actually, there are more of them than I expected... Are you sure you want to fight them?" Alas turned to Wain.

"Sure. Just watch." Wain uttered as his aura intensified.

Dark streams of energy erupted from the ground, they were completely covered like a veil. The energy dissipated, and Wain's appearance changed. He wore an aristocratic red coat, white gloves, and a mask. Threads of darkness emanated beneath the mask, but they could not escape.

Wain jumped off the ledge as he headed toward the ants' nest.

The monsters quickly spotted him and prepared to defend him. This whole forest was their territory, Wain was an invader, so they were going to get rid of him.

Their auras were powerful. The big ants found on Third Chronicle posed a serious threat, but Wain would not back down.

'Ten seconds... That should be enough.' Wain muttered inwardly.

Wain touched the mask as he slowly removed it.

"Where's his face...?" Erza muttered puzzledly.

There was only darkness beneath the mask. It was like a black flame burning. The countdown had already begun, so Wain began to attack.

He put his arm out in front, and dark spheres began to appear above the ants, their number growing rapidly.

As the ants in the front rows approached Wain and were about to attack him, he clenched his palm in his fist.

The spheres, like little stars, shrank, lit up, and exploded. The dark flames spread for tens of meters around, leaving only ash and the charred corpses of ants in their wake.

Whooooosh.

The shockwave reached Ern and the others, though they were standing more than a hundred yards away. The trees in the forest bent unnaturally, almost reaching the ground with their crowns.

"Damn! He's already killed hundreds of ants! How long has it taken him?!" Erza exclaimed.

"About three seconds..." Alas muttered in disbelief.

Wain looked at the scorched earth as he stared at the main nest.

'Now it's time for the core.'

Wain raised his hands, and the dark flames multiplied. The ground beneath him trembled as space distorted above the ants' nest. There appeared a huge, dark sphere that looked like a black hole. It was just as massive and heavy, making the air around it ripple.

'Well... Your special skill is something amazing.' Wain muttered inwardly.

'Huh, you only used the long-range part of that power.'

Wain nodded as he dropped the orb on the nest.