Elements: The Ancient Tomb

Chapter 12: "The death bet”

Victor's skeptical look made Michael feel a little uneasy, asking:

 

"You…have you remembered something? Your face doesn't look so good."

 

Looking at Michael, Victor immediately thought of the face of the person who was known as the leader of the Guardians of the Immortals.

 

"How could…? That person's face is the same as Michael's. Is it just the same person? But the tattoo on his arm is the same as in this drawing? And I wonder if Yelena has studied it before?" - Victor thought.

 

When Victor was thinking, Michael suddenly snatched the drawing in his hand and said:

 

"Don't read my documents on your own. If you just want to bring me food, just put it on the table and go out, don't mess around with other things."

 

"Sorry! I just wanted to tidy up the files for you. I'm a frank person, I want to ask you two things. First of all, why do you have all these documents?"

 

"Why do you ask like that? They are mine…"

 

"No, they used to be Yelena's, I saw them in her memory."

 

"You… saw everything through Yelena's memories, didn't you? I see, telepathic ability!"- Michael gradually understood.

 

"Second question, who are you anyway? Descendants of the Goddess?"

 

Michael realized that Victor had seen the tattoo on his hand and compared it with the other drawing to come to that conclusion. He covered the tattoo on his hand, evading:

 

"What the hell...? I don't understand what you're saying?"

 

"I knew it after knowing about the secret meeting between you and Iron Head, In addition, from seeing fragments of Thedus' memories, I saw that someone, who looked a lot like you, was one of the worshippers of the Goddess. 99% that's you."

 

"You say you met someone like me? Where?"

 

"Don't pretend. From the moment I met you, I realized that you have so many mysteries, I feel like you don't want to tell me anything about yourself. I don't believe a normal person can live for 1,000 years without any signs of aging unless you are given the ability to rejuvenate. But there is no other way to explain this."

 

"Wait, are you crazy? Maybe just be the same person…!"

 

Victor turned to look at Thedus and said:

 

"You know about Guardians of the Immortals, don't you? Does Michael have any connection to them?"

 

"I don't smell the dark power I used to smell that person from his body. Furthermore, I noticed Michael doesn't have a very particular habit that that guy has.- Thedus said.

 

"A very particular habit? What do you mean?

 

"If Michael was that person, he would carry 'that notebook' with him all the time, because it was something important to him, it hid the terrifying secrets of his identity - what made him different from the others but also isolated him from us..."

 

"That... notebook? What is it named?"

 

"Enough. Don't ask me because it's not the thing that I can reveal to you. Understand?"

 

"Sorry. I'm just a bit curious..."- Victor replied.

 

"It seems like he said, they two just have the same face, but they're two different people. Sorry, Victor, but I have to inform you that you've made a big mistake, Victor."

 

"Got it. You seem to know about him so much, don't you? Yeah, I'm sure now that Michael and he are two different people, they just have a similar face."- Victor said.

 

Michael was silent for a moment with a strange expression as he looked at Thedus. "I'm sorry for misunderstanding you. Please forgive me, Michael."

 

"Don't worry. I'm so glad when the..."

 

Suddenly, a call from Michael's phone rang. Michael immediately took it from his pocket, pressed the answer button, and said:

 

"Hello?..."

 

After being silent for a while to hear who was calling, he responded:

 

"Oh, really? Got it. Where?... Hmm... Okay. Thanks, Charlie."

 

Michael canceled the call one minute later and turned off his phone.

 

"Who called?"- Victor asked.

 

"My colleague. Looks like it's time we settle our grudge against that guy."

 

"Who?"

 

"Meleon."

 

"Is it him? Where is he?"

 

"The abandoned tomb is about 10 km from here."

 

Victor was a bit shocked and thought:

 

"How did Michael know? I've been suspicious of him since DCPD. After Jimmy had tried to escape by taking hostages, suddenly, the butcher Iron Head appeared and attacked him. I raised the question that he knew Jimmy was an elite descendant, above all, how did he know the location of that death row inmate? The only one who knew about these things was me and Michael, and from then on I raised my suspicions about him. The thought: "Michael arranged everything to destroy Handaz's sophisticated plan" is completely reasonable and logical. It can't be ruled out that he went to see Iron Head and told him the news, made him show up that day, then…"

 

"Hey, Victor, why do you look so pensive? Are you brooding about something?"

 

Michael's words startled Victor, replying:

 

"Ah, nothing. Come to think of it, I also wanted to ask you a question, but I was hesitant to ask if I should ask?"

 

"Ask. Do not be shy. "

 

"How did you know?"

 

"Oh, my God. Is that what you wanted to ask me? So why are you hesitant? I put a tracking chip on him."

 

"My hesitation is real. The question I want to ask you is not only that. There are many mysteries about you that I don't know, and I am quite curious about your past, Yelena's arrest in PDDC, and the connection between you and Lisa... But maybe I will choose a time. another to find out," thought Victor.

 

Thinking of that, Victor smiled and said:

 

"I understand now. So we need to start now. It's time to avenge them."

 

"By the way, I also have one thing to ask before we set off," Michael said.

 

"What is that?"

 

"Are you curious about my past?"

 

The question stunned Victor for a moment as if Michael could read his mind. Reluctantly, he replied:

 

"Ah… a little bit."

 

"You must have realized that the drawing in the paper you just held was Yelena's, right? Tell me the truth, what have you been knowing?"

 

"Nothing. I don't know what happened, but I still trust you to share everything as a friend. We will talk about this later. About the other thing, you wouldn't go there without a specific plan, right?" - Victor asked.

 

"Yes, I have a specific plan. You just keep doing it."

 

When the two were on their way to the ancient tomb, Victor said:

 

"Does he already know our identities?"

 

"I've been exposed since the time at headquarters, not you. Therefore, I will leave the task of approaching him to you. Just follow the plan."

 

"Is dressing like this part of the plan too? This suit of yours is too tight." - Victor complained.

 

"Yeah, you'll understand, it's annoying not being able to show up right now. Count on you."

 

"So here I go. Judging from the radar, he seems to be pretty close. Just keep driving forward. Remember to keep your promise when I get back there."

 

"Agreed."

 

As soon as he got out of the car, Victor, now wearing a mask and a suit that Michael lent him at the cafe, ran to where the radar was. When he arrived, he saw that the entrance to the tomb was lit. Following the steps deep inside, Victor was led to a very large and wet place.

 

Opening up in front of Victor's eyes is a vast space, surrounded by stone lamps, above the steps are five stone chests, the special thing is that they have no signs of rotting. The deeper Victor entered the cave, the more malfunctioning was the radar. No matter how Victor tried to fix it, the radar still didn't work properly, he exclaimed:

 

"Damned. Why is the radar malfunctioning now? But never mind, I just need to be careful once I get here. That guy doesn't know how to defend himself anyway."

 

So he put it in his pocket and continued to go inside.

 

He did not expect that behind him, Meleon had stood near him for a while and was about to charge at him, muttering:

 

"Did you just say I couldn't defend myself? You made a big mistake."

 

Suddenly in the subconscious, a voice of Yelena resounded in Victor: 'I am not afraid of the enemy in front of me, I am just afraid that people will believe me to 'steal' me in the back'. Just hearing that voice made him feel the danger that was very close to him. He immediately regained consciousness, pouring sand on the ground. When Meleon was close to touching his body, Victor flipped left to dodge his attack. Meleon missed, looking at the sand under her feet, exclaimed:

 

"Since when is there sand here?"

 

When Victor knew Meleon's location from the footprints in the sand, he used the sandbag he had hidden in his body and threw it at Meleon. Meleon was covered with sand, his eyes were also covered with sand, so he was temporarily blinded, had to reveal his true form, rubbed his eyes, and shouted:

 

"Bastard, you're playing this trick again. Damn it."

 

"I'm not him. Take a closer look."

 

When Meleon's eyes returned to normal, he saw Victor's warrior form, surprised and said:

 

"Yellow Lightning!"

 

"It's me. Surprise?"

 

"Where's the Blue Gunner?"

 

"He won't come here. You already know his face, with a cautious person like him, how much risk does revealing his face bring? What are you planning when you invite him here?"- While talking, Victor pointed the Lightning Sword at Meleon.

 

"So this is his plan. He knew that I would try to turn him over and kill him as a gift for my master. The turtle shrinks its neck."

 

"Oh, you want to please Handaz... I'm sure he's here too. Too bad, your plan is ruined. Then take me to him, I need to talk to him."

 

"You think I would do that? It's useless, just kill me."- Meleon said flatly.

 

"You used Jimmy to make a riot, indirectly causing the death of so many people at the headquarters, with that many crimes, I am ready to execute you right here. But if you will bring me to Handaz, I will not kill you for the time being. At least until your master allows it."

 

"My life is in my master's hands, but I believe that he would certainly not have the heart to let his close bodyguard like me die at your hands."

 

Victor immediately hugged his stomach and laughed, answering:

 

"Ha ha ha, so naive. Do you think he won't? You don't understand him at all. Anyway, if you don't do as I ask, then I'll have to take action."

 

Then he approached Meleon and put his hand on his head. Judging from his memories, he knew Handaz's location.

 

"He's right around here."

 

Meleon tried to fight back and run, but Victor used Lightning Sword to paralyze him on the spot. Having finished the search, he chuckled and asked:

 

"Do you want to bet with me? If he cares about your life then I'll let you go, otherwise... you'll get the end you already knew. Now follow me to see him."

 

Meanwhile, Handaz was standing at a place about 200 meters from the ancient tomb, eating sunflower seeds, Victor suddenly appeared and dragged Meleon into a tied state by the tie. He threw him at Handaz. Meleon dragged herself to Handaz's feet and said:

 

"Master, please save me. Yellow...Lightning..."

 

The appearance of Yellow Lightning shocked Handaz. He sighed and said:

 

"Why are you here? Where's the Blue Gunner?"

 

"I have to ask you that question. You came all the way here and ordered this incompetent man to do something to us while you were just standing here, eating sunflower seeds and waiting? How long are you going to keep your oath of anti-war? Is this what we should receive?"

 

"Your words also disrespect my warrior spirit."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Have you forgotten? Didn't I say: 'I only fight those whom I know'? If I go against that maxim, won't I lose my authority and my honor?

 

He did a good job with the assignment we gave him. This was done by him intentionally out of a personal vendetta against that guy, not at my command. But even though he failed, he made me very happy."

 

"You have killed so many innocent people, turning a death row inmate and Meleon into a pawn, all because of a knife. Do you still have a conscience?"

 

"I haven't had the concept of 'conscience' in my entire life."

 

"Bastard. I knew it. I can understand the reason why those people died at your hands, but this guy is loyal to you. I ask you, do you have the heart to let him die?"

 

"Meleon's loyalty to me is unquestionable. He is my most loyal servant so far. So I will…"

 

Hearing that, Meleon was overjoyed and thought that he would win this bet. But Handaz said:

 

"...let you kill him."

 

Meleon was completely shocked and asked:

 

"Master… Handaz. Why do you say that? Are you going to abandon me?"

 

"That's the last thing I want from you. Will you die at his hands for me?"

 

Victor then laughed loudly and said:

 

"I'm not wrong, have you opened your eyes yet, Meleon? I won this bet. According to his will and our agreement, I will send you to the grave."

 

Meleon cried, lowered his head, and tried to plead with Handaz:

 

"No. Master, I beg you, please take back what you just said. I have devoted myself to serving you, but why would you…"

 

"Sorry, but because of the big deal of the god of darkness, I can't do anything else. Don't worry, after you die, your soul will live forever in me."

 

"No...!"

 

He let out a long scream in frustration. But Victor has not yet entered the offensive position, said:

 

"I will kill him if you answer me two questions."

 

"Oh, you are so interesting. But hey, asking two questions is a bit greedy."

 

"Are you going to complain? What's the problem if I ask for two sentences? I think, you still benefit than me."

 

"You seem to have grown a lot. Ask me whatever you want, but just two."

 

"First question, why didn't you kill him yourself instead of needing us to do it?"

 

"Who would kill an experiment I created?"

 

"It was just an excuse. Tell the truth or get Meleon out of here."

 

"Hey, okay, don't be mad. Their power comes from a type of cell called "The Cell", the result of my research. In other words, cells are transplanted into the host's body and give power to that host. Anyone can extract energy from a cell by killing its eater, but I cannot."

 

"That cell can grant the user extraordinary powers, so why don't you implant it yourself?"

 

"If it was as easy as you say, I wouldn't have to work so hard. 'The Cell' is more terrifying than you think, each cell causes the host to lose his own free will, maybe even go crazy. That's why I need an 'intermediate vessel' after the vessel is killed, I will use the special card to absorb the energy released from that corpse, that's called 'indirectly absorb the power of cells' ."

 

"No wonder Meleon and the others obeyed all of your orders."

 

"Partly because I was the one giving them the cells. No matter previously, they wanted to serve or not, once the transplant process was complete, they would lose their will and obey me, who transplanted the cells into them."

 

"Last question,..."

 

"Didn't you just ask two questions? I made the deal, now it's your turn, Yellow Lightning" said Handaz.

 

"Damn it!"- Victor exclaimed after taking a long breath - "Lightning Slash!"

 

Then he swung the Lightning Sword to make two slashes in the shape of an "X" toward Meleon. Meleon exploded in an instant.

 

After finishing Meleon, Victor stood watching the fire burn his body. Handaz threw sunflower seed pods into the fire and exclaimed:

 

"Born from dust will return to dust, an unwritten rule."

 

"'Nothing hurts more than being betrayed by someone you trust', that proverb is true. He and the other subordinates under the hell are pitiful to have a master like you."

 

Handaz drew a card and said:

 

"He'll be happy that he's still useful even in death."

 

Then he swung the card towards Meleon's body and recited the spell: "Tamaq sakaj", to absorb energy from Meleon's corpse, right now Victor had recited the incantation: "Counter-attack- Aja sakaj". Immediately, an aura emanating from Victor's body removed Handaz's witchcraft and caused the card to be torn into pieces. Handaz looked at Victor in surprise and said:

 

"You..."

 

"I learned this trick from Thedus, it will counteract your spell because our powers are opposites."

 

"Fuck off. Why would you do that?"

 

"In our contract, I said I would finish him off, but I didn't say I would let you absorb his power."

 

"You're crafty, too, but that's what makes me like you. So now you're going to count my sins?"

 

"All those who died because of you, I will get justice for them. Let's fight!"

 

"I'm sorry, but I won't fight without knowing my enemy's face."

 

"Stop talking nonsense, fight me." - Victor roared, rushing towards Handaz.

 

When Victor approached Handaz, Handaz immediately used a special technique: "Telekinesis- Teleportation" teleported behind Victor and shouted:

 

"Telekinesis- Freezing space."

 

Right now he created a spherical space that covered a small area. Because he was in that space, Victor was affected, he realized that not only he, but also the birds, and the falling leaves,... were all floating in the air, unable to move.

 

Handaz approached Victor and said:

 

"One of my favorite tricks. With this, we can freeze space for 5-10 seconds, with that much time, I will gain the advantage and become invincible. I could use that time to take you down with a single blow, but that would go against my philosophy, so I'll spare you this time. Next time, if you want to fight me, you know what to do. Think carefully."

 

Then he disappeared in an instant. The spherical space also disappeared, so Victor fell to the ground. His head hit the ground hard, causing him to remember some memories, in his head, someone's identity appeared. After a while, his face was suddenly angry, and he exclaimed:

 

"Mason, you bastard, I remember. You killed everyone in the cave."