My Brother Is The Hero Of Earth

The golem patiently waited for me with its feet spread apart and a hand raised in front while the other was a fist, ready to strike out. I let out a deep breath as I stirred my bloodline. I felt my talons grow and my eyes changed, but for the first time, I felt like I could push it further without fully transforming. My hands and feet were covered in a layer black scales nearly reaching my elbow. I tightened my fists and channeled a bit of my mana through them. Every single one of One"s attacks were filled with Chaos Lightning and, although this was my first time using it, my body remembered it which helped me find the right frequency quickly. I grinned devilishly as I watched the crimson sparks of electricity jump across my scales.

I jumped forward, throwing myself faster than I thought possible. It wasn"t to the level of One"s speed, but I was faster than when I pushed my transformation near me second form. The golem didn"t have the time to react as my fist collided with its head, cracking it, as it was thrown out of the ring. Two of the idle golems caught the unarmed one from flying further and returned it to the ground. I chuckled as I rubbed my knuckles and watched the golem return to its position. Although it seemed like an impressive display, when I was in my "human" form, the golems would default to the second level of strength.

"Golem, advance to rank four," I said.

The golem would normally not allow a jump of two levels, but its nod of conformation meant my strength warranted it. It took its familiar pose and I once again, dash forward. I was still faster than the golem, but it was able to make up for it with technique, parrying my fist with a twist of his wrist. It counterattacked with a fist aimed for the center of my chest, but I was able to rise my other arm and defend. It was only able to push me back few centimeter as I dug my toe talons. I latched on his arm and pulled him into a grapple, slamming my knee repeatedly into its gut as One had done to me a few time. I didn"t reach the blur of motion that the Chaos Dragon could, but I got in over ten hits before it broke free of my grip. I laughed as I threw myself back at the golem, willing myself to fully transform.

"Golem, advance to rank five!"

With my scales, even the strength of the golem at five could be negated. I gave up on defense and traded punch after punch with the golem until I shoved it out of the ring. I laughed again as I jumped back and waited as it advanced to rank six. Unlike the first five ranks, the golem would turn black, becoming much stronger, faster, and harder. I had only seen the sixth rank once before when the golem discovered it couldn"t hurt me at the fifth rank, but I had been so dominated by its speed and technique, I was throw out of the ring with its first attack.

"Come on!" I shouted as dashed forward with my fist raised.

The golem caught my fist, but I threw the other which it caught as well. I felt it try and crush my hands, but at most, it would only leave a bruise. I jumped and twisted my body, so that I could kick off its chest. I ripped my hands out of its hands as the golem stumbled back and landed on my feet. The golem dashed forward for the first time I barely managed to raise my arm in time to defend. Now, the golem was a little faster than me and each of its attacks would leave bruises, but I still ignored my defense to trade punches with the golem. It wasn"t at the level of sparring with One on my mental plane, but I could feel the same warmth spreading through my body that I had when I awoken from meditation the longer I fought with the golem.

"Oh, lord, again?" Alice"s voice called out to me through the fog of my mind.

I laughed and jumped back, out of the ring then looked over to see Alice, Katye, and Sophia watching from outside the ring of golems. I kicked up my sandstorm as I shifted easily back to my "human" form, when I did though, I saw a mult.i.tude of purplish bruises covering my body. I laughed as the sands fell, revealing my body, while I prepared for the speech I knew was coming. The three girls gave me looks of concern, but I only smiled in response.

"Sorry, it seems my training style has shifted after dealing with "One"," I apologized with a laugh. I couldn"t help it as my body felt more relaxed and giddy than it had in a long time which kept a grin plastered on my face.

"Who is "One"?" Sophia asked, confused.

"My best guess is he"s the legacy fragment of the first Chaos Dragon that is a part of Becca"s mental plane," Alice explained.

"I can finally do some real skill training like you guys, not that anyone else would want to deal with a b.a.s.t.a.r.d like him, but I can"t argue with the results. Thank you, Katye. Although it ended awkwardly, the power you transferred to me completely awoke my bloodline and has given us the information we needed to save countless lives."

"What?" Katye asked.

"Can you ever just keep things to yourself until I have the chance to explain everything to the entire group?" Alice asked with a sigh.

"She has a point, Becca," Sophia added.

I chuckled as I ran my fingers through my short hair and looked away.

"I promise, I"ll explain over dinner when everyone has gathered. This is something that will effect the whole group in the future and it"s easier to explain one time," Alice a.s.sured.

"Does that mean the others are back?" I asked as I walked over.

"Yes, they went to wash up before we eat, so we came to look for you," Sophia replied.

"Give me a big hug, Alice!" I laughed as threw open my arms.

She rolled her eyes as a scroll appeared in her hand which she tore then "flicked" the blue flames on the scroll at me. Alice was a notorious neat-freak, so touching her, covered in sweat would earn her ire. I was bathed in the blue light of the cleansing scroll before I could even reach her.

"You"re no fun!" I said as I squeezed her.

Sophia grabbed me by ear and pulled me off of Alice. "Cool your head before I encase it in ice. Your eyes are gold," she warned then she let go of my ear and gave me a look of exasperation.

"d.a.m.n," I sighed and nodded. "Give me five minutes and I"ll be in. I just need to relax a little."

Alice and Sophia both nodded while Katye seemed to hesitate, but she didn"t want to argue with the two senior members. I watched them walk back to the house while I sat down. I had a suspicion that, now that my bloodline was fully awakened, I would have an easier time meditating which was proven right, at least to a lesser extent.

I was able to quiet my blood with ease, so I spent my time actively watching the effects of that warm energy seeping into my body and trying to interact with it. From the darkest of my bruised, a warmth spread out and was carried throughout my body by my blood while slowly releasing that energy into my muscles. I could speed up the process by channeling my mana through the areas to help carry more of that energy.

When the giddy feeling began to ease, I reopened my eyes as I stood up and headed back to the house. Most of the house had gathered, but I wasn"t the last as Yue and Ella had yet to arrive. The whole kitchen smelled of grilling steak and vegetables, making my mouth water. Taking my normal seat, Sophia looked me in the eyes before giving me a nod. I smiled and shook my head as I reached for the bottle in the center of the table and poured myself a drink that turned out to be whiskey.

"What did you do to yourself, Becca?" Melissa asked when she saw me.

"I was just training with the golem. It"s not as bad as it looks," I replied.

"I thought the golem couldn"t get through your thick hide," Gustavo joked.

I snickered and was ready to brag, but I felt a pinch to my left side, so I was forced to change my tune. "Well, I was fighting without my scales, so it gives the golem a chance."

Gustavo chuckled as Ella walked in with a tired expression and a few singed hairs. Kiara gave her a sympathetic look and pour her a drink before she sat down next to her. We had to wait a few more minutes before Yue appeared and, finally, the golem brought over the tray of food. Gustavo and I were the first to start stealing steaks, but before we could get too carried away, Melissa reigned in Gustavo while Alice gave me another pinch in the side. Once everyone made their plates, the atmosphere turned to its previous joyful state. When everyone, but Gustavo and I finished eating, Alice gathered everyone"s attention.

"While you five were gone, we discovered that Becca could absorb chaos energy, enhancing her bloodline. While training with Katye, who magic contains chaos energy, she fully transformed into her second form while maintaining her clarity. It wasn"t perfect, but with time she will be able to use the form. It also seems likely that absorbing more energy will further increase her power, but the important part of this means we have another solution to chaos radiation. She should be able to start purifying these sources of the highest amounts, but the creatures dwelling around these areas will have mutated and will be much stronger than normal beasts. I can"t send her in alone, but no one, except for Katye, can survive for long periods of times in that much chaos energy. Lesedi and Sophia, I want you two to focus solely on getting to the final stages of your chaos armor, Gustavo and Terri being your first focus. Kiara, Melissa, and Yue, the more high-grade Chaos Resistance potions and Chaos Cleansing pills we have, the better; the armor can only do some much. Ella, I"m sure you can guess what I want, Chaos Repel scrolls and as many as you can before the armor is finished. Four the other four of you are left to your own devices," Alice said, handing out a.s.signments like always.