On The Other Side: I Quit Being Human

Swoosh!

Fourteen figures descended from the sky and stood before Layland. All of them were clothed in one-pieced tunics that extended to their ankles. They dressed simply but their demeanour was regal. Each of them possessed a fearsome aura. Their presence was profoundly incomprehensible, similar to those who had lived in this world for a long time.

The man in the middle of the row, the one with cream-coloured hair, turned around. His stern and aged face met Layland’s unmasked face. His sharp eyes stared into Layland’s eyes as if they wanted to pierce Layland’s soul. One would simply quiver and die given the glare, but Layland dared to quirk an eyebrow. He didn’t even feel pressured.

“What kind of problem you have brought us into, boy?” the old man spoke.

“I am just reminding you the enemy you ran away from is still alive. I didn’t bring you into a problem. This is the problem that—”

“Silence!” the old man fumingly interrupted Layland. “I don’t need a halfling like you to lecture me. Walking away is not running away. We have moved on from the past. We no longer need to defend our pride and strike back for what happened in the past.”

“You don’t have to depict yourself as a coward. It would have been better if you didn’t explain why you are hiding.”

Layland’s remark that lacked hesitance and sugarcoating made everyone flinch. The old man had a temper. It was not wise to hit his nerve. Fortunately, their worry was unfounded. The old man remained calm. He was frustrated but he didn’t do anything but sigh. He shook his head and then gazed at Aurelia who was circling her arms around Layland’s neck.

“Give me my granddaughter. I will take her home.”

“Not after you help your grandson-in-law out of this shitstorm.”

“What!?”

Both Aurelia and the old man looked at Layland in shock.

“Why are you surprised too!?” the old man exclaimed at Aurelia.

“I thought he didn’t think of me like that!” Aurelia countered. “Also, why are you here of all times, old man Quetzalcoatl?”

“Am I not allowed to see my granddaughter?”

“Bullshit! You have ditched me for more than a millennium.”

“It’s because you have been running away from me, lass!”

The banter between the granddaughter and grandfather duo produced a dumbfounded ‘huh’ from the crowd. They couldn’t believe the duo could do that in front of God who looked ready to strike at any moment.

The Light Elf’s side was livid; especially, the Paladins. The blatant disrespect made their blood boil. They couldn’t comprehend how the insects before them dared to ignore the one who created them and the world. The sheer ignorance and stupidity almost made them lunge at the insects.

Hum!

When God’s Divinity made the air vibrate, Aurelia and Quetzalcoatl raised an eyebrow. Both of them turned to God and saw him making a gesture of extending his hand. He still looked like a mass of solid light but the light appendage was similar to a hand. Quetzalcoatl and Layland frowned at the same time. Nothing good would happen if they let him be.

“Well, it’s your time to make a choice, old man. Either help your grandson-in-law or leave your granddaughter behind,” Layland stated bluntly.𝒐𝒱𝗅xt.𝚌𝚘𝓂

“I can take her away without your permission, punk,” Quetzalcoatl spat viciously.

“Our child is bound to the Seal I put on her soul. If you take her away without helping me, the child will pay the price.”

“What!?”

Expecting Aurelia to also be surprised, Quetzalcoatl was extremely livid when he found her looking at Layland with a frown. He couldn’t believe his impulsive and stupid granddaughter had done ‘the act.’ It felt like yesterday to him teaching her how to read. How quickly time had passed for his granddaughter to grow up.

“Gah! I won’t accept this. Mark my words, punk! I will break every bone in your body after this.” Without even bothering to register Layland’s smirk, he shouted, “Be ready, boys! We are going to do the job that we have abandoned again—going against God!”

Layland immediately extended his hand to the side, prompting the gigantic golden tree behind his army and the Dark Elf’s which was controlled by Luxia to cover them with a golden Magic Barrier. In the next moment, Quetzalcoatl and his entourage assumed their Dragon Form.

Boom!

The amount of Mana overwhelming the air made it explode. Many of them would be crushed to death by the sheer presence of the fourteen Dragons; however, fortunately, they had the golden Magic Barrier protecting them.

Among the fourteen Dragons, as expected, Quetzalcoatl stood out the most. He had the biggest body—around 500 feet tall and 1250 feet long. Amizanima was vast but they seemed to occupy all of it. They weren’t as fearsome as God but they would give him a run for his money.

The Luxibrae soldiers gritted their teeth as they tried to withstand the pressure the fourteen Dragons were exuding. God couldn’t completely protect them from the influence of the Dragons’ presence. They wanted to retreat, but it was impossible. Therefore, they could only click their tongues bitterly. They knew they would end up as collateral damage.

“They are not backing off yet,” Layland remarked. “This will be one hell of a fight if that bastard remains stubborn.”

Seeing that fight was highly likely, Layland decided to come out of the Magic Barrier. He was about to put Aurelia down when Aurelia turned his face to hers, so she could look into his eyes.

“Does the feeling of being stalked that I get come from your coat? What does the Seal do? Does it destroy me when I don’t abide by your instruction?” She asked seriously.

“No,” Layland answered flatly. “It is just a simple Tracking Seal, so I can immediately teleport beside you when I sense a Dragon approaches you. I am sorry for using you and making such a lie but I will make up to you later.”

He glanced at God and continued, “I still need to fight.”

Aurelia shrugged nonchalantly and let go of Layland’s head. “Very well. You sound sincere. I forgive you. Though, I hope you will fulfil your promise.”

Layland didn’t say anything and nodded his head. He put Aurelia down and the said Demonic Dragon immediately ran to Haletha’s side who was still processing what was happening like everyone was. Her presence alerted Haletha, making the Dark Elf Queen’s thought switch to what Layland said about them. She wondered if Aurelia was bearing Layland’s child.

Whoosh!

Someone landed on Layland’s shoulder and sat on it. It was a beautiful woman with long white hair and a pair of pointy horns on her forehead. She was no other than Eliseus who was assuming her Pseudo-True Form. Her appearance didn’t interest Layland in the slightest bit but the look on her face did. She looked very cheery.

“Didn’t think the day seeing Eliseus with emotion would come.”

“And I am still waiting for you to show me your smile, Layland.”

“So, this is where you put all of your emotion, huh?”

“You can say that my True Form helps me bring out my emotion.”

Other than a pair of wings on her back and white full-arm hand armour covering her hands, Eliseus’ appearance didn’t change much. Her presence, however, was a different story. Unlike her usual presence, her current presence was very wild and oppressive. One could tell she was a battle maniac the moment one felt it.

Even without feeling her presence, the grin on her face should be a dead giveaway.

Layland shook his head as he felt closer to this version of Eliseus. Although she still didn’t reveal much of herself other than her desire to kill, he could understand her better given that she was a fellow battle maniac.

Channelling Mana to his neck, Layland caused the necklace around his neck to morph into his mask which then covered his face. His aura instantly changed, prompting Eliseus to get down from his shoulder. She didn’t think Layland had the leniency for her playful gesture. Nodding their heads to each other, the two disappeared without a trace.

Boom!

An explosion occurred, killing thousands of Luxibrae soldiers. The Dragons and God who had been glaring at each other turned to the source of the explosion and found the Demon duo wrecking the entire army as if it was child’s play.

“We need to retreat!” Phoebesius disengaged from his fight with Teanosvera and flew to the army. Layland stood in his way, causing him to shout at the said Demon. “Demon, move out of the way!”

Layland merely stared at the incoming Phoenix dead in his eyes. He then extended his hand and sent Phoebesius a fist-sized fireball. Phoebesius would like to scoff but couldn’t. it was hard for him to admit it, but the fireball was strong enough to harm him. Given his injury and agitation, slapping it with his wing was the best thing he could do.

Ree!

The fireball burned his wing. It was unthinkable that fire could burn fire. No, it wasn’t unthinkable. It was unexpected that fire which was born from a Demon’s Spell could harm a Phoenix. Phoenix was the best at Fire Magic. Even though Phoebesius was injured, it was hard for him to accept that Layland could match his skill.

Looking at it from afar, Teanosvera smirked in satisfaction. He would like to help his Master but the Divinity God was exuding hurt him. He didn’t know how it didn’t affect his Master—a Demon—but he didn’t want to think about it. After all, his Master was an enigma.

His and many others’ faces crumpled when God entrapped the Dragons in a Magic Barrier and turned to Layland. Layland, as always, remained calm and turned to face the so-called God. At that moment, he became sure that he had become God’s target. A grin still adorned his face.