Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero]

Guardian Angel Z357 hadn’t noticed it at first. His attention since he arrived in Planet 16B was fixed solely on the rifts in space and those who had been touched by the Void. After all, that was his objective— to investigate the oddities occurring in this era and put a halt to the return of the Fal-Deus.

So he had flown between the continents, investigating every employment of the Void’s powers. He had thought he was prepared for the task he had been given; he had already repelled the Fal-Deus once before, long ago. But the circumstances afflicting the current era was unlike the last time he had been activated by the World System. There were no swarms of voidlings pouring out of the sky, inundating the four continents with death and depravity.

This time around, Guardian Angel Z357 found none of that. Instead, the Void worked discreetly in the shadows, possessing certain individuals who were vulnerable to the allure of an immense power. And so, he struggled to learn anything of use since a Void-touched being might not even understand the full extent of the plans of the Fal-Deus.

The angel had been wandering around in the dark, forced to slowly piece together a very vague image of what was going on. He initially investigated the rifts, before flying from incident to incident, drawn only to the strongest flares of the Void essence each time at first, only to realize that such a methodology wasn’t effective.

He finally altered his strategy when he noticed that the rifts in space were only opening up in Laxo, while the other continents remained mostly undisturbed. The fact that the Fal-Deus was operating most overtly in this continent must have clearly meant that the root of this current crisis started here.

So he scoured Laxo for any leads, and that brought him back here— to this village he had visited before, drawn by a powerful Void-blessed creature. And he was so distracted by that overwhelming presence, he didn’t even notice the strange oddities around a random bystander.

Guardian Angel Z357 thought she was a mere [Farmer] at first. So he paid her no mind. But when she had stepped between him and the Noble Spellsword, he began to realize that she was no ordinary human.

Her name was Amelia. And she was no [Farmer]. In fact, she had no Class at all. While that was anomalous in itself, it wasn’t enough for him to suspect that anything was amiss. He only noticed that there had to be something more to her when she grabbed onto his wrist with one hand and didn’t even budge despite his best efforts to make her move.

He could still feel the phantom grip of her palm around his forearm, even now. So he listened to her demands. He followed her to her restaurant, and he began to study her every movement. That was when he finally noticed it.

Guardian Angel Z357 could never have noticed it at first. Even though he was an angel— even though he was guided by the World System’s will— he knew that he never would have seen it without direct and substantial scrutiny. It was so discreet, it had almost evaded his senses when he was standing right before the brown-haired human.

But with the help of one of his Techniques— his Eyes of the Beholder— he finally saw it. And even then, he barely even caught a glimpse of it.

The Void’s essence was wisping off Amelia.

Or more specifically, it was wisping off her cloak and her sheathed sword. He was surprised he had even noticed it. There were such trace amounts of the Void’s essence, it was almost completely negligible. Guardian Angel Z357 was certain he would have had a better chance of finding a decade-old corpse of a Void-touched creature if he hadn’t been directly confronting the brown-haired human.

But it was still there. And he didn’t know if it was being actively suppressed, or if it was just sheer coincidence. All he knew was that he needed answers— now.

Guardian Angel Z357 rose to his feet as he summoned his lance into his hand. He raised it, pointing dangerously at Amelia as heads turned in horror at the unfolding scene.

If you are not a follower of the Void, why do I sense the Void’s essence on you? he asked.

Noele’s eyes went round as she heard the question. She glanced between her mentor and the angel, trying to work her jaw. But her mouth simply bobbed open and close, her words refusing to come out.

Amelia narrowed her eyes as she looked down at the lance. Slowly, she swept her gaze past Guardian Angel Z357, looking back at the crowd of onlookers. Her customers had dropped everything they were doing to stare at this sight. She frowned, before turning to face the angel once again.

She held his gaze as she replied simply, “Don’t scare the customers.”

Answer the question, the angel said as he took a step forward. If you are a follower of the Void, I will have to exterminate you.

He readied all his Techniques. His twelve eyes snapped wide open, his pupils retracting into the shape of little diamonds. His vision focused only on the brown-haired human. He could see every subtle movement she made— he was certain he could predict any attack she threw at him before she even made it.

Guardian Angel Z357 tensed as Amelia just tilted her head. He was an angel— he should have been above every single being in all of Planet 16B. Even the Grand Elder Arrak’tun— who had been Level 96 back when the Fal-Deus had attempted its prior revival— could not even compete with the angel.

It only made sense. Guardian Angel Z357’s Techniques far surpassed the magic granted to the people of this world. He might not have been nearly as powerful as an Archangel, let alone a Principality. But he should have been able to deal with any threat he faced in Vacuos— as long as it was not empowered by the Void.

And yet, despite all these facts, he warily aimed his lance at Amelia. Because Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t know if he could beat her. She should not have been a threat to him. But she was. There was no changing that absurd fact.

Noele finally regained her composure and got to her feet.

“W-wait, this is a misunderstanding,” she sputtered, waving her hands between the angel and her mentor. “Amelia isn’t affiliated to the V—”

Stay back, Noble Spellsword, Guardian Angel Z357 didn’t even face the blonde human. Otherwise, you will be destroyed in the altercation.

“I…” She shrank back. Her lips pursed into a thin line, and she glanced back at Amelia.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” the brown-haired human said. She strode forward as she removed her apron. “Look, if you’re talking about my cloak and my sword…”

Amelia tossed both the items onto the counter. Guardian Angel Z357 narrowed his twelve eyes as she took a step back. His gaze remained on the Void-afflicted sword and cloak. She gestured at herself.

“There. Do you sense any of the Void’s essence around me now?” Amelia asked, raising a brow.

Guardian Angel Z357 paused. He looked between her and the cloak. The sword had a fainter aura radiating off it. He could not quite tell if the rusty blade was actually coated in the Void’s essence. It might have simply been flaking with the residual magic from being in proximity to a voidling or voidbeast.

But he was certain the cloak was infused in the Void’s essence. There was no mistaking it. He refused to budge, raising his gaze up to Amelia once more.

I do not, Guardian Angel Z357 said. But that does not explain why you are in possession of these artifacts of the Void.

“They aren’t artifacts,” Amelia replied casually. “And I just found them lying around, so I picked them up.”

He paused. Was that it? No— she had to be deceiving him. The angel didn’t lower his lance even for a moment.

That does not explain why you are in possession of these items. Explain yourself, Guardian Angel Z357 demanded.

“Because I think they look cool,” Amelia said with a shrug.

Her non-answers were starting to grate on the angel. It had been so long since he last felt annoyed by anything or anyone, it was barely even a memory in his mind. But it was almost like the brown-haired human was purposely trying to antagonize him.

He took a step forward, and Noele jerked back. The rest of the room grew eerily still. No one even dared to breathe. But his target just sighed.

“Look, why are you hounding me for literally having a cloak?” she said, shaking her head. “Noele and I have helped kill a bunch of these annoying Void-assholes. We’re on the same side, aren’t we? That’s why you wanted to speak with us— for the peace and whatever of Vacuos?”

Her words sent a ripple of hushed voices across the room. Guardian Angel Z357 glanced back, hearing the whispers of the spectators.

“For the peace of… what?”

“First our village was attacked, then an angel showed up. What is going on?”

“Mama, what is the Void?”

While the angel didn’t quite care about causing a ruckus, he wondered if this was the right course of action. By revealing so many details about his objective, he could inform the perpetrators behind the return of the Fal-Deus that he was trying to put a stop to their actions. If that happened, they would operate even more discreetly than before, making it significantly harder than it already was for him to accomplish his task.

He shook his head. He didn’t even know if there was a singular perpetrator behind what was occurring across Planet 16B today. It was entirely possible that the Fal-Deus was influencing the world without any specific agent wandering the continents. But as far as Guardian Angel Z357 was aware, that would not be an effective strategy. Nevertheless, it was a possibility, and he had to consider all possibilities as of right now.

And he especially had to consider the possibility that Amelia could be one of such perpetrators behind the return of the Fal-Deus. So he could not back down. Not right now. All he had to do was isolate their conversation.

Field of Isolation. The angel swung his lance to the ground as Noele’s eyes went wide. But even she couldn’t react in time. There was a flash of light, and the crowd of onlookers blinked. An iridescent dome fell over the bar, encapsulating himself and the two humans.

Amelia and Noele exchanged a glance, before eyeing the dome. Glittering octagonal panels of various colors spun around them as they glanced around, confused.

The Noble Spellsword backed up with wide eyes. “W-what is this? What did you do?”

We can speak in peace here, Guardian Angel Z357 said simply. He left his lance behind. It was stabbed into the ground, keeping the barrier intact. I have not harmed any of the onlookers, but they cannot see us, nor can they hear our conversation.

“You better pay for that.” Amelia just eyed the broken floorboards with a flat stare.

He didn’t bother replying to that dry remark. Instead, he strode up to the brown-haired human as Noele just looked on.

You have no Class, Guardian Angel Z357 continued speaking as he came to a halt right before Amelia. And yet, you wield strength that rivals that of angels. How did you learn this power if not from the Void’s blessing?

It was a simple question. But she didn’t give an immediate answer. She just stared blankly back at the angel with her arms crossed as Noele glanced between the two of them, neither choosing to back down. The confrontation dragged on for a long moment.

Eventually, it was Amelia who gave in.

“Do you really want to know the truth?” she finally said. “Do you want definite proof that I am not a follower of the Void?”

Tell me, he demanded, peering deep into her eyes in search of the truth.

“Because—” Amelia uncrossed her arms and spoke casually. “I killed the Voidgod.”

And Guardian Angel Z357 blinked with all twelve of his eyes.

 

MelasD Art of Noele! Noele the Noble Spellsword - Amelia Book 2 Cover : AmeliaTLZHNovel (reddit.com)

It's sick asf :)

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