KEIICHI MIURA
The cacophony of battle cries and clashing weapons assaulted my ears as I followed Chandler’s lead, venturing into the refuge of titans. The edifices atop the colossal stone giants quivered, a sensation akin to shaking coursing through them. In close proximity, epic confrontations unfolded between Voidlings and Venturers.
Though the Venturers numbered only a mere dozen, the Voidlings amounted to at least fifty, yet the struggle appeared to be evenly matched, leading me to deduce that each of them was a paladin.
Wasting no time, Kraus wielded his power to conjure a set of stairs composed of glass, their transparent steps guiding us downward. The descent led us to the ground below, where the foot of a colossal stone giant stood, enveloped by clouds.
Following Chandler’s lead, I moved with swiftness, traversing the descending staircase. The sight that greeted my eyes upon glancing below elicited a gasp and widened my gaze.
Spread before me was an expanse of grassy terrain, the grass itself crystalline and tinged with a shade of cyan. Each blade of grass appeared substantial, its edges honed to a keenness that pierced through the legs of paladins engaged in combat with a formidable Voidborne. Corpses of humans littered the vicinity, mingling with a blackish substance that disintegrated gradually.
Their collective efforts seemed focused on safeguarding a crystal-made cave, a likely passageway leading to the fragment’s location.
A distressing sight unfolded, for the number of human casualties indicated the dwindling hold of the remaining Venturers and Paladins. The precariousness of the situation was amplified by the absence of a Voidshade—our chances were dwindling, and our plight was dire.
"Davy! Cliff!" I bellowed, recognising my two comrades amidst the turmoil. Lvonette fought valiantly nearby.
Exiting the staircase, I hastened towards the skirmish where Davy, Cliff, and a menacing Voidborne clashed. Their energy waned perilously, and the Voidborne were poised to deliver a lethal strike before their next move could unfold.
"I won’t reach them in time!" I cried out as the Voidborne lunged, venomous fangs bared in a menacing attack against Davy.
Yet, to my astonishment, the Voidborne seemed to swell like an inflated balloon, its motion arrested in an inexplicable manner. It stood for Zen, contending with an enigmatic force. This unforeseen pause granted Davy and Cliff the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow, vanquishing the threat.
"My apologies for the tardy entrance." A familiar figure materialised from the shadows, accompanied by a retinue of several others.
"Celina!" My voice rang out in recognition, the familiar visage becoming clear. Avery’s sister and the disciple of Baek Hyun, Celina, had taken an oath to safeguard the Limbo in his stead.
"Kei, I’m relieved to see you alive. It took time to gather individuals who had been aided by my mentor, along with their companions," she indicated to the assembly behind her, comprising a few doZen individuals. Most wielded formidable power, though not quite on par with the paladins.
The unexpected arrival of Celina precipitated a pivotal shift, granting the humans a temporary upper hand over the encroaching voidlings and thereby curbing their numbers.
Nonetheless, the solace derived from this advantage was fleeting, swiftly supplanted by an oppressive force that shrouded the entire battleground. The sensation seized not only my awareness but also Celina's and Chandler’s attention.
"Indikar…" The name escaped my lips, laden with recognition, as I identified the figure behind this ominous development—a figure whose cowardly flight had followed the slaying of the Ninth Herald.
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Beside him strode an assemblage of Voidlings, including a contingent of fearsome Voidborne.
The field of battle erupted into an orchestrated cacophony of chaos.
"What an unforeseen pleasure. Little did I anticipate your readiness for this confrontation," Indikar remarked, his voice marked by an air of eerie tranquilly as he approached our trio.
"Keiichi! I’m entrusting Indikar to your care. We’ll address the surging horde of void creatures." Chandler’s directive was delivered as he engaged a relentless Voidborne. With synchronised intent, Celina hastened to join him, her supportive presence acknowledged through a nod of agreement.
Subsequently, as the immediate vicinity cleared, leaving Indikar and me to confront one another, our focus converged in the midst of the discordant symphony of battle.
*
Within this tumultuous soundscape, Indikar’s voice cut through, his tones infused with calm yet resolute purpose. "We cross paths once more."
"In this encounter, our paths shall diverge for good," I responded, a determined edge in my retort as I readied the obsidian-hued dagger procured from Wallace.
Indikar lunged at me with astounding speed, a stark contrast from our previous encounter, where his movements had been a blur. However, this time, due to relentless training spanning two years, I could discern and track his actions. The rigorous commitment to refining my skills, practicing ceaselessly day and night, had enabled me to grasp the subtle currents of sol.
An explosive clash echoed as my solitary obsidian dagger, christened "Sablethorn," met Indikar’s diminutive sword. This unique weapon had been instrumental in my exponential growth, harmonising seamlessly with my mastery over lune, the energy of death. Its utilisation had become second nature to me in the past month.
From my Sablethorn erupted white flames that cascaded onto Indikar’s sword, the two mystical blades engaging in a battle of corruption and power. The very nature of the Sablethorn began to taint and transform his blade, a realisation that prompted Indikar to vault backward in both surprise and admiration. "What a ferocious weapon! he exclaimed, marvelling at its capabilities.
In a calculated manoeuvre, I launched my Sablethorn skyward, ostensibly aiming for Indikar’s head. Yet I harboured an additional strategy, fully aware that this initial assault was unlikely to succeed.
At the precise moment Indikar veered to evade my strike, a magical transformation unfolded. A ripple enveloped the airborne Sablethorn, causing it to splinter into a multitude of shards, all homing in on Indikar. His quick reflexes allowed him to dodge most of the shards, but a quartet managed to pierce his form. White flames surged from the wounds, weakening him momentarily and forcing him to expel the foreign intruders through sheer will.
"That was really close. But your weapon has now been shattered. His eyes widened as his supposition was proven incorrect just as he was about to conclude.
The shards, born from my weapon’s division mid-flight, became cloaked in brilliant, pure-white flames. In tandem, a similar fire ignited in my outstretched hand. A subtle ripple traversed the air, culminating in the complete Sablethorn materialising within my grasp. This remarkable feat was a testament to Wallace’s spatial modifications, which enhanced the weapon’s mystique and utility.
This elicited an anger-fueled reaction from Indikar, his fury giving rise to a palpable and overwhelming aura. In an instant, he materialised behind me with astonishing supersonic velocity. My reflexes barely managed to guide me clear of his strike, and my body was drenched in a sheen of sweat from the close call.
But my respite was short-lived. Almost immediately, I found myself surrounded by an array of countless purple feathers, each drifting gracefully through the air. Indikar, too, had reappeared, his presence melding with the ethereal plumage. The atmosphere itself seemed to contract, leaving me virtually no room to manoeuvre and effectively imprisoning me within this peculiar realm of feathers.
Indikar’s voice carried a triumphant note as he taunted, "Let’s see how you manage to escape this! These poisonous feathers are primed to detonate upon contact with any object!" His joy was evident as he relished in my predicament.
A wry smile crept onto my lips as I tapped into the second phase of lune weaving, my mastery of the arcane art coming to the forefront. A shroud of inky black mist radiated from my form, swiftly extending to encompass my surroundings.
This mist, guided by my command, reached out to each floating feather. To Indikar’s astonishment, his arsenal of deadly plumage dissipated and dissolved into nothingness, clearing the once-congested space.
It was a demonstration of the true essence of my power. Indikar’s abilities were rooted in sol, the energy of life, while my expertise resided in the manipulation of lune, the antithetical force to sol. As a result, I possessed the unique ability to negate and nullify any sol-weaving technique or any manifestation born from sol’s energy.
Beyond mere negation, my command over lune extended to the disruption of the very flow of sol within an opponent’s body, rendering their physical vessel weakened and vulnerable. In essence, the mist enveloping me, composed of lune, could aptly be labelled as an anti-sol mist, a force opposing the very foundation of Indikar’s power.
Indikar’s expression shifted, his demeanour taking on a more serious tone. "It seems I must unleash my full prowess," he conceded, his resolve visibly hardening.