The moon dimly lit the grassy fields beyond the Western Wall of New Ark City. An army of thousands of Hybrids found itself at an abrupt standstill. A mere hundred Heroes were slowing them down.
Amidst the bloody fields, the only two cultivators, Al and Elissa, stood resolute. They were in the heart of the Hybrid army.
With a fluid and practiced motion, Al swung his blazing scimitar, cleaving through the body of a colossal, oozing worm with grotesque human arms. The hybrid creature released a corrosive green liquid from its open wound. The liquid covered Al's scimitar and began eating its surface, threatening to dissolve the red-hot blade.
Al looked around the battlefield and noticed a fresh wave of heroes arriving on top of the eight teleportation platforms.
"This is the perfect time to try out a spell from my Heat Will," Al contemplated, his mind considering potential spells.
While keeping his defenses up, he invoked his Stubborn Will, and his corroded scimitar restructured itself back to its original state. Securing his scimitar onto his back, he turned to a group of Hybrids charging him.
A smile tugged at the corners of Al's lips. He extended his left hand, the same hand accustomed to wielding his scimitar, and pointed with two fingers.
Within the realm of the Mental Domain, cultivators unlocked access to all spells aligned with the Will they cultivated. 'Warm Radiance,' Al pondered, followed with intent. An immense amount of Heat Will rushed out from his fingertips. However, no flicker of flame or whisper of heat appeared.
After Al raised his hand, a jumping hybrid with giant claws closed its distance toward him.
Instinctively, Al swung his right hand, and the tip of his second blade – a long sword – directly slashed at the encroaching hybrid.
As he dealt with the enemy at his feet, a potent wind surged, forcefully pulling the approaching wave of hybrids. The hybrid Al had slashed was pulled mid-air by the astonishing wind.
Realizing the cause of the wind, "the time delay is a problem," Al noted. He was forced to anchor himself, thrusting his longsword into the ground to withstand the gale.
Al's spell 'Warm Radiance' created a pocket of air that was instantaneously heated to an extraordinary degree. In the blink of an eye, radiant brilliance emanated from the center, and a vacuum effect formed the sudden winds.
A small brilliant star emerged from the concentrated, intense heat. Chains of lightning bolts erupted, extending towards multiple Hybrids. In a fraction of a second, dozens were reduced to a mist of Material Will.
The epicenter became so intensely heated that the air molecules had ionized, giving rise to a dazzling display of blinding light plasma accompanied by crackling lightning bolts.
Once Al's Heat Will had dissipated and the spell was over, a thunderous bang reverberated through the air, and a powerful shockwave rippled outward from the once-heated region. Near the epicenter, any surviving Hybrids were obliterated by the explosive force.
The entire spell occurred in a few seconds. The powerful winds pulled back the hybrid that initially attacked Al. Avoiding being hit by the arcs of lightning, it was ripped apart by the concluding shockwave that tore it apart.
A swath of land was swiftly cleared of any remaining Hybrids by the sheer force of Al's 'Warm Radiance,' capturing the attention of both Heroes and Hybrids alike.
Al pulled his longsword from the ground. His heart was pounding loudly, and a grin covered his mouth. As Al was about to jump back into battle, explosions of flames began to rain down upon the army of Hybrids.
"Is this from 'Warm Radiance,' too?" Al pondered aloud, lifting his gaze to identify the source of the sudden barrage.
Hovering in the night sky, Al saw a tall red metal armored hero whose helmet was topped with a beautiful crown. Their back unloaded small missiles that rained down on the flying Hybrids in the air.
"She came, Hero Red Queen is here!" a voice shouted before the rest of the Heroes began cheering.
The army of Hybrids rapidly diminished. Their aerial forces left behind nothing but a trail of dissipating mist.
"Gather with the heroes in the outer edge and push the hybrids back." Red Queen commanded.
The Heroes, responding to her orders, began moving toward the edges with Raging Stone leading them through the battlefield.
A few heroes and two cultivators, Al and Elissa, remained near the teleportation platforms. Hero Red Queen descended, landing near Heroes Misume and Pink Bunny.
She turned her attention to Elissa and then to Al and spoke. "Guardian A.R.M. informed me about you, Al. You aided our nation's founding fathers, but your present actions have placed us in conflict with the Church of New Light."
Al met the covered gaze of the red-armored hero with a scowl etched on his face. "The Churches are no different than the Hybrids, mere pawns manipulated by the Light Acolytes. Besides, I was only defending myself," he retorted, his tone unyielding in defense of his actions.
Red Queen's expression remained indiscernible behind her armored helmet.
The scattered hybrids abruptly paused. They had received a mental directive, and in unison, thousands of Hybrids redirected their chaotic charge. Their new target had become the holy men of the Church of New Light.
Northwest from the Western Wall of New Ark City, Ninety-nine holy men were seated next to the forest. They observed the Heroes come to a halt while invisible steps began moving towards them.
An Exarch, adorned in a red and white robe, turned to a young man beside him and inquired, "Did the Heroes command the hybrids to attack us, Apostle Ozeah?"
Apostle Ozeah was garbed in a regal purple robe and wielded a staff crowned with a cross. "I simply came to make sure the white-haired cultivator who killed one of our brothers dies," Ozeah muttered aloud to himself, paying no heed to the Exarch's query.
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Standing behind the apostle was a magnificent falcon sculpted from radiant light. It was the Light Acolyte of apostle Ozeah. Its gaze fixated intently on a southern distant point across the battlefield.
With a subtle gesture of his staff, the apostle commanded the attention of his luminous companion.
He murmured, "Red Queen... maybe I will dream of her," before lowering himself onto one knee. His voice turned to a mesmerizing whisper as he began to offer fervent prayers.
In response to the apostle's praying, the radiant falcon emitted an even greater light and soared into the heavens. The falcon ascended, appearing like a shooting star in the night sky, descending towards the head of apostle Ozeah. As the falcon and all of its light entered the apostle, a brilliance far surpassing Al's 'Warm Radiance' flooded the entirety of the night sky and battlefield alike.
For a moment, the light of day flourished in the womb of the night sky. The concentrated light enveloped the apostle, transforming his entire being. His once short hair lengthened and turned jet black, two vibrant wings that gracefully extended from his back. His body was protected by golden armor, mainly concealing the remnants of his once-purple robe.
The apostle's staff underwent a radiant metamorphosis, transforming into a gleaming spear. On his left, a floating sword materialized from the residual light.
The young apostle had transcended into a celestial warrior.
"The Temple of Ozeah," uttered the Exarch, dropping to his knees in prayer at the manifestation of such divinity. The remaining holy men mirrored the Exarch. They all began praying.
In their wake, individual Light Acolytes emerged, each a unique divine beast crafted from radiant light. Yet, their collective glow paled compared to the Light Acolyte that had merged with Apostle Ozeah.
The Temple of Ozeah raised his left hand, signaling the hybrids to halt. Sparkling pops of light surrounded the spear he wielded. With all his might, the Temple of Ozeah hurled his spear directly toward Al.
"Move!" the etheric shell of Al's Stubborn Will shouted; instinctively, he leaped to his right.
A whistling sound sliced through the night. The golden spear obliterated every hybrid in its trajectory, carving a clear path in front of the Temple of Ozeah.
Despite Al's etheric shell warning, the golden spear was upon him in a flash, obliterating his lower body. A few feet behind him, Hero Misume had no time to react. The spear mercilessly sundered her into exploding pieces.
The projectile continued its devastating trajectory until it stabbed into the ground, creating a small crater and embedding itself into the ground.
Elissa rushed towards Al, who was coughing up blood and desperately crawling with his arms towards her. "I don't have Midnight Abyss. If they crush my Stubborn Will's etheric shell, I'm dead," Al managed to say, his voice strained as he spat blood onto Elissa's lap.
"I know, Al. I know," Elissa calmly assured him, her gaze fixed on the direction from which the lethal spear had originated. Next to her, Hero Pink Bunny shrieked at the scattered remains of her friend Hero Misume.
Red Queen, who stood closest to the impact, was covered in a gruesome mess, the red of her armor highlighting whatever wasn't blood.
The Temple of Ozeah stared down the path he had carved with his spear. "Mmmhh, it seems he somehow survived," he spoke, shaking the sky. The Temple of Ozeah turned to the Light Acolytes, instructing them to Kill the rest of the Hybrids while trying to avoid hurting the Heroes. After giving that command, the Temple of Ozeah disappeared.
Al began cycling his Stubborn Will through his lower body, quickly regenerating the otherwise mortal wound. Red Queen stared at Al and then back at the remains of Hero Misume.
Before Al could fully recover, Elissa let go of him, whispering a spell and creating a clone of herself with incredible speed. Along with her clone, Elissa moved faster than she ever had. The two Elissas snapped their whips toward a section of air. The air became covered in light as the Temple of Ozeah appeared, flying at speeds the human eye couldn't perceive.
He had already retrieved his golden spear from the crater it had created, and his floating sword of light closely followed him.
When the Temple of Ozeah's spear made contact with Elissa's whip, a loud, explosive bang shook the air. Meanwhile, the sword of light destroyed the false whip along with the clone of Elissa.
However, the Temple of Ozeah was unable to destroy the true Elissa. His spear only caused her whip to recoil from the clash.
Monetizing on Elissa's initiative, Red Queen's armor unleashed a barrage of miniature missiles towards the Temple of Ozeah.
A pillar of flames erupted from where the golden warrior stood. The pillar of fire quickly died out, but the Temple of Ozeah was nowhere to be seen.
In a fraction of a second, the Temple of Ozeah reappeared directly in front of Red Queen, catching her off guard.
With a mighty swing of his spear, a resounding 'gonk' echoed through the air as if striking a colossal bell. Red Queen was sent ripping through the air like a bloody bullet low to the ground. Despite her momentum, Red Queen focused on the approaching Temple of Ozeah, prepared to face the warrior head-on.
As the two streaked through the air, mere feet above the ground, their collision course aimed directly towards a small hill. Red Queen locked eyes with the shining spear thrusting toward her heart. Despite the overwhelming force she faced, Red Queen was calm and relaxed inside her armor.
They crashed into the hill, transforming it into another massive crater, followed by a thundering boom. Red Queen grappled with the golden spear, clasping it tightly with both hands to prevent it from striking her armor.
Through the visor of her helmet, Red Queen met the unwavering gaze of her foe.
"The Temple of Ozeah finally meets Hero Red Queen! I've heard rumors of your indestructible armor." His voice resonated like thunder as if the sky were speaking to the earth.
"So this is the strength of an apostle's temple. The Church of Light is formidable," she contemplated, acknowledging the power the church wielded. She then retorted, "Your nation claims allegiance to Christendom, yet you wait like wolves, waiting to finish the chaos sown by the enemies of mankind."
The Temple of Ozeah regarded the red-armored hero with a peculiar glint in his eye before attempting to wrench his golden spear free. To his astonishment, the weapon remained firmly clasped within the palms of Hero Red Queen.
Meanwhile, the Temple of Ozeah's sword of light shot towards Al, only to be intercepted by Elissa's whip.
Feeling the forceful impact of Elissa's whip, the sword of light swiftly redirected its focus toward her, exchanging dozens of slashes and parries. Remarkably, Elissa's whip managed to match the speed of the light sword's movements.
Having completed his regeneration, Al rose to his feet and aimed both fingers at the sword of light. Executing 'Warm Radiance,' a significant portion of Al's Heat Will surged out of his body, leaving him almost empty.
Elissa and the light sword continued their intense clash. Al rushed forward, tackling Elissa to the ground.
Now liberated from the need to fend off her attacks, the light sword prepared to lunge toward Al to kill him finally.
A sudden mighty wind, accompanied by a blinding flash of light, materialized behind the sword of light. Hovering above the ground, it remained impervious to the elements.
Arcs of lightning struck the sword, however, slowing it significantly. The spell subsided and created a giant shockwave that damaged the sword. It was sent hurtling through the air and lost some of its light, reducing its radiant glow.
Al and Elissa swiftly got back on their feet, ready to confront the sword of light. However, to their surprise, the sword of light began flying towards the location where the Temple of Ozeah and Hero Red Queen were locked in combat.