Red Queen's armored back was embedded into the ground beneath it. Over her stood the Temple of Ozeah, whose spear was in a deadlock with the clasped palms of Red Queen.
His angelic wings expanded to cover the night's moon, and with all his might, he thrust his spear, flying into the ground. The ground beneath Red Queen began cracking from the pressure. However, her palms remained unmoved.
"Are you surprised?" Red Queen mockingly asked.
With furrowed eyebrows, Temple of Ozeah responded with a wide grin. He released his grasp on his spear. From his right came wheezing his light sword. Catching it, he used the momentum of the flying sword to deliver a spinning slash to Red Queen.
The light sword sliced through the cracked ground, but when it made contact with Hero Red Queen's armor, it was as soft as daylight.
Red Queen's armor absorbed the heat and radiation the powerful weapon of light emitted.
Immediately, Temple of Ozeah pulled his sword of light away from his opponent.
Red Queen jumped up from the crater without any damage. Her crimson armor was glowing a reddish-orange.
She threw the spear of Temple of Ozeah to the side and smashed her two wrists together. Red Queen's armor released all the energy it had absorbed in the form of a concentrated beam. The beam was like a stream of lightning exploding to pieces the ground it grazed.
Temple of Ozeah was flying too fast into the sky. The Red Queen aimed the beam towards the sky, chasing the flying Temple of Ozeah. As the beam weakened, Red Queen's armor slowly returned to its original crimson color.
Temple of Ozeah was in the sky, and Red Queen was standing on the ground. They had created distance between each other but remained in a deadlock.
Temple of Ozeah smiled at Red Queen before turning to the forest south from the Western Wall of New Ark City. He raised his sword of light, whose light had been drastically reduced by Al and Red Queen.
Without a command, the sword condensed into a small sphere of yellow light. The small sphere floated above the palm of the Temple of Ozeah like a miniature sun.
Red Queen saw the actions of the Temple of Ozeah and scoffed, still she widened her stance in preparation.
He placed both plans together and aimed the miniature sun. In a flash, the sphere of light made contact with the ground in the forest.
A blinding light consumed a large portion of the forest in the blink of an eye. The attack shook the entire battlefield, and its illuminating force could be seen all the way to Hero's Tower in New Ark City.
All the Heroes on the battlefield turned toward the explosion. Al and Elissa stared at the pillar of light as it faded into the starry night sky. "Was she... defeated?" Elissa pondered.
Red Queen watched in surprise as the devastating power obliterated a part of the forest. "Is he calling for a truce?" Red Queen questioned.
Once the light disappeared, a large, charred circle was left. Small fires made visible the target of Temple of Ozeah, a small dark crystal dome.
A crack appeared in the crystal dome before it shattered, exposing Ragjiel's group of Enlightened Dark Acolytes who commanded the army of Hybrids.
Seeing their location had been discovered, an Enlightened Dark Acolyte, who resembled an old, hunched hooded figure, created a green rift. Before the Temple of Ozeah could move, the entire group, including Ragjiel, stepped through the portal, disappearing.
Once they were gone, the Temple of Ozeah slowly descended toward Red Queen, his sword of light no longer at his side.
"Did you see that?" He asked her.
Red Queen maintained her defenses up as she replied yes.
Stepping on the ground, the celestial warrior slowly walked towards Red Queen with his hands up, saying, "Someone is trying to get us to kill one another."
Red Queen's stance did not shift as she stated. "That doesn't excuse you mercilessly killing Hero Misume and waging war against New Ark City."
The temple of Ozeah was standing a short distance from Red Queen as he explained his situation. "It was an unfortunate accident. My spear was aimed at the white-haired cultivator. He's the one my human counterpart is after."
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Red Queen's stance shifted, but she remained quiet, allowing Temple of Ozeah to approach her.
A few miles from the Red Queen and Temple of Ozeah, the Light Acolytes of the holy men were ripping apart the remaining army of Hybrids.
The Heroes of New Ark City cautiously dispatched the remaining Hybrids near the Western Wall of New Ark City.
The middle of the battlefield was now barren. All eight teleportation devices remained unharmed. Al and Elissa were recuperating their Will.
"They're here after you, Al. And I don't know how willing some of these Heroes are to stand with us." Elissa said.
Al opened his eyes, stopped his breathing exercise, and looked at Elissa. Her skin was without a blemish but stained by dirt and blood. Still, her eyes were bright and sharp. "What about you? Will you still stand with me?" he asked as he got up.
Elissa looked at Al, who she had taken under her wing. "You're my disciple."
Al's seriousness softened as the edge of his lip slightly curved. "I did warn you, didn't I?" he reminded Elissa, who did not smile but nodded in silence.
The two got up from their short recovery. Elissa looked toward Red Queen while Al turned to the holy men whose Light Acolytes were busy with the Hybrid army.
Without saying another word, Al began sprinting towards the defenseless Exarchs and holy men.
Elissa followed right next to him. "So, what's your plan?" Elissa asked.
"Kill as many holy men as we can. It's the fastest way to kill a Light acolyte." He answered with a smirk on his face.
Elissa's face frowned at the idea but remained quiet.
A loud whistling noise echoed through the air before gray missiles landed a small distance from Al and Elissa. Instead of exploding, they released clouds of dark smoke.
Forced to a halt, Al and Elissa turned to see the golden figure of Temple of Ozeah walking towards them along with the crimson-armored Red Queen.
"He's missing his sword of light but has Red Queen by his side now," Al whispered as he pulled his blades out. Elissa remained quiet, and the two readied themselves against any possibility.
"Stop!" Temple of Ozeah loudly urged. "We've agreed to resolve the issue on both sides. Red Queen presented a way to end the bloodshed before it officially begins. The man who killed our brethren is a Stubborn Will cultivator, correct?" The celestial warrior inquired.
Elissa raised her palm, gesturing to Al to put his blades away. Slowly lowering his blades, Al answered, "I only killed the Exarch because I didn't die when he tried to kill me. So yes I am a Stubbron Will cultivator."
Temple of Ozeah took a deep breath in. "I know what occurred. All Light Acolytes share one collective memory. The problem comes with our human counterparts. When channeling us, they go into a trance and do not know about the events that occur while praying. It is them who wage war against New Ark City and demand your death as payment for killing one of our brethren."
Al's eyes went wide. He did not know that Light Acolytes gave such freedom to their human counterparts.
Elissa was also wide-eyed. She was a recognized disciple and a cultivator in the Spirit Domain of the Mortal Chasm, one step away from the Immortal Chasm. She only now was learning that Light Acolytes shared a collective memory.
Temple of Ozeah continued sharing the plan Red Queen had devised. "You will come with us and will die before my people to appease their anger. However, you will heal in secret and leave our land. You will tell our people that the light has bound you to your faith. None of you will speak to our people about our true nature."
After the Temple of Ozeah spoke his last words, a sparkling light was expelled from his orifices and transfigured back into apostle Ozeah, who fell to his knees and leaned on his staff.
Red Queen pointed at Al, "Don't say I never did nothing for you!" She spoke, clarifying that the path opened before him was because of her doing.
Apostle Ozeah saw Al and Elissa staring at him and Red Queen beside him. "I, I, my temple was defeated?" he asked out loud.
Red Queen extended her arm, helping him stand, "Quite the contrary, the light of your God has spoken to us all. He has delivered your enemies into your hands and made the wolf lay down with the lamb. Because of his mercy, we extend a peace offering giving you the man who killed one of your own." she explained to him.
Elissa quickly added, "The light of your God demands peace in his name, not war. We hope this offering ends your hate against all cultivators."
Red Queen bit her tongue, thinking. "Temple of Ozeah never mentioned such a thing. What a sly woman."
Apostle Ozeah's face became furious. "Our God would never say such a thing. Cultivators are directly opposed to his light," he yelled at Elissa.
Elissa's nostrils flared, but she focused on her breath. "War is not sustainable. Periods of peace must exist until the world rids itself of the invading force, the Rakh-ahtan. The Church of New Light and the God Leaves must coexist in peace," she reasoned.
Apostle Ozeah was clenching his teeth, not sure what to say.
Standing beside Elissa, Al walked over and looked directly at the apostle. "I am turning myself to be killed because of the words spoken by your God. Where is your faith?"
Apostle Ozeah felt his hair rise at the words and conviction of the man he was ordered to kill.
The gray smoke covering the four of them dissipated, allowing apostle Ozeah to see the outcome on the battlefield.
The army of Hybrids had been killed. No Holy Men had been injured. The Heroes stood shoulder to shoulder guarding against any move from the holy men. Both sides were waiting for the other to make a move.
Apostle Ozeah's mouth felt dry. Struggling to speak, he raised his staff high into the air. "If that is what my God commands, then peace it is!" he shouted as he walked towards his brethren.
Al and Elissa followed behind him while Red Queen walked towards the remaining group of Heroes.