A few weeks had passed since Al, Cesar, Ellie, and Jin had left the Blood Leaf's 15th Mortal Ring. They were journeying toward the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring in Lake Huron.
The group crossed into Illinois, and the next state ahead was Indiana. Their ultimate destination was the state of Michigan. As they moved through the lands of Illinois, the morning sun pierced the horizon, casting a golden glow.
"We should reach the Blood Leaf's Immortal Ring in approximately 8 hours," Al informed the small group. Their footsteps rustled under the dry, tall grass. The talismans that granted them enhanced speed had been exhausted, and their endurance had been personally tested.
Once they reached the Blood Leaves' 5th Immortal Ring, they hoped to find a compatible cultivator to join their phantom ring. Once they had a phantom ring with six members, they could return to face the Light Acolytes within the church.
Cesar spoke, his breath slightly labored. "The path in Indiana won't be a straightforward sprint like Illinois, so we should try and find a map."
A few hours later, the group exited a gas station. They had managed to obtain a map. Before leaving, the gas station clerk said, "There's been a lot of talk about folks sighting a swamp monster. You kids, stay safe!"
Cesar was about to ask for more details, but Jin swiftly pulled him back by the shoulder. The group expressed their gratitude and left.
The group steered clear of populated areas as they continued their journey, running through the Illinois-Indiana border. "I wanted to ask him more about that swamp monster," Cesar lamented, his curiosity piqued. The dense foliage slowed their footsteps.
"It's possible that the swamp monster could be the hybrid of a Dark Acolyte. I'm more curious as to who saw it," Al speculated.
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(A few Kilometers South)
****
Loh' and Asoto' had entered Indiana, traveling predominantly through swampy lands. They were covered in a thick layer of swamp mud to shield their light-sensitive blue skin from the sun's harsh rays.
"I strongly feel that we should go left," Asoto' voiced his intuition. However, Loh' responded, "Your 'gut' is mistaken. I know precisely where I am going. The surface world provides numerous cues for orientation thanks to the sun in the sky. For instance, green stuff tends to grow more abundantly on the northern side of 'trees' due to its lesser exposure to sunlight. Additionally, the Sun rises from the east and sets in the west. So, if we make a left turn, we will be heading west."
After explaining the cardinal directions to Asoto, Loh' ventured forward alone, diligently foraging for crystals and minerals from the surface world. His teacher had taught him about the edible stones found on the surface.
Asoto' had provided help against the wild cats of the land. Asoto' acted as a personal guard of Loh'.
In return, Loh' foraged for food for both of them. The two complimented each other well.
****
(A few kilometers Northwest)
****
Al and the group had ventured deeper into swamp-like terrain within Indiana.
Ellie spoke up, her voice barely audible as she faded into invisibility. "Do you feel that?" she whispered.
Al recognized the sensation and responded hushedly, "Yes, it feels like a Dark Acolyte is nearby. Cesar, what do you think we should do?"
Cesar paused, carefully weighing his options before replying, "If we leave it alone, it will endanger innocent people. We can't let that happen, so we will find it and exterminate it."
After Cesar gave the command, the group of four made a sharp right turn, heading East-South.
A strange figure emerged from their right before they could take more than a few steps forward. Al, Cesar, and Jin halted. They could sense that the figure in front of them was the Dark Acolyte. Ellie remained invisible, closely monitoring it.
Smoke enveloped the figure as if it were engulfed in flames, yet no visible fire could be seen. In an instant, the figure moved towards Jin, resembling a ball of smoke.,
Jin instinctively released a surge of his Lightning Will as a blue electric arc. The electrifying blast dispersed the smoke, uncovering a black deer with six eyes. The dispersed smoke transformed into a cloud above the deer's antlers.
Seeing it was outnumbered and outmatched, the dark acolyte deer swiftly bolted southward.
Al and the others pursued the dark acolyte. Its smoke expanded and covered its body, increasing its speed before it disappeared into the swampy woods.
Just as they came to a halt, a loud 'Pop!' echoed through the air.
Al crumpled to the ground, clutching his stomach in pain. "I've been shot! Someone shot me!" he shouted in pain.
Cesar and Jin scanned their surroundings, searching for any signs of the shooter, but they found no one.
Another gunshot echoed, finding its mark, and struck Al again before his Stubborn Will could heal him from the first gunshot wound.
"That one should be down for good," Asoto' quietly noted.
He was positioned about 90 feet away, and his giant blue body was skillfully concealed. Throughout their journey, Loh' and Asoto' had been attacked by hunters on various occasions. As a result, Asoto' had become more accurate with the rifle and had accumulated a decent amount of ammo. He set his hunting rifle and stealthily maneuvered toward Cesar and Jin, determined to reach them before they noticed him.
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Al was lying in a pool of his blood, desperately clinging to consciousness. His etheric shell was quickly manifesting his Stubborn Will.
Advancing rapidly, Asoto' closed the distance, honing in on Jin, who appeared unarmed.
Suddenly, a brilliant flash of light filled the immediate area, temporarily blinding Asoto'.
Ellie had remained hidden the entire time. The brilliant flash came from her floating mirror. Ellies was forced out of her invisibility due to her inability to use her Reflective Will in multiple ways.
Asoto' covered his eyes and reached into his pouch, retrieving a single ancestral crystal and swallowing it. His body quickly absorbed the ancestral essence within the crystal, and his body began flowing with Superior Will.
Ellie had disoriented Asoto' enough for Jin to notice the towering, muddy figure that was Asoto'.
Without hesitation, Jin unleashed a powerful arc of blue lightning, striking Asoto's right shoulder. The impact sent Asoto' hurtling backward, and crashing to the ground.
Asoto' quickly jumped back up and regained his footing. With little effort, he shook off the injury from the attack. His right shoulder was now exposed, revealing burned flesh devoid of the protective mud covering.
Jin fired another electric arc, this time directly at Asoto's chest. Asoto' absorbed the brunt of the blast, which exposed his blue skin. He showed only mild irritation.The lightning seemed to have minimal effect now.
Having grown impervious to the lightning attack, Asoto' began charging toward Jin, his massive frame closing the distance rapidly.
Jin unleashed a desperate volley of electrical arc, exhausting his Lightning Will to try and slow Asoto's advance. Each successive blast seemed to have less and less of an effect.
(Superior, Will made the body slowly adjust to anything that caused significant damage until the body became superior to the attack.)
Asoto' shrugged off the subsequent volleys of electric blasts and was soon upon Jin.
Cesar swung his mighty spear with all his might, manifesting as much of his Wind Will as possible. A mighty gale followed Cesar's spear as he aimed directly at Asoto's head.
Asoto' swiftly raised his left arm to shield himself. The clash resulted in a mist of blood as Cesar's spear cut into Asoto's blue skin. Despite the injury, Asoto' remained unshaken.
Seeing the turn of events, Jin quietly realized, "Soon, Cesar's Wind Will will also lose its power against that beast... Im about to get pummeled."
With focused breath and concentration, Jin called what little Lightning Will he had left and slowly created an electric field that enveloped him, serving as a defensive barrier.
In the next moment, Asoto delivered a devastating blow that broke through Jin's defenses, smashing him straight into the ground and leaving a small crater where Jin lay.
Cesar could only watch as his teammate was incapacitated with a single punch. With caution, Cesar charged at Asoto with his spear aimed directly at his head.
Asoto' shifted his focus to the incoming Cesar. In a split second, Cesar trusted his spear, harnessing the full force of his Wind Will, imbuing his strike with hurricane-like strength.
Caught off guard by the sheer power behind Cesar's attack, Asoto raised both arms to defend against the strike. The explosive winds sent his giant frame flying backward and crashing into a nearby tree. Asoto now had a small bleeding hole and dent in his right forearm. Cesar's spear was unable to pierce his bone.
Asoto' jumped back to his feet and charged relentlessly toward Cesar.
Bracing himself for the oncoming assault, Cesar assumed a Muay Thai stance adapted for wielding his spear. In the blink of an eye, their bodies clashed, exchanging blows.
While Asoto' struggled to land a single punch, Cesar's strikes were delivered with the same power and accuracy each time.
"His body is already adapting to my attacks..." Cesar realized the need to land a decisive finishing blow before it became impossible. Unfortunately, it was too late; his spear could no longer pierce Asoto's flesh.
Before Asoto' could get his hands on Cesar, a blinding flash of light illuminated Asoto's face again, courtesy of Ellie. Capitalizing on the distraction, Cesar picked Jin up and leaped a safe distance away.
Asoto' recovered from the blinding light to the feeling of a blade attempting to pierce his back.
After recovering from his gunshot wounds, Al saw that the muddy 10ft giant had been momentarily blinded. With all his speed and strength, Al ran his small twisted knife into the back of Asoto'.
With a painful roar, Asoto' reached toward his back, grabbing Al and slamming him into the ground like a worn-out rag. The sound of cracking bones snapped. Raising the broken Al, Asoto' struck Al with such force that he was sent hurtling past trees, disappearing into the distance.
Turning his attention back toward Cesar, Cesar fought to keep calm. Focusing his breath and trying to recover as much of his Wind Will. Cesar channeled his Wind Will into a faint sphere of wind around him for protection, just as Jin had done.
In an instant, Asoto' closed the distance, his fist swinging with the full might of his Superior Will. Cesar instinctively raised his spear in defense against the incoming attack. At the same time, his barrier of wind helped to impede Asoto's fist slightly.
The impact quickly shattered the protective wind barrier and almost snapped his spear. Cesar shot like a comet backward, crashing forcefully into a nearby tree.
Asoto' redirected his attention toward Jin, who remained unconscious and vulnerable. Just as he prepared to deliver the final blow, a figure emerged, steadily walking toward Asoto'—it was Ellie.
"By the length of this enemy's hair, she must be the strongest of the group." Asoto' assumed.
Not willing to take any chances, Asoto' retrieved another ancestral crystal and consumed it. His Superior Will quickly increased to the equivalent of a mortal cultivator in the mental domain. For context, Ellie and the rest were all in the physical domain, a step below the mental domain. The peak was the spirit domain.
Asoto' lunged at Ellie with even greater force than he had displayed against Jin, Al, or Cesar.
To his surprise, Ellie stood her ground, anticipating Asoto's form of fighting. Ellie raised her fist, mirroring Asoto's attack head-on. At the moment of collision, a brilliant light erupted from the clash, followed by a powerful shockwave that flattened the nearby trees.
Asoto' was sent flying through the air and crashing into a massive tree. His right arm appeared to have exploded like dynamite in the aftermath of the collision.
What appeared to be Ellie slowly transformed back into a giant floating mirror. Ellie stood behind it, surveying the scene. Her Reflective Will could not only distort light to make her invisible, but it also distorted all physical damage and reflected it back. Her etheric shell, the giant floating mirror beside her, had unique properties besides being used to manifest her Reflective Will.
She noticed that Al was nowhere to be found. "Al should be fine. His Stubborn Will has healed worse injuries than that." Ellie contemplated before turning to the unconscious Asoto' "Is this the swamp monster the gas station clerk had mentioned? Should I kill it?"
Before Ellie could make a decision, she heard rustling from a nearby bush. To her surprise, another mud-covered swamp monster emerged from the foliage. However, this one was holding a basket filled with rocks and crystals.
Something told Ellie that this swamp monster was different than the previous one.