After the fight between the two phantom seeds Asoto' and Loh' walked out of nearby bushes, joining Al and his group.
They noticed a tall blonde woman had joined the group. "What happened while we were out foraging? We heard loud bangs and felt the ground trembling." Loh' inquired.
"We got into a little scuffle with another phantom seed. But we quickly settled it, and they were so kind as to leave us with the Titan Will cultivator Agnethe Akselson to help us locate the Blood Leaves 5th Immortal Ring." Ellie nonchalantly explained.
Agnethe's eyes were as she pointed at the two muddy Tonovians. "They speak!? What the hell are they? They're so big!"
Ellie couldn't help but giggle at Agnethe's reaction. "You're one to talk, considering your Titan Will allows you to grow in size." Ellie teased.
"They are Tonovians. A lost underground branch of humanity, like mole people from the comics. Actually, we found them, just like we found you. They attacked us and got beat by Ellie." Al jokingly explained.
Agnethe gave Al a wry smile. Her phantom seed had abandoned her following Cesar's request to be provided with a chaperone to show them the location of the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring.
"I need to stay in these people's good graces; who's to tell what they'll do to me once I'm no longer useful." Agnethe reaffirmed to herself.
After the introduction, the group continued their journey; Agnethe shared details about the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring. She mentioned its captain, Nobutoshi Yoshioka, a cultivator in the Immortal Chasm known worldwide for his exotic Banishing Will.
Agnethe also shared her own experiences, shedding light on the dynamics within her team. She spoke of her Captain, the man with an Exotic Will known as Ionic Will, and how she and Andrew, their Stubborn Will user, were treated as expendable pawns.
Agnethe was specifically chosen to guide Cesar and his phantom seed because they did not care if she lived or died.
As the group of seven traveled, Agnethe offered to use her Titan Will to increase in size and carry the group in her palms.
As they rested while Agnethe covered large distances, Al couldn't help but ponder the connections between the creatures Loh' called the Rakh-ahtan and the creature they had witnessed in bondage by the Dawn-keepers.
These thoughts weighed heavily on his mind as they approached their destination. Agnethe clasped her hands, creating an air-tight cavity where the group remained. She grew as big as she could, pushing her Titan Will to the limit, and descended deep into Lake Huron, reaching depths of up to 700 feet.
At 200 feet tall, Agnethe easily swam through the cold lake's pitch-black depths.
Loh' and Jin engaged in conversation, their voices blending with the meditative silence of the others.
The colossal hands surrounding them suddenly opened, showing they had arrived in the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring.
A breathtaking sight greeted them. It resembled a natural sanctuary, with a magnificent waterfall at its center. They were inside a vast underwater cave, yet it was a vibrant green world illuminated by luminous crystal stones. A sprawling city was embedded within the giant trees and plants.
"Where can we find Immortal Nobutoshi Yoshinaga?" Loh' voiced his question aloud, attracting curious glances from Unrecognized disciples passing by. Agnethe reverted to her regular size, earning a disappointed look from Asoto'.
Al's group, Agnethe, and the two Tonovians finally parted ways. Agnethe sighed a breath of relief when she was left alone to guide Loh' and Asoto'.
Al, Cesar, Ellie, and Jin began their exploration of the Blood Leaves 5th Immortal Ring.
"I know the plan is to look for potential additions to our Phantom Seed within the 5th immortal ring, but guys, I think we found one on our way here," Ellie said before pausing and playing with her curly hair. "Agnethe is the perfect addition. Her Titan Will is rooted in the material plane. She helps balance out our Phantom Seed," Ellie said enthusiastically.
However, Jin raised concerns about Agnethes own phantom seed thinking so lowly of her. "We're planning on going against multiple Dawn-keepers, so we should look for capable and powerful unrecognized cultivators."
Cesar and Al agreed, understanding the potential consequences. "Let's focus on putting to work the merits we gained from beating down her phantom seed," Al said, emphasizing the last part. The four headed towards a pyramid-like structure reminiscent of the Del Santos Collective in the Blood Leaf's 15th Mortal Ring.
Time passed, and the group of four explored every nook and cranny of the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring.
They discovered that Romann had indeed passed through the area, but they had missed him and were uncertain when they might encounter him again.
Before leaving, they wanted to wish Loh' and Asoto' good luck saving their people one last time, but they had not seen them since they parted.
They made their way towards the exit through a series of tunnels leading to Upper Michigan. Inside the tunnel system, they saw two familiar broad figures—Loh and Asoto, walking side by side. However, Agnethe was no longer accompanying them.
Ellie quickly approached Loh, eager to learn the outcome of his conversation with the captain of the Blood Leaf's 5th Immortal Ring, the Immortal Nobutoshi.
"Loh', what did Immortal Nobutoshi say? Will the Blood Leaf send help?" She cheerfully asked.
Loh' lowered his gaze, and Asoto' averted his eyes.
"He said that the Blood Leaf's God will not send any help anytime soon, nor will any of the Immortals of the Blood Leaf mobilize to assist us," Loh' replied somberly.
"The only God Leaf that might be willing to help is the Evergreen Leaf. He advised me to travel to the Evergreen Leaf's 2nd Immortal Ring and seek out Immortal Aldahard. The problem is, I don't know the exact location of the land he mentioned where the Evergreen Leaf's 2nd Immortal Ring is situated. All I know is it's called Pennsylvania." Loh' said with a bitter tone.
When Ellie heard Loh's words, she couldn't help but smile, which seemed to upset Loh even more. For the first time, he expressed his frustration, questioning why surface humans didn't take the situation more seriously when his people were dying, and the threat of war and death loomed over the world at large.
Ellie spoke up to address his concerns. "I'm sorry, I can't imagine your pain. I was smiling because you need directions to Pennsylvania, and we wouldn't mind you sharing the location of the Evergreen Leaf's 2nd Immortal Ring with us. So, it seems we might be traveling together again." Ellie's words were like a fresh drink of water for Loh,' and his frustration broke into a hopeful half smile.
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In less than a day, the group of six found themselves outside of Lake Huron, moving through the Canadian border. They moved through Attica, New York, heading southward toward Pennsylvania.
An abrupt trembling stopped their movement, which turned to violent shaking. Every atom in the world felt as if it was being rattled by some unseen force.
The air vibrated with terrifying intensity. Al looked at Cesar and the rest of the group. Their faces were ghastly white, and even Loh and Asoto looked frightened and bewildered.
A small creek beside the group split in half from the violent shaking. The sky started flashing on and off, and the sun flickered as if a powerful wind was blowing out a light candle. The sun's brilliant light became bloody red, and a deafening sound echoed throughout the world. The Oceans convulsed, tossing and turning; their depths were boiling.
The ground beneath the group began to tilt, threatening them with flipping over. Across the seven continents, entire cities were swallowed by the shifting continental plates. In the coastal regions, miles-high tsunamis obliterated everything in their path.
In a matter of seconds, hundreds of millions of lives were lost, and the death toll continued to rise.
As the ground smashed into itself, mountains rose from the ground in seconds. Mammoth Cave, where the Citadel of Tonovia existed, was turned inside out as it became the side of an emerging mountain.
The Yellowstone Caldera in Wyoming violently split, triggering a catastrophic volcanic eruption that shrouded the sky in darkness for hundreds of kilometers. A minute had passed, and billions of lives had been lost.
The San Andreas Fault in California ruptured, demolishing even the most fortified skyscrapers as vast stretches of land were lifted and flipped. Massive tsunamis ravaged the West Coast. Florida's coastline faced a similar fate.
Cataclysmic events unfolded worldwide.
Shortly after things began to settle, strange miles-long portals opened worldwide.
A giant portal opened at the base of the sprawling mountain of Mammoth, Kentucky, and tore the newborn mountain in half. From the portal, a swarm of Rakh-ahtan warriors poured out.
The moment the invading force of the Rakh-ahtan showed up, a jet flew by, dropping a nuclear warhead that detonated with an explosive force equivalent to a small sun. The devastating blast engulfed the area around the portal and would eventually cover half of the state in nuclear fallout.
Similar scenes played out in the 8 locations where the portals appeared. The remaining powers of the earth unleashed nuclear annihilation, neutralizing the immediate threat of the Rakh-ahtan incursion. However, one portal in the center of the Pacific Ocean remained untouched.
A Rakh-ahtan warrior, distinguished by a blue Jewel, jumped into the ocean before soaring kilometers into the sky with its control over the waters. The Rakh-ahtan raised a pillar of water to intercept a nuclear missile, altering its trajectory.
As the ground beneath Al began to crumble, a massive hand reached down and rescued him and the group. It was Agnethe, who had grown to over 200 feet in height, to save them. Agnethe jumped out of the sinking ground and passed an obstacle course of destruction into stable ground.
After saving them, Agnethe returned to her normal size, visibly exhausted from her tremendous effort.
"Agnethe, I don't know what you are doing here, but I can't thank you enough. You just saved us!" Cesar shouted, but before another word could be spoken.
An intense battle unfolded before their eyes. A horde of countless dark acolytes and their hybrids emerged from the devastated forest, attacking a gemless Rakh-ahtan warrior and tearing it apart.
In the ash-filled sky lay a massive spaceship composed of a metallic material similar to Rakh-ahtanian flesh. The enormous aircraft unleashed a blue laser beam that eradicated hordes of dark acolytes and created an explosion that got dangerously close to Al and his group.
In a frightening response, a flood of dark acolytes came from every nook and cranny of the region. Their number was in the hundreds of thousands. The laser beam couldn't eradicate them all, forcing gemless Rakh-ahtans to fall from the spaceship to meet their enemy.
It became apparent that anyone who called Earth home was waging war against the invading forces of the Rakh-ahtan, including etheric creatures such as dark acolytes and their hybrids.
The sky was soon filled with the sight of Dawn-keepers descending upon the alien spacecraft. The dawn-keepers were accompanied by leagues of large animals composed of pure light. The light acolytes and their Dawn-keepers resembled an army from heaven.
Overwhelming in number, they engaged in a fierce battle, unleashing fiery spells and attacks upon the massive ship. The skies ignited in flames as the Dawn-keepers relentlessly pressed their assault, gradually overwhelming the alien craft.
Al and his companions watched in awe and fear.
"We need to get out of here," Ellie urgently whispered and instantly vanished from sight. The grayish day became dark as the sky above them became crowded with alien spacecraft ranging from 60 to 120 feet in size.
The sound of a sword being drawn was heard for hundreds of miles. A man wearing a black cloak was holding a beautiful katana, pointing it at the armada of ships in the sky.
He swung his blade with stunning form and whispered a word or two. The swinging of his blade created a colossal slash spanning thousands of miles long. A single attack sliced a large portion of the armada in half.
The black-cloaked cultivator gazed upward, taking deep breaths. Exhausted from unleashing such power, he held his blade at his side.
Four jeweled Rakh-ahtan warriors descended upon him with blinding speed. To their surprise, they grabbed onto what appeared to be a cloud resembling the black-cloaked cultivator.
Suddenly, the man materialized ten meters away, surrounded by swirling clouds. The blade of his katana dissipated into hundreds of needles in the air. The very clouds that enveloped him came alive, capturing the falling needles.
The four Rakh-ahtan warriors left him no room for escape. The black-cloak cultivator, unfazed, transformed into a cloud, increasing the size of the clouds that held his needles. The needle-filled cloud became animated, moving like a rapid fluid upon one of the four Rakh-ahtan warriors with a red jewel on its forehead.
The red-jeweled Rakh-ahtan warrior swung its dull gray blade, producing a wave of flames, but before it could strike, the cloud of needles tore its arms through a thousand little cuts.
The needles effortlessly cut through the seemingly impenetrable hide of the Rakh-ahtan warriors as if it were mere butter. The cloud swiftly moved towards the head, aiming at the jewel and cutting it into countless tiny pieces.
In a second, the cloud of needles turned the red-jeweled Rakh-ahtan warrior into silver blood. The cloud sliced the silver blood and turned it to ash.
A white jeweled Rakh-ahtan wielding a staff unleashed a hurricane-like force that pulled the man out of his cloud form. Unfazed, the man recalled the needles into his blade and launched toward the three remaining jeweled Rakh-ahtan warriors.
As Al and the group stood paralyzed, too scared to move, a man clad in a splendid white and red robe appeared before them.
The man was Immortal Nobutoshi, the captain of the Blood Leafs' 5th Immortal Ring. He looked at the two Tonovians and addressed Loh'.
"Now, do you see that even if the Blood Lead had said yes to your request, we would have arrived too late to save your people? If any of your people are still alive, I suggest you take shelter in the Lightning-Stone Leaf. I can transport you there with my Banishing Will." Immortal Nobutoshi offered.
Loh had begun to harbor resentment toward the God Leaves for sending him away, especially how Immortal Nobutoshi spoke, which made his blood boil. Still, he recalled Al mentioning he would have better luck with base humanity in seeking aid to fight back.
Loh' preemptively spoke up. "Take me to the Human in charge of base humanity."
"Very well. Make sure all of you are holding hands," Nobutoshi instructed. He placed his hand on Loh', who grasped Asoto', and Ellie ensured she held onto everyone with her mirror. Instantly, they vanished, leaving Immortal Nobutoshi to turn around and join the ongoing battle.
Miles away, deep beneath the ground in New York, was a highly advanced system of buildings boasting technology that appeared decades ahead.
A bearded man spoke to five other individuals in one of the lowest chambers when Al, Cesar, Ellie, Jin, Agnethe Loh, and Asoto materialized before them.