XII | THE UNRIVALED
Aegis and Yuhong gracefully rode the winds astride Snow, their gazes meeting amid the boundless sky. By their side, Li Xin, mounted on his wyrm. Having left Lady Nourn and the Prince in the capable hands of Uncle Zhang on the trail to Jing Zhou, their present journey surged toward Un-Tro.
Atop a peak of a mountain, the wind whipped around a lone wooden table, four sturdy chairs clinging precariously to its surface. Sect Master Li, weathered wheat skin reflecting the sun, perched on one, his long white beard flowing like the wind itself. In his aged hands, a simple wooden staff. There was a city surrounded by steep needle mountains far away.
Across from him, Temple Master Ren fidgeted, adjusting his neatly trimmed beard. “Indeed, Sect Master Li,” he said, his voice strained. “These fools plans are delayed, all thanks to me.”
Sect Master Li chuckled, a dry rasp escaping his lips. “That so, old friend? How many scions are vying for lineage this time?”
Temple Master Ren leaned back, sipping his tea thoughtfully. “Four heirs. Youngest and supposedly the weakest, yet… perhaps the one with the most potential, as the Patriarch says.”
A flicker of curiosity lit Sect Master Li’s eyes. “Is this one we spoke of… the one born during the fifth crown of the Red Flower Khalasi?”
Temple Master Ren shook his head, sighing deeply. “No, no, this one’s different. Born out of… well, not born at all, really. Taken before his time.”
Li raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Not born of flesh?”
Ren’s gaze drifted towards the approaching youth, his golden curls catching the last rays of light. “He never saw the light of day, not as an Infant. More like… plucked before even his existence. Good thing the grandfather dotes on the boy, he caused an incident, that was quite a chaos on the world…”
“He was the unknown at that time, huh…”
Short golden curls of hair, silent and graceful, a white porcelain cup steaming in his hands. He kneeled before Sect Master Li, offering the tea with a slight bow. Sect Master Li accepted it, the warmth seeping into his wrinkled hands.
“The tearing of the sky…” he murmured, taking a sip. “Even now, it sends shivers down my spine.”
Temple Master Ren slowly nodded. “Yes, that girl.” Elbows leaning, fingers coiled, and thumbs rubbing against each other.
“Mhm?”
“Rainha Meridiana Kuzin, unrivaled…”
In the middle of Un-Tro City, nestled among the formidable steep needle mountains, the inner city lay in flat ruins, fires spreading across sections of the city. General Zing Xang Shi, bows with cupped fists before City Governor Wang.
General Zing Xang Shi said, “…Sir, most commoners have been evacuated.” He sighed, glancing at the scene ahead—eight hooded humans were in dark magenta, seven glowing blue-patterned stones forming a circle, and in the middle were unconscious and chained mortals of humankind gazed by white eagles with bladed talons.
City Governor Wang was crowned with a ponytail and sky-crimson robe, a silver waistbelt with dangling jade slips, and a triangle insignia with black stripes. He suspected betrayal: “They breached the outside barriers easily. Have you figured out the traitor among us?”
General Zing Xang Shi, “I suspect the religious leaders of Angshan Way. Priest Zung Xing and others are missing. General Xing Fang may be involved, as she was assigned to maintain the barriers. She is currently unconscious right now.”
City Governor Wang, observing the ominous scene, “The situation is dire. They’re activating a ritual; hostages from Mount Hyung Sect are held. And this barrier seems impenetrable.” He tapped the blue dome, sending ripples.
Zung Shi, a Lightning Sword Sect disciple, stepped forward, “Seniors, may this junior try?”
General Zing Xang Shi, smiling, “Go ahead, but it won’t budge easily.”
Zung Shi, unsheathing his sword, took a piercing stance, crackling with electricity. The thrust created sparks and wind, but it had no effect but a ripple on the blue dome.
Zung Shi, frustrated, said, “Damn it, that took all my qi!”
Qi and essence pool are the same; essence pool is what is known by all—the common tongue, while qi is just another term for essence pool. But, even if “qi” and “essence pool” refer to the same thing, they hold different cultural significance within Oracrum. Outside the dome, a thousand cultivators tried various attacks unsuccessfully.
Another white eagle rushed to breach the barrier.
General Zing Xang Shi, “NOW! ATTACK!”
Their mistimed attack shook the earth. As the barrier briefly opened, the chance to destroy it slipped away, and the crowd exclaimed in frustration.
“We lost the opening!”
The barrier reformed, and the crowd was silenced.
They had gathered, covered under a dying sun, seeking the power of a god.
The old man, San, his brow furrowed, leaned on his obisidian staff of a black cobra as he addressed the one landing before him, a thud of eagle talons on cracked stone. His voice, raspy with age, held a hint of impatience. “Took you long enough, Yi. We have found another one who bears the mark.”
Yi, dismounting his eagle with ease, unfurled a scroll with a flick of his wrist. His expression was unreadable, hidden beneath the hood. He placed the scroll carefully within the empty spot of the circle of stones.
Er, another hooded but short, let out a frustrated cry as he stomped forward. “It won’t be so easy, How many times must I say it?” gesturing arms wildly, “That blindfolded youth… he can kill us all if we keep underestimating him!”
Ba, his face obscured by shadows, wielding a staff of purple roots, silenced Er with a sharp tip of his finger. “Hush. We know your game, you are always fleeing, and sneaking… hehe.”
Qi, perched on the ruined rocks of a building, his form in lotus, spoke with a chilling smile. “Look at this old guy, trembling. Relax, are you even sure they’ll arrive?” He stretched slowly, his eyes flickered open with a sly smile.
Er scoffed with crossed arms. “When you’re all lying here gutted like chickens, I’ll be long gone…”
Liu turned to a young figure cloaked in darkness, the mark of a star etched upon his hand. “Young Master Gu, once we summon this creature and vanquish it, you will possess the third mark of Immortal Guan Yu. Then, we move on to the girl. What can a mere blind youth do against us?” he assured, placing a firm grip on the shoulder.
Young Master Gu, hidden beneath his hood, remained silent, his gaze fixed on the sky. A bead of sweat trickled down his temple.
The above tore open with a screaming tremor. A crimson light swallowed, a blazing arrow of sun was on red descension.
Everyone’s eyes darted skyward. The sky was now raging with an ominous light. It swirled and pulsed, growing larger with each passing moment.
Yi, “Hurry the ritual!” With a flick of his wrist, the scroll flared to life, another stone tablet that completed the circle.
Uncertainty flickered in San’s aged eyes. “Can the barrier hold… can it hold against that?”
Qi roared back, “No! It won’t! Help me reinforce it now!” He scrambled into position, his hands flying through intricate hand signs, channeling his energy into the shimmering barrier. The others followed suit, their faces grim.
Young Master Gu’s voice trembled. “What is that thing?!”
“Forget the ritual! We need to hold it!”
“It’s coming closer!”
Old San’s voice was urgent. “Focus! Focus, damnit!”
“We’re done for! It’s going to consume us!” Liu cursed under his breath. “We can’t hold it! ACTIVATE THE RELIC!”
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A single drop of crimson, then a downpour of blood. A dark, hulking silhouette loomed. A piercing, unearthly scream pierced the sky. The ground shattered, the air distorted, and the world began to rip apart. The light roared and raged; its power was oblivion.
“Run!” The cultivators scattered like panicked rodents, desperately trying to outrun the imminent explosion threatening to rend them asunder.
As the waves of wind subsided, the heavens cleared, and the falling sun bathed the aftermath in its luminous glow. Only the city’s outer fringes lay bitten; the rest were obliterated. Onward, a vast expanse of flatland unfolded for miles, causing devastation. Yet, remarkably, the eight enduring stones stood resilient, and the hooded figures, covered by their eagles wings, albeit torn and battered, persevered. Planted defiantly in the ground, an obisidian staff with the head of a cobra served as their unwavering bulwark against the purging.
A pegasus swiftly soared past, while a young man in black robes promptly separated the hostages with colossal walls of ice. Sun Gazer’s arrow had depleted half his energy.
He chose Amara, one of the ways of the storm, the art forged by Old Monkey. It was passed down by word and deed, not by ink and paper. It was a flexible art, that could blend with any other, as water takes the shape of its container. A deadly moveset, that used the power of the sky, the fury of the thunder, the flash of the lightning. With one hand, he could strike his enemy, with the other, he could call down the wrath of heaven. It was an art for the middle and close paces, where he could keep his distance, but not too far. For his lightning was sealed, locked away by his own blood. But he had learned to adapt, to use his ice instead, to freeze the earth beneath his feet, to create his own terrain. But ice was not as easy as lightning, it needed the right air, the right moisture, the right temperature. He could not make it out of nothing midair, or he’d drain his essence dry.
Charging forward with a powerful leaping fist.
His punch and another were thwarted by a forearm and palm, causing his hair to tremble. Swiftly, he executed a sweeping leg motion; the figure leaped back but was barred by a soaring ice spike, severing half a thigh. An eagle’s cry resounded, and talons aimed to claw Aegis, but a swirl of golden light repelled it. Aegis advanced with a vaulting kick, rending the sudden rise of earth. He landed and swiftly followed with a spin—a forceful axe kick that sent the hooded figure tumbling, blood spluttering in the wake.
Aegis retrieved the black staff from its tether on his back, thrusting it towards the ground. He surged forward. In an instant, the surrounding area was drained of its remaining lushness, engulfed in an ominous void.
Confronted by twin luminous, colossal snakes of darkness, Aegis pressed forward, sustaining wounds. He severed one serpent’s head with a powerful strike, his billowing black hair contrasting with a bloodied chest.
He propelled, behind him a devastating bite. Aegis seized his chest and forcefully slammed his opponent to the ground. A subsequent pedal kick launched him airborne, a fatal piercing of ice upon descent.
Yet, he had vanished, leaving behind the lifeless carcass of a snake.
“HAHAHAHA—” echoed a crazed laughter.
With a heavy breath, Aegis felt the ground, triggering an eruption of ice spikes that swiftly ended everything.
Below a quarter left, thought Aegis, with a heaving chest, a wyrm narrowly evaded a talon, only for an eagle to be cleaved by Li Xin leaping from behind. A radiant figure with golden rings of wings snatched him mid-air as he rolled to the ground.
A surge of luminous snakes, the golden figure clasped both hands, instantly vaporizing the approaching tide. Another form swiftly approached Li Xin, exchanging two metallic strikes before parting ways.
The earth beneath Aegis's feet undulated like the sea, Boom! Seizing his staff, he leaped backwards, the explosion tracking his every step.
A luminous snake lunged from behind, its jaws clasped on his shoulders, but Aegis gripped its head and tore its mouth apart. Another was swiftly eradicated by a golden light. As the explosions subsided, a hooded one emerged, brandishing a rooted purple staff and forging a purple orb. A flash of light surged towards Aegis, who evaded sideways, leaving the explosion’s aftermath behind.
Landing, an earthquake shook the ground, awkwardly shifting aside and narrowly avoiding another explosive purple bolt. Another earthquake shook the ground, walls of earth surging in all directions except forward, where a bolt of purple energy awaited. Aegis hastily forged soaring ice, but it crumbled under the force of an explosion, shattering everything and sending him through.
A golden form seized Aegis’s back and spun him, throwing him forward towards the one forging purple bolts. Activating his staff, they plunged into the void, where colossal ice immediately engulfed everything, bringing an abrupt end to his existence.
Aegis landed on the ground, crouching with a heaving chest, surrounded by momentary silence. He was now an empty threat; activating the staff had depleted his essence pool, which had now run dry. However, the mere pressure he exuded could chain the enemy’s movements, as long as he maintained the façade of strength. Aegis inhaled deeply, the air filling his lungs like acrid ash, his hands tightly gripping the staff, defiant against the weary clawing at him. His gaze shifted towards the hostages, positioned away from him and under the watch of Yuhong and Snow. Li Xin engaged in a swordplay, locked in a dance of blades with a hooded figure who eyed him with malevolent intent.
Another breath, thick with the scent of dust, passed through his dried throat. Aegis turned his attention to the gathering of stones. One figure remained seated in lotus, unwavering in maintaining the barrier throughout. Meanwhile, another one is immersed in intricate dance forms to complete the final stone’s ritual.
“Ba, Liu, and Jiu, they lie dead; he’s as dangerous as you say, yet this alone won’t stop us,” declared Old San, his cloth swirling in the brisk wind. He advanced, clutching his staff harder. “Cease lurking like a coward; engage him. He’s already gasping for breath.”
Er retorted, hands swinging in frustration, “I won’t risk my life! Make Si do it; he’s been useless all this time!”
Old San cast a disappointed gaze upon him. “Si, Wu, take charge. Capture him alive,” he ordered, directing his attention towards the captives.
Aegis stood with a straight posture, his black robe and dark hair billowing in the air. Advancing calmly, he approached the two figures before him. Swiftly, the combat erupted as luminous snakes, and the earth sieged him. Aegis seamlessly dodged strikes with fluid motions. His opponent, however, proved formidable, matching Aegis blow for blow. In a daring move, Aegis shifted his torso and executed a perfect high-blow roundhouse kick, the force ripping air, snapping one opponent’s neck with a chilling crack.
“AAGH—”
But victory was short-lived, as, in the same breath, he felt a sudden impact on his face.
Aegis staggered and fell back.
Aegis, his face bruised and his vision blurred, was met with a barrage of swift strikes. The opponent was relentless; his moves were quick and unpredictable. Aegis struggled to keep up, his movements clumsy and his strength fading. The opponent seized his opening, landing a blow to his gut, followed by a knee to his face, sending him flying.
Aegis hit the ground hard, gasping for air. His clothed eyes flickered with fatigue, his power fading. He sprang to his feet and lashed out with a spinning kick, but it was blocked, and his elbow after was ducked.
His opponent retaliated with a leaping shin, but Aegis dodged his head aside, his pale face stained with blood. They traded more strikes, but Aegis was slowing down, his breaths shallow. Then he felt a stabbing pain in his chest, followed by a crushing blow that sent him flying. He tried to get up, but his body was too heavy. He collapsed, unconscious.
Yuhong had been supporting them throughout, channeling the divine power she wielded.
Li Xin, his sword poised, stared down his opponent, his eyes full of determination.
“Die.”
A blur of steel, and Li Xin’s opponent was lacerated, clutching a wound. A slash, and the opponent fell.
“You’re finished,” Li Xin said coldly, feeling the hooded face with his finger.
He stood over the bodies of his fallen foes, his sword dripping with their blood. He surveyed the battlefield, his face impassive and his heart filled with rage.
Fifty humans were presently shackled, clad uniformly in white robes adorned with brown waistbelts, all unconscious disciples of the same sect.
Old San sneered towards Aegis’s limp form. “See now? You’re nothing but a coward. The ritual is done; we just need the fuel,” he remarked, fixing his gaze on Er with a smirk. “There’s immense reserves in this boy; his qi alone could fuel the entire thing, but alas, he's already drained. Oh?" San continued, dragging Aegis’s unconscious body towards Yuhong and Li Xin, nonchalantly adding, “They’ve claimed yet another, but it matters not.”
“Give us their bodies, and in return for this boy’s life, do it promptly, or he’ll be a lifeless husk,” Yi threatened Yuhong and Li Xin with a menacing undertone.
Yuhong, her heart pounding, glanced at Aegis, then at the unconscious bodies. She knew she couldn’t let the hostages die, but she couldn’t bear to see her senior brother suffer. Her eyes flickered with uncertainty, and she slowly lifted her bow.
Yi, his voice grows louder. “Make your choice. We can just kill him anyway.”
Yuhong’s heart pounded faster, her mind racing. She had to make a choice, and she knew it. Her gaze flitted between Aegis, the unconscious bodies, and the hooded figures, and she hesitated.
“Don’t; it’s not time yet,” Li Xin whispered to her, his voice urgent. “If we do it now, things will be the same but harder.”
“I can’t let them die,” Yuhong responded, her voice shaking. “It’s not right.”
“And we can’t lose brother Aegis,” Li Xin argued. “He’s already weakened, and if they have any more tricks up their sleeves, he may not survive.”
Yuhong shook her head. She couldn’t let that happen. She took a deep breath and steeled herself, turning to Yi.
Perched atop a dilapidated city building, four of them observed the unfolding events.
“Shall we intervene? It appears your prodigy has met his demise,” scoffed the Blessed Daughter of Qilin. Having emerged from seclusion, she expressed irritation at being dragged into the conflict with Aegis. While she could have effortlessly resolved the situation alone, the delay caused by Temple Master Ren had already cost numerous lives. “But that bow,” she mused. “I suspect if the Nazunos catch wind of it, they’ll be in uproar.”
“As I mentioned, the grandfather dotes on him. I’ve reinforced the seal on his bloodline, and he is unable to invoke the heavens’ cry for several more days,” explained Temple Master Ren. “However, this isn’t an ordinary sealing. Typically, when a bloodline is sealed, it’s natural for the individual not to access it. Yet, she accomplished something extraordinary. It’s actually very simple: during the sealing period, the blood congregates and congeals, creating an opportunity for rupture. It’s akin to a dam; the dormant bloodline, those left undisturbed, are swept along the surge, leading to an awakening. The phenomenon of awakening is the crimson lightning.”
“Hmm, I see,” Temple Master Li mused, scratching his beard. “This is a huge risk; wouldn’t it kill him then?”
“Heh. If he were human, Rainha achieved it as a human, being a singularity herself. However, his non-human blood could bridge or even exceed that gap.” Ren poured himself tea and wet his throat. “Now, if he were to do it, he’d either get crippled or endure with a flooded essence pool. A typical ailment for days would usually follow.”