Breathing was difficult. The arid, scorching air brought only pain as it entered human lungs like a venomous snake.
Everywhere the eye could see, toward the skies lit by ceaselessly flashing lightning, rose black pillars of smoke.
Some originated from lava eruptions of the collapsing world, others were the results of the Hizoru's fire techniques.
The piercing, tearing wind occasionally blew them away, swirling into deadly tornadoes capable of effortlessly sucking in even stones.
Ordyntsev's mind was rapidly clearing, and he was now more consciously assessing the nightmare unfolding around him.
Their defenses were no more. The last strike of chaos had definitively buried their feeble attempts to control the course of the battle, reducing it to what the people of this world so adored - a total free-for-all.
And in these new circumstances, only qualified participants were meant to stay on stage.
Looking at the space-splitting lightning-fast techniques, the gut-wrenching explosions, and the speed beyond human perception, it was not hard to understand that this place had become a battlefield solely for the supreme or someone of a similar power level.
The rest of the army tried their best to retreat from the battling supremes.
'It's a pity I don't have that option,' Stas thought irritably, as he began to channel more and more prana through his body. 'Well, let's consider this whole situation as a very detailed and well-developed exam, intended to assess everything I've learned over those seven years living in this Kami-forsaken place.'
His prana core joyfully began to "heat up," generously sending all its energy to the natural-etheric sphere that was beginning to form under his heart.
The wave of natural energy that he let into his body traditionally tried to kill him but, as before, irritably submitted to his will, beginning to nourish and heal his micro-injuries.
Having finished revving up his prana system, Stas began releasing energy into his muscles, relishing the sensation of them growing stronger and more obedient to his will.
His control over his body was now complemented by energetic control. If he wished, he could easily lock a limb in place or swiftly contract it, making his strikes inflict even greater damage. Not to mention the incredible tissue durability and response speed of his nerves.
The blurred movements of the fighting warmasters began to slow down, becoming discernible and not as fearsome anymore.
The artifact breastplate creaked loudly as the Serpent stretched. His armor-covered fingers gripped the spear's shaft.
'Let's begin.'
With a quiet smirk, the Stas silently submerged underground. He was not about to abandon his old habits.
Let the locals fight and show off their strength. In these circumstances, the earthling was more interested in victory rather than displaying his own valor.
And the man had plenty of surprises for his enemies.
The first person Ordyntsev decided to assist was the head of Mizuno, fighting nearby against two enemies.
The duo of Avasaki woman and Hizoru man was relentlessly pressuring the fiercely defending Katashi. Slightly to the side, Aoi and the head's guards tried to come to the aid, but their opponents were against it.
The water created by the head evaporated under the fiery strikes faster than he could generate it. He had to strain all his skills to avoid the deadly techniques of the supremes, each powerful enough to leave no trace of his body, not even ashes.
In the former prince's head, only one question burned unbearably bright: 'How did it all come to this?!'
They had prepared and gathered formidable forces. Why had their entire plan failed, and now they were suffering defeat, as even a madman would not call what was happening here and now a victory.
The burning purple-glowing serpents that burst from under the earth were a surprise to all present.
Their sturdy stone bodies moved with a speed that commanded respect, impressive even for the supremes.
Nevertheless, the chaos-altered bodies had many gifts, giving them new powers.
That's why the first predatory maws appearing from the ground were blasted with fire or repelled by air, giving the tainted supremes a chance to jump aside.
Pale, with faint spots of decay on her skin, the Avasaki chuckled loudly, watching as the opponent's strike missed.
Only, she had crossed someone who devises three plans for every contingency.
The strange fluctuations of prana underground she noticed at the last second, barely managing to change her position in the air to avoid the lunging spear strike. The sharp blade nearly caressed her graceful form, which had not lost its beauty even despite the gifts of decay. Or better said, not yet lost?
Being a supreme Avasaki, she possessed incredible control over the surrounding space, capable of altering her movement vectors in the most unconventional and unexpected ways.
However, even with such fascinating power, she still remained human with all the associated drawbacks, one of which was good old predictability.
Fighting Katashi, she had to retreat from his deadly water whips, that were trying to catch and squeeze her in their suffocating embrace.
And doing so, she, more often than not, for some reason, preferred the left side. Yes, she moved in different directions, but in case of a surprise, her body dodged to the left.
Of course, the risk of error still remained, which is why the spear strike came precisely from the right side.
And the Avasaki did not disappoint. Her pretty face still held a mad smile while her eyes widened in shock as she stared at the stone capsule that had emerged from the ground.
The walls of the "egg" swung open, revealing the comfortably reclining Serpent, in whose hands a purple sphere fiercely glowed. Unable to create this technique underground, Ordyntsev had to make, maintain, and move a hollow capsule, big enough to fit him along with the sphere.
"Ether technique. Ray of Destruction," the Serpent's lips uttered emotionlessly, unleashing the technique.
Yes, it was inconvenient, but the Avasaki's facial expression was priceless.
It's no wonder she tried to flee and block the purple ray rushing towards her chest.
But one of the oldest Deathbringer techniques was specifically designed to combat the toughest opponents, from dragons to great spirits. Moreover, Stas had not spared effort in enhancing this technique against chaos.
That's why, piercing through all hastily made air shields, the energy ray hungrily sunk into the chest of the horror-stricken chaos worshipper. Perhaps, in that moment, chaos retreated enough for the tainted woman to fully realize what awaited her.
Ordyntsev barely managed to dive back into the ground as the explosion's effect began to spread around, sucking out life itself.
Since Stas feared striking too weakly, he had pumped the technique with a maximum reserve of energy.
However, the next second, the man had to hurriedly leave his cozy element when several underground explosions erupted near him, almost crushing him with the surrounding rock.
Unfortunately, the second supreme was already waiting for him.
A fiery maelstrom was about to engulf Stas, even despite the protective walls starting to grow around him, but a water stream safely extinguished the attack.
"Thank you for the help," the Kindhearted wearily addressed Stas. "How do you feel about finishing off this piece of filth together?"
"Absolutely positive," Ordyntsev replied, starting to circle around the supreme Hizoru. So far, the latter did nothing to interfere, but the suspended fireballs igniting around him prompted caution.
"Foolish, foolish blind men," suddenly spoke the chaos servant, coughing and spitting greenish phlegm. He looked much worse than his partner. Mutations had severely distorted his skull bones, growing several grotesque horns on the left side. One grew so unfortunately that it partially pressed against his brow ridge. His attire was voluminous and tasteless red-green garments. Becoming a cultist clearly did not help his sense of style.
"Do you not see that it's all over? Surrender and join us. What's the point of persisting when eternal life and a great purpose await you as a reward?"
His words were met with thick clouds of purple fog, eagerly reaching out their tentacle-like embrace toward him.
"That was unwise of you!" A pair of orbs burst, spewing a towering wall of concentrated flame. It was meant to burn the fog and deal with Stas, but he was no longer there.
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Instead, Katashi had appeared from the opposite side, wielding his spear like a true master.
His relentless assault made the chaos servant feel quite hard-pressed, especially after Ordyntsev joined the fight, not shy of stabbing in the back from a safe distance.
All attempts to shift the battle to a long-range format were thwarted by the Mizuno clan head, who clearly had the upper hand.
Although the Hizoru's katana bore ugly chaos runes, leaving an unpleasant greenish trail in the air, it had one significant drawback compared to his enemies' spears - it was shorter.
The etheric fire that erupted under the tainted warmaster's foot instantly drained a significant portion of his prana, making him stagger momentarily, which Katashi took advantage of.
His charge and strike were masterful, piercing deep into the heart of the traitor. From that position, the chaos follower could not retaliate... Had he not been a disciple of decay.
The clothing burst on his chest, and a hand forcefully emerged from the center of his torso, plunging a dagger into Katashi's chest before he could retreat.
Immediately, the earthling's spear decapitated the laughing enemy.
"Damn," the Mizuno head staggered and would have fallen if not for the timely help of Ordyntsev, who dragged him out of sight. A couple of unremarkable thick spikes grew around them, hiding their position. "This stuff seems poisonous," he bubbled with blood. The wound had clearly reached his lung.
"Of course, it's poisonous," Stas grumbled, examining the injury. "Now, keep quiet, and don't make my job harder!"
On the Serpent's tense command, Katashi just smiled with blood-covered lips. For some reason, he found it very amusing how seriously his friend cared about his health. His body was feverish, and the world strangely swayed.
"What's with the head?" Aoi burst from the side, anxiously inspecting the pale Katashi leaning against a stone wall. Apparently, he had managed to defeat his opponents and immediately rushed to his nephew.
"He'll live," Stas uttered through clenched teeth, cutting off the spreading poison. Considering its chaotic nature, it was not easy, even with a specialized technique. But Ordyntsev managed. "But he's still badly hurt. I'd take him out of the fight. Best to the hospital."
"Really now," the uncle grimaced, "Come to your senses, the hospital is long gone!"
"Gone?" Stas froze, quickly turning to Aoi. "What do you mean, gone?"
"Look around," the uncle mockingly waved his hand, as if embracing the entire world. "Our army is almost defeated. Even if we wanted to, we couldn't stop the chaos servants' attacks on our camp. There are battles there just like here!"
"Then we must retreat," Stas resolutely said, ignoring Aoi's indignant expression. "One way or another, we've dealt chaos a good blow. Many of its supreme warmasters and warlocks are dead..."
"But we lost more!"
"If you don't want everyone to die, then you'll listen to me," Stas snapped, demandingly looking at his interlocutor, who disdainfully fell silent. "As I said, we've inflicted significant damage on chaos. Further fighting will only lead to our defeat. Our strength lies in organization, and in this mess, we'll achieve nothing. Chaos is their weapon. We can't fall into their trap."
"Such wise words, Sumada," Aoi clapped softly a couple of times. "But you forget that if we, as you put it, retreat, we'll open the path for chaos into all our lands. How many cities and villages are you ready to doom for your cowardice?"
"Since when did you start caring about the lives of ordinary people?" Stas retorted just as venomously. "And exactly how many are you willing to sacrifice for your inflated ego?"
"You, clanless..."
"Quiet!" Katashi's voice, against the backdrop of the surrounding explosions, was barely audible, but it instantly calmed both arguers. "Shiro is right."
"Katashi..."
"You see it yourself," the Mizuno head sighed, sadly looking at the sky covered in clouds and smoke. "We've lost this battle, and if we don't want to lose the war, we must retreat. Send for Jishin and inform Yamato. We need to organize a pullout."
"Understood." Aoi nodded heavily, stepping toward Katashi but then tensing and turning in another direction. Ordyntsev did the same.
"What a delight," a mocking voice of a newcomer played on their nerves. "The captured birds want to escape the cage. Such willful birds."
One look at the intruder was enough to understand that they were in trouble.
'Warlock.' The Serpent thought bitterly, observing the slowly approaching chaos servant. 'I'd wager, a very experienced one.'
As for Stas's last conclusion, it was not hard to see why.
The bloated body, having lost all human form, dozens of amulets, rings, and pendants glowing with a putrid radiance. A long staff made from a couple of human spines, and a book hanging on the belt, shuddering with energy discharges. The former human's face was not visible, as it was covered by a beautiful silver mask of a young man, but his head and cheeks were so thick that the mask physically could not cover everything.
'Heh, time to play the hero again.' Stas disliked this. But he saw no other way out. Katashi had to survive and gather the people.
"Aoi, take Katashi and leave, I'll handle him."
"Alright." Ordyntsev barely suppressed the urge to grimace at the ease with which the damn warmaster left him with such a dangerous opponent. The earthling doubted that the Mizuno had so much faith in his powers.
The green circle that had flashed in the air was immediately destroyed by a small ether ray released from Ordyntsev's hand. The attempt to get the retreating Aoi failed before it even began, though the chaos servant did not seem disappointed.
The warlock's gaze refocused on Stas.
"Oh, what a meeting," the cultist's tone changed, becoming slightly surprised with hints of anticipation. This alarming shift did not escape the earthling. "It's Shiro the Serpent himself. Pleased to meet you. Very pleased!"
"Do we know each other?" Stas dryly clarified, not daring to interrupt their conversation. The man understood well that an incredibly dangerous fight awaited him and involuntarily delayed the inevitable.
"So far, only indirectly," the cultist eagerly nodded, causing all his chins to jovially jiggle. "But nothing prevents us from rectifying this oversight. My name is Taishi the Red Plague, and I should note, I developed this disease myself, which is how I got my nickname. Sadly, it doesn't work against warmasters yet, but the future holds promise! Ah yes, I'm also one of the five supreme warlocks who enact the will of the plane of decay in this world."
The warlock spoke cheerily and very engagingly, which, with each word, made Ordyntsev wince even more. The active anti-chaos technique tore the reaching mental threads one by one.
Ironically, Stas had never seen the spell itself, as it was a completely different school of magic, but his defensive technique blocked even it.
"Unpleasant to meet you," Ordyntsev reluctantly muttered, not knowing what else to say.
"That's what I'm talking about," the Red Plague nodded contentedly. "You easily repelled all my attempts to influence you. And mind you, against me, even some clan heads could do nothing. I'm such a big fan of yours!"
"A fan?" Ordyntsev echoed, fearing his hearing was failing him.
"Well, of course," the warlock exclaimed, as if his interlocutor's disbelief offended him. "Your research into combating chaos has thrilled us all! We haven't had such an interesting challenge in a long time."
"And it doesn't bother you that my actions have spoiled your plans?" the earthling skeptically snorted, curiously tilting his head. Involuntarily, the whole conversation became much more intriguing.
"Exactly, colleague, exactly," Taishi approvingly waved his hand. "You alone have messed up our plan so much that we had to urgently change it, shifting the timelines. But that's why we serve the plane of decay, to ensure our diseases overcome any resistance and immunity. Once we manage to deal with your technique, we'll make our plane even more unstoppable!"
"You won't," Stas tersely threw, readying for battle. "We won't allow it."
"In that, I wouldn't be so sure, Master Serpent," the warlock snickered maliciously. "The Great Serpent King has told us a lot. Yes, he resisted for a long time, but we know how to find keys even to such stubborn ones as him. And you know, we were all surprised when one day he mentioned you!"
Stas Ordyntsev froze. An unpleasant rustle rose in his head.