Chapter Sixty Eight, "I... of the Third Order...".
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Wukong grabbed his pole from beneath him, soaring towards the foliage below him. He grabbed onto branches, launching himself forward as he navigated masterfully through the trees.
Fittingly, he moved even quicker through the trees than he could while flying.
In the moment, he was giving his all. Using his kreus to carry him as far as it could... He was sweating, a worried expression plastered on his face. Vera's kingdom was one thousand kilometers away... He knew, even at his top speed, backed by all the power he could muster...
It would take him at least an hour.
Even though that sounded long, it really put into perspective how much power Wukong truly had.
His speed was nearly unmatched, being a level four creature that could move close to the speed of sound...
It showed the power of training and hardening your foundation. Most existences wouldn't be able to travel at the speed of sound until the third level in the first stage...
"Vera..." He muttered...
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A king stood atop of a wall, a cape swaying behind him, while his crown shone beneath the rising sun.
Before he had called for the help of a sacred comrade, this king had attempted confrontation on their own.
Vera faced the demon out of her own volition, her fear unwavering.
"What brings you to my land?" Her voice was pushed forward, reaching the ears of the strange creature that was quite a ways away from the front gateway to the capital.
It was a strange humanoid, clearly not of beastkin descent, and most definitely not that of human blood. It wore strange clothes, a weird style compared to that which was prevalent in Sunvera. More ominously, the hood it wore covered its face, and where the face belonged was a pitch black darkness. Looking at the creature, Vera assumed that this entity was using some sort of sorcery to mask it's real identity.
"So... You are the leader?" Out of it's mouth came cryptic words. She could not understand what was being said by ear, but she could feel the words coming to her through kreuvian waves.
Like she had done with Wukong almost one hundred years ago, this creature was speaking to her soul.
"I am." She replied, crossing her arms. An iron sword reinforced with her sorceries and kreus was stood next to her. It's tip was attached to the ground, and it stood perpendicular to the stone beneath her.
"How surprising... thousands of years and humanity has regressed from what it once was?" The creature mumbled. "Maybe we banished ones were those that were blessed in the end." It's tone seemed to brighten a bit, as it's face turned upwards.
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Looking into the pitch black hood, Vera still could not find a face.
That was rather unsettling.
But, she focused more on it's mumbles.
From what it once was?
Had this entity observed the ancient and prehistoric human civilization?
"What do you mean?" Vera questioned.
The hooded character was silent for a moment, it's ethereal black arm twitching every few moments.
Slowly, the creature stepped forward.
"I followed the trail of the fourth order demon... It took me a while to climb up from the depths, but I have finally succeeded." It spoke.
At that moment, Vera instantly rang for Wukong. A demon? Following the trail? Did this man come from the earth, like the demon Wukong had fought over half a century ago?
"We've been locked beneath the surface for thousands on top of thousands of years... To avenge our fallen kind, and to usher in a new age..." The creature raised its arms to the sky.
"I, Malak of the Third Order, will start with the extinction of these selfish humans... Then I will sunder the same titans that slaughtered our people all those years ago."
The demon seemed almost, happy...
"I'm rather embarrassed to see my kin have only reached this far..." With these words, a frightening sight unfolded.
Black tendrils shot out of the demon, attaching to the ground. Slowly, it was lifted off of the ground, hovering in the air.
Vera rather swiftly finished her interaction with Wukong, and she shifted her stance.
Her hand reached for the sword before her, detaching it from the ground and readying it.
As it rose, an aura started to proliferate the surroundings. Abruptly, as Vera put a foot on the capital wall, and the demon reached it's peak, her opponent stopped.
"You fucking imbecile." A deep and grating voice emanated from the creature before her.
"What makes you think you have the authority to wear a crown forged by a god? You are not of true royal blood... Ygdridium is the only human worthy of that crown." The demon was quite clearly scowling, his voice digging deep into her ears.
"I will rip that artifact right off your head." The tendrils flexed, launching the demon forward.
With her quickest reflexes, Vera leaned back, swinging her sword upwards. Successfully, she deflected a tendril. Quickly she let go of her sword with one hand, swinging that same arm and backhanding away the other tendril flying towards her.
Ducking downwards and falling backwards, Vera rolled away. Masterfully, she continued to step backwards, leaping off of the wall and aiming her hand forward as she free falled.
"Arrow of fire." She incanted, and as she did so, an orb of fire manifested in her palm.
It was almost slow motion, but the scene was awe inducing.
Vera fell backwards, an arrow of fire barreling towards the rampaging demon. It pierced straight through the entities shoulder, creating a hole as it dissipated in the air behind it.
There was a screech, and the demon tumbled to the side as Vera flipped mid air.
"Wind walk." She muttered, her feet touching specific areas in space. She solidified air, bouncing around and floating low in the skies.
With expertise, she bounced around, launching herself back upwards.
She flung over the recovering demon, heaving her sword through the same wound.
There was another screech as Vera tumbled back onto the capital wall, rolling haggardly before she regained her balance and posture.
"This is doable." She whispered, sweat forming on her face.
Well that's what she thought...
Before she could even react, a black tendril shot towards her. With her mind on high, she instinctively twitched, her body jolting as the tendril speared next to her arm. She winced, jumping to the side and grasping her sword arm.
There was blood leaking...
Looking upwards, she gazed into the dark hood. But she didn't have much time to stare in awe.
A gaping maw opened up within the hood, rows on top of rows of jagged teeth appearing.
And in the same moment, a liquid shot forward.
A black, steaming goo, it propelled towards Vera. Thankfully this time, she was more prepared. She rolled sideways, running farther to ensure her safety.
Glancing backwards, she could see the acidic liquid curdling on the stone floors. Ever so slowly, the rock was eaten through, the acid sinking deeper into the stone.
Vera gulped.
"Let's hope I can do this on my own..."
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