Chapter 80: Duel Under The Raining Skies (II)
"Future king of everything?"
"Pride has its limits…"
“He’s delusional.”
“Master of all nations and peoples…wow…”
“His arrogance exceeds even royalty.”
“A great first impression.”
“What do you think some of his words mean?”
“Do we have any information on who this man is?”
"I hope Lloyd takes him down."
“He seems strong but his death is all but certain now.”
“Is Steelrain that strong?”
“The red-haired fellow is quite interesting.”
“A fool is usually quite interesting if not entertaining.”
"He's going to lose his life one day with all that nonsense he spouts."
"That day will be today. The Sword of the Rain will be his death."
"Steelrain…"
"How strong do you think he's grown now…?"
"The mellow blade, the last sight before eternal rest…"
The crowd beneath wiggled their tongues before each other.
Gayle, the golden-haired draconic heir, the crystal daughter, and many other knowledgeable leaders were silent as they looked upwards towards the imminent scene of grand battle.
Their focus all laid not on Zan, but the famed swordsman known as Lloyd of Steelrain. Five years ago the mellow swordsman was said to have breached the limiter, and he was said to be infinitely close to fully integrating a source. The man was one foot over the line into ascending a new realm. One foot inside not just a higher state of power, but a higher state of life, a higher state of existence.
Ever since he went over that boundary— even if it was only a half step over— it made him known throughout the world. Of course he was like the crystal daughter, who was already known for his talent, but ever since that day, all the major powers of the world had kept an even closer eye on him. His name was placed around the top of every watch list, together with other names that were likely to exert their will on the world.
It had been five long years since he had risen to such power and fame, and it had been five long years since he had been seen too. Now, that famed talent reappeared before the world's eyes once again, and not only that…he was soon going to engage in a likely sky shaking battle.
All eyes were enraptured by the sight.
Atop the clouds…
"Leave that ship my friend."
Zan smiled with excitement, and fearlessly walked over to the edge of his now sliced-in-half vessel.
“Good. I’ll fight you on the one you're standing.”
‘Four ships is still good enough for me…’
Zan gathered strength within his legs so that he could vault over in one smooth leap, yet at the last second, the swordsman extended his left palm to him, signaling him to pause.
“Mm?”
With his right hand, he grabbed a thin silver chain that snaked around his neck. Pulling it out of his armor, he revealed a plain, circular, silver locket.
The man pressed on the middle of the locket, and felt his finger sink slightly just as if he had pressed on a button. In the next moment, fog started to exit from the magical thing, surrounding the locket in a circular field of white.
Of course, the white gas that came out from the locket was neither fog nor smoke, but literal cloud.
"A Dreis-locket?"
A surprised look appeared on Lara’s face as she recognized the object in Lloyd's hands. The locket was a combination of Everrain’s steampunk ingenuity, and the metaphysical power of bloodlines. It was a wondrous object that blurred along the lines of a mechanism, and an actual artifact.
Depending on the grade, it allowed for physical elements, intangible power and even…intention to fill the locket.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
In this case, the silver locket was empowered by none other than their father, who was hailed as the Cloudsword General. With that in mind, the locket was sure to hold incredible power. Power that was much, much above the level of the two combatants.
But…this was a noble duel! In such a circumstance was her brother really going to use a power that did not belong to him!?
The answer to her question would come sooner than she thought, for in the next moment, Lloyd unleashed the full power of that magical locket.
An ocean of clouds spilled and sputtered out of the necklace. The sheer power that rushed forth threatened even Lloyd and Zan to pull away. All else near the surrounding vicinity were either put to their knees, or laid face down on the ground too scared to breathe. What came out of the locket were not just clouds, but the metaphysical power and intention of the Cloudsword General.
To Zan, this was not a level of power that he had ever experienced before. Well…at least not in the waking physical world of reality.
What he felt at this exact moment was a mountainous pressure that came directly from the gap between two existences. A higher life form, a higher existence, bearing down on his neck.
It was like a cat and mouse— no— more like the difference between a lion and a rabbit. In Zan's twisted mind, if he was reborn as a mouse he would still be able to kill a cat…but to kill a lion as a rabbit? The chances were almost zero.
The young man clenched his fists, yet what came over Zan's face was not a frown, but a cheeky grin.
It excited the boy to experience that level of power, knowing he could always strive for more. Yet a tinge of regret appeared within his mind also. He…could only get stronger if he was alive and breathing to do so.
While Zan was prideful in his abilities, it was that same capability that was telling him that if that magnitude of power struck him, then like a tiny boat in the face of a tsunami he would be annihilated to dust. This was the power of someone who was well across the boundary, who not only crossed the line but blazed his own path even further. Zan may have gained immense strength within a short period of time, but at this very moment he had not broken through that limiting wall.
As that force accumulated in power, the young man closed his eyes to gather his own energy. Even if it was certain death he would fight it out till the end.
Energy intelligently found its way through Zan’s maze of pathways, tiny streams made a tunnel from the center of his body towards his toes and fingertips. Though as they did, only his right arm was filled to the brim, a raging ocean of violently spiraling energy within the flesh of an eldritch horror.
Looking towards the gathering vortex of calamitous power, Zan cocked his right arm behind him and awaited his opponent’s attack.
Across the ships and clouds, Lloyd’s hand was shaking violently from the incredible power. Arduously he struggled to place the locket between him and his opponent. The locket cracked from the pressure as if it was about to break, and at the very last second of activation, with all of his power, Lloyd turned the locket downwards.
Instead of Zan, the crowd beneath was assaulted with the full pressure of the Cloudsword General's power. Of the tens of thousands below, all but four individuals were forced to their knees under that suffocating power.
Gayle and the draconic heir were similarly forced to kneel, their power was simply insufficient for them to stand proud and upright.
The draconic heir grew furious that someone forced him to his knees, but Gayle remained calm and collected. Instead of emotion, cold logic ran through her head, and despite the dangerous situation, her eyes remained unwavering. What she was truly thinking behind those eyes however, only she herself knew.
The two started to raise their heads, but once again their strength was insufficient to even hold their heads high.
Yet although they could not look up, they could look around. Turning their heads to each other, the two met each other’s gaze. To Gayle’s surprise, the heir’s arrogant eyes looked at her as if she was an ally.
Indeed, her blood may be mixed but it held the power of fire, more specifically the power of illumination, which was a highly revered element within the empire of Agni. If that was not enough, the two also fought side by side against the forces of Everrain and Bluelight.
Gayle hesitated, but in the end she nodded her head, returning the sentiment. After all, her initial plans were to grow strong under an heir until she could freely explore the world.
Taking comfort in that camaraderie, the two turned their attention towards the surroundings around them.
As they turned their heads they noticed that the crystal daughter and that enormous Titan behind her were still standing, albeit laboriously. It was to be expected. The two were also near that boundary of ascension.
“Huh?” An angry groan came out from the heir.
To their surprise, two other individuals could still bear the weight and gravity of that force. One was a woman with silver hair, whose features were hidden behind a Blackmoon demon mask. While the other was clad in blue robes, and had a bald head shinier than Zan’s future. It was fair to say he was some sort of monk.
BOOM!
An explosive sound akin to a thousand thunderclaps shook the sky and the earth. The locket that served to contain that grand, majestic, and calamitous power had exploded.
As powerful winds and fluctuations of power were fluxing above them, many grew nervous. Essentially they were blind to the events happening above them. They could only stare at the ground, hoping that the blade of a guillotine would not come down on their necks.
Much to their relief, it did not. The pressure started to alleviate and slowly, everyone weaker than those four individuals could raise their heads once again.
What they saw above them, was a sea of clouds stretching a mile long in each direction. When they looked closer and more thoroughly, they found that the enormous expanse of clouds held a certain shape. It was…a shield. The sea of clouds above them was none other than a gigantic shield that stretched so far, that a third of the sky was stolen by it.
The scene was incomparably beautiful, if not a display of grand might.
Above the shield, two figures, one after the other, jumped off their respective flying vessels and landed on the sea of clouds.
BOOM!
The crowd beneath was subjected to another terrifying bang. This one still sounded like thunder, but compared to when they thought that the very sky was coming down on their heads, this one was much weaker.
Reckless and brazen as ever, Zan delivered his fully charged strike onto the enormous shield. And the effect…came as he thought. His strike that could have demolished a stone hill or taken off a piece of a mountain, was absorbed without as much as a single dent on the sea of clouds.
It was unlike punching dirt, for the clouds were much softer. If that strike hit dirt, then the effect would have been a crater that was a hundred feet long and fifty feet deep. But the shield of clouds…did not break nor bend in any such way.
“Hmph.”
The boy scoffed at his attempt, and turned his attention towards his opponent.
Similarly, the mellow swordsman met his gaze.
“You made this just for our fight?”
“We would have destroyed the whole fleet if we fought on the ships.” A smooth, gentle voice came out from the swordsman’s lips.
“Haha! Good! Protecting my ships, that’s nice of you...”
“...You should have used that power to attack me.” Zan said with grim seriousness. A fierce aura of tyrannical destruction enveloping as he said so.
Lloyd shook his head.
“The intent in the locket was to be a shield.”
“Besides…I don’t need anything outside of my own ability to deal with you.”
Two hands met the grip of a long blade. As the yellow tassel on his sword danced, the rain falling around him froze in place, seemingly stuck in time.
Above them a fleet of flying ships, at their feet, a sea of clouds. One armed with a blade, and another using nothing but the strength of his body. The two…collided.