Orb of light wished it would curse the heaves. The glow, shock, and awe it caused in this process were terrible. Being low-key would save so much more trouble. Without it, it could have finished the procession of its insertion to the host and dealt with the consequences later.
It would be so much simpler, yet too good to be the truth.
Swoosh!
Another energy shockwave shook the air. It was much vaster than dozens of meters wide crimson, but size didn't always mean strength.
The wind, the air, and everything within the inner region beyond the crimson vortex merged with the blue wings which spread wide with distinct feathers as sharp as the finest knives.
All was within its scope and grasp, and Vivien was the master of this region.
“My apologies, but you won’t interrupt my friend for a few minutes,” she said in confidence, enjoying the flowing flame along with the wings surrounding her body of fewer than 2 meters. She was jsut a tiny dot in this place, but a clear overlord she was.
“Such audacity!? It seems like your situation is getting complicated down below. Heh! What about that child of The Destroyer? What is it about to seek it?” Said the same voice once more. It seemed it was a more powerful being than the rest of them. Acting as a leader was a tough choice, but as the most dominating one among all the eyes which beamed through the fog, it was the sharpest and loudest voice.
“Child? The Destroyer? I do not know what you are talking about.” Vivian nonchalantly said, her voice carrying undeniable intent that made her words travel for a long time.
And she wasn’t lying, per se. She was unaware of the answers to the question about the Child of the Destroyed. That term was anything that she was aware of, nor something she liked to hear. It was the only term used in his cluster of planets, and nowhere else. Her companion did not provide more answers than she asked for. She was simply here to provide support for the important cause that none would do instead.
Yet, even if she doesn't know, that didn't mean she can't find it strange. It seemed to her that the figures of this planet were aware of, or recognized this oppressive aura of the Orb of Red. She knew at least its origin and meaning per the old man's hard-pressing pleas. As for the mention of the child? She did not care about it at all. The life of a single mortal could not shake the world, let alone the universe. Can it?
The situation came to a sudden halt, yet the changes beyond Vivian were at their crescendo.
As she intended, she pushed against the fog and the beings with absolute streaks of intent and her powerful Immortal arts. It was... rather easy, so she moved a little of her attention against the red sea down below. She was only around 30 meters away from it, so it was quite easy to go against the fluctuating vortex with her blue flames. Gently stopping or hindering it was the least she could do while doing nothing dangerous. Outside was a tall wall of fog while the beings inside weren't as trying as she feared.
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Above her.
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The old man sat cross-legged in mid-air, and since his control over his spears was futile by some outside factor he was unable to perceive, he decided to use something else instead. His eyes were closed and both of his palms were pressed together in front of him. Lightness and nothingness nth swirled around his hands, forming strange flickering light of black and white.
Those were two forms of matter that were quite opposing and terrifying. Yet, they surrounded his hands and didn't destroy them or turned them into mush. Circles of light and circles of the void. Nothingness was hard to discern, but the void was the easiest example. Each element held fundamental truths of these two matters of the universe. Each was different, yet in some ways, they should be close to each other for their vast differences.
Light and darkness were like that. None would work without the other. Like a shadow without a lighting source.
The old man clutched those truths in his respective palms. There, the matters of differences clashed against each other and pushed themselves toward the middle of his palms. They were incredibly profound. Not like previous attacks the old man was using. That was his own power. The light itself.
This, on the other hand, was something that he prepared to see and solve the worst-case scenario. A moment that he wished would never come since it could endanger his very foundation.
The form of the technique involved the light and the voice and they all needed time to work with each other. A minute? Two? The old man didn't know but hoped he wouldn't be late.
Thankfully Vivian wasn't hesitant over these troubles that worked for his cause.
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Down below.
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The cowardly beasts hiding behind the vast walls of fog were hesitant to make any direct move. They were afraid of the beings in the middle, yet they wanted to obliterate them at the same time. It was a strange situation, considering the cause of their frustration, and during was only a single Immortal woman who forced them all to hesitate and stop.
Although it seemed like they had everything in their reach, rushing inside meant the first one would be the first one to die. Facing the terrifying Vivian bathed in flames wasn't something none of them would dare to try. Thus, they used lackluster long-range attacks, which did nothing but disturb her a little, if at all. They did not expect such a fierce display of pressure against them. Just a single person went against their might.
It was unsightly.
It was pathetic.
But, they understood and were aware of what kind of people invaded their homeland. It was understandable for them to be angry while being arrogant was in their rights. Yet, they weren't powerful enough against those that invaded. And that was making many of them cry in anger. Such humiliation was making their blood boil.
The matter of that may overflow, making the figures in the fog snap, making them crazy and unreasonable. Then, the hell would get loose, and Vivien hoped for it to not start.
So, it was time to get a bit violent. Vivien's flaming wings pushed down, striking the crimson along the way to proper her a bit upwards. She flew and used the momentum of her wings to push against the fog to move it further from the red sea.
This situation went on for seemingly infinite minutes, yet only a couple of them passed since the fog appeared. Orb of Red went for the final opportunity in this source of undeniable luck. It didn't know why this lofty lady didn't attack him and instead protected him from the figures hiding in the fog. Did it make sense? No, but it didn't dare to consider the degree of it a long time ago.
Allan’s body was lost in a sea of its Orb's intent, and no one could see what went beneath it.
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Above the crimson conflict.
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The old man was pushing his mind, control, and a source of power that was beyond his Immortal path. The limit between two matters of energies of different polarities was extreme, yet the technique he chose still appeared to be working. It wasn't his, so it was hard to tell the degree of his success.
Between his palms was brighter and brighter light. Mixed within it was shadowy, dark, and grey vails of indistinct matter that represented the void. What was stranger was not what was happening within his palm, but what started around him, the moment matters moved inside his slightly open palms.
Around him appeared gargantuan halos of light kilometers wide, which spread from his palms. They circled him in a layered pattern throwing all matters of common sense away since it held no base of anyone's energy.
It wasn't his, but the universe itself was calling the primordial laws into the play.
“Manifestation of the Lightness itself!?” One of the figures exclaimed in disbelief at the sight of their retreat from Vivien. Their attention turned to above, and the sight of haloes was quite a terrific aspect. Most of the figures were aghast, watching it from down below as the sheer display of something that none of them had ever seen, happen. The majority understood what was happening though, as they could recognize it thanks to their own comprehension.
The rotating halos around him clashed through the invisible friction and speed. They slowly became smaller and smaller, but they weren't becoming lighter, or weaker. The compressing nature of the lightness was a strange object of belief, and not even the old man knew all about it.
The halos seemed like the light itself, yet where was the void? It waited, in his palm. The old man waited until the halo turned into an unstoppable force under the swirling vortex in his hand. It was acting like a starting push towards the sight around him. He was like metal for lightning to follow.
At last, he furthered his palm further, and the surrounding halo stretched outside, and not inwards, before compressing back and stopped rotating. It was half of its rotation, and the pulsing energy of the lighting law within it became to seek the familiar. It exploded into many striking shards, flying toward his palms in a matter of a blink.
In just a moment, the vast halo disappeared. It was like a sudden streak of lighting that traveled in the dark night, before disappearing into nothingness.
There was an unexpected stillness in the sky, as the halo found its target. An accumulation of an unknown amount of power was between the old man's palms.
He was holding a power that he never wielded before, yet he knew to wield it as it told it... No! That wasn't right. The lightness itself acted as if it knew what to do. All it need was small instruction and a caring heart.
Without opening his eyes, he changed his stance by unfolding his hands. His robe flickered, and so did his beard and long white hair. He was mysterious and trying for the beings below him, yet nothing mattered to him right now. All that was in his heart was the emptiness of the void and light.
Vivient continued her onslaught, which went unexpectedly well. she pushed the fog quite away from the location of the Orb of Red which was hidden beneath the red vortex in an ever-transforming red sea.
Preparation for the last strike was ready, and all that was needed, was for it to succeed.
Without a sound or visible movement, the old man's body unleashed a sudden bright flash of light. The palms were now fully separated from each other, and both matters of different polarities were fused. Flashing light did not travel far, nor was it radiant like the sun. the handful vortex of the Lighness decided on the following. It enveloped his right hand since it was one that formed the light, and not the void. The flickering lines and waves spread around his body, creating another hand made of the lightness itself.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
It ended up not that big, nor small. The hand was around the volume of the human body, and the old man could wield it as better as his own hand.
The surface was flickering with light, yet it was not radiating. It was dull light if that makes sense. It was made from light and dark sheens of gray and black that carried encompassing game of tag. That was the limit, and the old man knew he shouldn't be caught by the void.
These were the matters of the universe that were located in the vast majority of locations and the infinite space of the cosmos, yet wielding them was anything but easy. Inquiring about this power for oneself wasn’t something that anyone can do. Not even this old man, who only filled the path of light, and not the void.
Not that it was his power or experience that enabled him to wield this power. It was more accurate to say that the power of these matters was using him under the pretext of the higher power, or someone used some method to give him a helping hand.
Flash!
A blink later.
The old man disappeared from his location, appearing 10 meters above the red sea. His eyes opened at that moment, and he watched the sight below. His eyes were mesmerizing, full of lights of the infinite sky of countless stars.
He fell down onto the red sea, wanting to uncover the Orb of Red for good. None of the fog figures, nor Vivien herself saw his movement at that moment. It was as if he was always there, to begin with.
The old man's right hand was facing forward, facing the red sea with a clenched fist. He pushed the extension of his hand down upon the red sea, and he no longer fell. The lightness understood its intent, he flew as if gravity didn't matter. He made contact with the thick and tense matters of energy in spit seconds, and then, the red sea exploded outwards. The redness shook and the twisting vortex underneath exploded as well, as the whitish fist as big as a human torse obliterated the vortex into dozen wide crevices.
Seeing the effectiveness of his attack, the old man manifested more of this right-hand power in one more attack. He clutched the crevices with his left fist, uncaring about invading spiked waves, or veins, or whips that struck his body. Orb of Red was livid, but it was close, so it struck his body with basic powers.
Yet, no blood appeared even when a shape whip flickered around his torse, slicing the skin apart. Instead of blood, there were only light and shimmering dots. Millions, or billions of them in the appearance of light itself. It was a lot physical, but at this point, it made his body.
The old man didn't care. He turned his right hand upwards, using the connection with the Lightness, and he freed the spears he lost before. It was strange. They still struggled, even with the Lighness, but he succeeded with all of them in a matter of 3 seconds. Instead, of taking those spears, he shaped them into one final pillar of light like a grand monument. It was thick, with a shimmering body that seemed indistinct as if it wasn't firm as before.
It was no wonder. The old man was using his everything to push this forward, as he doubted he could destroy this thing with his right hand alone.
Like a stream of water rushing from the waterfall, but backward, a tall pillar of energy changed its shape, slowly shrinking and swirling up and down, condensing to a pillar of light in a shape of a fist at the bottom.
It was a vast pillar. Was. It shrank to 2 dozen meters in height, and barely a meter in width. Feeling light, his right hand felt a certain connection it wanted to form, so the pillar fell down, traveling fast in its direction towards the Exposed Orb of Red. The crimson vortex turned livid as if it wanted to strike and wince itself free from this old man's clutch that was no longer physical. No matter how many whips.
No manner how many parts of the vortex struck his body, he kept exposing the wide crevice that had multiple layers that tried to reconnect. It was a futile attempt.
The diameter of the vortex was still 15 meters wide, as it should be. The old man’s extended right hand shimmered, feeling the night is near.
At last, the old man folded the whitish arms, pushed down, and began to tear the vortex apart.
He was close. The lightness was close to reaching whatever was beneath it.
It couldn’t be stopped.
A wide crevice was ripped open even more, and the hand slipped through the vortex. The old man struggled with his whole body, using it like a shield against the encompassing crimson.
Allan was looking the same as before, with a messed up body, barely recognizable features, and wounds all over himself. The Orb of Red was just a tiny bit off from pushing into his chest all the way through. Veins were visibly swirling around his chest, and a round object in his chest held 2 strange sharp dots. They resembled eyes that watched the enemy approaching.
The old man was surprised by the ease of his right hand. A sight below? He didn't care for it but was glad that he wasn’t too late. He extended his hand upwards, beyond the crevice. The right hand's fingers changed to the sharpest of claws, becoming larger, and thicker than a person's. He grabbed the vast pillar above that arrived, and the whitish arm jolted as if the light was its purpose.
The light extended to the Lighness, turning the specific requirements of needed balance apart. It was the last attack, and upon this, it would be gone. The hand would disappear and the void would find the light. The hand expanded in size, causing the old man to frown at the fierce degree of power he felt.
It was like a power of stars in his hands. He felt he could clutch the planet itself. It took a moment, before it stabilized, and using the power of the momentum, he struck forward, obliterating the rest of the vortex along with the crevice.
It was time to go for the kill.
The Lightness ate up everything, but its shape did not change much. Colors of light overturned the shades of dark were even deeper, and the balance will soon collapse. The old man was in charge of this attack, even though he was a proxy for something that he was using.
Although he was not absolutely in control of this power, he was not too far away from comprehending the energy of this caliber. His comprehension and personal power and technique went hand to hand with it, but the last step was further than his entire path from the past to the present.
The right hand shook and twisted downwards. The considerable strain was ridiculous, but the crimson struggled in vain as the last remaining attempt failed. The old man pushed it down below him, hitting what was down below with a wide arm that didn't need to aim. Even this little movement of feeling the power of the stars was insane. For him, it was that. Insanity. Considering that some beings can use this form as they wish, it sounded ridiculous to him now.
Orb of Red tried to speed up the process, but it was a bit late. Forming and changing the structure of the Vortex didn't work either. This pressure on what was above was something that would be impossible to defend against, even with most of its power intact. It was way too outside of the 9th Globes of its true body.
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In the foggy walls.
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The figures were simply stunned by the powerful display of the undeniable powerhouse. Some no longer cared about some Destroyer, let alone a child. It was no longer needed, when one's life was on the line, even when Pact was in the effect. Even Vivian shrouded in blue wings of flame was surprised by the display of this attack. She did not expect this kind of Lightness from him. This extent of the energy left lingering admiration and wonder within her since the degree of power was something only higher-ups in The Council possessed.
“Did he borrow, or took something from "him"?” she asked herself.
Consumed by the power, the old man shouted as he finished the remaining power of his swing, reaching Allan§s helpless body. All the previous methods and wasted time were, in fact, required for the volume of such an attack. Unless he wanted to die with instability, he had to stall for a few seconds.
That was an amount of time that was exceedingly large in the conflicts of immortal figures, yet he wasn't late, which was excellent.
The degree of this fist exceeded everything he knew, yet it wasn't so physical as he dared, nor was it explosive. Lightness was a mysterious matter, unlike flame, or space itself. Those could be wild, and highly destructive.
The shake that happened next trembled the surroundings. The air and sky itself changed.
The sky was wiped clean over hundreds of kilometers.
Cloudless, the sun shines brightly, lighting everything nice and warm.
The clouds, fog, and azure flames that Vivien used were no different.
This attack caused an undeniable level of mystery that pushed everything away gently, yet nothing destructive happened upon further look. No deep crevice, not a bloody explosion. The fog dispersed slowly, exposing figures hiding and gaping behind it. The blue flames were extinguished with no indistinction to the fog, but Vivian held no problem with their loss. She let them be, focusing on remaining her 4 winged wings around her back in their basic form.
The focus of this last Lighness required a strong Intent and perhaps the old man didn't even wish for this to occur. It was true that his resolve was only to the enemy down below.
It held no malice towards the surroundings, nor the beast that felt aghast.
The enormous beasts could be seen in the surrounding region. Hundreds of them were watching this utterly dominating the scene with gaped jaws. Most of them were barely a few hundred meters tall. Some even stood on top of each other, making or trying to further the impression, that they were taller than they are.
There were tigers, lions, wolfs, and hardly recognizable kinds of beasts, demons, and strange beings. Some of them were just a few dozen meters tall. Titans made of stones, trees that held life on their own, or mutant beasts that all looked strange one way or another.
They all had one thing in common, though.
None of them had any intentions of going even one step forward, only backward. It was a bizarre sight to see.
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Inside the crumbling Crimson Vortex.
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Beneath the whitish fist was a struggling Orb of Red.
It was still alive, right?
Almost true.
Its surface was already cracking apart inside Allan’s chest. The first hit the Orb as its target, so it was no wonder for it to crack apart first. Lighness fist was still on top of Allan's torso, holding tremendous power agast the Orb of Red... There was no other visible physical damage in the surroundings. All was pointing towards the Orb of Red, or so it was supposed to be like that.
With the pressure rising, the old man was hoping to crack this thing apart, so he kept his attack going even though he shouldn't. The cracks were already far enough, yet he wanted to make sure of it, as the Blood was a terrible enemy. Pushing with everything, he started to sway in exhaustion until cracks formed in his right hand. The flow of energy did not stop until his Intent. He clutched those dissipating cracks, forming the last image of the Pillat to send it to the Orb of Red.
It was small, 2 meters tall, and 30 centimeters wide. It fell to the Orb of Red, striking it with physical means. Allan's body crackled apart too, but the old man couldn't care less about it, as he was indifferent to the blood around him, as he crouched on top of Allan's body.
is it over? He thought.
A sudden screech obliterated the small pillar, jolting the exhausted old man on the spot. Very inhuman noise roamed in anguish as if it was no longer human, nor demonic. It was wild and crazed. The Orb cracked apart completely. That much was the truth, but was it a necessary process to destroy it?
Wrong.
The explosion of liquid and forms of energy exploded within Allan’s chest, forming, or trying to reform within. Blood was strong. Close to undying form, as the information it may hold was beyond common sense. Allan's body shook and trembled. The pillar from before already messed-up his messed up body further. The jolting Crismosn waves and liquid around the crevice in his hand were quite wild as if possessed.
Veins and crevices made by the orb were struggling around Allan’s chest, trying to find a way to survive. This utter shock of this inside force caused Allan's eyes to be obliterated by the trembling and unimaginable physical harm. Blood seeped from his wounds, which was strange,e considering the degree of his blood loss. Well, the crimson inside of his chest was another thing, and the Old man watched it all with the bare ability to move.
He tried to pull his right-hand up, while the forceful stay of the Lighness still stayed at his pointer finger. However, he wasn't strong enough to move it forward.
he watched as the thick base of red liquids seeped inward into Allan's body disappearing within, as if they no longer passed the strength of the Orb of Red.
Yet, the surrounding Vortex still remained, which he noticed in his sudden return of serenity of seeing his goal almost be over.
There were still surrounding specks of Vortex spinning on the ground. It was moving in a 15-meter circle around Allan as if it still held some intent left behind the shattered Orb of Red. It turned wild in a moment, turning black, red, purpose, or whatever deep color was possible. It struck the Old man to his chest, ending his stay on top of him by flicking him high into the air.
The old man watched as the engulfing layers of energy surrounded Allan until he disappeared in the remaining power that lingered around. It was questionable if it was good or bad, but the old man was too tired to care.
“Still not enough? How is it possible? This... Ugh.” The old man mumbled, falling mid-air. He watched his right hand lose the remains of the Lighlessm which cracked apart into small tiny particles like dust. There was no blood. No flesh in his wounds, but something was missing.
His entire right arm.
The old man accepted this for what it is. A loss of an arm wasn't a big deal. He may grow another one in a couple of years, so it wasn't a big deal. It was a price worth paying, while repercussions won't be smaller in the inner parts, but not like it mattered either. He forgot about it the moment Allan disappeared from the ground in a way, he couldn't do anything about it.
His lack of power and exhaustion took over his body until he accepted the terms and fell from the air with closed eyes.
Unexpectedly, his body stopped, by the ready hands of Vivien who flew thanks to her wings that didn't even flip around.
“It's over.” She said. “I did not expect you to have “his” blessing, gift, or help. Now, I can’t let you down.”
“Oh, it's you....” The old man sighed, opening his eyes. “It is not “his”. Just an outer skill from someone else. It all went well since my own Light isn't weak. If only Void would be easier to grasp.
“But we win,” Vivien said, smiling.
“Win? A small part of a deeper war... That man must be stopped before it’s too late. A won battle doesn't mean a solved war. We can still fail. There is hardly a good way to solve this other than by force.” The old man struggled to say.