Arbious leaped back, barely dodging the outreached dagger and short sword of the intruder.
As he landed his eyes skirted to the side, the lumbering beast still showed no interest whatsoever. Not having moved since it had first entered the chamber. There was no sense of hostility either, but that could change in the blink of an eye with a command from its master.
It was certainly not an ordinary magical beast, that much anyone could tell. It appeared to have no physical shape. All its dimensions were distorted in darkness to where the beast ended, and where its surrounding darkness began is impossible to tell even with his sharp senses. Though what's strange is that he could not sense any magical energy from it at all.
Its capabilities were a complete mystery, though logically speaking it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine that its abilities should complement its owner's strength. Thus the odds of it being specialized in magic are impossibly high considering the facts.
Arbious smiled and leaped towards the unknown.
It was as straightforward as it gets, he charged right at the intruder with a slash and it was easily caught. The sensation in his arm remained the same, it felt as if he had struck an entire mountain with his bare hands.
And so what? Seas can be parted and even mountains can be lifted.
He gritted his teeth and surely enough the smirk was wiped from the intruder's face, the mountain was lifted and sent crashing through the far walls of the sacred chamber.
“Ahahahaha, I’m just warming up. Don't die on me too quickly now.”
Arbious flew through the air like a shooting star in the faint night sky and activated the hidden skill imbued within his saber [Soul Render]. Allowing the blade to not only deal damage to the corporeal body but to the incorporeal as well.
The intruder stepped out of the gaping hole covered in dust with their weapons firmly in hand, ready to parry once more.
Arbious couldn't help but smile.
Grrrrr.
Instead of the clash of metal he had expected, he crashed into the wall, gauging an even larger crater into the walls of the sacred chamber.
“You took every blow head-on so far, why did you dodge just now?” Arbious sneered.
Yet with the air of vacancy from this intruder, he found his smile dissipated, and the pleasant thoughts of a well-needed exercise vanished all the same.
Arbious closed his eyes slowly, and when he opened them the intruder was surrounded. Four pairs of his eyes locked onto their target, surrounding him on all sides.
Three of him moved and sprinted in a circular life-or-death formation, however, one sat back and observed—a predator who waited in the darkness to pounce on a precise opening.
The formation tightened as the circle that surrounded the intruder drew closer and closer, yet the man who stood at the center of the brewing storm showed no signs of concern. He was like a statue staring out at the roaring seas, for no matter what he will still stand tall above or below the waves.
Instead of the expected attacks from the ones encircling the intruder, the observer was the one to move instead. He leaped into the air above the intruder and pointed the tip of the saber towards him. As the very tip of the blade lit up, the ground where the intruder had stood burst in a brilliant explosion of lights.
Before he even knew it he came face to face with the intruder, no, rather he came face to boot with the intruder, who used the only other object in midair to quickly ground himself onto a wall while Arbious crashed through the opposing side.
Still, no respite was given, as the intruder found himself surrounded on both sides. The last Arbious, who stood on the ground, paid them no heed and gathered mana in one hand.
The intruder charged at the Arbious to his left with unbelievable speed, he caught the incoming saber with his bare hand and implanted his knee solidly into Arbious’ face. An audible sound came from his neck, temporarily stunning him and loosening the grip on his saber.
After grabbing it, he quickly imbued his own aura onto the blade. At first it was rejected as the weapon was crafted only allowing for those who are blessed by Lord Ioe personally to wield it. However, the intruder simply poured more of his aura into the blade, overwhelming the restrictions placed within.
As he turned around, he threw the saber at the other Arbious that was still charging at him. The saber struck him squarely in the chest, then the dark aura that was embedded within spread instantly like fire spreading on a dried field. Arbious fell back, carried by the momentum of the blade, he locked up as the energy coursed through his entire body, effectively paralyzing him as the external energy disturbed his internal magical flow.
Before those two fallen bodies even hit the floor, the intruder vanished as pieces of him fell away and disappeared until nothing remained. When he reappeared, he was standing before the one Arbious who stood still gathering mana in one hand.
The one who stood tall before Arbious raised his dagger and slashed. Instead of tearing flesh and metal alike, his dagger passed through Arbious, leaving a faint trace of light lingering on his dagger.
Arbious’s entire body glowed and became more transparent with each passing moment. The intruder stared inquisitively, he must have expected the battle to be all but wrapped up.
Arbious smiled as his entire body vanished, transforming into a ball of light. Every one of the clones turned into a ball of light, except for the one that was paralyzed with foreign energy. That ball of light did not illuminate with the same brilliance as the others. A trace of darkness lingered in that orb, each and every orb ascended and flew towards the crater on the other side of the wall.
He had underestimated the intruder and suffered this atrocious wound, not to his physical body but to his pride.
Ever since he laid his hand on a blade, his talent had been evident. Even without any rigorous training, all his early bouts had left his opponent with a bloody nose or some serious bruises. Except for that one bastard, when it came to him, Arbious was the one who always found himself sitting in the dirt bruised and bleeding.
For a low-class noble to completely and utterly outclass a prodigy of a ruling house was unacceptable on its own, yet that was not even the most insulting factor. Arbious stared up at the blank expression on that bastard's face. There was not even an ounce of joy or pride that could be found. As if he had been the low-born fool who does not understand his place. For the first time in his life, he felt the burning desire to train. And for each waking moment, he had trained to excess. Not for the sake of bettering himself, but only to demonstrate to that fool who was truly superior.
He could see it already, that bastard prostrating himself after Arbious’ demonstration of true superiority. He wore his grin from ear to ear as he kept up his relentless training.
Yet when the day came, that bastard showed in one solemn strike who was still the better. Arbious found himself with a broken nose staring up at him dumbfounded. His training and extra effort had amounted to nothing.
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Impossible!
Of course, that bastard must have trained as well, but given his superior bloodline, he should have easily caught up and overtaken him.
That low-born must have trained his entire life, he needed but a bit more time to eclipse him is all, Arbious told himself.
He threw himself further into training, not only did his swordsmanship improve he also had a new ace up his sleeve.
“Time for round two.”
As each sphere of light entered his body, his body pulsed with energy, and after the last sphere was absorbed, each and every ounce of his body was brimming with energy.
[Divine Oblation] It allowed the user to use his own body as a conduit for the gods to bestow but a small fraction of their powers to the body and soul. Granting the user powers beyond their wildest dreams. Of course, such an ability wouldn't come without its many drawbacks. In order to unravel the enigmatic threads woven within a god's tapestry, one must surrender a fragment of their very existence to their heavenly Supreme Being up above. But it also places a huge burden on the body to contain all the divine energy, for if the body could not contain the energy it would simply implode.
Those are indeed some terrible drawbacks, but none that would affect Abrious with the help of his skill [Life’s Image]. The perfect image that he summons of himself is capable of activating [Divine Oblation] on its own, taking all the penalties while Arbious would absorb the energy that the images managed to contain. It is only to be expected that a large portion of the energy would be lost in this manner but that's why he has more than just a singular image, after absorbing all three it was almost as powerful as if he had used the ability himself.
The intruder blinked again and again as the entire room was overwhelmed by a brilliant light, at its epicenter was the cavity at the far wall. A figure of absolute light emerged. Illuminating the room just as god had once given light to the mortal realm for life to flourish, yet in that light stood a lone defiant shadow who refused the gift of the gods.
A fool.
To assault such a place is not a simple slight against the church, but a direct insult against Lord Ioe and the heavenly father Ssasarith.
To teach a fool of his place is the least this humble servant can do.
A flash of light was all the intruder saw as Arbious appeared before him, then a second flash engorged the entire chamber, accompanied by a searing pain.
…
Unlike the last blow that felt as if his blade had only gone through the murky void, Arbious had felt a solid connection this time, with it all so evident as the intruder leaped back with one hand grasping his wounded shoulder.
Arbious smirked as he charged once more, this time the intruder tried to react, but to Arbious it appeared as if he was moving his blade in slow motion to block.
“Too slow.”
Arbious’s blade found its mark and struck home once again. Splashing the marbled floor with crimson.
Arbious’ smirk widened with the flow of blood down his blade.
“What's the matter? Giving up?” Arbious mocked.
Arbious shifted his head ever so slightly and the intruder leaped back in that instant.
“Ahahahahahahahaha,” Arbious laughed with a hand held to his face: “Cower before me as they all do.”
As the room was enveloped with another great flash, a severed arm flew across the room, but before it could land in a bloody mess it had dissolved into darkness.
How dare he!? Even as he basks in this glorious light he still dares to stand against me? Against Lord Ioe? Against the one and eternal Ssasarith!?
The darkness regathered itself, reforming back into one whole.
That energy belonged not to the man but to that magical beast. Arbious looked around but the lumbering beast was no more. Its energy however was certainly still before him.
To think he was still holding something back.
Hmph.
“Let's just see what you can do.”
[Celestial Detonation] Arbious poured a tremendous amount of mana into his blade to the point where the aura exuding from the blade was stronger than his own mortal coil. The blade appeared distorted with power as it flickered in and out of its physical state, becoming partly ethereal as the blade existed in this plane and another simultaneusly.
“Die.” Arbious traveled at the speed of light before the intruder and slashed.
Arbious smiled as he felt the effects of the attack.
The blade went through the intruder’s body and partitioned him in half. But the blade did not cut flesh nor bone, as the blade's intentions were to simply pass through the body and impart the absolutely absurd amount of energy contained within into its victim.
He could feel the energy vibrate and swell within the intruder, the amount of foreign energy within the body had nowhere to go and burst out ever so violently rupturing the body in every sense of the word.
Try to contain it as you may, as all your pitiful attempts would be in vain.
Arbious’s smile returned in full force as he could barely contain himself. The energy swelled, inflating the intruder's body as skin and flesh bubbled away, ready to burst in just a mere moment.
“Huh!?” Abrious exclaimed out loud as he felt the energy suddenly vanish, and the body of the intruder was perfectly normal once again.
“What!? How!?” How could anyone contain that energy? It couldn't have been because it's impossible. He must have just imagined it. He was indulging in a rather copious amount of wine right before this after all, yes I must have forgotten to attack, yes that must have been it.
He charged his blade once more with twice the amount of energy and unleashed it in the blink of an eye, painting an X on the filthy intruder.
The energy swelled once more and he felt it traveling to the inner body as it readied itself for detonation, this time for certain the fool before him will be blown into a pink mist, now!
There was no mistaking it this time, it felt clear as day. Right before the point of no return, the energy vanished into nothingness. No, to be more accurate, the energy didn't vanish, it was absorbed—devoured, disappeared into the endless maw, like a chicken before Johnnason.
The intruder took a single step, Arbious flinched and reflexively took a single step back and found his back against the far wall. His survival instincts screamed for him to turn tail and run.
Anyone would run in, it was only logical after all. To risk life and limb was only a natural response if escape was not a conceived possibility after all.
To fight for duty and honor are but a foreign and illogical notion to Arbious, what is one to do with all that fame and honor after death? Nothing.
On the other hand, to run now would not only mark his abandonment of his post but of his faith. To let a demonkin take control of a sacred treasure the repercussions would be absolutely unspeakable. There’s no doubt that after whatever disaster unfolds here he would be a wanted man, but even the far reaches of the church would only go so far. If Arbious traveled to the Far East, he could still find a life worth living, a man of his caliber wouldn’t fall by the wayside no matter where he went.
He can already imagine it, to sample more women from all across the world. A worthy proposition.
With that thought, he gathered all his remaining mana into his hands and activated another spell.
[Sinner’s Paradise]
A tear into the fabrics of reality opened, standing far above the chamber. Engulfing the whole area in Ssasarith’s divine aura. Neither of the two dared to move, as any movement could be seen as an offense to the deity. The stillness only to be broken by the fall of a large black cross of unknown material.
The tear of reality closed as the cross crashed into the center of the chamber. It stood perfectly upright, gleaming with energy as if it had a will of its own, challenging anyone who dared to stand before it.
Arbious closed his eyes as the intruder charged at him, seemingly completely ignoring the presence of the cross.
Five black chains burst forth and caught the intruder on each and every limb before he could bring his blade down on Arbious’s neck.
Struggle as the fool might, none can escape those dreadful black chains. As they slowly dragged their victim to the cross, Arbious summoned the maximum amount of [Life’s Image]. Eight in total as they all activated [Divine Oblation]. Once completed, Arbious had begun to absorb each clone and the energy they held, albeit at a much slower pace this time. To use it a second time within such a short duration placed an absolutely ridiculous burden on the body. Arbious was probably the only person capable of using it a second time without dying. That being said, even with his unique skill that bypasses most of the recoil, that did not mean that his body wasn’t on the verge of collapse.
With each of the light spheres he absorbed he could feel it tearing away at his body, as small cracks radiating with energy appeared all over. As the final orb was assimilated Arbious offered a prayer, he stood there waiting as his body was literally crumbling with each passing second.
The seconds ticked down towards the point of no return and Arbious smiled as the prayer was answered. All the gathering energy vanished in an instant and Arbious crumbled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut.
The intruder’s struggle ceased as a new presence entered the chamber. The energy in the air resembled that of the divine, similar to the tear in reality before. However, it was still distinctively different, it wasn't nearly as powerful nor was it entirely divine, in fact it was much more human.
An ethereal being that could only exist temporarily in the mortal planes, a lost soul bound to the mortal realm by an empty shell of pure mana. Only with the exhaustion of such a large pool of pure light mana by someone blessed by the Ssasarith could such a monstrosity be created.
The lost soul floated over to the cross and stopped before the intruder, as they came face to face, Arbious could barely make it out as his eyes began to lose their focus, but he could swear he saw tears flow from both. How could an ethereal being with no physical form shed tears? That he did not know, yet for some unknown reason he knew that tears flowed.
To Arbious the lost soul was nothing more than an amalgamation of a humanoid figure, but to its intended target what they saw was something entirely different. The lost soul brought forth to this mortal plane was something dearest to the heart.
Of course, to truly summon a soul from another realm was far above his pay grade. What he actually summoned was a mere imitation that had the relevant memories copied onto them. It held emotions attached to those memories, but that was all, in other words, it was the most important person they have lost yet it wasn't truly them.
But of course his enemies did not need to know that.
Ask anyone alive, they would love nothing more than to give up everything to have but a fleeting moment with lost loved ones. Twas a moment of joy and cruelty. Allowing them to spend their final moments together in a burning ember.
The connection they shared could not be a physical one, but a mental bridge to relive the most memorable moments in their lives. As the lost soul embraced the one bound by chains, bright white flames consumed both the cross and the intruder.
Fires of pure white are known as soul fires, it burns not the body but the soul. The soul is what connects the mortal realm and the next. A broken soul would break everything that person used to be, they would be left with no emotions, no memories, nothing, leaving but an empty husk behind.
A fitting end for those who opposed the holy church.
Within the flames, the shell of the lost soul began to break. As its left leg fell to pieces, the large portion of mana that held it together began to leak out, fueling the fire that burned them both. Then, as the shell disappeared, so would the intruder.
As a small bit of strength returned to Arbious, he sat up and stared at the ever-growing blaze.
What were they seeing? What would I see? Who would I even see?
A question Arbious had only asked himself once before, yet this time he still could not fathom an answer.