The Run (3—Last Part)
Whoosh, grab, fwoo...!
Ciemnosc suddenly grabbed onto a Spirit Gathering realm 8th stage enemy disciple, his right hand grabbing onto the latter's left wrist. While the enemy disciple tried and very hard to break away from Ciemnosc's struggle in a flurry and even more rapidly with the panic that invaded him, he was still unable to resist after a couple seconds, to which he was then pulled right towards Ciemnosc the monster himself!
Phhshk! Phhshk!
Right after, Ciemnosc used his bodily strength, all of his 8,000 kg, to force the enemy disciple’s body to face down while hovering right above his head. Meanwhile, his blades and swords that were held onto by the tool on his back kept on protecting him, virtually destroying any attempt at getting his back pierced or stomped on by a blunt weapon.
But because of the enemy disciples who had become so much wearier and felt that trying to kill someone like this was… just impossible, the number of enemy disciples coming at him decreased a whole lot. Even then though, the ones, who were attacking Ciemnosc now indiscriminately were all of the Spirit Gathering realm. So, in a sense, it was a still worse situation for Ciemnosc… If he didn’t have such a strange and unique Spirit Sense…
But, on the other hand, the enemy disciple Ciemnosc grabbed suddenly felt his body being pierced as, at the moment that he least expected it, a blade and a sword entered his body from right below both his right or left ribs. One second later, he could feel how a left hand managed to seamlessly move around in his body after penetrating his stomach.
The left hand first accommodated the sword at his lower body, ending up grabbing the blade’s handle down to the pelvis while most of the blade’s body was sticking out of the enemy disciple’s body. Then, to finally let the enemy disciple die, Ciemnosc’s left hand moved back within his body to grab the sword’s handle, thereby making most of the sword’s blade sticking out of the enemy disciple’s head.
In the next few seconds after that, without any kind of respect for the dead, much less for someone ‘so young’— that was, in the end, a couple of times older than Ciemnosc himself —, Ciemnosc then grabbed right below the left shoulder of the enemy disciple, before rotating gyrating on the spot a little bit and then letting go of the enemy disciple’s ‘modified’ body!
Whoosh, whoosh whoosh- whoosh crreeshhk crreeshhk crreeshhk crreeshhk- whoosh, whoosh, whoosh- whoosh ckrsheerr ckrsheerr ckrsheerr- … … … … … phhshk phhshk~...
The enemy disciple began to fly and, whether because of the way that Ciemnosc let go of the corpse or— and —because of the brutal strength just one of his arms alone carried and that of his entire body when holding onto the corpse and performing the gyrating motion, the enemy disciple’s corpse began to make really short and sharp wheelies all around, his body helping up mow around like it was nobody business.
‘Hmm, I should’ve tried that since the start!’ Ciemnosc thought, seeing how easy it was to kill even a few hundred in just a few minutes if he had a couple more of those. But, instead of trying to make more of these and start his empire of mowing life like a huge blast of air can mow just houses, buildings, and let alone the poor, fragile glass; he began to look up and down for an exit.
… ‘This can’t be!’ Standing up from his seat somewhere amidst the quickly disappearing crowd by being killed, not that such a thing entered his mind in the slightest, the Moribund Yearning Pastor saw the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect’s sect master stand up with his eyes terribly looking at the overly powerful body of Ciemnosc. This was understandable… as not even the Obsidiafying realm cultivators were at the peak, at the 10th stage. Were capable of being that powerful without using their Power Energy at all!
‘This cannot go on any further,’ thought the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect, sect master Holoriu, coming to stand fully up and with his straight not back. Looking at Ciemnosc, who seemed to no longer actively kill anymore and walking confidently among corpses and more enemies, some taking quite a bit of time as they infused their Power Energy into their weapons or armor.
“He cannot be left alive,” the sect master Holoriu spoke the second half of his phrase by suddenly looking at pastor Erquiles, who then nodded apprehensively in return. Then, sect master Holoriu looked at the position where the Preferential Light Justice Sect was, “And not sudden heroes as well, heroines for that matter. All understood?”
On her spot, the sect master of the Preferential Light Justice Sect became silent for a couple of seconds while looking back at sect master Holoriu before nodding in her silence and taking back her eyes to see Ciemnosc once more. “...”
Only then was the facial expression of the sect master of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect satisfied and even pleased with himself. He felt like a victor and was about to get an extra victory and an extra reward. A prize that would belong to him before anyone else…and to those who decide to follow and obey him ‘well’.
“Good! Now, let's tak-” The sect master then began to give the order. They were of course going to act by first sending their acting elders and other ‘unimportant’ elders first to capture Ciemnosc. And Ciemnosc would of course not be able to do anything in the face of Conflagrate realm cultivators; clergy, disciplinary and enforcer elders for the cult instead.
PUM~~!
However, it was just at that moment that there was a sudden and overly game-changing scene taking place, just as the words ‘Let’s take him down!’ were about to be spoken from the sect master Holoriu’s mouth.
Ciemnosc, who suddenly stopped moving around and avoiding all sorts of attacks, stopped at a certain place, where if one had been carefully looking at his action, they would’ve noticed it was the very center from everywhere that he has gone through and around this whole time. It was even so for the life-mowing enemy disciple who got a blade and sword sticking out of the extreme polar of his body.
‘Incredible, this kid…’ Someone among the Obsidiafying realm cultivators thought, but though it was clear that it wasn’t just one person who thought like this, only a few had a ‘meaning’ to it.
In the next few seconds, Ciemnosc had crouched down while he was defending himself with the swords and blades from the tool at his back, being replaced every now and then by either catching other top notch quality weapons from the enemy or even using some enemy’s armor that was destroyed mostly or partially - enough to be used as a weapon; and replaced from his Covert Space bags’ top notch quality weapons that fell to Ciemnosc’s sides while he crouched down and pulled something - being taken by the tubes from his tool.
Even then, some projectiles and even melee weapons handled by enemy disciples riddled with wounds about everywhere had managed to reach him. But Ciemnosc, who was seemingly busy pulling something up from the ground, ignored them even with the tool at his back, and they managed to get to his body.
Infused with Power Energy, even the projectiles had Power Energy running through them while they flew through the air before then hitting their target and ricocheting slightly or sliding off his body after a second once the impact had occurred. Tiny marks of blood resulted from the projectiles that were infused with Power Energy, not even managing to cut off Ciemnosc’s hair for those which did a ‘tinkle’ on his head.
But for those who managed to get up close to him and at melee, their whole bodies flowing at their maximum capacity along with some lots of their Power Energy being infused into their weapons, the moment they send out their blades, as most had daggers, was also the moment that Ciemnosc’s body and clothes opened up even if his skin barely showed some red and didn’t even actually bled for even a little.
All of those getting that up close to him at melee was from the Spirit Gathering realm middle stages too late. But not many were as powerful enough to contend one to one with Ciemnosc. And besides, the strangeness from his ‘tool’ was already not a new thing anymore for those that were now dying to them still, managing to evade 1 attack or 2 at most before dying.
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To them, that was a victory they could swarm into and not feel ashamed. And it was even more so for the 10th stagers, who were even capable of keeping a sword or 2 at bay while others rushed towards Ciemnosc. All in all, there was some cooperation. It was primitive and even savage, to say the least, but it showed their coordination with war and fighting together nonetheless.
But then, Ciemnosc finally managed to pull that off, making the ground tremble a little as he had to narrow his eyes from the constant use of 6,7000 kg of strength with both his arms. He needed to use only that amount while pulling it from the ground so it wouldn’t break. It wasn’t difficult for him to maintain that strength perfectly and flawlessly. It was just really heavy but what he was pulling would easily break off if he used more strength; that simple.
And finally, when Ciemnosc was about to pull it up fully everyone there began to notice what it was that Ciemnosc was pulling; it- no, they were…tendons!
Tendons are just about everywhere! Not just one or a simple tendon itself, but that of several hundred to possibly a couple thousand people’s tendons that spread all around from wherever Ciemnosc…had gone pass through before!
These tendons weren’t just that. Tendons that were somehow stuck to one another and were impossible to separate, as some nearby enemy disciples tried using their weapons to cut them all off but couldn’t no matter how much strength they used. These tendons somehow got a slight trace of the Power Energy from those deceased enemy core disciples!
And as Ciemnosc pulled the very center of it where the ‘main branch tendons’ connected to one sole center of it all, at the last moment, he used his full bodily power of 8,000 kg of strength with both his arms and legs. In return, the tendons pulled huge bags of meat without anything covering them, the meat having pinkish-meaty color and reeking of rawness. While everything else shook when it hit all the way up to the floor!
Bugsh bugsh bugsh! Rumble, rumble, rumble~...
“Aaaah! What the hell is that?!” - “What’s!- What is going on, bluuuuuaarrggh!” - “Mommy!”
Yet, just as everyone else was looking at the ceiling of their floor in the stadium, Ciemnosc was still standing on the arena’s floor but was also stepping backwards with what seemed to be… err, he was still holding to the center that connected all of those tendons. And then, just as some began looking at Ciemnosc do something strange, others could only see a blurry shadow strike upwards and in the easternmost direction and angle.
CRASHHHH!
“No! Stop him!” Ciemnosc’s figure disappearing from their sight really appalled the ‘poor’ Obsidiafying realm cultivators, who were just waiting for Ciemnosc to be defeated and killed. Even those from the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect were waiting for their most powerful disciples to be killed off by Ciemnosc to waste his stamina and whatever else he had to offer just to truly defeat, gloriously, the monster that seemed to be the most powerful of all…
They were all waiting. Hence, when they saw Ciemnosc disappear after making a 10 meters big diameter hole with cracks around its perimeter, going to a whole other floor, they lost even their thinking for a moment. All except…for sect master Yolin from the Preferential Light Justice Sect!
Whoosh!
Without wasting any more time, sect master Yolin rushed up toward the ceiling’s large gap, her furious face was clearly visible, but her eyes were glinting with two conflicting emotions from which one seemed to empower the other one as she took quite a bit of time to reach the ceiling from the arena’s floor which was a little bit over a few tens of meters in total.
Tsssssshhhiiink~. Futomp.
“!” - “!” - “!” - “!!?” Suddenly, at the surprise of the 3 major organizations and the face was even more surprised but also questioning and confused yet still furious and adamant expression on sect master Yolin’s. Ice appeared not only at the large hole on the upper arena’s floor. Even at the sides there seemed to be a type of ice that began to grow thicker and thicker the more the thin wall of ice reached the walls of the stadium.
Before, only a light of light blue could be seen in sect master Yolin’s eyes. But before she could react as to why was one of them acting faster than the other, she saw her Preferential Light Justice Sect’s grand elder block her way up with her way to the ice block inside that hole after it was formed.
“...Li Tong! What are you doing?! Do you even know what your actions are right now?!” The cold, murderous eyes and tone in the sect master’s eyes weren’t a mere joke. She was even trembling all over for a little bit, which the Obsidiafying realm cultivators of the other 3 major organizations could clearly feel. Among them some such as Helala and Niloi could no longer be seen around.
“Sect master Yolin, with all due respect…his words aren’t wrong.” While grand elder Li Tong’s words were respectful indeed, her tone became hushed yet high-pitched at the same time in the latter half of them. Her chubby, ugly face stared off at her sect master, offering some more words as well. “It’s time for our people to see the real us, it is no longer about being cruelly treated by destiny but ours-”
“Enough of that!” With a shrill voice, one that made the whole ice around and even walls and floor in the surroundings tremble even if just for a second, the sect master of the Preferential Light Justice Sect then demanded with her white irises becoming fiery and murderous while pointing with her right index finger at her sect’s grand elder.
“You will leave this place right now! I am the sect master. You are my subordinate, undo your technique already and let us through, I order you!” The sect master ordered, but the grand elder moved not a single bit, still blocking her from the block of ice. The sect master then added, “You don’t have this much strength, traitor; I could just go through the lower floors, and your attempt to be a hero would be all gone!”
Whoosh!
Finished saying that, sect master Yolin wasted no more time and, with her body flying at her utmost speed— which isn’t that fast for any Obsidiafying realm even once reaching this cultivation level—towards the arena’s floor of the current floor in the stadium. However…
Tssshaaaaaaaannnkkk~!
…just as she was about to destroy the floor of the arena without using any deathly technique or the like, simply using her strong Power Energy to cross through the floor, which would indeed happen seamlessly. Another huge, stronger even, and thicker barrier of ice appeared, all at once, through the entire floor of the arena. Not only that, it even spread through the walls, and the ice that was already on them became quickly thicker and stronger.
“Pesela!!” Not even needing to turn her head around to look at the guilty party over doing just the same as the grand elder of her sect did just now, sect master Yolin turned her head to look at the grand ancestor of her sect, her Spirit Sense not reaching to where grand ancestor Pesela was standing up from having crouched and from having both her hands on the arena’s floor.
It was then that the other Obsidiafying realm cultivators from the other 3 major organizations noticed the difference between the acts of the grand elder and the grand ancestor. The grand elder had to act quickly, while the grand ancestor acted with more than enough time given to her by the grand elder, while the grand elder had to directly put herself in danger while still feeding the walls of ice on the upper floor and the walls so that if something happened to her, the ice wouldn’t melt or disappear on its own due to losing consciousness…or worse.
On the other hand, the grand ancestor’s barriers of ice not only helped up the ice on the walls, leaving the grand elder needing only to feed the ice on the upper floor but also was able to fight all she wanted without fear of her potent technique being easily broken through even with these many Obsidiafying realm cultivators working together to break it. Besides, she was there to impede them from doing just that.
“Grand ancestor, we will need an explanation for this,” pastor Erquiles said at this moment, taking a few steps forwards, and with his eyebrows sinking, a shadow appeared over his face. Then, the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect’s sect master said with his chest stuck out and walking forward several steps. “Though we may understand the grand elder’s betrayal of our union. But you doing so, grand ancestor, this dictates for a much graver situation.”
“You too?!” Sect master Yolin joined up, facing her sect’s grand ancestor along with the other 2, forming a kind of triangle towards her right while towards her left was a silent Eagerburning Flames Sect group, and up above was the grand elder still using her Power Energy to feet the upper floor’s icing.
“Sigh…” Seeing even her own sect master joining up with other outsiders against her instead of walking up to her, blocking the other’s sight of her, and defending her, at least at first and with words, the grand ancestor lowered her head and her right foot’s toes were the only ones to slide through the icy floor around her left foot’s toes.
“Sect master,” grand ancestor Pesela suddenly lifted her head just as she was getting slowly closed in by the sect masters and the believer pastor. This made sect master Yolin stop, thereby making the other 2 stop stepping forwards as well; grand ancestor Pesela continued. “It’s not that I am actually betraying you. I’m just paying back the one and only favor I have ever owed in my life, to the current grand elder.”
In her last 2 words from her speech, the grand ancestor looked up to the left towards the grand elder, and the other 3 followed her sight and also looked at the grand elder. Knowing now who and what was the problem they questioned grand elder Li Tong with their eyes, and so did the grand elder Li Ton began to say her prepared words.
…