A Fugitive, Once More

Ccccccrrrrrrrrr... CRRCKKK- CRRAAAAAACK- POOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Ciemnosc was driving in his commanding vehicle when all of a sudden… The intense rumbling from the Rocaloi Academy's grounds was no longer heard. It had become thoroughly eclipsed by the shaking and cracking noises the mountain itself was sounding. The entire 200 km around the academy began trembling so slightly. It was such a small effect that barely any tree swayed a few centimeters. But enough for all bushes, grass, and flowers to appear shivering from an endless, deathly cold.

He didn’t need to stop and look back to see what was now occurring, nor did he want to at these moments for whatever reason. He just couldn’t.

On the academy grounds, the mountain that had stood tall for a quarter of a million years began trembling. Before long, the mountain had insanely large cracks spread through its structure. Especially from the ‘rich’ and ‘high status’ mountainside, which has been significantly active during the past couple of years. The cracks appearing on those sides and sections of the academy were majestuous but equally terrifying, emitting pure energy light as the mountain seemed to slowly bloat the more pure energy light seeped out from each of its brand new cracks.

The academy was finally going in a flurry. Students ran amok and about, and the staff members of the academy had barely started getting students ready for any possible evacuation instead of directly taking them to safety. When the mountain began sending flying chunks of its structure up into the sky, to all sides simultaneously.

Without any chance to respond, the academy had boulders the size of an entire section of the academy flying high up, hundreds of meters above what was before the peak of the mountain, and the auditorium, that was recently built.

Wh…oooosh… Wh… ooosh… whoosh… whooooooosh~! Rumble rumble, rumble!

The academy grounds only saw peace for a few more seconds before those large chunks of the mountain’s structure came knocking right down at the bottom. The sight of several of those chunks from the mountain flying up, then falling absorbed every pair of eyes within the academy, even those of the headmaster and remaining peak Obsidiafying realm cultivators who were still watching and not planning to participate even in aiding the academy.

So absorbed in looking into the sky, then became self-absorbed in fleeing away from being gathered where the richest protection is at the ‘best‘ sections of the academy… that they didn’t notice the explosions of pure energy from the center of the mountain that caused everything they saw to happen.

An insane gathered amount of pure energy that had ‘simply’ gone awry and begun to eat away anything it touched emerged as soon as those chunks flew into the sky. And the reason those chunks weren’t eaten away was simply due to the expansive wave that the explosions itself within the mountain had caused. But as soon as the eruption of pure energy that was already extending broader than the mountain ever began to eat away anything it touched.

It was like a semi legendary black hole, devouring anything it found, saw and wanted. The ground was becoming empty as it passed through it. And the array formations protecting the most prosperous section of the academy became wasted as the chunk of the mountain fell and fell, one after the other nonstop and with such inhumane precision. Large boulders formed all around the most affluent sections and nearby.

Not only that, but as the chunks fell down. Boulders came off of them and flew into the sky, flying randomly and clashing with other boulders, destroying each other but restarting their shooting speed each time they collided one another. Like a magic trick. Yet one that cost thousands and thousands of Conflagrate realm cultivators who tried to escape for their lives, only to conclude becoming the few first to die on their way to safety.

Those below who couldn’t fly were effortlessly crushed. And those above were turned into shreds and didn’t even know when they actually died, only that their vision broke away either because of their destroyed eyes or heard it as it was all they could receive with their bodies mostly turned into flying bones to act as the boulders and stones did.

Unknowingly, some students died to the bodies of other students, not understanding that it was either flesh or skin alone that slapped them to death or made them panic, strangling them before ultimately being killed off by the forces of law and nature itself; all with the set of array formations and the mere use of pure energy.

Meanwhile, the center of the mountain, the epicenter of all this tragedy, continued to grow. But that wasn’t all. At some point, a tiny glow compared to anything else happening around occurred. The epicenter was already being fed with all the bodies accidentally sent flying into it, dead or alive. But then, there were 2 flashes that went by, both towards the sections of the highest status once again. These flashes belonged to some sort of swords, whose blade was super thin. Only some Conflagrate realm, right before indiscriminately dying, could distinguish them.

“AAAAAAAHHH, RUUUUUN!!” - “THE ACADEMY, THE ACADEMYYYY!!” - “Nooooooo!! Why? Whyyyyy?! WHYYY?!” - “Please, don’t- no! Tell me this is not real, this is not real!!” - “WAAAAAH!” - “AAAAAHH!” - KIYA! Please help, AAAAH!”

KA-PO BOOOOOOOOOM! KA-BOBO POOOOOOOM!

Just as everyone was beginning to understand the academy’s predicament, realizing the enormous, biggest threat at the epicenter of it all and feeling the emptiness of helplessness within their own selves. Another 2 explosions went off above their heads, as the air seemed to have become hypnotized and rushed up, elevating a few cultivators despite being unable to fly for tens of meters before letting them slowly fall back down.

It was gravity becoming… lesser? The students couldn’t figure out, as some were brought up, they could only think they were about to go through an unbelievable death. Not only that of within their own doors but of themselves dying! They were not supposed to die! They were supposed to train hard, learn from the ongoing battles and then head outside and conquer the world. They were refusing to believe they could die!

However, when they were allowed back down. And at a speed that was simply not authentic, slowly and safely even. They looked up at the sudden ‘tumors’ of pure energy, them and those who were fine on the ground, also receiving other students who were dazedly looking up.

Those lumps of pure energy were somehow connected to the epicenter of pure energy, which slowly but surely began eating away everything that the academy was. The only place that was completely freed of these disastrous events was the side where the workshop, which had now fallen to the foot of the mountain and a couple kilometers away. The ‘ordinary’ section of the academy’s student dormitories and entrance was left intact. Though some places were indeed reached by ti cataclysm.

The gray from the sky became as if outshone by the projection of all light from the pure energy epicenter and those lumps. Slowly, the ground of the creamiest sections became darker. And the rain that was just beginning to fall was cut short as if it was prohibited to give any more life to this place… as if it was to become a land of death.

“Everyone, take cover…” - “Don’t know what is happening, but we must move away. We are the academy’s hop-”

BTRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUKN!!!!!

There were some students who felt the need to lead others to safety. Their voices spoke loudly without shouting or yelling as everyone observed the things above them seemingly attract more than ‘wind’, for some kind of spheric things of various colors began adding themselves up to acting hypnotized. They didn’t know what they were, nor what was happening. They knew nothing!

But, just then, the students who were gaining some life in their eyes and their will to survive was reignited… Everything blew up without any warning other than the blinding, growing light shunning upon them.

RUMBLEEEEE~! RUMBLEEEEEE~! RUUUUUMBLEEEEEEE~!

A breath-heart-taking noise went out. One that traveled tens of thousands of kilometers and that even Ciemnosc, who was already dozens of kilometers away, was affected by it as his commanding vehicle stopped working overall.

The ground of the entire world, thousands and thousands of kilometers around the epicenter rembled, shook considerably, and caused cracks to appear in the earth even at the extreme limits of the affected area, the size of cities, and a depth of hundreds of meters… at the very least.

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The sound of the last explosion, a combination of the epicenter and the lumps of pure energy were already beyond what even Obsidiafying realm cultivators at the peak could ever feel capable of withstanding, even when using their all to protect their bodies. It was worse than lightning striking before someone or beside one’s ears. It felt as if the entire reality of all the world and even things such as language, as they knew them all, were broken for an instant or even less, an iota of an instant.

When it clapped, the entire academy’s prosperous and high-status sections were pulverized, and the epicenter leaned over to their side and penetrated deeply into the earth. Penetrating so deep that even the land surrounding the academy from all angles was lifted. But not simply in the same matter as a heavy object falling on a dusty plain. Like a tsunami, like a tide, the dirt was lifted, and all life saw itself becoming the world’s tragedy. The rumbling sounds had never been as deafening as they were now and then.

Even as an entire portion of the academy grounds disappeared, as a tsunami of the lands, dirt, and mud extended over several tens of thousands of kilometers in the distance until they would eventually stop, those all around the academy within the unaffected areas were now affected with just the sound wave of such elicit cataclysm.

In their deafened state, students on the other portions of the academy embraced themselves, some alone and some to whoever they had by their side. The world was suddenly ending. What did it matter to even think now? They were like animals who would kill each other for food and survival, suddenly becoming nature’s prodigies.

Their ears bled, some more than any other. And some bled from all the orifices on their bodies, dying right away after falling flat on the ground with their bones, organs, and flesh becoming muddy, as if jelly. Their blood had burnt to ashes, almost making others think, in their lunacy, that breakthroughs were being granted to those who were lucky enough.

But, it was all… just death.

Holding their ears and tumbling about as the land beneath their feet seemed to ask them to jump and celebrate, many felt their senses leaving their bodies, becoming deadly as time passed and lost consciousness. By then, the light beam of pure energy that had erased thousands of kilometers; all at once and carved an ever-so-deep hole in the ground had begun dissipating.

The tide of the earth continued to raze every piece of grass, insect, and tree down in the distance, several thousand kilometers more. The rumbling continued and went on up until the moment that night came when most students who survived were by then moving corpses, changing their faces from one of uncertainty as strange events were undergoing just this morning and suddenly… their home was gone.

Some who fell unconscious tried helping, too but ended up becoming useless as they were either too weak or injured and could barely even lift their eyelids. There was no medicinal pill, potion, or incense to help them go through this colder night, which didn’t seem that nippy anymore. Not with their hearts and ‘souls’ turned into ice.

All that would be useful now was located at the wealthiest sections of the academy, now gone and turned into a big hole. A hole several times larger than the entire academy was left there for anyone to witness what has become of what was once their home. As for the grand array… it was as if gone, nothing, nonexistent. Rather than cold, they felt… so lonely.

…trckrr trckrr, trckrr trckrr trckrr trckrr, trckrr trckrr…

… At night, of the same world-shaking event. Ciemnosc drove his commanding vehicle for this long. As he finally neared the base, the connection system acted up, and the array formations became ready. Wasting no time, Ciemnosc expressionlessly pushed buttons here and there. They were all projected drawings from the array formations. Which he pressed on robotically.

“Cggh… Sir, are you there?” A tired voice sounded from the communications. Ciemnosc looked strictly at where the thing was located before responding, “Is the battle still ongoing? Need any help?”

“Uh… no, sir. It is over. It ended an hour ago, and your troops are properly cleaning the place. The large ship for your use is ready, sir. But the eastern forces seem to be preparing to launch an all-out assault. They are moving through land and water, possibly more than 1,000 ships, sir. It’s impossible for just 500,00 of us to stop them from landing around the Little Lake’s shores, so we’ll just have to fight them out while we get you out of here.”

‘500,000?’ They were more than that. Ciemnosc immediately understood the heaviness of the battle. He had understood that the academy had no more than 1,000,000 students at the base right now, having lost more than double that number within the time he wasn’t the Chief. And just as he opened his mouth and was about to speak the words: ‘get them ready but do not prepare them to die’, his mind went back to the Creatures he told just about the same thing, just as he was escaping the auditorium.

“...” Tightening his hands into a fist and then tighter, Ciemnosc gave his last command to his forces once more before hearing the trooper’s response. “Form a direct line from port 3 to large port 1. I’ll count on you then.”

“Yes, sir!!” The trooper sounded really convinced, determined, and that showed the rest of the troops around him who heard his response, equally responding to Ciemnosc even as they didn’t even know his orders yet. “Understood, sir!” - “We are here! Waiting! Don’t ditch us up, Chief! Not cool!” - “Sir, we might be tired, but our hands are itchy of eastern blood! They will now to fear us as soon as those motherfuckers see us destroy them!!”

“Hmpf,” Ciemnosc snorted through his nostrils at some comments, a grin appearing on his face as he shook those grins off with a shake of his head. After cutting off communication, Ciemnosc’s face went back to expressionless, his eyes low as he drove on with precision. It wasn’t that long before reaching the base, just a little bit over an hour. ll that time was left for his troops to get things ready and clean up the place. But to him, it felt like it was taking lifetimes.

… Time passed, Ciemnosc went through the small hills of dirt that formed after the clap of the epicenter and the lumps, all of pure energy. Soon, he came across to see the base’s outlined shape, which was somewhat destroyed. Several traces of pure energy shells exploding on the walls were visible, and some places were still being filled up temporarily with mediocre resources. But the cannons set on the walls were active and from his side.

As he neared, the gate to the base was opened, whereas a dozen armored cars came out and made a bi-lineal formation to let him in. There were some hidden enemies from the east around, and even some from the academy that perhaps didn’t really understand what was happening, not even wondering to themselves why the east was suddenly attacking the base so intensely.

All those actually betraying students had in their minds was to take revenge for ‘being betrayed’.

As Ciemnosc drove into the base after so long once again, he saw several buildings leveled down completely, not leaving any rubble around, their structures mostly pulverized. The barriers could only resist so much, and with the academy’s party being many more, Ciemnosc’s troops found themselves helpless, of course, as they could only tank as much as possible. Yet, it was his side that ended up killing many to 1. Maybe way too many.

After entering the base, he and thousands of armored cars marched, moving to the shore as fast as possible, all while the ‘hidden’ enemies around were following a bit too late after them. Even up until now, they didn’t seem to have good enough radars or detection array formations on their armored cars.

Driving once again, Ciemnosc went through the snow that was around, less thick and tall than before, but still deadly cold if careless… for ordinary cultivators, namely: not Ciemnosc.

At both his sides were rows and formations of armored cars. Each had their cannons aimed at their designated targets far in the distance. As soon as any enemy showed signs of even just wanting to flash out from their hideout, they would be shot. A thing that didn’t happen, as those chasing behind them were being cautious not to deliver themselves into the enemy’s powerful and thoroughly superior prowess.

Ciemnosc was quickly escorted to the shore where port 3 was, and from before arriving at the port, he could already see the large ship prepared for himself. It already had several dozen armored cars on its deck and were set to point black or effectuate long-distance offensive or defensive measures. The rest of the ships had ramps connecting to one another, ramps that were actually made out of the shafts used to hook other enemy ships.

Right now, however, all they were going to be used for was to let armored cars drive from the small ships to the medium ships and other large ships in order to more rapidly get all ships boarded with the armored cars. It was an all-or-nothing endeavor. It was for their Chief. They were willing to drown for his sake if they could, but both their training and their cultivation base didn’t allow them to.

As soon as they arrived at the 3rd port, Ciemnosc saw the long, long line of unending large ships accompanied by 3 medium ships each, which were subsequently accompanied by another 3 small ships each. They were disordered and just packed up together at best for those who didn’t have both: either experience in the naval military as Ciemnosc and his troops, and unaware of the cultivation world.

Ciemnosc drove into his large ship’s deck, it had no captain, as he was to be this large ship’s captain for that matter, and once again command his troops in both land and water even if it was to be for a really short time compared to ever before.

“The array formations?” Right before Ciemnosc departed the port and as armored cars went through the ‘ramps’ around and connected to the other ships, the entire group of the largest ships the base could muster, Ciemnosc stopped and turned his face to the port to ask one of the highest spokesperson leading student.

“Ready, sir. They will make this baby travel like a pure energy shell for sure. The Craftsmaking division has done its best these months. The resources, sir, were barely enough. They and we are incompetent. But we managed to do it, and it is as perfectly made as you instructed.” The spokesperson leading student said, tired but full of energy at the same time.

“Mn,” Ciemnosc nodded, side-eyed the ships getting boarded with armored cars and setting them safely on their decks. His mood was so relaxed, even as the evening slowly turned into the night and the cold of the water was becoming excruciatingly dangerous. This was going to be the most dangerous battle that the western and eastern forces had ever faced. Not only was it another fight at the coldest temperatures of the Little Lake, the magnitude of the forces in this battle were catastrophic.

“We leave in an hour,” Ciemnosc said. The spokesperson leading student nodded and remained cleverly silent. And just as he was about to leave Ciemnosc to get to his post, Ciemnosc added, “I will give a little speech. Dying shouldn’t be as boring as just fighting.”

“... Understood.”

…