Little Vacations Before Returning

Elena's group advanced the last few meters with all their might, quickly crossing the distance and arriving right before the other 12. Instead of stopping or reinforcing either line, she grappled one of her team members, forcing his body backwards and against her torso. The team member protected her and his body with the shield tool before throwing it away after it mechanically expanded itself to the crazed mob of enemy cultivators.

Swiiip, phhshk. As sounds of the thrown-off shield tool sounded, the person beside Elena did the same, and their shield tool was thrown to the other side. The following students right behind grappled another student, still forming a defensive line, and rushed out of the barrier with the shield tools being thrown off one after the other right before escaping.

But even as they threw their shield tools away to help lighten the burden of shouldering more attacks and enemy cultivators as the line was shortened, the remaining Sub Students had it difficult as those before them were grappled first, especially those at the rear, which were the last to be grappled and brought away.

It was a good thing Elena’s group had the strongest among the 24. If not, the very initial and middle sections of this situation wouldn’t have been dictated by the students but by the enemy cultivators, forcing them here and there until exhausting and some dying at the very least. Much less this last part, where her group’s members had to protect the defensive group with their Power Energy, it would have been disastrous if those who did make it alive couldn’t rescue them.

"Dammit! Secure the area. This must have been a skirmish. As soon as the Craftsperson returns with the information about the array, we break our people away from here!” One of the enemy boss cultivators said, shouting as he voiced his expressions to the Ashes Soul realms, watching as the students’ groups left like it was nothing.

“Yeaaah!” - “Let’s chase them, boss!” - “Don’t let them escape, boss. We have to kill them all! Kill them all!!” - “They will pay for this! Bwahahaha- hah! We will gift the Academy a good present before taking their power away. Hahaha!” - “Don’t forget the girl, she’s the one who has to be taken alive…” - “Boss, please! Make justice for us!...”

‘These people… Losing so miserably to some student bunch and asking for far too much. They have to be taught harder lessons from now on!’ One boss thought as he looked down from his flying mount. The furred bird viciously glared at the Ashes Soul realm cultivators as it seemingly felt its owner’s emotions.

“Boss! Noo! Boss!!” Right then, a voice sounded behind him, filled with terror and afraid of what would come. The bosses turned around, not caring who was being addressed since they were just interrupted in their meeting to choose their alliance’s leader to look at a person carrying over something thin and ugly in his hands. But when they saw the person’s face full of trepidation and checked the ‘thing’ in his hands better, their eyes turned wide with disbelief.

“What happened?!” One boss shouted. The person was a young man with a thin build. But he wasn’t shaking because of his constitution as he held the corpse of the Crasftperson they were just talking about, dried up worse than a leaf. Its hair was the only thing that remained ‘alive’ as it was seemingly not sucked out of its vigor. The young man responded with a flurried shake of his head, “We- we don’t know! He was just floating in the middle of everything when we turned around because of his presence! But when we turned back… this esteemed Grand Elder was already falling from midair…”

“What?! How could a Crabstynian realm cultivator die like that? This array formation isn’t that powerful nor advanced, and even I can tell that!” One boss shouted, having an exact emblem to that of the dried aged man in the young man’s hands. But the young man just shook his head and hid his neck, the boss could only say as he spoke to the other bosses. “You see this? My Grand Elder was the grandmaster of all our organizations in this Division! How can he suddenly die? It’s obvious one or some of you wanted him dead! How can we progress when we compete like this?!”

“Now, one of the most important cards from my Sect is gone. Who is going to give my Grand Elder back to me?!!” The whole situation had turned this way, but no one wanted to speak about it. Though it was simply true that some wanted the aged man dead, he was too valuable to be given that penalty, even if it meant letting this boss’s Sect remain decisive in their alliance a little longer or much longer in case of breaking through the next realm.

However, no one, in the slightest, would be willing to kill the aged man when things are barely getting good for their still-not-formed alliance. Much less when every boss is here. That was just too brainless!

“Alright, everyone here understands such a move would not have been made by any of us.” At this time, one of the candidates to become the alliance’s leader spoke out, garnering everyone’s attention. When he felt the situation calm for a moment, taking advantage of it to continue and spoke in a calming tone. “This is obviously the enemy trying to get us agitated. They killed our most treasured Craftsperson. And even if they didn’t, we must believe they did so. Now, young man.”

“Ah, yes!” The young man floated closer to the man with the dried corpse still in his hands. When arriving before the man, the young man gulped down nervously and looked upturned at him. The pseudo-alliance leader smiled warmly and nodded to the young man before saying, “Take care of this body. It will be given honorary farewells once we finally e- break this array formation. You may leave now.”

“Thank you, boss! But ah-... There is a note left on the corpse. I was too afraid to touch it… this… It may not be important, but… it was there, sir.” The young man was gladdened and was about to turn around when he remembered something and cautiously added. The man tilted his head slightly leftwards and frowned a bit. “A note?”

“Yes, sir. It’s this one,” the young man said as he highlighted the well-camouflaged piece of paper on the corpse’s chest. The man was about to touch it when his hand stopped and trembled just a few inches from the note. He looked up at the young man’s concerned, serious expression before smiling warmly again with the corners of his lips raised higher this time.

“I see, well… Then, let me take it from here and give it to you once the letter’s read. Is that alright?” The man suggested. He continued smiling warmly and extended his forearms to pick up the corpse. The young man’s eyes widened in surprise before quickly nodding thrice, “Wow, yes! But of course! Here, sir. Tak-”

…-crreeshhk~.

“But first, let me take care of the traitor!” The man’s face suddenly warped to a vicious, fierce one with a smile as he planted his right hand and fingertips on the young man’s bewildered face before making a sudden grasping motion. The young man’s face had its skin immediately pulled off. The difference between a Crabstynian realm and an Ashes Soul realm cultivator wasn’t even needed, as the man had secretly employed his Power Energy without the other realizing it.

The young man’s face was pulled off. Eyes, tongue, teeth, and nose came off and fell from the air to the ground like bubble gums bouncing off rocks. Behind the skin wasn’t another skin or mechanical insides, but a skull half-broken with translucent white Power Energy cracking it open more and more. When the young man’s insides were shown, everyone watching frowned attentively. They knew there had been a mistake.

“Huh? So it wasn’t a traitor? They really managed to kill another Crabstynian realm like that?” The man said as he peeked his head back and forth and swung the layer of the young man’s facial skin. Some blood and skin fell off as he did, but he was unfazed. Looking at the others giving him a wrong look, the man didn’t seem to care and simply jolted when remembering the note.

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“That’s right, there’s a note, let’s see that. Hm…” Grabbing the note, the man left the dried corpse to fall to the ground under the hurt and disgusted face of the Sect Master, whose Grand Elder’s bones just exploded when they landed. He opened the letter with his right hand. A folded piece of paper was then unfolded, and the man began reading aloud for everyone else to hear him. Nobody dared to use Spirit Sense to read the letter before him.

“Your extremely talented Craftsperson tasted absolutely delicious. It’s a pity his talent was wasted, and he could only reach the Crabstynian realm 5th stage after so long… The Wrath Nihility Academy was here.”

“Hm? Is that it? What kind of stupid chil- ?!?!” The man read the letter and searched in the back for more contents, but there wasn’t any. When he began complaining about this ‘little loss’ and those who won the skirmish and didn’t detect the other Crabstynian realm cultivators nearby with their eyes widened like saucers and pupils shrinking so much their eyes looked dead. Only when he felt tremors not from below the earth but from the light green barrier’s walls.

“!?!” The man looked at the walls. Some current and ripples were heading to the ceiling, and before they all knew it, the ground became a light green floor. The array formation slowly changed color from light green to a translucent, transparent white. And just as they processed the color change. From everywhere, even the corners of the barrier, endless bouts of Power Energy and pure energy mixed here and there like snakes among dragons danced in the air towards them.

PSHIIIIIIIIIIIIFT, PSHIIIIIIIIIIIIIFHT, pshift pshift pshift, PSIIIIFTTT- BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BANG BANG… BOOM… BANG BANG… BOOM… … boooooom.

… By the time Elena and the other 23 students had run 50 kilometers away from the protective array formation, entrapping the enemy cultivators and their bosses, they were safe from the energy explosions happening in the distance. It was still night, so not only did the booms and bangs illuminate the sky for several minutes nonstop, but their sound was much more pronounced and reached several thousands of kilometers in the surroundings.

Like this, every City and city would know something terribly scary had happened. Elena and other students watched as the explosions continued, sat on the ground, and relaxed. The pills Heian Ciemnosc gave them to each were good at recuperating and a sudden bout of healing properties filling them in case of grave danger. A couple Sub Students with an attitude to write their testaments were shut up after someone forced the pill into their mouths.

Half an hour after the explosions had ended, Elena and the students watched as Heian Ciemnosc led his Concealed Ornament Team towards them. Elena stood up immediately. With ¼ of her Power Energy storage, she still needed a day or two to rest to fully recuperate. But she waited for Heian Ciemnosc on her feet, as did the other students following her example.

“... How did it go down there?” Elena asked, amazement in his eyes as she honorably greeted him. Heian Ciemnosc grinned, showing his canines as the other students revealed traces of respect blatantly. “It was alright. A bit too wriggly when the fireworks commenced, but some were still alive, so I had a nice snack before returning.”

“...” Elena blinked profusely. It was really odd having a flesh-eating cultivator in one’s mission when their only significant anecdote was that the meal was good. It was even more so for the Sub Students, who felt more awkward, but then Elena loudly sighed as she looked towards the southwest. “We should return then, these good news… We’ll gain a bit more merit, I’m sure.”

“We can take a little breather, eh.” Heian Ciemnosc suggested. The students’ eyes and eyebrows jolted, glowing at the possibility of relaxing time after this. They could receive their classes through their Universal Conveyances, after all. And the Sub Students would just have to owe the other Students favors to watch their lectures, too. “I’d also like to visit Lampard City. It might be fun, hm?”

“Alright, I’ll bring everyone there,” Elena said with a calm but tired face with confidence. Everyone exclaimed with joy, even Heian Ciemnosc’s team. Though they didn’t participate in the battle directly, they were the protective array formation’s beacon to protect everyone from the projectiles and bouts the enemy cultivators sent towards them.

They were practically depleted of their Power Energy. But they could only imagine how tired Heian Ciemnosc had to be, as no one but he could have his Spirit Sense go through the ground seamlessly. Thus, even 200 meters below the earth, they could protect everyone as Heian Ciemnosc was capable of that much.

In fact, should Heian Ciemnosc have had enough Power Energy in his storage, he wouldn’t have needed them or eat away some Spirit Heart Link from Fauna or fresh corpsies. Even now, as a Spirit Birth realm 5th stage cultivator, he had more or less the same amount of Power Energy storage as Aleksander, who was in the Crabstynian realm 5th stage.

Without any more wasting of time and words, Elena brought birdy tool Taeo out to let everyone hop onto his back before recklessly flying high in the sky towards their camp. Unlike before, they didn’t need to be mindful of the enemy spotting them. It would be as simple as going a little over a few tens of meters above the ground level, and they would be ganged upon in a matter of hours.

But now, even if the enemy had 100 times more bravery and balls, they didn’t dare go out after an entire zone was bombarded with explosion sounds and the complete sky in the surrounding zones became illuminated for a quarter of an hour.

Besides, Aleksander had already poisoned the Cities’ governors and people in power a day before starting the final step of the mission. All preparations were finished, and only those traitors were left before taking the rest out. They would die just a few hours after the extermination of these organizations’ higher-ups and leaders. As for sending word to the Wrath Nihilit yAcademy, Heian Ciemnosc let Elena do the honors as she did the most risky steps and kept everyone alive.

On the other hand, even as he won the bet of the 2 weeks before these 2 most recent weeks, Heian Ciemnosc lost his chance to play with her after sparring. As for the 2 most recent weeks, 1 was for Heian Ciemnosc and the other for Elena. The teachers in question within those weeks were fair and square, but it also meant they would have to decide the winner next time. And to spice things up, whoever didn’t win a week of teaching in the next 2 weeks would be the loser and accept twice the ‘humiliation’ from losing the fortnight bet.

… When they landed at the camp, it was as sweep and clean as they had left it, only with some tents but without anything of value, such as a tool, device, or emblem stupidly left behind. Since they weren’t going to any settlement nearby, they once again camped in the woods, meditating until they managed to recuperate at least half their Power Energy in the early morning.

Elena was… cheating, though. Instead of resting in her tent, she went to Heian Ciemnosc’s with the excessively well-thought-out excuse that she deserved better treatment for being a heroine. Thus, she sat on Heian Ciemnosc’s lap the entire night as she, like a baby kitten, hugged and clung to his neck with her ear against his chest and her knees, attempting to leave him without kidneys.

But no matter what, Heian Ciemnosc could not bear to move even an inch away from his cross-legged position. Because, even as his jacket and uniform were slightly bloody, his dark Power Energy cleaned that off. As for Elena’s undergarments, they were spotless clean, with just her sweat drenching her clothes. That, of course, he didn’t ‘clean’ up.

While she slept and methodically continued to meditate and cultivate, Heian Ciemnosc also helped her up. His left hand caressed her right shoulder and arm, sometimes her cheek, nose, or head, as his dark Power Energy entered her body, and like a timid sea fish in a river, it guided the still turbulent and exhausted Power Energy within her body. His Spirit Sense also went into her body and up to her Psychogenic.

After scanning her Dantian region and seeing no troubles there, feeling glad, Heian Ciemnosc examined her Psychogenic region. Unlike what he thought it would have been, his intrusion happened without obstruction. He did feel her Power Energy, Spirit Sense, and even her non-formed Soul quiver when he attempted to close in on her body, but immediately relaxed. He knew she was not just asleep but unconscious, but knowing she had this kind of self-protective measure, he felt glad. But even more content when he realized he held that spot within her.

Dutifully serving her cultivation and recovery in an austere manner, Heian Ciemnosc closed his eyes and no longer moved as he left his hand on her cheek with his other arm around her back, as if holding a sleeping child so she could feel warmth and not get sick, and also loved. He tried mimicking how he had felt ‘it’ at first, but even as he did it right… he did not want the sensations he felt with such notions with Elena. No, he wanted more.

Yet, as he helped her after seeing her Psychogenic sturdy and… with an Element’s smell, very profound and hidden but of an excellent quality. Heian Ciemnosc also cultivated on his own. His dark Power Energy wasn’t moving inside his body. His Spirit Sense was entirely concentrated in Elena’s body, and his thoughts were reserved for her and the women he has spent time with ‘more than friendly’ or possibly so… in his life.

Little by little, his cultivation improved… so fast… so flawlessly, as if he wouldn’t need to recuperate his foundation’s solidness after breaking through into the 6th stage. It was the most unique thing in the world… but Heian Ciemnosc wasn’t aware of it. In truth, he was aware of it, but with his head and actions only reserved for Elena, nothing good for his path mattered to him. Only her. And his cultivtion raised like a crazy motherfuckeh.

In some ways, they both dreamed of the same thing. Like a silvery, whitey, and blurry DNA chain was breaking… within her. She was… perhaps… evolving.

…