The First Flotilla
Heian Ciemnosc responded when someone bashed their backhand towards his column. He turned around and raised his left arm, sending his forearm to stop the attack, grabbed the attacker with his right hand, and punched towards them. But at that moment, a sword's golden flash went by and cut between him and the attacker. Heian Ciemnosc could only send a dark Neutral Energy shock to injure them before separating and moving away from that sword strike. The goldish Neutral Energy flew several meters before him, but he didn't have time to waste.
Another person came from the sides, swinging their knee at him with an Elemental technique, while another person who had prepared for over half a minute released a rapidly spreading fire wave as it focused solely on Heian Ciemnosc’s body, barely affecting anyone else. Heian Ciemnosc faced his body sideways to the left, conjuring a wind breeze with his right instep while his body spun backwards, simulating a kick that sent the knee-attacker flying ‘upwards’ helplessly. This left the attacker’s face shocked, “!!”
Fwwwuuuoooshh~~- pshift! Pooom! Heian Ciemnosc turned around midway through his motion and placed the ends of his hands together. His fingers radiated with a fiery light, but his lower palms condensed Water particles from the surroundings. As the wave of fire closed in, and the others reunited Neutral Energy and caught their break, and as Head Monstorm aided Vice master Azulina, whose right leg became riddled with injuries, Heian Ciemnosc’s fingertips shot fiery beams as his palms rapidly blasted a water bullet.
The fiery beams shot from his fingertips created a screen up ahead, simulating a cone as the water bullet ejected from the middle and didn’t lose volume despite the heat around and before it. When the wave of fire was close enough, and Heian Ciemnosc’s clothes started fluttering, seemingly about to begin disintegrating, the water bullet suddenly gained a crimson color, and as its surface color was tainted, it suddenly went off.
With a simple sound, vapor shot off everywhere, to the point the top organizations’ leading figures had to focus on creating another barrier around themselves, but mostly to protect their front as they watched Heian Ciemnosc become engulfed in hot steam. Their Spirit Sense was invalidated, too many Elemental particles were put into play, and they could only take the defensive while waiting for his next move… again.
Whoosh, swiiiish, wheesh… …whooooosh~...
“... This cannot keep going like this!” Blauw Monstorm looked at the side, identifying the azure energy dragon flying towards them, now closer than ever, and emitted a guttural shout. The other leading figures looked at him tiredly. They became aware of his House’s plans after he returned to the battle but didn’t say anything and weren’t even sure they minded the possibility of killing someone from the Academy. They could dance their way out of the blame.
However, after going for some time, they became more tired as Heian Ciemnosc continued fighting as if he had unlimited batteries, and his body itself was far too impenetrable. They didn’t say a thing to the True Dragon House’s Head, but they could feel his irritation and desperation, which not even Blauw Bristorm had. Suddenly, Head Monstorm left their side just as the hot steam slightly dwindled, speeding where Heian Ciemnosc was last seen.
“... Oh? Couldn’t wait anymore?” Heian Ciemnosc saw a pesky fly come over and couldn’t help but ask in wonder. This had Head Monstorm startled. But he also managed to find Heian Ciemnosc like this. Moving towards the source of that voice, Head Monstorm discovered an intact Heian Ciemnosc with his dark coat only slightly… warmer? It was as if his clothes got an ironing session while they waited and suffered under the shockwaves!
“Ugh, arrgh!” Head Monstorm roared, semi-moaning as he stood 50 meters before Heian Ciemnosc in the air. The noises he made showed his dissatisfaction, but other than looking like a little puppy becoming frustrated in Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes, it did nothing to make Heian Ciemnosc feel threatened. Even as Head Monstorm bared his fangs and furiously knitted his eyebrows, Heian Ciemnosc relaxingly crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly to the left.
“Heian Ciemnosc! Don’t you think no one knows you’re stalling for time! Do you just not dare face me alone?!” Head Monstorm shouted, bringing his voice throughout an area over hundreds of kilometers, letting those settlements and a few organizations hear those words. While some top organizations’ leading figures felt like blushing, they understood what the Head was attempting and said nothing. Blauw Monstorm continued, “Stop running… If you’re anything those rumors say about you, then sho-”
Pew- paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~!~!~!~!
Suddenly, all the Head could see was Heian Ciemnosc ‘teleport’ before him. A pale right palm’s upper section flashed before his eyes in what felt like an instant, but his eyes were forced shut, and his body flew 40 kilometers backwards in under 8 seconds. It was simply too fast for him to understand what happened. Head Monstorm was too confused to at least process a possibility after he was struck, so he didn’t even notice the dark Neutral Energy that slammed on his face and slowly drifted towards the space behind him even as he flew backwards.
Even more so, he couldn’t see how that dark Neutral Energy seemed to scheme something, and when someone from the crowd did, she shouted at the top of her lungs. “Monstorm!!!”
“!-” Blauw Monstorm’s eyes suddenly snapped open with Vice master Bristorm’s anxious calling. He didn’t bother looking at her, for the first thing he noticed was how his body left breaking sounds in the air as it was blown away with such speed. And another thing he felt was a threat, which loomed over his back. However, before he could look with his eyes or Spirit Sense… it detonated. Darkness suddenly spread everywhere from his back, terrifying his rapidly numbing skin before everything went off.
Ka- Boooooooooom~! Whiiiiiiistlee~!...
Heian Ciemnosc, the remaining few survivors from the vassal organizations, and the leading figures from the top 7 organizations watched as a cluster of dark Neutral Energy covered the Head’s back in a semi-sphere before self-exploding, sending dark spikes everywhere and ‘tainting’ the air itself like a blank canvass corrupted by splashes of reckless painting. They also watched as a sorry figure was shot, flying in the opposite direction, and returned to Heian Ciemnosc’s side in a jiffy. The next second, it flew past him and continued doing so before crashing against the ground, over 1,000 kilometers away, in under a minute.
Poom… Heian Ciemnosc turned his head after watching the little dirt cloud Head Monstorm created to stare at the other fellows again. The vassal organizations’ people below weren’t even thinking about landing a helping hand somewhere, somehow… Blauw Bristorm helplessly and baffledly looked between the useless vassal organizations, where her House’s Head crashed, and Heian Ciemnosc’s pale visage.
“Dammit! Continue!!” Blauw Bristorm exploded with Neutral Energy covering her body while her ferocious eyebrows sank, and her even more furious azure eyes looked at the other top organizations’ leading figures like she wasn’t giving them time to rectify. They could only nod at her before ushering up their Neutral Energy. Blauw Bristorm’s aura strengthened as her Spirit Image came out of her Spirit Bosom, revealing the shadow of a snakey thingy slithering in the air.
Its hidden light azure eyes looked at Heian Ciemnosc, and a divided tongue flickered out to probe the air. The other’s Spirit Images came out, too. Preacher Alex had a luminous trident, while Pastor Miguel had a glowing sphere. The Blue Emirate Grotto’s people had waves, and among other body waters, and some other ordinary ones, like Fauna, flora, or a weapon. It was the same for the other Grottoes, while the Pavilion Head and Grand Master had a wing of different sizes, volumes, and aspects.
“Heian Ciemnosc… take your Spirit Image out… or this may be something more than our people’s tombs…!” Blauw Bristorm viciously said, half threateningly and half boosting her side’s morale. But all he did was keep his arms crossed, his ultimately cold, darkest eyes string at the bunch of fellows, and say nothing before cracking his neck’s bones and finally speaking a sentence. “So much bullshit…”
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“Yo- !!”
Pew, swushhh~- crrrrrrr~aaaaaaaank~! Pum pum pum! Pom, pam, pshift- pshift, pshift, pshift, pshiift, pshift- poo- pa- Bang~!
Heian Ciemnosc dashed, appearing before the enemy group. His left backhand rested on the Vice head Bristorm’s left cheek, shoving her head away, while his right claw gripped at the azure snake silhouette, gripping on it tight as her eyes slowly but scaringly snapped open! The others felt alarmed too, and as if sharing the same pain she was going through, they rushed towards him, trying to stop him from ripping her Spirit Image apart!!
Heian Ciemnosc didn’t spend more time playing with it and faced the incoming crowd of punches, kicks, and weapons coming at him, all under the Earth grade and only tools. His back received numerous attacks, enhanced by Neutral Energy, but they only fluttered his dark coat crazily and didn’t even pry open its fabric. Heian Ciemnosc then turned around and sent a kick with his left leg, sweeping upwards and raising alarms in everyone’s heads.
Immediately, Heian Ciemnosc’s leg was bombarded with several soles and palms that ‘stopped his leg, forcing him to stay ‘paralyzed’ amidst their blows. Heian Ciemnosc held his arms below his solar plexus. His left hand suddenly opened, and a dark Neutral Energy clustered rapidly condensed before shooting towards one of them. They immediately prepared their countermeasure, not letting him do as he pleased so freely, and defended the person targeted by Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral Energy.
They were a little slow, so before they could finish channeling their Neutral Energy to resist Heian Ciemnosc, his dark energy cluster shot first. It flew and stood before them in less than a second, shocking them to the core. But they were still prepared, even if not seemingly enough. Their Neutral Energy projected outwards, ganged on the lonely dark energy cluster and decimated it as it became still in midair with so much firepower descending onto it.
Whoooooooooosh! Suddenly, from the side, as the bout between both sides’ Neutral Energy was about to create an explosion where both parties started steering away from the zone, a flashing goldish light streaked from the ground, hidden for who knew how long. Taking them by surprise, only the delicately frowning and distressed Blauw Bristorm seemed to have seen this coming. Yet, she was also surprised by it. They watched as only the tip of the sword was visible.
Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes darted to his right as the True Dragon House’s Head flew towards him at maximum speed. He continued flying away from the Neutral Energy bouts about to explode against his dark Neutral Energy cluster… slowly. The Head continued coming after him, not missing his position a bit. Grinning a little, Heian Ciemnosc slowly projected his left hand towards the incoming golden sword’s tip.
Fwish!- fwump- poh! Whiiis- Crrrrrssshhhh~!
Suddenly, as the others seemed to see this exchange about to happen in slow motion, everything returned to its usual speed. And then, the explosion between Heian Ciemnosc and them went off, trying to distract them, but their Spirit Sense had already detoured in preparation and looked as Heian Ciemnosc’s actions were just too… cruel!
They couldn’t see clearly, but Head Monstorm’s blade was stopped, and before anything else could ever happen, with not even a Neutral Energy speck drifted between them. Heian Ciemnosc positioned the Head’s body below him, looking up at the little black monster with his arms spread, and his eyes widened to their fullest. In the next half a second, they saw a flash, a blur, a blurry flash, from Heian Ciemnosc’s right leg, and the Head was struck back to where he came from!
Making another hole in the ground, right below the one the Head dug all this time, his body disappeared from their eyesight, and their Spirit Sense was too slow to follow immediately. Blauw Bristorm’s eyes darted around as her head was definitely no longer in keeping fighting. But just then, crumbling and squirming sounds came from underneath. Before anyone even moved, they saw a long tail coming out of a figure as it flew up with azure claws around the jian sword’s handle, with crooked, bat-like wings on his back!
Crush~! Whoooosh!
“Wait!” Blauw Bristorm saw Blauw Monstorm’s transformation, and her eyes widened. Her thoughts and plans had become problematic now! She had to act fast! Her body moved to intercept him, but his instincts reacted, and he flashed a swiping claw laterally towards her. Yet, she wasn’t weaker than him and evaded it before tackling his right side, bringing him away from flying towards Heian Ciemnosc.
“Grrhhh!” The True Dragon House’s Head gruntled and looked at the Vice head, but he didn’t attack again, rapidly cooling down and coming to his senses. His neck protruded with veins as he looked at her. Blauw Bristorm nodded a few times in a row before explaining, “We can't kill him now. Not here, not alone, and definitely not with a bigger threat already on our necks!”
Her words and voice made sense to him, clearing his head, but his azure eyes blindly looked for Heian Ciemnosc, and when they found him, they became fiery again. He shoved the Vice head to the side, casting her aside, with her eyes becoming dull over his headstrong stupidity. However, she didn’t stop him this time and hoped he would be beaten again before the old crook grandma arrived. Yet, another person came to prevent the Head.
“Wait, Head Monstorm, this should stop here, right now!” Pastor Miguel carelessly flew past Heian Ciemnosc, just a few meters below him, and stood before the Head. Blauw Monstorm’s azure eyes looked at the Pastor before speaking with some graveness in his tone, “You dare stand before me? Stopping me? From my target?!”
“Head Monstorm, if you continue, you won’t be able to achieve anything now. If it stays like this, there won’t be a way back down for the top 7 organizations. You may not care if your True Dragon House fights it to the death until one side is exterminated, with the Blauw Empire, but we don’t have that capacity. We still have the Wrath Nihility Academy to respond to, not to a branch from an already failed history lesson. Desist now,” Pastor Miguel said with a light smile, but his eyes were blunt, and his words even more blatant.
“You- are yo- y- you….” Blauw Monstorm suddenly looked at the Pastor’s face with some understanding. But before he could complete a word, his sentences were stuttered by the sight of the Pavilion Head and Grand Master flying over to stand beside the Pastor. As for Preacher Alex, she lazily walked over, stepping in the air and swinging her hips a little. This sight baffled every person present, including the vassal organizations’ leading figures.
“... How dare you go back on your words?! Have you forgotten what your 6 ancient organizations have suffered? All just to get rid of those vermin?!!” Head Monstorm’s transformation swiftly went away, showcasing how much fucking convincing he took. Head Mo Liao nudged his head upwards before saying in an uncaring tone, “It is not a place for you to speak of our ancestors. Especially when yours were the reason the House of the Azure Dragon’s descendants never stopped warring against them.”
“It has always been the Blauws taking over the aggressive role of each war and battle until a few Ages ago, way before your side from the Blauws started losing the power you did not deserve. Now that you’ve become a rat in another hole, you still dare speak of the past like this?” Grand Master Errticol voiced, causing a sudden, shocking stop among the others, and placed some cold water over everyone’s backs. Pastor Miguel spoke again. “Head Monstorm, it is best you leave it at this for today… for now.”
The smile on the Pastor became a little bigger now, and his eyes were also smiling, creating a genuine smiley face. The Head was left speechless, but so were the other 5 top organizations watching from the sides. And just when they thought it was over, an even more uncaring voice sounded from behind Heian Ciemnosc. “In fact, why are you even here still? And what makes you think you can threaten one of us as you like? At least have the balls to come to our individual territories alone without an Earth grade weapon before daring to show your snot before us, kitty.”
“...!” Blauw Monstorm looked at Preacher Alex for several seconds before looking at Pastor Miguel. For whatever reason, when he looked at the latter, he ceased having any rage or showing any dissatisfaction. He then looked at his Vice head, who stood floating 3 meters behind, slightly nodding at him. Blauw Monstorm looked at the 5 top organizations still on his side, nudged his head annoyed, tilted it rightwards, and shouted towards his people. “We leave!”
“... Who says you can?!”
But suddenly, alarming the shit out of the True Dragon House’s people, a voice raging so much startled everything in a 10,000 km radius. It came from far away and was still a distance from arriving, but it already locked their auras… and… they knew they could no longer run from this. “!!!!”
“!!...” The 5 top organizations were also shocked but weren’t as fearful and stricken as the True Dragon House. Looking back where the azure energy dragon was still far from their location, they felt like a majestic angel, figure, and goddess watched over them. Suddenly, as if to correlate to their thoughts and bring their nightmares to life, the azure energy dragon’s head flashed. As if it was opening its eyes, 2 draconic eye sockets formed, each at least a couple kilometers long. Right after came its eyeballs, and they were like azure suns, with its vertical pupils being so immensely savage, beastly… and overbearing.
Those eyes appeared in everyone’s Souls, shocking them, including Heian Ciemnosc, and now he knew this was the Empress’s mere demonstration of her power. If he had thought he could rival her by year 3 and stand on equal footing except for their status, he’d be dead wrong. She was a Spirit Magna realm 3rd stage cultivator nearly 2 years ago. But ever since he taught her the Soul-exalting Old World parchment… her cultivation rose so much, namely 2 stages in 2 years.
Meanwhile, others like Pastor Miguel and Head Mo Liao had the same cultivation base as when the welcoming banquet happened. Now, even to Heian Ciemnosc, it was simply impossible to catch up to her, at least for now, even if he broke into the Hana-Saga realm soon, with all those terribly dangerous tribulations.
…