The Battle Of The Soaring Dragon (6)

"I bet you've seen your fair share of Artifacts before, little black monster. But the moment you started coming out of your hideout was when you put yourself in danger," Head Monstorm said as he put the gauntlet on after everyone else did. He looked at Heian Ciemnosc sternly, not underestimating him but still with notorious discontent. Head Monstorm added, "It is not us who brought you out. It is you who came here on your own vol-"

"Are you trying to make sure the Academy won't come looking for you after you kill me?" Heian Ciemnosc interrupted Head Monstorm. His pale arms crossed before his chest before continuing, "Don't worry, they won't. Unless someone way above my capabilities tries to bully me, and I wasn't the one looking for it, there won't be a person saving me out of nowhere. Feel free to murder me, knowing the Academy won't respond. After all, all of this happened because of me, not on the Academy's orders."

“...” Head Monstorm looked at Heian Ciemnosc as his mouth twitched and spasmed. After pouring all his Neutral Energy into the Artifact on his right hand, the Head spoke with sunken eyebrows and confidence. “That bravery and naivete of yours will finally meet its end here. I wonder how many would’ve sacrificed everything they had only to be in my shoes because, Heian Ciemnosc, today’s the day it causes your death!”

Whoosh- whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Whoosh!

Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes rolled a little when he heard Head Monstorm’s last couple words, but the latter didn’t want to give him time to prepare as he immediately took an Earth grade sword out and flew towards him! Following right behind him, with all the upper echelons dead and a few others left alive, 5 figures dashed behind the Head and took Earth grade weapons out as they launched themselves towards Heian Ciemnosc. Only afterwards did Blauw Bristorm push forth, took a long pike, also Earth grade, out, and followed her brother’s actions.

Cuh- pssff! Pshift- pshift- pshift- swuooooshhh~!

Heian Ciemnosc’s left arm thrust forth, opening his palm, and caught Monstorm’s sword from the edged side. Monstorm’s eyes widened, but his back rapidly swung to his left, and his right hand tightly grabbed the handle of his sword before retrieving it into his Covert Space bag. Heian Ciemnosc looked behind Monstorm without caring about him and watched as those 5 figures pushed forth with thin Neutral Energy blasts traveling towards him, merging and absorbing the nearby Water particles before becoming pure Water element.

The Water blast streaked across the distance as those 5 figures continued advancing forward at top speed but vastly slower than the technique they employed. Heian Ciemnosc looked at it as his arm slowly fell. When his shoulders were relaxed and his arms to the sides, the Water blast hit his chest, but it didn’t even affect his dry clothes without needing to protect them somehow.

Whoooosh~! Swish, waa- pam- pum- punch-! Pshift, pshift, pshift- pshift, pshift, pshift… bang!

The 5 figures continued flying towards Heian Ciemnosc despite seeing a joint technique, wasting 10% of their storage, and becoming useless with their target not even moving. In fact, he even lowered his defenses slowly before being hit. They only took 3 seconds to arrive before him and swing their bodies in synchronization, trying to punch, kick, or hit him with a cleaving leg or a thrusting fist onto his chest and heart area.

However, without at least trying, Heian Ciemnosc lifted his right arm and held each of their attacking limbs for half a second before letting go and catching the other. They were very well synchronized, and one after another, they would’ve sent anyone a few stages above their cultivation base flying in pain. Instead of that happening, however, Heian Ciemnosc’s catching hand broke their momentum, and they could only slowly retreat despite trying to bolt out of his reach.

Even after they were surprisingly let go, they trembled while bolting away from the sensation of those dark claws entangling their shins, wrists, and hands or feet. Who didn’t know these dark claws of the little black monster could already break any Mortal weapon nearly like butter? His time at the Change Merit Event was more than eye-opening and reminded everyone of the legendary body tempering Arts only Lords could gain unmatched dominion against.

However, even with all this, those 5 weren’t worried, and their expressions were as decisive as Heian Ciemnosc had seen in previous faces, and he had quite the experience. Heian Ciemnosc watched as they started formulating an Art’s technique, but he rapidly swung his tail, barely half a meter long, and appeared before them. To him, it was a sudden stride he took with a little impulse, but for them, it was a whole different thing.

“!” - “?!” The 5 people could only think of one thing before they were alarmed upon seeing Heian Ciemnosc’s actions. ‘Teleportation?!’

Heian Ciemnosc didn’t bother about anything and flatly lifted his right hand, the one he caught their limbs with previously, and flicked his index finger while his middle fingertip tapped the air. Dark Neutral Energy emerged everywhere, widening the 5 people’s eyes and making them hurriedly stop their second joint attack to employ their individual defensive measures. However, before they could create Neutral Energy with enough shape and volume to defend themselves, Heian Ciemnosc struck out with his dark Neutral Energy and sent them flying backwards as their bits of Neutral Energy were directly blasted by him.

“!” The 5 people flew backwards, impulsed not only by the sudden, severe explosion between their Neutral Energy and the little black monster’s but also by the second blast where Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral Energy penetrated the former and went off just inches away from reaching them as if having just malfunctioned! They uncontrollably retreated several tens of meters before stopping, supporting each other by floating side by side.

“!” - “President!” However, a short-length, yellowhead with green eyebrows and brown eyes exclaimed after their little group noticed their leader’s state. Their leader’s emblem fell from above their leader’s left chest, bloody and helplessly falling in the air. It was the Wyrm Lord Nation’s emblem, and it had a penetrating gap in the middle as if something deadly threatening nearly snapped her upper torso in 2 halves.

President Leslie’s left arm was sleeveless, and her blood ran down her shoulder to the tip of her index finger and thumb. Dark Neutral Energy shapeless limbs penetrated her body below her left chest, raising more alarm in the last official members from the Nation concentrated their eyes near her heart area until they confirmed it wasn’t directly attacked, fortunately. However, the President was clearly injured, and her combat capabilities dropped.

“Presi-” - “No more talking! We have a day to end!” The yellowhead, Yulia, wanted to say something but was interrupted by President Leslie. President Leslie roughly lifted her face and looked at Heian Ciemnosc, who remained unmoving after these few seconds of drama. She gritted her teeth and brought a pair of daggers, both Earth grade, into her hands and ignored the dark Neutral Energy drilling into her body.

“Heian Ciemnosc!” Her voice wasn’t vicious, but it was just as impactful as one. Her Senators looked on with fear but lacking cowardice. They didn’t even hear their President getting hurt or sense those dark Neutral Energy shapeless limbs target them, and their President became wounded right away. President Leslie added while infusing Neutral Energy into her daggers and avoiding anywhere Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral Energy spread inside her body.

“You’re the perpetrator of my organization’s extinction! For this, I will never forgive you!! You and I will come out of here alive and dead! Let it depend on one’s might to decide who will take which!” After saying this, the President took a stance, and her Spirit Image showed as her eyes turned like a snake’s. A slithering, long, worm-like Fauna materialized in an ethereal form behind her. It extended over her shoulders, resting the middle of its body on her nape.

As its extremes landed on her arms, they extended indefinitely, arriving at her daggers and coating them with a misty glow, translucent and nearly starry. Her Earth daggers suddenly irradiated a deterrent aura, but Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes only looked at her before turning his head to the right and speaking to the void. “How long until your attack is ready? I’m getting bored here. Hey, why are the others not joining in the fun? It’s so lame.”

Amidst his words, Heian Ciemnosc looked at the other top 3 organizations still not doing something to help their comrades and shook his head by the end of his words. He crossed his arms and rubbed his backhands before shrugging and tilting his head to the left. “Oh well, I guess it was too much of me to ask of you all. Let’s get this over with. I have a war whose end I must see.”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

“!” From the side, a whiff of dark Neutral Energy shot from seemingly nowhere, concealed within the air’s Wind particles and camouflaged by it. Head Monstorm was sitting cross-legged in the air, holding his sister’s left hand with his right, channeling Neutral Energy and Bloodline to cover their weapons with scales everywhere and materializing an ethereal Azure Dragon behind their backs. Blauw Bristorm was also surprised, but her and her brother’s face turned resolute as a drop of blood essence was added into the mix. “!”

PSHIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFTT~!- Whoosh! Pshift, pshift! Cuh, cuh, cuh, cuh- whoosh~!... Swish- pshift- pam! Pshift! Bang! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk!... Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk! Phhshk!

‘Time to end this.’ Heian Ciemnosc thought before extending his dark tail to 1 meter and casually yet suddenly turning his attention back to the 4 Senators and 1 President. His body disappeared from their eyes, and he appeared before them again. However, they were prepared this time. Their bodies spread, and their Neutral Energy was already at the highest work as their Earth weapons started flashing towards him, hacking, stabbing, swinging, and cutting the air in a sweep towards him.

On the other hand, Heian Ciemnosc’s target, President Leslie, fearlessly faced the unstoppable little black monster head-on. Her body was self-impulsed a little up but mostly backwards. Her arms moved to the sides, aiming at Heian Ciemnosc, who was before her and shot Neutal Energy in the shape of snake arrows with Water particles, turning it into a sudden Water elemental technique. However, Heian Ciemnosc ignored them and blew air towards her chest.

The Water snake arrows shot into Heian Ciemnosc’s shoulders, becoming just water splashing on a solid surface, which remained dry after the attack. On the other hand, she was forced to spit blood essence and vomit Neutral Energy with her jaw wide open as Heian Ciemnosc’s breath contained a misty, dark Neutral Energy threatening to cave into her chest. Both attacks neutralized each other, but the President rapidly leveled her body midair and started cutting towards Heian Ciemnosc.

“...” Heian Ciemnosc didn’t say a thing or express emotion as the President went all-out to injure him, even infusing more blood essence, one drop for each dagger, and sparing no effort to use every ounce of Neutral Energy her storage had. This was while her torso was constantly tainted by Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral Energy, and her heart started feeling cold from the inside as some veins became crystalized in dark ice. This was no Elemental effect but the simpleness of Heian Ciemnosc’s uniqueness.

While he did not say it or show it, he was impressed by this woman’s capabilities. Her potential was slowly being poked at, and at any time now, she could unleash it. Even if it meant her life on the line or directly giving it away for a charge of power. However, that ended when a sudden whooshing sound interrupted their sweet ballad, and a bald, stony-faced man with Neutral Energy surrounding him rushed towards Heian Ciemnosc’s right.

The President looked to the left and was about to start cooperating to bring this little black monster down, but Shi Long moved too fast and immediately attacked Heian Ciemnosc. Shi Long’s arms were lifted. His palms faced Heian Ciemnosc’s pale body and dark coat before exploding with a sudden Spirit Image entwining his arms. It was similar to the President’s but had less volume and wasn’t as long. It had to cross through his chest to fully entwine his arms, enhancing them more particularly than any other part of his body.

Heian Ciemnosc waved his right arm forwards casually. But his face was ultimately cold. The President saw this chance and immediately stabbed towards the upper section of his right chest. Meanwhile, a slight burst of dark Neutral Energy was formed following his right arm’s movement and shot towards the incoming enemy energy attack. Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral Energy collided with Shi Long’s energy burst and sent him backwards, staggering a few steps.

“...!!!” At that moment, President Leslie’s left-handed Earth dagger’s tip landed below Heian Ciemnosc’s right armpit. As she felt the collision and expected his body to crack open, her eyes widened as her pupils insanely shrank… when she saw her dagger’s body instantly splintering. A long crack suddenly appeared in its middle, and the Neutral Energy infused into it along her blood essence simply vanished into thinner and thinner air.

Then, Shi Long noticed something from the President’s expression but couldn’t see what was happening. He impulsed his body forwards again, this time with enough blood essence to blur his senses and nearly become blind. However, just as that happened, Heian Ciemnosc sent a dark Neutral Energy from his eyes to the bald man’s eyes, immediately halting the process. The President’s irises shrank as well. This situation was too much! Shi Long had just started employing a last-effort attack when he was stopped just like this?!

However, that was only the beginning of the tragedy. Immediately after, Heian Ciemnosc raised his right arm, ignoring the Earth weapon breaking on his body, and his dark claws flashed before sending out 5 dark energy claws and stabbing Shi Long’s torso. But it still didn’t stop there. The energy claws penetrated through, coming out of Shi Long’s back. They hovered on the other side for half a second, which seemed like an eternity for the pale, lifeless-eyed Shi Long before suddenly returning to his body.

However, when the dark energy claws towards his back and stabbed it, they multiplied and became longer, nearly an adult arm’s length. Then, they penetrated Shi Long’s back, riddling his body with bleeding holes as lively glints immediately disappeared from his eyes. Shi Long’s corpse became suspended in the air as its arms hung low, and its legs were like a stiff puppet.

“Noo!” The President’s body mostly faced the sky, but her head turned to the left, and her face became ugly when she saw her trusted Senator dead, just like that. The other Senators, flying towards them, were shocked and stopped flying for a few seconds before Emerald and Enrik rushed forth with a sorrowful cry. “AAAH!” - “Dieeeee, little! Black! Monster! DIEE!”

Pshift! Pshift~~!- Whoosh! Swiiiish~, swiiiish~...!

“!” - “!” Emerald and Enrik sent blood essence through their veins into their Neutral Energy and shot a technique from their bodies, creating a snake’s mandible and fangs— and a direct punch inlaid with Water particles. But Heian Ciemnosc suddenly appeared before them, causing some wind to comb their hair to the sides of their heads. Meanwhile, the Art techniques they employed flew past their desired target, over hundreds of meters in under a second, which they could feel from their minds as Heian Ciemnosc floated before them for 2 seconds before acting.

His right hand took a knife pose and suddenly hacked upwards towards Enrik. Enrik’s body was paralyzed, but before he could move or feel his body cut by those dark claws on Heian Ciemnosc’s right claw, Heian Ciemnosc turned his face towards Emerald. Her jet-black hair suddenly swung, and she noticed Heian Ciemnosc’s right pale hand ‘erecting’ a dark whip, whose length was unknown. Her eyes darted to the right as if in slow motion, but all she could see was Enrik’s short hair flying everywhere like a bird hit by a fast-traveling stone with its feathers fluttering everywhere outside its body.

The rest was blood, utter gore, and a right eye looking at her while losing life.

SLAP! Whoooooooooooosh! Thuuuuuuud~!...

The next thing she knew, her eyes darted towards Heian Ciemnosc, only to see his pale palm already obscured. Her face was slapped head-on, but before she could feel the pain, her body traveled backwards for what seemed long years, but in truth, she was forced to the ground from hundreds of meters in the air.

“...” Heian Ciemnosc looked at the closed eyes of Emerald before looking up with a tilt of his head to the right. The President was looking, still in the same pose as before, towards him with her neck twisted and her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. Yulia floated before her, looking down at Heian Ciemnosc defiantly, determined to protect her President with her life but scared shitless by the little black monster they were facing.

… … … … swish! Psh- grab! Whoooooooooooosh~!

Heian Ciemnosc didn’t linger anymore. He jerked his right arm up, his pale fingers extending upwards while his thumb and pinky finger stayed in a low stance. His Vocón Link ‘sounded’ as it crossed the air, barely letting Yulia respond as she emerged with copious amounts of Neutral Energy. However, her attempts became futile when she felt the Vocón Link wrap around her body, keeping her arms against her sides and shoulders nearly breaking off instantly from the pressure.

A second later, she found her head and feet tilting in the same direction as she was brutally swung to the side. Her eyes struggled to open as her yellow hair got in the middle, but, at last, she saw her President still in the same place midair and with the same pose. Unfortunately, she immediately felt her abdomen sink in, and her body suddenly jerked in different motions in under a second. Her hair fluttered back and forth before she could see her body as her Spirit Sense was all locked.

Heian Ciemnosc’s left foot’s instep was up against her abdomen, nearly taking half the interior of her body, but it didn’t penetrate a bloody hole. She felt the world turn upside down as Heian Ciemnosc rotated his body, making hers face the ground with her back. Her body was helpless and weakly arched, with her arms and legs projecting upwards and her back bending while Heian Ciemnosc’s foot let go of her.

Yet, before she could feel the inertia of the force placed upon her fragile body compared to Heian Ciemnosc’s, Yulia saw his face up close, followed by a few words, and ended with a direct kick on her sternum with his left sole.

“Do you understand now? It’s over for you all.”

Pum! Whistleeeeeee- thuuudddddd!

“...!” As smoke rose from the ground, and Heian Ciemnosc slowly twisted his neck to look backwards, a desperate, empty, hollow President looked at Heian Ciemnosc’s eyes with endless hatred!

…