Chosen Ezquivel

The commanding officers’ tent was pitched just at the front of the line, where the base's platforms ended.

Heian Ciemnosc stood with his arms crossed, leaning his back on a pole within the tent. Beto and the others were chatting in different pairs, seemingly having come to a conclusion beforehand, and were going to explain it all together to decide. There were other elite cultivators from the army Heian Ciemnosc had seen working in the same tactical phase throughout these months, waiting for their team leaders or commanding officers to speak.

“What could be coming? It has to be serious, no?” One of the elite cultivators said, crossing his arms and looking at the small groups of leading figures. Heian Ciemnosc ignored it and was alone while the other elites grouped from several to a few dozen inside the tent. Another cultivator responded, “Yeah, you bet. We’ve come so far, and it’s been almost a year since we came here. How long do you think until we find them and can fight them? I hope it’s soon.”

“Soon,” Heian Ciemnosc shrugged and offered a cold, indifferent word. He brought attention to himself as he walked off the pole and stepped forth. Beto and the other commanding officers were ready and were walked towards them.

Beto nodded at Heian Ciemnosc as everyone made a small circle in the middle for a person or a few to speak at once. A couple thousand people were inside the tent, but it still looked small when the entire perimeter was taken as the panorama into consideration.

“We’ve decided on a direct approach. The Motherblood Expiritus is only 500,000 kilometers from here. The area looks like a swamp, but it’s where our objective is. There is no doubt about it,” the heavenly leading figure spoke as he stepped into the small circle in the middle of everyone and began. He continued, “But it’s unclear how fast or when we should act or if we are going to make the first move.”

“Any propositions?” The heavenly leading figure asked. Beto and the other pleading figures didn’t step up, clearly wanting to see what others might think. After looking left and right with narrowed eyes, Heian Ciemnosc crossed his left arm but supported his right elbow on the former’s wrist. Heian Ciemnosc stepped into the circle, and the heavenly leading figure’s eyes glimmered when he recognized Heian Ciemnosc.

“May I?” Heian Ciemnosc asked. The heavenly leading figure nodded and spoke a noiseless ‘of course’ before returning to the circle’s perimeter to rejoin the crowd. Heian Ciemnosc spun with each step on the spot until he faced Beto, who looked at him without intending to help him, somewhat as a test.

“I recommend moving fast,” Heian Ciemnosc calmly said, surprising Beto. The rest of the crowd wasn’t so calm, and they immediately murmured to each other, questioning such words… Heian Ciemnosc let their minds wander before saying, “I have gained insight on the probabilities of this Dimension. It’s not from my Spirit Sense or my dark Soul. I’ve read through something more than that and deduced the Motherblood Expiritus is blooming earlier than anticipated.”

Clamor~. Clamor!

If the crowd wasn’t already dubious before, they were triggered now. Their murmurs became voices, and they talked somewhat loudly after Heian Ciemnosc’s words. Who in the world, under the Fourth Step, dared to say they could tell something about a natural treasure?!

“Heian Ciemnosc, you must have something to back those words up,” the heavenly leading figure said. “It can’t be your Spirit Sense. We know it’s more vast than we can imagine, and you can extend it for long periods. But if you had done that and with your cultivation base. We would’ve known. Let alone the enemy, who is monitoring everywhere their scouts are. And as you said, your dark Soul has also not been noticed moving around. What do you have to convince us, then?”

“I have nature reading, I thought you already knew that?” Heian Ciemnosc said, gesturing at the heavenly leading figure with his left index finger. A commanding officer from the Obscure Orb Sect under Riquel asked Heian Ciemnosc in a low and deep tone. “Yes, but what level are you at? Beginner, advanced, sol-”

“It’s solid.” Heian Ciemnosc interrupted the cultivator and said, giving the latter a perfunctory glance by turning his head just a little. His words, once again, brought many other cultivators to feel amazed and in disbelief. At this critical moment, Riquel stepped up, with Yun Tang falling behind by just a few seconds since he was farther away.

“Esteemed officers,” Riquel addressed the crowd. He didn’t look like a man drown in debauchery for the past half a year and a month. “You know of my first encounter with back monster, right? Then, you must also know what kind of trouble we faced when we started that adventure not long ago. Just a couple decades.”

“Sub Fauna is a well-known danger. So much so that even my Sect prohibits its disciples from getting into those types of missions and situations and is heavily punished. However!” Riquel looked at Heian Ciemnosc, and the admiration in his eyes was never so apparent. “This young man here was able to help all his fellow students back when he was studying under the Wrath Nihility Academy.”

“...” Heian Ciemnosc calmly looked at Riquel as the latter continued. “He could see through some of the most terrifying things I’ve found, even up until now. Thanks to him, when I exited that fog with my people, we didn’t suffer as many losses, although the fear and terror from that moment still haunt me sometimes. I never felt so scared for something that didn’t even have a cultivation base… or an explanation.”

“Yep, Elder Sister Nitu said something to me after the Change Merit Trials event.” Yun Tang suddenly said as his towering, bulky figure opaqued everyone else behind him and Riquel. But not Heian Ciemnosc. He was too eye-catching. Yun Tang finished his words, “She said that if she had faced Heian Ciemnosc back then and not Tene or Sahnyr, she would’ve been lost. Not only to lose the fight but her ability to trust in herself, too. That was shocking…”

Yun Tang nodded continuously after delivering those last 2 words. His face seemed to reminisce about his emotions when he heard that, and for once, the other elite cultivators felt like they had nearly hurled questions at such a capable individual. Heian Ciemnosc noticed a tiny trace of a smile on Beto’s face, which the latter tried hiding. He ignored it and looked at the crowd before resuming.

“I have done many things in my life, starting from the failed Kingdom I come from. One of those things is war, and the other is dealing with ghosts. These two are never good together and aren’t now, but my nature reading isn’t wrong. I recommend immediately moving towards the Motherblood Expiritus… because it will bloom before the year.”

“...” The heavenly leading figure looked at Heian Ciemnosc sternly. However, Heian Ciemnosc could tell the former was considering heavily Heian Ciemnosc’s words and how to implement them. Finally, he seemed to have accepted something as he sighed before raising his right hand and declaring, “All those in favor of Heian Ciemnosc’s recommendation, raise your hand to vote in favor!”

Rustle rustle-... rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle, rustle~...

Riquel, Beto, Yun Tang, some Obscure Orb Sect disciples, and all Crimsonbreaking Faction’s soldiers lifted one of their hands after the heavenly leading figure spoke, who also raised his hand. The Obscure Orb Sect not only had Riquel, whom Heian Ciemnosc could recognize from that time. The Phosphorescent Flower Sect was still not very knowledgeable of Heian Ciemnosc, and they only had their precious Gifted to talk and praise the young man.

On the other hand, the Crimsonbreaking Faction’s cultivators were of the same heart and mind. Even if Heian Ciemnosc wasn’t wholly accepted, and even if he hadn’t been bribing their stomachs to get at their hearts, they would’ve still supported him. Not only because Heian Ciemnosc was indeed valuable and capable. But because he was one of their own, and to hell with what anybody else thought or liked.

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After the notion, a couple hundred cultivators raised their hand, nearly making a third of everyone in the tent. After a few seconds of hesitating, more elites began lifting one of their arms, clearly deciding the outcome as more cultivators followed after them.

“Then, it’s settled.” The heavenly leading figure said, with all the Interchanging Dust Dynasty cultivators raising one of their hands to vote in Heian Ciemnosc’s favor. He stepped forward and looked at the crowd before taking his emblem off his clothes and letting it float in the middle. “This is how our army can move…”

Thus, planning and choice-making began, and Heian Ciemnosc was forcefully dragged to the strategy circle…

… After the meeting, the commanding officers went to their military columns to prepare their armies. Meanwhile, Heian Ciemnosc exited the tent calmly, without a hurry, and quite relaxed. Beto walked past him, placed his hand on Heian Ciemnosc’s shoulder, and nodded before hurrying back to the Crimsonbreaking Faction.

“You know, it’s been a while since there was some… something, alright.” Sara suddenly spoke in his mind. Heian Ciemnosc waited for the messenger to guide him to wait somewhere, with the permission granted to take his Fighters out to him and the other Fighter Teams, but only on command. As Heian Ciemnosc waited with crossed arms, he looked into his inner being and saw Sara sitting cross-legged between his 10 destroyed inner galaxies.

“You miss them?” Heian Ciemnosc sent a Soul body to meet with Sara, which she ignored and continued to look at the endless pure darkness. “Of course I do. It used to be a little cozy, and as if you were here all at all times when you were too busy playing around.”

“Mn, sorry,” Heian Ciemnosc smiled cockily and hugged Sara’s shrunk body with her hands below her knees and thighs up to her stomach. Heian Ciemnosc hugged the ball Sara as she refused to let go of her posture. She said, “It feels strange. It feels just right… but… a bit too much? Mn, we’ll know once you break into Breaking Point realm. And when you make the choice for the Light or Dark realm. By the way, have you decided?”

“There’s nothing to decide, isn’t it obvious?” Heian Ciemnosc said, picking Sara’s balled body up and rubbing her shins on his abdomen and chest. Sara gradually gave up her resistance and looked at Heian Ciemnosc with a blushing face and determined eyes. “Why? Aren’t you curious what will happen if you choose the Light? What will happen to your Divine Arts and your body?”

“That decision doesn’t alter one’s body, you know it. It’s just deciding to be more offensive or defensive in future fights or battles. I don’t need either, but I will still choose the Dark realm.” Heian Ciemnosc said. Sara entangled her arms around his neck and back as he gave up. She looked restless for another several seconds before finally closing her eyes. When she did, Heian Ciemnosc closed his and waited while his darkest eyes watched the outside world, which was about to grow hectic.

. . .

A million kilometers from the coalition’s mobile base. On a trail, hundreds of thousands of cultivators were flying and walking without worry. More were coming and had already left, but these many were visible.

Only one little group distinguished themselves from the rest. It consisted of a young boy and 2 young women. The young boy had childish features and didn’t seem that close to turning into a young man. He was short but slender and didn’t have any ugly appearance. His hair was also a bit too short, and his lips were large.

He was seated on a chariot that was more like a simple throne carried by many tall men with different emblems on their chests. They were all in the 1st stage of the Light/Dark realm. The chariot was elevated nearly 2 meters above the ground level. The 2 young women were at an appropriate height at its left and right. However, they weren’t walking on the ground or flying above it.

Below each of the 2 young women’s feet were 3 crawling cultivators of the same realm. The young women walked on top of their backs to follow the chariot’s pace with the young boy atop it. The cultivators beneath their feet had to move quickly, crawling forwards until they had to turn and let the one behind them take their place. They couldn’t be too slow, or the young women would step on nothing. Besides being afraid of the young master’s wrath, the women were too beautiful to disappoint, even if it was by humiliating themselves in the process.

The one on the right was a mature young woman who looked older than her age. She had long black hair, and her skin appeared tanned by the moon. It was so white and somewhat silvery but not pale. She was also Human, like their young master. To the left was a slender and very tall young woman. A pale Elf with black freckles everywhere on her body. From her forehead to her free toes, they were visible.

She looked docile, but her expressions were indifferent, and she seemed disgruntled with what happened beneath her. However, those were her young master’s orders, so she tried not to bother. On the other hand, the mature young woman wore a disgusted expression whenever she looked down.

“Sandra, so what are your thoughts? Do you think they were trying to hide the location of the Motherblood Expiritus by waiting this long? Hmm?” The young, short boy asked as he leaned his head towards the young woman on his right. Sandra, the woman tanned by the moon, looked at the young master and slightly nodded. “Those are your words, Ezquivel. No need to be humble.”

“Tsk,” Ezquivel grimaced and threw his head around to look ahead. Then, he faced the pale Elf and said, “Elga, dear. Tell Sandra she doesn’t have to be this rigid! We’re all a little team here. We should focus on our internal affairs. Right?!”

Ezquivel sunk his eyebrows as he spoke. Elga, the pale elf, looked at her young master and said in an expressionless tone. “Whatever the young master wishes.”

“You say that, but your intentions were different when I tried courting you~.” Ezquivel commented. Elga turned her head to face ahead again, somewhat ignoring him, but the young master wasn’t angry. Just then, Sandra looked down at her medallion, and the troops around them slightly changed their direction to the same, and she looked at Ezquivel to warn him. “Young master, stop right now!”

“Calm down, Sandree. I respect your choices… I’ll wait a year befo-” Ezquivel was interrupted by Sandra’s stern face and words. “No! Young master, the enemy! We’ve been spotted! A swarm of Fighters and a mobile base is moving towards us. We must move away! Retreat!”

“What?!” Ezquivel sat up on his chariot and looked in the direction everyone was going. His body trembled, but not from fear! He looked at Sandra and shook his head. “What are you talking about, dear Sandra? No! Let’s go! We’ll fight! Finally! Hahaha! After almost a year, I’ll kill the Pavilion’s enemies! Bring me to battle!!”

“...” - “...” Sandra put on a preoccupied face but quickly nodded and took a Fighter out while Elga looked at Ezquivel and said nothing to stop him. Shortly after, as the men that carried them were left behind, the SC Fighter flew in the same direction as everyone else, with more and more Fighters flying behind them, hurrying to the potential battlefield.

***

3 million kilometers before the Motherblood Expiritus’s area. Where it would bloom and, according to the coalition, soon.

Peeeeew~! Peeeew! Whoooooooosh! Whoooooooooshhh~!!

Thousands of Fighters flew from the coalition’s side, where the base was rushing towards a swampy area. The coalition’s base wasn’t supposed to fight a battle and was mostly for movement and immediate, flash battles. But right now, as the road ahead was still long, and the armies of both sides were rushing at the same place, the base dropped tens of thousands of soldier units every few tens of thousands of kilometers without stopping.

The Fighters flew to stop some enemies and force them to stay while the incredible majority of enemy soldier units continued rushing towards the discovered Motherblood Expiritus’s location. The coalition had one goal, to get the Motherblood Expiritus. But they wouldn’t just walk in and out. Not without killing off these people trying to harm the Interchanging Dust Dynasty.

The Tortoise Glabella Pavilion had 2 goals, to steal the Motherblood Expiritus and make a fortune with it to share it with their new allies and to cripple the Interchanging Dusty Dynasty’s strength no matter the cost. Both were possible in this situation and were even clearer than ever after they showed up and even stupidly moved towards the Motherblood Expiritus!

The enemy didn’t have confirmation, but was there any need for it? There was only one reason the coalition would make a desperate, helpless move like this. And the Pavilion’s forces were ready to take advantage of it!

They reached a sort of consensus as the race and battlefield were formed, planned to be approximately 3 million kilometers long. The coalition would drop their soldier units, even if the enemy wanted to ignore it and rush to the front, because if this happened too much, they would become a force capable of threatening the Pavilion’s forces. Thus, they sent an equal amount of cultivators to stop and kill them. But neither side was sure if their troops would survive their objective.

Either way, the war started, and as it was in the stage of deploying troops, it all seemed to lead to a major battle ahead of everyone else, where both parties were to rush day and night to reach first. But the enemy side wasn’t to be underlined. The coalition had its improvised mobile base, but the Tortoise Glabella Pavilion had 3 initial months to build many bases and improve them with mobility and speed. Although the cost was considerably higher than the coalition suffered, they were up to par.

Thus, as the coalition’s base rushed forth, they met dozens of small, similar mobile bases moving from afar in the same direction. However, for now, and the next several days, both sides’ elite and main forces had to watch and wait… They’ll turn will arrive… bloodier and more catastrophic than any other.

…