Ballad Of The Lightning Fauna

"Huff, huff...!" Schlank breathed raggedly. He had just felt his Senior Sister's presence and turned around. But when he did, all turned to darkness. His vision was emptied, and his senses were practically nonexistent. No sound existed. And if he had thoughts, which he couldn't know for sure. They were also silenced. Although he could feel something still move in the general direction towards him, he couldn't discern it on time and ended up trapped by that same familiar dark whip around his torso, trying to crush his ribs before pulling him away.

Yet, when the darkness fell, he returned to the battlefield. Schlank realized he was still far from the column, and the young black monster gasped a few meters before him. Schlank frowned, but he still needed to gasp for his lungs to refill with enhanced Neutral Energy. He was confused for a bit before looking around and becoming startled.

‘Did I just… get abandoned again?’ Schlank thought to himself as he heard a small screech from afar as the familiar sound of lightning cracking and exploding far behind him sounded. He looked at Heian Ciemnosc as this latter one had his left leg stretched and his right knee bent while supporting his upper body with his hands.

“Pheew~, that was so heavy…” Heian Ciemnosc stopped gasping for pure energy as his body stabilized again. All violet lightning inside his body was devoured, and the rumbling within subsided. He stood with a straight back and gazed at Schlank like gazing at a prize.

Using Myriad Darkness Materialization against 2 cultivators a whole realm above his cultivation base, half a step into the Central Formation realm, despite his efforts to only affect them and maintain the dark dome for several seconds, was utterly detrimental to Heian Ciemnosc’s dark Neutral energy reserves and tired him.

PSHIFT-... ROAARR… Schlank lowered his head as his warm, light lime aura returned, but murky green dots slowly tainted everywhere. His aura maintained its light lime color, but the murky greenness became more emphatic and took more than half the volume of his aura.

“Hggrrr…” Schlank’s aura was further supported as Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes narrowed by an ethereal figure portrayed behind the former’s head. It rapidly grew and took shape, forming into an otter. But this animal was different. Its body was covered by a rock-like substance, from its limbs to its ears and whiskers. It was also gigantic, not only as it gained 7 meters in height.

It seemed as if it was as big as the sky within a world of its own. And when Heian Ciemnosc looked closer at this otter, he realized what those ‘rocks’ were. His narrowed, darkest eyes opened, and he surprisingly pointed at Schlank while ignoring him.

“A Mountainous Otter? Not a bad Spirit Aspect for a Special Earth Lotus Body!” Heian Ciemnosc exclaimed. He walked forth, no longer giving the Spirit Aspect any attention, and strode towards Schlank with a ruthless countenance. Schlank looked at him and became fearful, but he rapidly suppressed it and formed tight fists as he gazed at Heian Ciemnosc with angered eyes.

“I know I might die… I have no doubts or regrets… But do you think I will go out without a fight?!” Schlank’s voice gained much more volume than he had anticipated, and he felt his blood and Special Body brimming within him for whichever strange reason.

“Mn, it would’ve been the worst if you didn’t. But enough chatter, are you ready to bite venomous dust?” Heian Ciemnosc stepped forth twice one last time before stopping. His butt-naked pale body was now covered with another layer of clothes, and he sternly stared at Schlank as if reprimanding a kid.

“Bring it ooon!” Schlank roared, beating his reverse fists before striding towards the young black monster. He didn’t care that his bodily strength was inferior. Only if he could buy enough time for his Senior Sister to arrive and kill the young black monster with Ernesto!

Schlank looked at the side, where Ernesto was still like a statue, and worry flashed across Schlank’s eyes before he ragingly squinted them and threw his fists at Heian Ciemnosc!

SWI- SWIP~! POH- PAH!!

Heian Ciemnosc’s darkest eyes narrowed slightly, and he didn’t move. Slightly bending his body backwards, he dodged the first 2 punches as Schlank leaned towards him. Schlank didn’t retreat, and his Spirit Aspect flung its arms with him as an indomitable pressure crashed down towards Heian Ciemnosc! A pair of punches flew towards Heian Ciemnosc again, expelling Elemental Poison wherever they went.

“!” However, Heian Ciemnosc calmly lifted his elbows and ‘unwillingly’ let his darkened palms catch those fists. When they landed, Schlank not only felt his arms’ bones slightly breaking and cracking all over, but the rest of his body convulsed slightly.

“!!” When Schlank’s eyesight recuperated, he watched as Heian Ciemnosc lightly threw his punches off to the sides, and his arms were flung sideways. Schlank was suddenly vulnerable, his torso out in the open, and Heian Ciemnosc wouldn’t waste the chance as he swept his knife-stance dark claws towards Schlank’s body.

ROOOOOOARRR! The Mountainous Otter roared to the top of its lungs, lowering its image to stand before Schlank and cover him in a thin, ethereal barrier. Schlank’s eyes suddenly glowed, and knowing this formidable defense that would allow him to endure a Central Formation realm 1st stage cultivator’s attack, he prepared to kick Heian Ciemnosc’s body and slap his head!

PHHSHK!! PHHSHK!! CRREESHHK… PHHSHK!! PHHSHK! PHHSHK!!! PHHSHK!! PHHSHK!! PHHSHK!!! PHHSHK! PHHSHK! PHHSHK!!- CKRSHEERR~! CKRSHEERR~!! CKRSHEERR~!~!~!...

“!!...” Schlank’s eyes could only widen as he felt everything that occurred next. His neck and solar plexus were cut open, and his blood splurted before his enhanced Neutral Energy rapidly closed it. However, Heian Ciemnosc wasn’t done, and his knife-stance dark claws only dragged a little and extended Schlank’s torso’s brand-new cuts before repeatedly stabbing his body.

Heian Ciemnosc was merciless! Every stabbing motion carried all his 160,000 kg of bodily strength, and his dark Neutral Energy revolved around him at its fullest! There was no defense he couldn’t break apart if no Neutral Energy way above his cultivation base obstructed it!

Each stab Heian Ciemnosc performed on the vulnerable torso, shoulders, and even at Schlank’s face caused the latter to jolt back and forth heavily and rapidly. Bone fragments escaped Schlank’s skin and floated into space with sheer speed but slowed down after trailing off for a little. But when Heian Ciemnosc felt it was enough damage to Schlank’s defenses…

“Aaggh.. Gkkk… AAGGKK!” Schlank opened his bloodshot eyes and rolled them upwards. He rapidly became aware of his simple weakness… and stupidity. Heian Ciemnosc’s claws tore Schlank’s body apart. Large flesh chunks were scrapped off rapidly, leaving Schlank with only bones, as even his muscles and veins were thrashed to float in space in small fragments.

“The difference between a body tempering cultivation comparable to a Godly cultivator and having cultivation to Godhood is different. Even if I were to face a Godly cultivator, I could only slightly hurt them if they were brutally weakened, and that doesn’t necessarily mean I’ll injure them.” Heian Ciemnosc suddenly said as he stopped, placing some bits of black blood his dark claws gained from Schlank’s body.

“If you just put your Earth Energy in the mix, I’d have to punch-bag you until I turn you into a moving, living group of flesh lumps.” Heian Ciemnosc said as he stopped before Schlank, but his claws moved towards the space between Schlank’s Dantian and heart. There, a tiny dark object swiftly moved into his heart, and the latter rapidly absorbed what was inside it.

“You won’t feel lonely,” Heian Ciemnosc submerged his right claw into Schlank’s heart and grabbed a little something after making a mess inside. He rapidly stored it in his Covert Space bags before closing Schlank’s brutally tormented, starless eyelids. He was still alive but couldn’t even move his Soul, let alone any other power sources or his body.

… … … …~

Vocón Link extended from Heian Ciemnosc’s middle back and devoured Schlank when he became a corpse, slurping it all in one go as the body finished deforming and turning into mere goriness. Heian Ciemnosc had already turned around and walked towards Ernesto, who had been dealing with the flame inside his Soul.

Ernesto crouched in space, looking at Heian Ciemnosc like one would to a monster, terrified yet hateful as they watched their partner devoured in the worst ways after being treated to death the same. He looked upwards at the young black monster and screamed, “Don’t get close!!”

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Ernesto’s voice was slightly hoarse, and the disbelief from being a Chosen with a Special Lotus Body yet failing to comprehend why they had lost was evident in his tone. “I assure you I’ll use everything in my power to stop you!! Senior Sister Landa will destroy you! You’ll see!”

“Well,” Heian Ciemnosc calmly spoke, continuing walking towards Ernesto. Heian Ciemnosc rapidly dashed forwards once and grabbed his left shoulder, helping the young man up. Ernesto remembered the sight of Heian Ciemnosc closing Schlank’s eyes after killing him, and he looked at Heian Ciemnosc in confused surprise as he slightly nodded and felt his battle spirit. But then, Heian Ciemnosc’s words continued, “That’s cute and all, but you won’t have that chance.”

“!” Ernesto’s body stiffened. His eyes suddenly widened, and his irises expanded, but his pupils remained the same. Then, as Heian Ciemnosc’s calm words drilled into his mind, ordinary orange and yellow flashed across the young black monster’s darkest eyes. “One is too busy thinking too hard about their body tempering, and the other has always loved the Fire element but is too naive to believe in absolutes. Your Special Body might be absolute, but you’re not.”

‘Darkning Igniting…’ Heian Ciemnosc softly called out in his heart, and a myriad of his dark fire appeared in the Fire Lotus Body’s Soul. They immediately incinerated the already flaming Soul in half. Dark particles revolved everywhere, and the inner universe, with stars and endless nebulae, flashed in distortions as they lost their glamour and color each time Ernesto’s Soul swayed and was weakly further consumed by the ordinary fire and dark ashes.

“Cough!” Heian Ciemnosc suddenly bent his upper torso and coughed dark blood. Additionally, dark blood seeped from everywhere around his eyes. His face looked like he had put on eyeliner, and the dark liquid continued to trail into space in different angles as Heian Ciemnosc looked at the ghastly, ugly, and stiffened, dying expression Ernesto plastered on his face.

“Haaah.” Heian Ciemnosc breathed out relaxedly, looked back, and noticed Landa was less than 30 seconds from reaching him. He became startled and kept looking at her as he thought, ‘Damn, she’s that fast… What the fuck.’

To cross 3,000,000 km in just minutes, and while she wasn’t using only her Lightning Energy like before and had a sigil around her, it was overly impressive for a Third Step cultivator. From a Mythical realm cultivator, nonetheless.

PHHSHK!! PHHSHK!! Heian Ciemnosc didn’t waste more time and turned the dead Ernesto around, stabbed him like he did with Schlank several minutes ago, and propped his body above his head. Dark Neutral Energy seeped into Ernesto’s corpse from the back as it faced upwards according to the general universal conveyance, and a bubble constantly popped in between his claws. Heian Ciemnosc stopped after 10 seconds and lowered Ernesto’s body.

“You got the nicest end because, one, you aren’t as dumb as that conceited fellow I just ate, and two, your name.” Heian Ciemnosc placed Ernesto’s upper back on his right thigh and removed his clothes with a single dual-cleaving motion before stabbing towards the heart. He snooped around a little before taking a tiny dark object from it.

Then, without saying a thing, Heian Ciemnosc let Ernesto’s body float in space as dark blood seeped from his nostrils again. No matter if Ernesto wasn’t on guard against Fire, flaming attacks, or Soul attacks containing any flame, he had been a cultivator a whole realm above his cultivation base. Heian Ciemnosc had trouble just to effectuate his Darkning Igniting. Let alone charging enough dark Soul power to secure Ernesto’s death.

… … … …~! Heian Ciemnosc spread his left arm towards Ernesto drifting carcass. Vocón Link flew there and vacuumed the corpse, devouring it whole. Meanwhile, Heian Ciemnosc stared at the incoming, raging Landa.

ZZZZZZAP- AAPAPAP- ZAP CLAP!! ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRR!!

When she was just 2 tens of kilometers from reaching Heian Ciemnosc, passing by various spaceships from both sides, she clasped her hands furiously while keeping her head low and half-kneeling on a sigil. It was like a platform whose energy was created from a pendant hanging from Landa’s neck.

But then, as her hands clasped, thousands of violet lightning volts emerged as clouds protected behind her back. The more those clouds consolidated, the more violet lightning appeared, and the more a fauna formed from her clasped hands with lightning exploding outwards.

Violet Lightning Energy spread everywhere like a sphere until it started taking shape at a diameter of 500 meters. First, a horn. Then, a head. Before long, 4 legs and a smallish tail were formed around a bulky, fat body, and a violet lightning rhinoceros was created. Landa was inside this violet lightning rhinoceros.

When it was finished, Landa lifted her head, and Heian Ciemnosc saw her crystalline face had turned slightly violet, but it was only continuing to become more violet instead of appearing temporary.

‘A Storm for a Spirit Aspect?’ Heian Ciemnosc thought as he frowned. His dark claws dripped with her partners’ blood, but he didn’t try to hide it from her. It was a bit cruel and blatant. Heian Ciemnosc still recognized the situation he got himself in and felt that, while that rhinoceros wasn’t superior in raw bodily strength, it would still blast him.

PSHIIIIIIIFFFT-... Heian Ciemnosc converged his dark Neutral Energy at ease, not hurrying. Vocón Link also appeared, and its tendrils rapidly spread from it, forming a centipede-like dark whip as they creepily flung and fluttered. On the other hand, his dark tail grew to 5 meters. He was about to grow it to the 6th but restrained himself and looked at the roaring rhinoceros.

“This is the last word I’ll speak before you… DIIIIIEEEEEE!!!” Landa suddenly spoke, and before Heian Ciemnosc could react as she did, the distance between them shrunk from 5 kilometers to just 500 meters. Heian Ciemnosc’s darkened eyes widened when he heard sizzling and cracking lightning and Landa’s bloodcurdling holler.

SWIP- RUUUMBLEEE~~~~!

Heian Ciemnosc lifted his right fist and swung with all the power he could muster. Despite his strange motion, it carried everything he could, except for his dark Soul, and struck at the incoming violet lightning rhinoceros as darkened water layers covered his knuckles.

PPPPPPAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG!!!

The sound of Heian Ciemnosc’s fist and the rhinoceros’s horn broke the limitation for Third Step cultivators for a second, but muffled explosions followed suit as the rhinoceros's whole head and front body collapsed and disappeared after the collision. On the other hand, Heian Ciemnosc’s body was instantly blasted 300 meters away, with violet lightning hooked onto his clothes and some piercing his pale skin to stop his flight.

“!” Heian Ciemnosc felt his body halting at the 300th meter mark, otherwise several kilometers if it weren’t for the lightning around him, and watched as the rhinoceros’s body imploded!

BANNNG! ZZZZZAP~~~~~~... STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

The originally 500 meters tall and a couple kilometers long violet lightning rhinoceros turned into dozens of rhinos. Each one was at least 100 meters tall and 200 meters long. Each one carried violet lightning pikes embedded into their bodies. They rushed at Heian Ciemnosc, stomping space as Heian Ciemnosc helplessly watched with his darkened fist profusely bleeding dark.

PAM! BANG- PUUM! CLASH! SLASH- SLASH- SWASH! SWISH! PSHIII-II-III-IIIIFTT~!!!

Heian Ciemnosc’s chest was immediately reached by 2 rhinos. The first struck his right shoulder, near his collarbone, and the other below his heart, but its horn still reached Heian Ciemnosc’s heart, and it sent shocking pain into his body before it crazily spread about.

As violet lightning crazily wrecked his insides, and his dark Neutral Energy was outnumbered, Heian Ciemnosc‘s dark fangs bit the rhino on his left while his Vocón Link captured the first to hit him. The rhino on his left was clawed with his right claw nonstop. It rapidly evaporated after numerous attacks into violet Lightning Energy that didn’t condense into another rhinoceros.

Then, Heian Ciemnosc swung his body backwards after forcefully stopping the other rhinoceros. It came on time, saving Heian Ciemnosc from a few incoming violet lightning smaller rhinos. But just as Heian Ciemnosc’s dark claws were about to launch an endless bout on the rhinoceros that his Vocón Link coiled around, 3 more surrounded him and immediately kicked him away from it. They didn’t give Heian Ciemnosc any time to react as his body was constantly struck, with some even using the sharp end of their horn to attempt impaling him, only to send him flying away.

Heian Ciemnosc’s body was passed around among rhinos, used like a ball that they kicked, slammed together, headbutted, and even bit and ravenously shook their head before lending it away. Heian Ciemnosc’s Vocón Link was also grabbed in between, used to catch and punish him whenever he was about to escape their encirclement or injure one of them. It was as if each of them were alive. But they wouldn’t last long like that.

“Ggrrraaaggggghhh!!” Heian Ciemnosc wrinkled his nose. His throat intensified, and darkish veins popped beneath his pale skin, giving him a near-monstrous, darkened appearance, but he didn’t let his skin gain more ‘natural armor’ than it already was and simply used his dark claws to unnaturally slash towards the rhinoceros he was bumped towards to.

NEEEEEEEEGGGGGHHHH~!! Heian Ciemnosc’s dark claws formed 10 holes 8 inches deep on the rhinoceros’s head, which screeched as soon as it felt his dark Neutral Energy invading its body, and then, it felt another 10 slightly lower than the first. Dark Neutral Energy flew into its body and visibly created dark torrents as darkened water spread from its wounds to the rest of its outer body.

Heian Ciemnosc’s roar made all lightning rhinos tremble and stop for 3 seconds, enough to let Heian Ciemnosc spread his dark Water particles on the rhinoceros he just attacked, and using his dark Neutral Energy like a string as he continued stabbing the rhinoceros body.

When the rhinos noticed Heian Ciemnosc’s actions and heavily rushed towards him in a spit of pure rage, they were already too late, and their comrade had already started convulsing as hundreds of dark Neutral Energy strands within it moved like parasites and destroyed all they could find.

“...” Heian Ciemnosc’s expression was at ease and nothing like before. He stopped, lifted his head, and looked at them while they resumed their charge towards him and intended to not care about their dying rhinoceros family member. Heian Ciemnosc remained calm, ultimate-cold, and serene as his darkest eyes were lifeless.

As he watched them grow closer, he inflated his lungs with dark Neutral Energy before gazing at a smallish rhinoceros charging towards him. It wasn’t even 100 meters long, and Landa was in it, staring at him as violet lightning formed beautiful clothing and hair around her head. Coupled with her intelligent, raging eyes. She was like a breathtaking, mortal-lethal damsel.

…