Ezekiel had been wandering around the area that the Feathered Peaks tribe members had directed him to. During this time, his danger sense continued to blare a warning in his soul, but rather than run, he continued onward.
It wasn’t a matter of confidence. In fact, given the situation, he had an inkling of what he was likely to be facing. Among the Mythics of the world, the only things that could be a threat were other Mythics, and Broodlords.
Given that the Empire was dealing with its own issues, and the Desolate Lands had spread this far after the Cruor’s first attack, Ezekiel was confident that it was the latter that was coming for him.
‘We could just leave... There’s no guarantee that the Ancient Glacial Pool can even help,’ Shine voiced their thoughts on the matter as Ezekiel came to a stop.
‘It’s still the best choice we have. Not only that, but it’s likely that the Broodlord we’ll be facing is one that we’re familiar with. One that only came here because of us.’ Ezekiel couldn’t agree with Shine. He knew that, if they ran away at this time, the Feathered Peaks would come under attack by the Broodlord, and the entire region would collapse.
Not only would that be a danger for his friends and family, but it would also leave him filled with regret for running away from the people that had helped him in one of his greatest times of need.
‘The Feathered Peaks better pay us back for this,’ Shine grumbled, but prepared themself as they and Ezekiel fell into sync. There was a bit of strain on their soul as they manifested themself as Ezekiel’s Spirit Armor, but it wasn’t so bad that they wouldn’t be able to fight.
‘Let me know if the pressure becomes too much.’ Ezekiel took a moment to settle himself as Shine was held loosely in one hand. He then pulled a second blade from his Void Pouch.
This was a much larger weapon. Not a hand-and-a-half sword like Shine’s current form, but a massive claymore that was glowing with enchanted Runes. Basic in nature, Ezekiel had upgraded what he could, but it was, ultimately, not a weapon that was appropriate for a Mythical being to wield.
Not if he wanted to bring about his full power with it.
‘I’ll be fine. The pressure your soul is putting on mine is helping it grow. If we keep going into the battlefield, I’ll probably be ready to advance within a couple of years.’ Shine reassured Ezekiel of their state, but the Hunter could tell that Shine was not at their peak right now.
To be safe, Ezekiel also put several layers of armor over top of his Spirit Armor. Much to Shine and his discomfort, but it was better than letting a mere Legendary Being take direct hits from a Mythical one. Combined with the armor beneath his Spirit Armor, Ezekiel felt marginally more prepared.
Suddenly, a shift in the wind drew their attention.
‘Here he comes...’ Ezekiel thought as he turned his head upward.
Descending from the clouds above, a familiar Broodlord stared down at Ezekiel. His face was twisted into an angry snarl, and it looked like he was on the verge of turning into his Primal form. Something that Ezekiel hoped they would be able to avoid for as long as possible.
Especially since the pressure emanated by Derrick Driftmark’s body was slightly higher than the one that was released by Ezekiel’s mana. This meant that there was a difference in power level between them. So, it was likely that Derrick had managed to reach Step two of Tier five.
This was something that hadn’t been put into the records, but with Hunters being stuck at Step one, it was assumed that the Broodlords, and their forceful elevation, were also stuck at the equivalent of Step one for their Mythics.
Ezekiel couldn’t help but sigh, as he once again proved that the Cruor were trickier than the past hundreds of years had implied they were.
‘Do you think he’s willing to talk things out?’ Shine sarcastically asked.
Rather than answer with words, Ezekiel tightened his grip on Shine and his other weapon. Both lit up with a bright light that spread over the land. It dispelled part of the mist that was covering the area.
With a shrill cry, Derrick ordered his attack, and a swarm of Winged Cruor descended from behind him, while an army flowed across the land below. All of them were headed straight for the Feathered Peaks.
But Ezekiel didn’t move to stop them. He knew that any distractions at this time would mean his death. He was fighting a being that had already proved he was stronger, or close to as strong as, an experienced Exalt.
The two stared at one another for a few moments. Something crashed in the distance, and the building pressure that formed between Ezekiel and Derrick manifested as a storm that began to shake the world.
With a blink, both figures disappeared. Too fast to be seen by anyone, that wasn’t at least at the peak of Legendary, these titans clashed several times per second.
All while making their way further and further away from the Feathered Peaks.
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It had only been a few minutes, but Ezekiel had already moved far enough away from the Feathered Peaks to not be able to see it in the distance.
“Is this it? I thought that the Herald of the Void would put up more of a challenge!” Derrick had been silent at the beginning of the battle, but as things had progressed, and the difference in power was made known, the Broodlord began talking down to Ezekiel out of disdain.
“Says that failure who couldn’t kill a mere Adept that you once held in your grasp!” Ezekiel deflected a swing from the Broodlord’s clawed hands but was pushed back from the force.
“You got lucky! Nothing more!” Derrick growled out as he flew at Ezekiel, who barely dodged out of the way. A swing from his sword tore through the Broodlord’s side, but that sound of metal being warped could be heard from where it hit.
The Broodlord healed moments later. Ezekiel was so focused on surviving, and taking what shots he could, that he wasn’t able to focus his [Will] on anything other than enhancing himself to match Derrick’s abilities. Otherwise, he might’ve infused his [Will] into mana that would restrain the Broodlord’s healing.
‘Ezekiel-’
‘I know!’
Time seemed to slow for a moment as Ezekiel’s heart raced. Ripples filled the air from where he swung his sword. The clash of steel and talon sent him flying once more.
His mana was being maintained for the most part, since he had mostly focused on dodging. Something he hadn’t known to do when he had first fought Endaria.
“You who have brought nothing but misery and suffering to this world, do not deserve this power!” Derrick’s voice was hoarse from his screaming, and this time Ezekiel didn’t reply.
Considering that Ezekiel killed the Broodlord’s son, he knew that the man turned monster must be hurt in his own way. Not to say that he thought the Broodlord was right in his actions, but Ezekiel knew this wasn’t an argument he would win.
“This power is something that I earned! It is my right to use it as I see fit!” Ezekiel called out as the sky filled with cracks that Derrick had to maneuver carefully to dodge. “It is not my fault that that stupid Cult of Light wants me dead, nor is it my fault that you and the Void Mages of the past could not blaze the trail that I had made for the future!”
Derrick screamed in fury, but tumbled through the air as a solid bar of mana blocked his head. The rest of his body twisted around it, and the cylindrical [Void Pane] was broken. But that was not the only thing Derrick had to worry about.
Several layers of spells had been set up, causing the Broodlord to be slowed down from the number of smaller effects that were being used to cause him problems.
An invisible mine here and there, with a series of [Void Panes] to make him flinch as he crashed through them, as well as several [Void Slashes] and [Void Piercers] that covered the Broodlord in cuts that were healed in an instant.
Howling with fury, Derrick curled his wings inward, tightly clenching his form in an almost cocoon-like manner. He then spread his wings so fast that it sounded like a massive bolt of lightning had torn through the area. The air could not move fast enough, and a miniature vacuum formed around Derrick’s body. The resulting force blasted away the carefully laid traps that Ezekiel had placed.
“Enough tricks! Where is the vaunted power of the Void that my seniors were o so wary of? Are minor inconveniences all that you can do?”
Ezekiel ignored the Broodlord’s taunting, and instead prepared himself for a proper attack. One that would have a bit more of an impact than what his blades had been doing so far.
‘[Jump] back in a moment!’ Ezekiel commanded his partner while throwing them away. Much to the latter’s shock and shame.
Massive wings flapped once, and the face of the Broodlord was right in front of him. This time, Ezekiel didn’t move to dodge. Instead, he braced himself.
With his now hand free, he dispelled the armor around his now empty fist, and threw a punch with as much [Reinforcement] as he could handle directly into Derrick’s face.
The Broodlord recoiled in shock as the air cracked from the force of the blow. Almost as much as when Derrick had spread his wings moments ago. The crunch of bones that were not just in Ezekiel’s hand brought a smile to his face, even as his broken fingers flared in pain.
Two massive wings clapped together in front of the Broodlord but missed their target as Ezekiel [Jumped] out of the way. Shine was now in his hand once more, and his broken fingers were healing only slightly slower than Derrick’s face.
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“How was that for a challenge?!” Ezekiel called out over the howling storm that had formed around them.
Derrick didn’t reply, but Ezekiel knew he had struck a nerve. He could tell from the churning in his gut that things were about to get more difficult.
By reflex, he brought his Enchanted sword up to defend, while supercharging it with his mana. The blade glowed brightly and was filled with cracks as it nearly burst from the mana inside it.
[Empowering] his perception, Ezekiel saw Derrick fly at him at a slower pace than before, but considering his mind was now processing information so fast that the rain that had begun falling a few minutes ago was now staying still, it meant that Derrick was moving far faster than he was.
What was worse was the form that Derrick had taken on. His previously human hands and arms were no longer such. They were much larger, and the small talons that extended from his fingers were now massive scythe’s that created ripples as they cut through the air.
The same had happened to his legs, and his face had twisted ever so slightly to a far less human visage. It was not a true Primal form, but it was getting close.
Letting go of his nearly broken enchanted blade, Ezekiel sent it flying forward, where it exploded right in front of the Broodlord’s face.
The resulting explosion was enough to clear the clouds within a kilometer’s radius of where the blade had been. But Ezekiel could tell that, other than making the monster flinch, it hadn’t done anything permanent.
‘We can’t do that again! It took far too much mana to charge that explosion!’ Shine screamed through their bond with Ezekiel, who merely grunted in agreement before drawing another blade.
This time, rather than [Jump] backward, he had [Jumped] upward, and was now looking down on a tattered but healing Broodlord.
‘This fight isn’t going anywhere. We can’t do enough damage to actually make anything stick.’ Ezekiel observed as he noticed that the wounds on Derrick had already closed. ‘Any ideas as to what we should do?’
Shine gave the mental equivalent of a shrug, and Ezekiel threw himself out of the way as Derrick flew up at them. This time he used a [Sling] and fired off several attacks as he moved out of the way. His target turned on a dime, however, and it was clear that Derrick was no longer interested in crossing weapons with Ezekiel.
“Can you just die already!” The desperation in Derrick’s voice nearly made Ezekiel pause, but instead he merely [Redirected] the [Force] of Derrick’s attack.
He nearly failed to do so, since the [Force] was barely within the threshold he could control.
‘Grk!’ The sudden movement as he shot off into the distance while his second enchanted weapon broke was enough to blow the wind out of his lungs.
As he spiraled through the air, Ezekiel [Jumped] out of reflex. This ensured that he only lost a few locks of hair, rather than his entire head.
Now with one hand on Shine and one hand empty, Ezekiel formed several [Void Panes] that were shaped into a blade. Not as strong as a material weapon that had been enchanted, but enough to aid in his offense.
‘This might hurt a bit!’ Ezekiel gave Shine as much warning as he could before Derrick was on them once again.
The Broodlord had torn out two of his pinions and was swinging them like swords. Every movement was like a typhoon. Ezekiel was barely able to partially deflect while he retreated. His body burned from how hard he was pushing it to match Derrick’s speed.
He was forced to reform his [Void Sword] several times, and Shine let out small whimpers of pain every time their blade was struck. Chips of metal flew off with each exchange.
Then, with one attack, Derrick snapped Shine’s blade in half. The damage had been too much, even with Ezekiel and Shine’s tandem [Reinforcement].
He tried to make another [Void Sword] before Derick could make use of the opening he now had, the Broodlord was too fast. A massive feather that had been sharpened and chipped into a wicked and serrated claymore was headed right for this head.
Caught between [Jumping] away and attempting to deflect the weapon aimed at his head, Ezekiel tried to retreat, knowing that he would barely make it regardless of which option he picked.
“This is the end!” Derrick’s pinion blades seemed to slow down as Ezkiel enhanced his perception, but he was still too slow to react, even as he finally locked onto a position to [Jump] to.
Of course, at that moment, the Broodlord’s body locked in place as a bolt of Violet Lighting flowed through him. It was nearly two meters wide, and consumed the Broodlord’s entire torso, while only barely hitting part of his wings.
With a second of breathing room, Ezekiel [Jumped] away without losing any limbs due to his split focus. A moment later, Invera appeared by his side, roughly ten times larger than himself, and with a flickering aura of electricity that had formed an armor-like construct around the Spirit’s body.
The two Mythical beings exchanged a glance. Ezekiel recognized the look of regret, apology, and determination as one he had seen in the mirror many times.
“Thank you for fighting for as long as you could. You did not need to remain,” Invera’s wizened voice filled the air like a war cry.
Ezekiel shook his head with a smile in response to Invera’s words. “I think he’s here for me, so it would be very rude of me not to at least give a proper greeting.”
He turned, facing Derrick once more. The Lightning was still strong, but he could tell that the mana fueling it was running out. “Besides, the Feathered Peaks has done more for me than any outside the Archipelago. Even Quintessa isn’t owed as much from me. I couldn’t live with myself if I just ran away.”
Taking a moment to remove another blade from his Void Pouch, he held Shine’s old blade to the new one. A large, two handed, claymore that was enchanted to be as tough as possible. “Now that you are here, however, I think our chances might’ve improved. At least a little bit.”
Even as he spoke, Ezekiel was tugging on the space between spaces. The [Nothingness] within that strange dimension partially resonated with him, and it accelerated his mana’s recovery. Elemental mana of different types flowed toward his in great amounts, and as he imbued his [Will] and [Truth] into it his reserves were once more filled.
This would not have been possible if he hadn’t gotten the reprieve that Invera had granted him. He couldn’t imagine what it would’ve been like for Hunters of the other elements. They would’ve constantly lost their mana due to the draining effects of the Broodlord’s Ichor.
“We will have to drain him of his Ichor as fast as possible. I’m not sure how long I’ll last if that mist reaches us.” Invera pointed to where the Ichor mist of the Cruor was beginning to spread. Ezekiel realized that they must’ve made more preparations than he had expected them to.
Fortunately, such things were not an issue for him anymore.
A flash of light indicated Shine had changed their vessel. The newly opalescent blade glittered as mana infused it with power. Ezekiel smirked and lifted Shine’s new form into the sky.
“That mist won’t be a problem.” With a flick of his wrist, Shine twirled around and the mist that was creeping forward was cleared for dozens of kilometers from the [Force] Ezekiel was channeling.
Then, he took out one of the few daggers he had left and threw it deep into the Desolate Lands that were right next to them. The blade cracked in mid-flight but remained solid until it hit its target.
An earth-shattering explosion echoed over the land, as the Spine that had been growing in the distance was destroyed. Previously, he had ignored its presence, but now that he was fighting with someone that would be affected by it, he could no longer afford to do so.
“That will help quite a bit. Thank you.” Invera dipped her head toward Ezekiel before her eyes narrowed and she faced the Winged Broodlord once again. “Get ready! My spell is about to end.”
The flow of Lightning that had temporarily paralyzed Derrick abruptly cut out, and the two Exalts could tell that it would only take a few seconds before the Broodlord recovered.
A crunching sound could be heard as Derrick’s body shifted, growing larger as he became less and less human. A primordial roar that shook the land, even from as high in the air as they were, nearly blew Ezekiel and Invera backward.
Derrick’s every move now vibrated the air due to the barely contained power that now emanated from him. The form of a Primal Broodlord had once again entered the world.
Invera and Ezekiel shared a glance once again before hardening their nerves. With a crack of thunder from one, and a silent [Jump] from the other, the battle began again.
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Riley was not having fun at the moment. Though, in her experience, and that of every other Hunter that had ever fought the Cruor, doing so was never a fun time. Especially when she was fighting at the top of a snowy mountain where natural flames were hard to come by.
“Fill that gap! We need to make sure the ground forces aren’t overrun!” she hollered as she took to the sky. “Cavern and Glacial Hunters will work best on the ground! As will Life Hunters. Everyone else, cover the skies, and do not let the Winged Cruor break through!”
Her orders were followed without question, as one of the most powerful Hunters there, along with being an honored guest and welcome ally. Many looked at her in awe for brief moments as she made her way through the battlefield.
Massive dragon wings had taken form behind her. A trick that she had picked up between battles in Morathi. One she had learned from a Hunter from one of the clans that specialized in avian and other flight worthy Spirits.
It was a spell that wasn’t a spell. The Hunter who had taught her explained that it was an advantage that was based on the form of one’s Spirit taking shape in a more obvious manner when a Hunter had donned their Spirit Armor.
All it had cost her was a step-by-step recounting of Celia’s mutation into a draconic Spirit from a lizard Spirit. Many of the Hunters that were present at that time had sat in, and it seemed like several others had learned from both their stories. What they learned was kept to themselves, but that was fine. It wasn’t her business to pry into her ally’s secrets like that.
“Lady Riley! Behind you-” a Hunter called out a warning, but Riley was already aware, and had spun around to face her newest target.
Talons raked through the air as she flapped her wings. Her body flew backwards, even as a spear tipped with blue flames cut and cauterized the Cruor that had attacked her.
The Cruor shrieked in pain as it began to spiral downward. One of its wings had been severed.
Quickly drawing her mana pistol from the holster on her belt, she fired off three shots that flew past the Hunter that had called out the warning to her. Two more shrieks filled the air as wings were filled with holes that would take much longer to heal due to the burnt flesh.
“Focus on yourself as well. Try to find a group you can work with, and team up. There aren’t too many Legends here, but there are enough to be an issue. Go!” She didn’t wait for a reply before she flew off to another group.
For the most part, the Winged Cruor were actually far less numerous than she had been expecting. Considering the fact that the Winged Broodlord was fighting Ezekiel and Invera just a couple dozen or so kilometers away.
But considering the Winged Cruor were one of the only Broods that could fight in the Archipelago without major hindrances, it made sense that their numbers here were lower.
Two more Cruor approached with heavy wingbeats. With a heave of their wings, a flurry of steel hard feathers flew at her with a crack as they broke the sound barrier.
White hot flames spiraled around her, and the spun in the air, doing a barrel roll that melted and reflected the projectiles. But this maneuver was enough to give the Cruor an opening to make some space.
A gust of wind filled the area, and Riley noticed a Hunter off to the side had sent a tendril of wind toward her fight. It was enough to distract the Cruor as they missed a wingbeat and ‘stumbled’ in the air.
This was a chance she couldn’t miss, so she burst forward with an explosive propulsion, stabbing through one of the Cruor with her spear. If gurgled something she didn’t bother listening to as she yanked her weapon from the now dead Cruor’s chest.
She turned to face the other Cruor, but it had taken the opportunity to flee to another group.
“Thank you! Continue doing that if you can. It seems like you have ample cover to continue providing support!” her voice was carried on the wind to the ears of the Legendary Hunter that had helped her. He nodded in agreement and sent another tendril of wind at a similar battle going on a distance away.
Looking over the ground forces as she found herself with a bit of a reprieve, she saw that there was a fire spreading through one particular area. It wasn’t large, but it was burning through the few wooden buildings that were there at a decent speed. It was a fire that she could tell wasn’t doing anything to cull the Cruor’s forces.
“Well, even if it’s not helping the fight, it’ll certainly help me,” she said to herself as she began to descend. Fully intent on consuming the flames and regaining what mana she could before reentering the fight.
But before she could drop even a few feet, a roar that shook the ground filled the world, and the Cruor began to spasm as they replied with their own roars in kind.
A shift occurred in the battle as the Cruor began to take on more beastly forms. Primal Cruor now filled the area, and Riley knew that the odds had once again shifted. Even with their relatively lower numbers, the Cruor had just gotten their second wind, and a boost.
She threw herself out of the way of a Winged Cruor that was now triple her size. All she could do was spare a glance at the flames dancing below, and curse internally.
They wouldn’t be enough.