Ezekiel sat in the middle of a perfectly spherical chamber that had been carved out within the quarters that he had requested for himself. The entire space was currently empty besides himself and Shine. With the latter floating vertically in front of Ezekiel.
The Mythical Void Hunter was also floating. It was only a few inches off the ground, but he was still covered in sweat from the effort. Both magically, and physically.
‘How is it? Too much?’ Ezekiel sent through his bond.
‘It’s a bit straining, but not so much that things will put me at risk for another few hours or so,’ Shine replied. They wavered in the air for a moment before stabilizing. ‘I never thought that merely keeping airborne would be difficult after becoming a Legendary.’
‘Well, that’s what happens when gravity increases to nearly a hundred times what you’re used to.’ Ezekiel dipped for a second before rising back up. ‘But this training also increases our concentration, and by using our magic to increase gravity, then divert and abate it, we’re stressing our soul in different ways. Dangerous ways. I’m hoping that the increased hazard level will help with our development.’
This had been one of the ideas that Ezekiel had come up with to increase the growth of his and Shine’s soul. It had worked decently, but he hadn’t gone too far before, since the difference between his and Shine’s soul was too great for him to put them under equal levels of stress.
His body was also much tougher, even though Shine was a reinforced steel blade, specifically enchanted for increased toughness. So, it wasn’t like Ezekiel dared to attempt this before. Not with the risk of causing Shine to collapse in on themself.
‘I’m just happy we can train together again. Even if it’s mostly just training our souls. Hopefully I’ll be able to do something to increase my vessel once I reach Tier five myself.’ Shine’s unspoken complaint and frustration at lagging behind made Ezekiel feel a twinge of guilt, but he shoved it away.
There was nothing he could do that he wasn’t already doing. He’d simply continue to look for a way to bring Shine alongside him to greater heights.
‘What are your thoughts on the situation with the Cruor here? Do you feel confident fighting a Broodlord with me?’ His change in topic was obvious, but not dismissed.
Shine stayed silent for a few moments, and Ezekiel could practically feel their contemplation regarding his question.
‘I feel confident that I will be able to not hold you back,’ Shine finally said. ‘Beyond that, I’m certain that I can help you channel at least two full strength Mythic level spells before my vessel breaks. So, you’ll have to carry spares, and emergency cuffs for me to reinhabit if my blade and the backups break.’
‘Of course.’ Ezekiel thought about the swords that were currently within his Void Pouch.
He’d made over a dozen of them, all as spares if Shine’s body broke. They’d found that, with Ezekiel’s ease at shifting weight mass, something that Shine was quickly to pick up, having a large and heavily reinforced vessel for Shine to inhabit was more efficient than using smaller blades that were likely to break under the pressure of Ezekiel’s mana.
Although, the pair were finding it harder and harder to keep such practices up. Simply because material constructs were becoming too weak to contain their power.
‘We'll have to figure out something new once you break through. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to manifest a solid construct full time, or if we’ll need to do something like reshape a massive pile of mana crystals for you. Either way, regular metal, no matter how reinforced and enchanted, simply isn’t going to cut it.’ A feeling of disappointment in himself flowed from Ezekiel to Shine before he could catch himself.
‘I have some ideas,’ Shine replied while sending a feeling of reassurance through their bond. ‘Though, it might be a bit costly. Money-wise, not health or spirit-wise.’
Ezekiel let out a sigh of relief. While he was more than willing to sacrifice himself to help Shine, not needing to harm himself was always appreciated.
After their talk, the two continued to meditate in the chamber while their bodies and souls were pushed to their limits. The basic means of advancement was simple, and not the most efficient, but by the time they were finished, Shine’s soul had grown and stabilized more solidly in the beginning of the fifth Tier. While Ezekiel had pushed himself to grow just a little bit more.
‘A few more months, and I might have a soul strong enough to handle Step three.’ Given his experience, he knew that at the higher levels, it was no longer about gathering mana, but comprehending his soul, and the different [Aspects] of his element that developed his [Understandings].
Once his soul broke through, it was basically guaranteed that he’d be able to reach the next Step within a couple of days.
Knock-knock-knock
The rapping of knuckles on stone filled his chamber, and Ezekiel knew that it was time to begin the day’s operations. He only hoped that Riley and his other companions had managed to make some progress after the meetings of the previous day had finished.
With a sigh, the pressure on his body and soul slowly lowered to the point that it was no longer straining him. Carefully standing up from the ground he now sat on, he took Shine in his hand and stepped out from his meditation chamber.
Donning his armor, Ezekiel prepared himself for the battles he was about to partake in.
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The sound of spell fire and pained roars filled the air around the Fifth Defensive Fort.
Sitting on the edge of a parapet atop a prepared and reinforced wall, Ezekiel watched as Hunters and Cruor alike fought against one another. Neither side was fully aware of his presence. Bodies hit the ground but disappeared without anyone the wiser as he spread his senses outward.
Floating in front of him, Shine was in a meditative state, replenishing their mana and channeling it to Ezekiel to keep him full and ready should a Broodlord enter the battle.
Behind him, Riley stood on guard, concealed behind his [Shroud] alongside him. While she kept a certain level of awareness on the battle, Ezekiel could feel the minor fluctuations in her mana that indicated that she was in a partial trance.
“Any updates from the other battle lines?” Ezekiel asked with a flat and monotone voice. “While I don’t think our place here has been discovered, it won’t be good to remain in this position for too much longer.”
The medical tents roughly a kilometer behind the defensive wall were filled with Hunters and Mages that were being healed as best they could be.
Currently, Ezekiel’s presence was acknowledged by the various leaders of the island, but it had been argued that making him fight right away would be a waste.
Keeping him hidden as a countermeasure for the suspected Broodlord’s presence was a necessity at this point. Better to subtly take out as many Cruor as possible, all while keeping their own forces full and flush, than to preempt the final showdown between Exalt and Broodlord.
“I think there was a message from the fourth battle happening a few kilometers from here. But I think that was to notify us that no assistance was needed at this time.” Riley’s response drew a sigh from Ezekiel, but she wasn’t finished speaking. “However, I do think that we can wrap up here. It doesn’t seem like the Broodlord will be attacking today, and our forces currently outnumber the Cruor three to one.”
“Hmmm...” Ezekiel realized that he was upset at not being able to fight.
Even if he was one of the strongest Hunters in the world, falling short from the strongest simply due to his lack of equal Spirit partner, he felt like he was lacking.
He needed something that would help him continue to grow stronger. To help him finally end the Cruor for good, but nothing was working.
“Let’s go. We’ll leave the Hunters and Mages that are here to finish cleaning up the remnants of the Cruor--”
A soft chime filled the air as something in a basic pouch at his hip made a noise. His relaxed demeanor immediately turned serious as he waited for the follow up signal from his alert slate.
The chime rang six more times.
“The Seventh Defensive Fort. Let’s move!” Ezekiel turned from the battle occurring in front of him and saw Riley sending a rapid series of massages on her Com-Slate.
He didn’t pause, even as she continued to send messages. Instead, he just wrapped her in his arms, and the duo disappeared. Though, not before Ezekiel took Shine in his hands and swung them directly at the still fighting groups of Hunters and Cruor.
Ichor filled the air as invisible blades of mana cut through them with ease. None of the More powerful Cruor were still standing, so it was a simple matter to take them out.
When the battle finally ended a few seconds later, the Hunters and Mages looked for Ezekiel, but neither he nor Riley were there.
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Several minutes ago, at the Seventh Defensive Fort, the air was filled with cries of pain and fear as large monstrosities that were obviously the Amalgam Beasts that Ezekiel had brought up previously crashed into the defensive lines.
Enchanted weaponry and an assortment of spells filled the air as the assembled Hunters did their best to hold the wall. But up above, even more were forced to fight in direct combat with creatures fresh out of a nightmare. One’s that should not have been able to fly, even with their enhanced bodies.
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“Hold the line! The Exalt will be here soon!” This cry had gone out several times once they had been forced back behind their walls. It was a cry that filled the Cruor with dread, and caused them to flee the battle, leaving the Amalgam Beasts to fight on their own.
The originally organized battle lines had swiftly fallen apart once the Cruor had fled, but if anything, this just made the Amalgams fight even harder.
Instead of fighting in ways that could be logically determined and organized, the Amalgams fought without any sense of self preservation. Their actions were to run directly at the walls and into the line of fire, but since they didn’t show any signs of feeling any pain, it was clear that such tactics were working.
“Flame Hunters! Focus your spell fire and take them out one by one! Their regeneration can’t last that long!” One of the Guild Leaders that was still standing took command when she saw that the Hunters were panicking and spreading out their attacks.
The shift in directions meant that a few of the Amalgams fell in succession, but they quickly filled the holes as several hundred of them charged into the gaps. These ones were much less susceptible to the focused fire.
No longer just a mix of the more physically adept Cruor, these ones looked like Fang and Bone Umbral Beasts that were covered in fungal growths and mold. Incredibly fire-resistant mold.
“Lightning Spells! Do we have any Hunters of Spirits on the ground with Lightning!” The same Guild Leader from before cried out.
Unfortunately, it was apparent that none were present. The sky was filled with Lightning, but few, if any, of the bolts hit the ground. They were entirely focused on the enemies in the air.
Flying Amalgams fight tooth and nail with flying Hunters, and Mages who had enchanted gear. They couldn’t back down or redirect their attention. To do so would be to let the enemy get past their main defenses, which would lead to their ground forces being trapped with no way to retreat.
Just then, a low rumbling roar filled the area. Coming around a hill was a massive Amalgam that was dragging itself across the ground. It was slow and used its arms to pull the rest of its body forward.
A large and seemingly useless snake tail that was far too short trailed behind it. Four massive arms, not legs, for they were not in the right shape nor placement, to be used as such, dug into the ground one after the other to force itself forward.
Bone plates covered every inch of it, as did the fire-resistant mold that several of the other Amalgams were covered in. It was also fifty feet tall and had two fungal cannons mounted on its shoulders. Now that it was in sight of the Hunters’ defensive wall, which was only a little bit taller than it, the cannons opened fire, nearly sending it tumbling backward from the force.
“Brace!”
Multiple shouts filled the air as the defenders used what magic they could afford to expend to protect themselves from the shockwaves made by two explosive ordnances hitting the wall.
Several of the Amalgam Beasts were taken out as well, but these ones were far weaker than the ones that were still attacking. But there were not two sections in the wall that had been blasted free of Hunters and Mages that could defend it.
“Fill the gap! Those with low mana start a retreat, but everyone else, fill that gap, and prepare for use of explosive Artifacts!” Hunters and Mages that were still able to fight moved forward, spreading themselves thin, but holding the line for the moment.
However, it was apparent to the defenders that they wouldn’t be able to hold for long. The massive beast in the distance was in position to fire once more.
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Elsewhere, but still within hearing range of the defensive wall, several people were rushing about as they tried to send a message requesting aid. An act that they had been performing for the past several minutes. Only for no word to be sent back.
“Where is the Exalt! Why hasn’t he responded to our emergency alert!?” Behind the front line, several Scholars were examining the Com-Slates in front of them, even as other forces began to retreat.
They had sent out a request for help the moment the Amalgams had appeared. Even though they were told to wait for any signs of a Broodlord, this was an emergency.
“Wait!” one of the Scholars looked at the Com-Slate in his hands, “what if the signal isn’t being sent? Someone, get me a pair of short-range Com-Slates!!”
Two were brought to the scholar quickly, even as a second explosive impact hit the wall not far away. The Scholar activated the Com-Slates, but the messages he wrote weren’t appearing on the matched pair.
“Shit!” The Scholars, now aware that messages weren’t being sent, quickly exited their tent. “I need a Lightning or Tempest user! Now!”
A Hunter in gray Spirit Armor diverted from where he had been headed to the wall. Beside him, a Violet clad Hunter appeared in a flash of Lightning.
“Both of you, take these and get as far away from her as you can, while also channeling mana into them. Something is blocking the Com-Slates, somehow, and we need to get an alert to the Exalt. Go!”
Without another word, the two Hunters moved to get as far away from the area as possible. At the same time, the Scholars all took note of the strange occurrence.
The Cruor had clearly come up with, yet another means of fighting them. One that not even the Exalt was currently aware of.
Now that it was solved, for the immediate problem at least, it was only a matter of whether or not the Exalt could still make it to them in time.
As the sound of crumbling stone filled the area, the Scholars quickly joined the rest of the retreating Hunters and Mages.
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When Ezekiel appeared with Riley in the air above the Seventh Defensive Fort, he couldn’t stop from widening his eyes in shock at the sight in front of him.
Not only were the Cruor running through a gap in the defensive wall, but the Hunters and Mages that had been defending it were in a full retreat.
Without even thinking about it, he dove toward the closest Cruor and cut them to shreds with a simple wave of Shine’s blade. The massive weapon gleamed with reflected sunlight as it effortlessly flew through the air under Ezekiel’s guidance.
“Can you clear out the ones that are here? I’ll take the ones in the sky so that we can focus on helping the retreating forces.” Receiving a nod in response to his request, Ezekiel flew through the sky at his fastest speed.
It was slower than simply wiping the Cruor out with one massive spell, but more energy efficient. With the risk of a Broodlord appearing, it would be best to keep his mana as full as possible.
‘How are things on your end? Any issues with channeling my spells?’ Ezekiel asked Shine as they finished cutting through half the flying Cruor.
‘I’m fine. So long as you don’t start using me to channel Mythic Spells, I should be fine.’ Shine’s response was more abrupt than normal, and Ezekiel could tell that they were stretching their focus thin.
‘Well, if you can, try to expand your senses as far and as deep as you can. There was no reason for the Scholars and other messengers to hold back from alerting us for so long that they lost the wall.’ Ezekiel knew that the Hunters in this area must’ve run into something strange, but he couldn’t tell what. ‘Also, it looks like we’ve got a big one to take out. Do you mind?’
Shine sent a silent affirmation through their bond. So, Ezekiel pulled his arm back before throwing Shine as hard as he could at the towering Amalgam Beast in the distance.
The impact caused the bone armor on its chest to become concave, and a fountain of blood to spray from its back as Shine flew into and through the Amalgam’s body.
An explosive shockwave rolled over the area as they made impact with the ground a kilometer away. One that was just strong enough to topple the heavily injured Cruor.
Such a wound would usually be something that the Cruor could heal from with their regeneration. Albeit at an extensive Ichor cost. But with the strange interaction between Void and Ichor, the wound didn’t heal fast enough to prevent the beast from dying.
A quick flash appeared over its corpse as it began to fall apart. The Ichor that was on the ground disappeared from where a pool had formed around the gigantic body. Several more flashes occurred in quick succession as the rest of the Ichor on the battlefield similarly went away.
‘Did you sense anything?’ Ezekiel asked Shine once they had reappeared next to him. ‘I think it might be a new type of [Spore]. One that interferes with the mana in the air but isn’t as obvious as the miasma released by the Brood Spines.’
‘If you’re right, then it must've been made by the Rotting Matriarch herself. I can’t sense anything.’ Shine’s words filled Ezekiel with a sense of dread that he hadn’t felt in a while.
‘Hopefully that is not the case. If it is, then that means that the Matriarch is here. We might be immune to her Spores, but the defenses in the Archipelago have only barely reached a serviceable level when it comes to the Spores of the Rot.’ Ezekiel would know, since he had taken part in several efforts to develop the necessary Enchantments and Formations needed to keep citizens safe from the Rot. ‘For now, let’s go finish supporting the retreat. Then, we’ll do a quick check of the rest of the forts.’
Shine agreed, and the two were off with a crack of air as they broke the sound barrier.
Returning to the defensive wall, Ezekiel could see that Riley had begun fighting a group of Amalgams, with several dead ones splayed out around her. All of them were in the lower Steps of Legendary.
“Go help the others and then come back for me!” she yelled at him. To which Ezekiel nodded and continued flying toward the rest.
It was quick work for him to clean up the mess, and by the time he had returned to Riley, the Amalgams that were around her had dropped in number even more. Though, it was clear to him that she was growing tired.
“It looks like you’ll have to stay here to restructure the defenses.” Ezekiel sighed as he finished up with clearing the Cruor. “It’s a shame that I can’t just go in and take them out directly. Acting as a defensive warning is frustrating.”
Thoughts about how Mythics rarely went for battles that didn’t involve other Mythics passed through his mind as he looked upon the carnage that Shine was slowly cleaning up.
“It’s a bit like nuclear deterrence. With the difference of fear being far lower in this world than it was on Earth...” Ezekiel trailed off as an itching sensation filled his mind at the thought of his past life.
He shook it off, something he had gotten used to doing ever since he’d reached Tier five, and the chains that bound him due to his promise to the Ancient Void became ever present to him.
‘It looks like this area is clear. Let’s--’
Before Shine could say anything else, Ezekiel threw both himself and them out of the way. While also sending a harmless, but forceful push at Riley. She was sent flying even as a missile dropped from directly above them.
One that exploded on impact, releasing a cloud and explosive cloud into the air as Ezekiel protected himself with [Void Barriers].
Turning to Riley, to ensure that she was alright, Ezekiel saw that she was retreating. Exactly what he wanted her to do, given the aura he could feel approaching, was at the same Tier as him.
However, the moment he saw tears and snot dripping from her helmet, he became more cautious. He began to more closely examine the cloud that was in front of him, but a sudden gust of wind, unnatural and fierce, sent the cloud flying into the air directly toward the Hunters and Mages that had fallen back from the defensive wall.
From where he was standing in the air, Ezekiel could see that they were now in a fear-filled frenzy. Screaming and clawing at themselves, even throwing spells into the air and causing harm to one another as they ran as fast as they could to get away from an unseen enemy.
“Do you like it?” a light and wispy voice filled Ezekiel’s ears. “It’s a shame that you’re immune, but not unexpected. You showed me that my spores would have no effect on you years ago, after all.”
Ezekiel immediately [Jumped] away, but no attack came. Even as his danger sense now began to flare a warning at him.
‘Why couldn’t you have done something earlier!?’ Ezekiel’s silent complaints were left unanswered, but as the ground cracked open in front of him, a horrifying sight rose up in the form of something resembling a tendril shaped fungus that opened after it had risen from the ground.
“Hello, Herald of the Void. I hope you’ve been well in the years since we last met.” The Rotting Matriarch was huge. At least twenty feet tall at the moment, and capable of growing to even greater heights. Without even entering her Primal form. “I don’t suppose you expected this to happen, did you?”
Ezekiel remained silent. His senses were spread out, and sharpened to a razor’s edge as he sought his other enemy. The one who sent the cloud flying at his retreating forces.
“Hmmm... It seems he noticed,” the Rotting Matriarch raised her voice for an unseen figure to hear. “Not to worry. We still need you alive. So, you don’t need to worry about dear Derrick fighting you today. Our masters are aware that he won’t be able to stop himself from killing you. That’s why he was sent to kill the others on this island.”
Ezekiel didn’t reply right away. He just gripped Shine’s handle tighter. A spell was readied and charged. The power grew greater and greater as Ezekiel channeled power into it. All while he absorbed mana from the Ichor that Shine had gathered.
Throughout all this time, the Rotting Matriarch just stood there and smiled at him. Waiting for him to make the first move, even though he could tell that she was making her own preparations beneath the earth. Ready to reshape the landscape if it meant taking him down.
“Shut up and die,” he said once his spell was prepared.
The air was filled with black orbs that seemed to tear holes in space. While the ground burst open as pods and fungal growths opened fire.
There was a [Jump], and Ichor filled the air, even as Spirit Armor met fungal blades covered in corrosive and poisonous substances.