A featureless humanoid avatar sat silently in contemplation. Rings of mana circled around them. Runic scripture slowly engraved itself onto these spinning loops of magic.
They were translucent and flickered in and out of existence. An anchor to keep them manifested in reality, even within their mindscape, was needed to keep them from falling apart.
The lack of mana that they would need to fully form them would be resolved later. For now, simply being able to hold onto the thing that embodied their [Truth] was all that mattered.
[Understanding] flowed all around, as the laws that governed the Void manifested in front of Shine. Their meditation had reached a new point, and they were at the cusp of a breakthrough.
“I light the path...” they shook their head. “No, that’s not right...”
It was the most recent phrase that they had come up with. For the purpose of realizing their [Truth] into the world and condensing their [Mana Core] for the sake of reaching Tier five.
A flash of panic that wasn’t theirs filled them, as well as anger and guilt. It was almost enough to pull them from their self-reflective contemplations. Worried as they were at what could be happening.
Only a sense of comfort, reassurance, and confidence reached into them from their bond with Ezekiel. As if to tell them that they weren’t needed for now.
That they needed to focus on the current task. Anything else would be a waste of an opportunity.
So, that is what they did. They allowed time to pass them by, focused almost entirely on the task of discovering the words that would embody their existence. Though, not without voicing some of their complaints. If only to themself.
“I am supposed to be your blade... How can I be your blade if you keep getting so far ahead of me that I can’t keep up?” They spoke with a sense of melancholy that filled their voice.
Images of battles in the past appeared in their mind. Memories of a time when they were truly equal with Ezekiel. Fighting alongside him and lighting his path while they fought against the Cruor. Standing with him when they were on the run.
“A blade...” The quiet whisper that was their voice grew stronger.
“That’s right... I’m not just a light that shines in the dark...” The rings that floated in circles began to settle into position. They spun faster, and the [Understandings] that were slowly merging together with them beach to flow more quickly. A bright light emanated from them, even as Shine stopped speaking.
A deafening silence filled Shine’s soul. Their thoughts raced with a frantic need, and new phrases, all much closer, but not quite right, rushed from their mouth.
An unknown amount of time passed, but Shine didn’t notice it at all.
Finally, something that sounded right was spoken.
“I am the Blade that Shines Light on the Path!” The words echoed through the Void that was the symbolic form of their soul. A pulse of magic that only Ezekiel would’ve been able to notice spread through Shine’s soul, and the bond between them and Ezekiel grew, both in size and in strength.
The rings that embodied their [Truth] and [Understanding] channeled mana into their center.
A ball of light condensed, and the representation of their [Mana Core] took form. It was hollow at this point, but with enough mana it would take form, and they would cross the threshold into Tier five.
Suddenly, without prompting, mana filled them, originating from the place within their soul where their bond with Ezekiel was located.
Greedily taking in the mana as fast as they could, Shine knew that it was just a small matter of time before they ascended to the next Tier.
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Although the fires that had been spread by Ezekiel and his convoy had significantly delayed Serin and would keep her occupied for at least a couple of days, that didn’t mean that they didn’t run into any further complications.
Now that they had gone loud with their movements, they began moving much faster, though still under the [Shroud] created by Ezekiel.
The only good thing they had going for them at the moment was the fact that, since this was the Desolate Lands, the amount of Cruor that were grouped together was much sparser when compared to the front lines. Though, that meant there would be another problem once they reached the border.
“Incoming to the left! Aerial bombardment about to make impact!” Ezekiel’s warnings had the Hunters spring into action.
It had been roughly a day, at least according to Ezekiel’s inner clock, and they had been forced to fend off against nearly a hundred Cruor of varying Tiers. Most were Adepts, but at least a third had been Legendary.
At the same time, there had been significantly more Umbral Beasts that were directed their way. These ones were almost entirely Adepts, but the sheer numbers were troublesome.
“Lightning Hunters, fire when ready! Cavern Hunters feel free to unleash spells when ready, just don’t block our path!” The indicated spell casters unleashed a torrent of Lightning into the sky, destroying most of the projectiles, while holes opened up in the ground, tearing apart the mushrooms that made up most of the ground.
“Riley, can you lead a team out to take out the turrets before they can take another shot?”
The draconic Flame Hunter in question had just let loose a wave of blue fire that had once again ignited the forest. Now that they weren’t bothering to hide, the Flame user in the convoy had started to much more freely use their magic.
“I can do that. Flame Hunters, on me, now!” Streaks of red light filled the sky as several Flame Hunters at the middle and upper Steps of Tier four slew into battle.
“Lightning users, lay down some cover to give them an opening! Death Mages, can you help widen the path?”
While Ezekiel was giving orders, he left the more ranged spell casters to do their thing. At the same time, most of the convoy that remained within his [Domain] engaged in melee with the weaker Cruor and Umbral Beasts that had gotten close.
It seemed like all the beasts in the forest had gathered to fight them.
“Exalt! We need help in the rear! There are Amalgams charging after us!”
Ezekiel whipped around upon hearing the worst possible scenario occurring.
Behind the convoy, a dozen Legendary Amalgam Beasts were ripping through the barriers erected by the Hunters as they moved. They would be on top of the group within moments.
“Dammit! I don’t have enough mana to keep [Jumping] us further away!” This had been one of the other problems with burning the forest. Enhancing the spells of the Flame magic had drained a large chunk of his mana.
He could attempt to absorb some Ichor once again, but the strain of doing so on a constant basis had begun to wear him down. Better to let the others get some work in while they traveled. It seemed like a few Hunters were almost ready for a breakthrough at this point.
“I need two dozen reinforced stone spears! Now!” His order was fulfilled in moments, and several spears floated in the air in front of him. “Brace yourselves!”
With that, he let himself go wild, and threw the spears with all his might, all without using any additional mana to enhance himself. His physique was already strong enough to punch through a Legendary Bone Cruor’s body armor with relative ease.
Throwing the spears like this didn’t guarantee that the Amalgam Beasts would die in one hit, but it would damage them enough that they would be forced to stop moving forward in order to heal.
Twelve wet and meaty slams could be heard as the impact from his makeshift weapons nearly tore the Amalgams apart. Several did die, due to their heads and upper body being destroyed, while the others tumbled on the ground.
“Watchers! Are there anymore--”
Just as he was about to request an update on their pursuers, the area was filled with a bright, opalescent, light that emaciated from the now floating sword that had been resting on his transport.
Ezekiel’s face split into a massive grin. He could feel the change in his bonded Spirit. A pressure that was only slightly weaker than his own, but still stronger than Legendary, settled over the area.
“Recall! Recall! All forces fall in together, as tightly as you can!”
Whilst confused as to what had changed, the convoy stopped their progress forward. The Flame Hunters and Mages returned from the freshly decimated Cruor, and once they were inside Ezekiel’s domain, everybody disappeared.
Whilst costly, Ezekiel had [Jumped] knowing that the price would be worth it in just a few hours.
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The glow of the burning forest brought a frown to Serin’s face. She had been running around, putting out fires throughout the Fungal Forest for hours at this point. Yet, the moment she put out one of them another would pop up.
“How many firebombs does that bastard have?” she growled out her question to the air. No one else was nearby, the fires having diverted the majority of the Umbral Beasts, and the Cruor that had followed her had broken off to chase the Herald. “I’ll be at this all day...”
Holding out her hands, fire retardant mold grew from her fingers. It broke apart and turned into a thick blanket that covered the flames. It wasn’t immediate, but the fires in the area around her did go out.
“That’s one more area down,’ she turned to look at the orange light that glowed on the horizon, “just a few dozen more to go.”
A wave of exhaustion passed through her as she felt the Ichor in her veins thinning from the effort that she was going through to put out these fires. Such things were rare in the Desolate Lands. The naturally occurring circumstances that would allow such things didn’t exist, so forest fires had never occurred before.
The thing closest to this event that had happened before was when Hunters created fires on the edges of the Desolate Lands. Places that had much less vegetation.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“At least we developed these molds.” She held up a hand and let the heavy growths fall from it in a shower that smothered another flame. “I would hate to know how badly we’d suffer if we hadn’t.”
Just thinking about how quickly the destruction of the Fungal Forest would spread from an uncontrolled fire was enough to make her shiver in horror.
“Matriarch!” A voice called out from above.
Looking up, Serin saw a Winged Cruor descending on her position.
“What are you doing here? Why are you not chasing after the Herald?” she asked, her voice a quiet growl that expressed anger at the other’s presence.
It was a partially false anger. For the moment, Ezekiel needed to escape so that he could grow strong enough to fulfill the Broods’ goals. At the same time, she was utterly hateful toward the man that had caused such destruction to her home.
“My lady, we need your aid! The Herald disappeared once more. Right after his sword shone brightly, with a heavy pressure reminiscent of a power equal to the Herald himself.” The Winged Cruor bowed his head while hovering in the air. “We believe that the Void Spirit underwent a breakthrough.”
For a moment, Serin remained silent as she pondered over what this would mean for herself and the other Broodlords.
Previously, it had been estimated that Ezekiel would need to be at least in the middle Steps before he would be able to fulfill their desires. If the Herald’s Spirit had also broken through, then it would mean that he was one more Step closer. The ability of a Hunter to share and use their Spirit’s mana meant that his strength was greater than expected.
Of course, she couldn’t allow her followers to know this. The need for the Herald of the Void to live was a secret that none could know before the time was right.
“This bodes ill for us. To allow the Herald to grow stronger, even if it is through his Spirit, means that it will be even harder to bring him down.” Her words were purely for the sake of the Cruor she was speaking to. “Yet, I cannot divert my attention at the moment. We do not have enough Cruor capable of growing the mold needed to douse the fires. If I leave now, then the remaining flames will spread even further, and the damage might take years to recover from.”
She acted as though she was thinking hard on what to do.
“Divert our forces to the border. Command the Umbral Beasts to continue tracking and hunting the Humans and their Spirits to push them forward. Give them no rest.” This was the best plan she could think of that wasn’t likely to succeed but would seemingly do so for the sake of the lesser Cruor.
“As you command, Matriarch!” The Cruor clasped his hands as if in prayer and bowed even deeper before returning to an upright position. “What shall our forces do at the border?”
At this question, Serin smiled, a true one this time.
“You shall provide assistance to the forces fighting the Human nation. If the humans wish to destroy our territory, then it is only fair we do the same to them.” The thought of destroying more of humanity’s territory sent a thrill through her spine. “Lord Rafael will be there. Tell him everything that happened here and get him ready to intercept the Herald when he crosses through that territory.”
“As you command, Matriarch!” The Winged Cruor bowed shallowly once more, before turning away and flying at his top speed.
Serin watched for a few seconds, before turning back to the flames once more. They had grown bigger and spread to more areas during her talk with the messenger.
With a sigh, she got back to work, frantically taking action to save as much of her forest as possible.
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The Hunter Convoy was quiet, and there was a tense and heavy atmosphere that had settled over them. It had been an hour since they’d gotten out of the area where their last attack had been.
Now, with the work and efforts of all the Legendary Hunters, they had crafted a rough but stable defensive fortification that had given them a reprieve from the constant onslaught of enemies.
In the center of the fortifications, Ezekiel was meditating while maintaining hie [Shroud] over the temporary base. But with how he was sweating and shaking, it was obvious that the was struggling to continue with his current actions.
Of course, the brightly glowing sword that was as long as he was tall was more than a good enough reason for the group to stay where they were. A pool of Ichor surrounded the blade, where it was slowly being absorbed into Shine in order to fill up their now Mythical mana levels.
The fact that the power being released by Shine’s form was stabilizing brought a sense of hope to all the Hunters present.
“Riley,” he called out, his voice weak and strained, but steady enough to still be heard by those close by, “how is the barrier? Have there been any sightings of Umbral Beasts of Cruor?”
“Not at the moment. We’re doing fine for the moment, so you just concentrate on keeping steady. Okay?” Riley was fretting as she sat in front of Ezekiel.
George was working on him, doing his best to keep Ezekiel’s condition healthy. There were no problems at the moment, but with the increase in strain, his efforts had forced him to push himself to the point where he wouldn’t be able to stay conscious for much longer.
“We’ve got maybe a few hours left before you’re going to collapse from exhaustion. That last [Jump] really drained your energy. Both mana and stamina.” George shook his head. “That said, other than some stress on your soul, you’re healthy enough that bed rest is all you’ll need to recover.”
“Heh... Well, that won’t be a problem for long.” Ezekiel opened his eyes, his face widened into a smile. “They’re awake.”
With a pulse that spread through the temporary base, but was stopped by the [Shroud], Shine turned into a strobe-light. Seeing this, Ezekiel pulled the various vessels he had made for Shine from his Void Pouch.
Each one flew through the air toward Shine’s body. They were filled with light, the same as Shine, and melded into the floating blade.
The sword didn’t increase in size, but as it slowly descended to the ground, it became apparent that Shine’s mass had vastly increased. The indent that surrounded them sank several feet down the moment the light from their blade turned off.
A loud ‘boom’ echoed through the area, and the ground shook from the force of the impact.
Shine disappeared a moment later, reappearing in front of Ezekiel, and settling onto his lap.
The foot wide blade now had an image of a featureless humanoid figure that moved across the flat side of the opalescent blade.
“Congratulations.” Ezekiel barely finished speaking before he allowed himself to relax.
Falling forward, he fell unconscious, draped over his bonded Spirit.
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There was a brief panic when Ezekiel pitched forward, but the gentle invisible hand from Shine that held the others back prevented an outbreak of chaos.
“It’s fine, he’s just unconscious.” Shine was calm as he seamlessly took over for Ezekiel in holding the [Shroud] that covered the group. “He’s just resting, like you said he would need to. He’ll probably be out for at least a few hours. Though, I’ll keep him out for a few days if possible.”
Shine’s words calmed the others, and they gently lifted Ezekiel into the air, floating him over to Riley, who took him into her arms to take care of him.
“...Will you be able to keep up the [Shroud]?” Fiana approached from where she had been observing everything that had happened. “Not that I think we’ll need to leave anytime soon, but if we need to, it would be good to know that you can keep us hidden.”
Shine rose into the air, before sinking point first into the ground. A pulse of mana filled the [Domain] that Ezekiel had created to make his [Shroud]. A shift occurred, and the one-way translucent barrier that kept them hidden disappeared.
Instead, there was not a single thing that could be seen. It was nothing more than a pitch-black [Void] that surrounded them. One that was lit up purely by the light that emanated from Shine, and the little campfires that a few of the Hunters and Mages had created.
Alien [Understandings] and a strange [Truth] that seemed separated from the World filled this [Space], and while it was somewhat uncomfortable, there was no sense of danger or threat to be felt. Just an itch, like something wasn’t right, but you couldn’t tell what was wrong.
“Keep calm.” Shine’s voice filled the camp. “I have moved us into a [Space] similar to what exists within a Void Pouch. We are completely hidden. To the point that not even the [Shroud] that kept us hidden before can compare. Nothing will find us here, and I can maintain this for as long as Ezekiel can. Indefinitely, so long as I meditate to expedite my mana recovery.”
There were murmurings throughout the camp as the Hunters discussed what had happened.
“Why didn’t the Exalt do this?” Everyone turned to the Scholar that had spoken up. “That’s not a critique. I was just curious.”
Everyone turned back to Shine.
“It has to do with my specialty, and the [Enlightenment] I received when I ascended. Once he wakes up, Ezekiel will be able to do this as well. But there are limitations that the standard [Shroud] does not have.” Shine’s words drew concerned looks from the Hunters. “Don’t worry. We simply won’t be able to move from where we were in the Forest. So long as we don’t run out of food and water, you will all be fine. Given our supplies, you all should be able to last for a few weeks.”
That made the others calm down. If it was simply a matter of not being able to move, it would be fine, so long as they didn’t stay longer than their supplies lasted.
“That should be fine,” Fiana said, a sigh of relief escaped her chest. “That’s more than enough time for Ezekiel to recover. At which point, with both you and him being Mythical Beings, we should be able to move far more quickly.”
Shine’s face on their blade nodded. “Indeed. I estimate that, with my power now capable of multiplying his own, we shouldn’t take more than a couple of days to get there.”
The Hunters goggled at Shine’s statement. That was significantly faster than they had expected.
“Don’t be so surprised. We no longer need to constantly move under cover. We can actually rest and recover our mana without being interrupted by Cruor or Umbral Beasts. That means that we can use our mana freely, rather than conservatively.”
A collective expression of revelation spread through the camping convoy.
If Ezekiel could freely use their mana to [Jump] or [Sling] them into the distance, without having to worry about being overwhelmed by battles, then their speed would indeed increase as exponentially as Shine had said it would.
“For the moment, everyone should rest, meditate, and recover as best you can. We’ll be here for at least a day. So do what you need to do to get yourselves into your best condition.”
A sense of relief passed through the camp, and the Hunters and Mages did as Shine suggested.
After a few minutes, there was nothing but silence in the [Closed Space] that Shine had created.
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Taking into account the extra rest time, each of the Hunters was much more relaxed and ready to go once Ezekiel awakened for the final time. He had actually woken up several times, but due to Shine and Riley insisting that he get more rest, along with the assurance that they were fine, he allowed himself to get a full day of sleep thanks to George using his magic to help him recover.
“Alright then... Is everybody ready?” he asked, his voice calm and collected, with more control and confidence than he had had when they had first set out on this journey.
Seeing nods and grins from all the Hunters in the camp, Ezekiel smiled as well, before wincing as the pulling sensation on his soul grew to levels he could no longer ignore.
He kept it hidden, however, and pulled Shine from the ground instead. When he saw that Riley had noticed, he gave her a reassuring grin that seemed to work, but he knew they’d be talking later.
‘It’s gotten worse again, hasn’t it?’ Shine asked with restrained anger filling their voice.
‘It’s fine for now, but we need to get moving. How does it look outside?’ Ezekiel decided he would worry about his own issues later. ‘Do we need an explosive exit, or are we okay to ease ourselves out more comfortably?’
He felt Shine divert their attention, and his sight was filled with a three-hundred-and-sixty degree vision of the area around where they would be exiting the [Closed Space].
Other than a few lesser Umbral Beasts, there was nothing that was of any major concern, but their vision was limited, so it was possible that something was there. It just wasn’t something they could see at the moment.
‘...Defensive [Domain] with quiet exit. No need to grab attention if there’s no one watching.’ Ezekiel’s decision received a mental nod from the Void Spirit, and he held up an open hand.
Counting down with his fingers, he merged his own mana with the [Closed Space], turning it into a defensive [Barrier] that would deflect at least a few Tier five attacks.
Once he closed his fist entirely, the world shifted, and the pitch-black dome that had covered the convoy was once again filled with the sight of the Fungal Forest.
A second later, Ezekiel grabbed his chest, as a sense of danger that was so great it forced a physical reaction on him passed through his body. He immediately fell to his knees. His eyes gazed into the distance, and a vision of something happening far away passed through his mind.
“Ezekiel!” Riley’s shocked cry grabbed the attention of the other Hunters, who were dazed by the effects of the change in their vision.
But Ezekiel didn’t reply, nor did he accept help getting up.
Instead, he glared into the distance, and the group was [Slung] away at the fastest speed he could make possible.
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Thousands of kilometers away, at one of the eastern borders of the Desolate Lands, Wolken was in trouble. The defensive line he had joined for the sake of supporting the Hunters that had gathered together to defend the southern parts of Quintessa had fallen.
His Spirit Armor was cracked, and there was blood running down his side. Scars lined his face from where Life Mages had been forced to heal him as quickly as they could. In his hands was a broken set of daggers that were once enchanted but were now useless pieces of scrap.
He had been forced to order a full retreat and was now looking down on a monstrosity that stood nearly a hundred feet tall.
It was covered in spikes, with wicked looking claws and fangs. There was a passing resemblance to a wolf, due to the fur and general shape of its head, but the countless mouths that opened into jagged holes that seemed to eat whatever magic Wolken threw at it twisted the wolfen image into something too bizarre to be compared with.
“Rafael, the King of Fangs...” Wolken’s words were a whisper in the wind, yet, even so, he could tell that his opponent could hear him.
“Wolken, the Sky Leviathan... You’re weaker than the last time we fought.” Rafael’s voice sounded twisted and echoey, coming from multiple mouths at once. “Tell me... are you ready to die?”
Wolken remained silent. The battlefield was empty except for these two combatants.
Twisters formed and tore at Rafael’s form but did little as the mana that made them was eaten.
At the same time, muscles flexed, and sharp, toothy, protrusions shot out of Rafael’s body at breakneck speeds.
Without any further banter, the battle between titans began again.