Ezekiel flew through the air after Strom hit him with a giant stone hammer. The massive construct was usually something that he’d be able to avoid, but this time, with the Void Artifact given by the Quintessa Void Remnant, there were several spatial effects that were making it harder for him.
For instance, Within a ten-meter radius of Strom’s body, there was a constantly shifting warp that didn’t affect the Cavern Hunter in any way. However, it made it impossible to get up close and personal.
The thought of [Jumping] didn’t even cross his mind, since it would mean basically tearing himself apart if he did.
“Honestly, I should’ve expected this. The old monsters from back in the day are far too obsessed to just let me go once they’ve latched on.” Ezekiel stepped out of the way of a barrage of stone spikes. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me what else that little gift of yours can do?”
Strom responded with a sudden shift in his position. It wasn’t a [Jump] but instead Ezekiel could tell that it was something like a fault shift. Pressure was built up, and then suddenly released, causing an instantaneous displacement.
Ezekiel frowned in thought as he observed the changes in Strom’s demeanor and ability. While the magic that the Cavern Hunter was using wasn’t beyond the abilities of a Mythical being, it was touching the symbolic imposition of an element.
The empowered strike was strong enough that he was barely able to raise his hands to block the strike from the spiked club that was aimed at his stomach. Even then, the barriers he’d thrown up were barely capable of holding on.
The constantly shifting space that surrounded Strom was something that Ezekiel was forced to always be wary of. Hence the need to divert most of his attention to dispersing as much of the effect as possible. While also maintaining a stable space around himself to be ripped apart.
‘I’m not sure that this is going to be worth it. You need to still be in good condition when the next step goes into motion. Without me there, you’re fighting three against one.’ Shine said through their bond. The Spirit’s words made Ezekiel grimace in annoyance, but he couldn’t deny the fact that this fight was far more evenly matched than he wanted it to be.
‘Given that our target should already be close by, I’ll try to finish this as soon as possible.’
With that said, Ezekiel shifted tactics. Instead of focusing on maneuvers, skills, and spells, he decided to just brute force it. Something he would usually never do. Not even with Shine supporting him.
His [Domain] was immediately deployed, and it covered a much vaster area than what it had when he’d been in the Void Temple.
There was a shifting sensation, like holding onto a handful of worms, where Strom was located. The Cavern Mythic’s own [Domain] was also deployed in full, and although it was much smaller than Ezekiel’s it was just as strong due to the enhancement from the Void Remnant.
“I have to say... you’re the only person besides Wolken that I’ve ever truly been envious of.” Strom called out with a voice that was deep and rumbled with the might of the earth. “I’ve felt this way ever since you reached the Legendary Tier when you were barely even a man yet.”
Despite their fighting, Ezekiel couldn’t help but feel flattered. “Thank you. However, your own achievements are not to be dismissed.”
He shifted gravity within his [Domain]. It increased by a factor of ten, and Strom nearly fell to his knees. His body was barely able to hold on. If it wasn’t for his Spirit Armor, he most certainly would’ve fallen by this point.
Strom Let out a pained groan as the spatial shifting from his Artifact changed to lessen the burden from the increased gravity.
Ezekiel could feel the effects fighting against his [Domain], even as stone pillars tried to rise up and strike him. They collapsed as pinpoint strikes of gravity made them crack and crumble.
He lightly stepped onto the ground and began walking toward the downed Cavern Hunter.
“Yeah... Maybe my actions were also great, if smaller than yours...” Strom fell to one knee as Ezekiel increased the gravity once more. “However, as much as I admire you, I have to say, you’re still too young. You still don’t know what’s really at stake. What really matters in this world.”
For a moment, Ezekiel paused, then, he threw himself forward and delivered an uppercut directly to Strom’s chin. The man flew through the air, even with the enhanced gravity, but Ezekiel knew that his blow hadn’t done anything.
Strom’s head was too hard, and his blow was too soft. The Cavern Hunter’s Spirit Armor had been strengthened, and the Void Remnant had shifted the effects of his Artifact at the last second.
Worse yet, at least half of the force behind the blow had been reflected back against him. While his own body was incredibly tough, without Shine to form his Spirit Armor, he ended up breaking a few fingers. With an annoyed sigh, he grits his teeth before setting the bone and accelerating his healing.
Over half his mana had been used up at this point, and he wasn’t certain how much the Void Remnant was supplementing Strom’s abilities. Hopefully, it wasn’t too significant, but given the [Pseudo-Domain] that the Artifact around Strom was emitting, he knew that he needed to end this in a believable way much more quickly.
Yet even though he knew better, Strom’s words grated him. They were like nails on a chalkboard. Not in how they sounded, but in what they meant.
“I hate it when people tell me what should and shouldn’t matter... It’s almost as bad as when they judge me for circumstances beyond my control, or for simply trying to make my way in the world.” He looked at his fist, even as he heard Strom push himself up from where he had landed.
The Cavern Hunter was glowing, and opalescent light mingled with the light of the man’s mana.
“What you value, what others value, will not be the same for me. My life has been different from yours, and vice versa. The entirety of the world has, time and time again, hunted me down. Not all, at first, but far more greatly as time went on. Every day, since I first Awakened my magic, I’ve been forced to prove myself. To prove my worth, just to survive. Some people have done their best to help me, but only after I showed them what I could do. What the Void could do. Something that the Remnants of the Void were never able to achieve.”
By this point, Ezekiel wasn’t being careful with his mana. He was letting it burn, just to enhance the gravity of his [Domain] to stop Strom from moving. It worked, mostly, but he knew that it wouldn’t hold on for much longer.
The good thing was that the Void Artifact was blinking. It seemed as though it was running out of energy, or the link between it and the Void Remnant of Quintessa was fraying.
“You are not the only person in this world! There are countless lives out there that matter. You are only one of them!” Strom yelled as he strained under Ezekiel’s might. “To be willing to sacrifice them all, just to fulfill your own desires... just how selfish are you!?”
There was a crack as the air in Ezekiel’s [Domain] was displaced. He was forced to bend out of the way as Strom, temporarily immune to the effects of his [Domain] flew over his head.
A [Void Pane] blade formed in Ezekiel’s hand. It shone with the light of his mana. Sparks flew as Strom’s club, now also covered in the strange lines emanating from the Artifact on his chest, became locked in combat with Ezekiel’s spell.
“I see... you believe that all lives are equal, don’t you.” Ezekiel said in a flat and dead sounding voice. “You’d kill one person, even if they were a newborn baby, if it meant saving ten, or something along those lines, wouldn’t you?”
“... I would not like it, but that is the most logical choice to take. I would fight for another way, just as I tried to do when I followed Wolken, but if that is what it took, I would do it.” Strom pushed forward, his mana manipulated the earth beneath him to carry him, even under the pressure of the increased gravity.
Ezekiel stepped back, forcing Strom to overextend. At this point, besides the spells used to move and manipulate their bodies to fight in melee, little magic was used. It was all dedicated to restraining the other or pushing against the said restraints.
“It isn’t fair, but life isn’t fair. All we can do is become strong enough to prevent what tragedies we can.” Strom seemed to force himself into a more upright position as he said this.
Hearing this, and the self-righteousness in Strom’s absolute certainty that he was right, while also regretting his actions, was enough to make Ezekiel snap. Even with his mana dulling his emotions.
“What do you think I’ve been doing these past thirty years!?” Decades of pent-up emotions, thought to have been let out when he’d told Riley everything, and told what he could to the rest of his family, came bubbling to the surface. “From the day I was born into this world, I have done almost everything I could to get the power to save everyone. Yet now I’m told that my efforts were for nothing, and that I needed to die! Which was not in the contract with Eldramir that I agreed to!”
By this point, the two had exchanged several dozen blows. Strom had several cuts in his Spirit Armor, and Ezekiel was bleeding from the stab wounds made by Strom’s club. His bones were cracked in a few places as well, but he had [Enhanced] their healing after ensuring that they were in the proper place.
Now, spurred on by his boiling rage, Ezekiel brought his free hand back, surrounding it with a [Shroud] and threw a punch at Strom’s face. A bit of [Nothingness] protected the Cavern Hunter, but he still went flying backward as Ezekiel’s own [Nothingness] canceled out the one from the Void Remnant.
His wrist snapped under the force of the blow, and he felt Strom’s faceplate shatter. The Cavern Hunter was finally running out of mana. His Artifact was no longer able to supplement him. Not safely, at least.
“I may be younger than you, but if you think I haven’t sacrificed for this world as well, just because of my age, then you’re a fool. Different things, including people, have different values. If you’re truly willing to give up the people you care for, just because it’ll save the most lives, then those people must’ve been absolutely worthless to you.” Ezekiel [Telekinetically] forces his arm and wrist into place before healing it.
He looked at Strom who, now without his faceplate, was glaring at him.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“You know nothing of what I’ve sacrificed. I had thought that you were just a foolish young man who hadn’t yet learned the cost of protecting this world. Now I see you are nothing but a blind fool who is twisted beyond salvation. It seems that the Void Remnant was right about you.” The older Hunter spit to the side and tried to push himself up, but Ezekiel didn’t let him.
He reared back his arm before whipping it forward. Strom tried to roll out of the way, but Ezekiel had predicted that. So, the [Void Pane] blade still hit its mark, cutting through Strom’s leg. Even as a stone spike rose from the ground to pierce him through the back.
By this point, Ezekiel only had a third of his mana. Enough for the next fight, but he needed to finish this one now. The fallen Hunters also needed to be sent away, though he trusted Shine for that.
“The fact that you’re still alive means that you and I have very different ideas of what it means to sacrifice something. Something that I’d love to school you on. But right now, you’re done. I can’t afford to waste any more time on you.” The amulet on Strom’s chest glowed brightly, but Ezekiel wasn’t having it.
Although the Remnant was more powerful, and far older, than Ezekiel, the Void Hunter was a great deal trickier, and had seen things regarding the use of the Void that the Remnant never had.
As such, when Ezekiel dashed forward and grabbed hold of the Artifact itself, only for the piece of the Remnant’s soul to strike at his own, the Remnant was unprepared for his counterattack.
There was a brief battle of [Wills] with the Remnant’s being somewhat greater than Ezekiel’s. But the trick Ezekiel used against it was one that he recalled from his memories acquired in the Ancient Legacy. One he hadn’t understood and was risky to apply to himself.
[Wormhole]
It was a magic that he had thought was connected to his [Jump] magic. Even the Void Remnants could use it within their Temples. Though they didn’t know how the spell actually worked. Having even been given the name [Void Gate] by himself, Shine, and implied to be as much when observing the memories of the Ancient Void. However, this was wrong.
[Wormhole] acted very differently than his [Jump] and [Sling] spells. It was only after hours of [Predicting] and [Simulating] futures with different outcomes that he finally achieved it.
Yet now he was able to use it, thought it was costly when applied to the real world.
Not so much when he made a symbolic, but still working, one within his soul, to forcefully shunt any spiritual intruders through the bond he had with Shine, instantaneously changing their position. Only to collapse this symbolic representation while the Void Remnant’s soul fragment was in transit.
Thus, the [Will] of the Remnant experienced being torn apart on a metaphysical level, while not actually suffering these effects. Giving Ezekiel the opening he needed to wipe it out in an instant.
The Artifact crumbled in Ezekiel’s hand, even as he opened his eyes, having closed them when the Remnant tried to wipe him out from the inside. He took a deep breath and sighed before standing up.
Strom saw the Artifact crumble, and tried to bring forth his magic, but Ezekiel was holding onto his increased gravity. By this point, Strom Spirit was also nearly out of mana. The effort needed to fend off against Ezekiel’s significantly stronger [Domain] had left them both exhausted.
“Return to the Temple when you wake up and get Wolken to get his ready to hold the line.” Ezekiel grabbed Strom and whispered harshly into the man’s ear. A pulse of [Nothingness] prevented him from using his magic, and it would take some time for the effects to fade or be fought off.
The Cavern Hunter was shocked for a moment, before Ezekiel shoved him so hard he felt his chest plate and ribs crack. He’d need to see a Life Mage if he wanted to fix those, but Ezekiel couldn’t focus on that right now.
Before anything else could be done, a forest of wooden spikes, each one glowing with sickly golden veins, shot out from the ground. They only just missed Strom as he flew into the distance.
All while Ezekiel was consumed.
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There was a very brief sense of shock that passed through Strom’s mind as he flew several kilometers away from his battle with Ezekiel. The fact that he was even alive at the moment, especially after that sneak attack from Endaria, was nearly too much for him to comprehend.
He had thought that the Void Hunter was too angry to hold back in those final moments. With how little mana he had left, it would’ve been easy for Ezekiel to kill him. Especially with his now lack of support from the Void Remnant. Something that he knew he’d be paying for later.
“I’ve got you,” a voice flowed into his ears from nowhere, and just as he recovered, Strom found himself somewhere else before he could rush back into the fight with Ezekiel.
Out of reflex, he swung his weapon around, but he found himself frozen before he could finish his attack. A glowing opalescent sword that was as long as he was tall floated in the air in front of him.
The humanoid figure that was visible on the flat side of the blade looked less than pleased. Something that was only exacerbated by the sensation of telekinetic restraints holding him in place.
“I’m going to say this once. I don’t think that you deserve to live. It’s only by my partner’s mercy that you do.” Shine declared, and Strom felt the last of his mana dissipate as a wave of [Nothingness] passed over him. His Spirit Armor faded, and his Spirit collapsed onto the ground next to him.
All around him were also the fallen bodies of his fellow Hunters. But they were still breathing, so he didn’t focus on them. Instead, he addressed the void Spirit that had him at their mercy.
“Why are you doing this? You can’t possibly believe that you’re doing the right thing by conceding to the Cruor’s demands.” Strom had expected an outburst from the Spirit, like the one from Ezekiel just a little while ago. Not the tired sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the world.
“The fact that you think Ezekiel would ever do that just goes to show how little you know about him. Worse, how much you blindly trust the word of a Spirit that has long since lost its mind to betrayal and time. The Remnant you worship knows even less about Ezekiel than you do. Let alone what it means to sacrifice oneself to save the ones you love.” Shine’s avatar didn’t move from where it stood on the face of their blade with their arms crossed.
“I already spoke with Ezekiel. Neither of you are willing to pay the price of sacrifice.” Strom wanted to get angry, but his exhaustion left him drained.
Shine just frowned. The first expression they had made since they had first spoken.
“What you call sacrifice is simply murder. The only time a sacrifice is worth something is when you are the one who is losing out. When it is willing and comes from the self. Otherwise, it’s murder and sometimes payment for gifts or forgiveness. The fact that you don’t recognize this just goes to show how blinded you already are.” Shine’s words echoed in the silent clearing as Strom tried to process them.
“... If that is what you believe, then why does Ezekiel still fight!? The fact that he hasn’t sacrificed himself already just goes to show how empty your words are.” The indignity and righteous anger in his voice rumbled through the air.
“Because sacrificing himself to you and the Remnant won’t stop what’s already set to come. Tell me, did you ever find remains in the cities that were destroyed?”
Strom shook his head in response to Shine’s question, somewhat thrown off by its seemingly random nature. Shine just smiled sadly and asked a question that nearly made Strom's blood turn to ice.
“Then let me ask you something else... When have the Cruor ever not harvested Void Mages in cities that they’ve struck?”
The implication wasn’t lost on him. Strom could tell that Shine was implying that the Cruor had been taking the Void Mages. Usually this would be done to convert them, but with what the world had been through so far, there must’ve been something else going on.
“Are they using the more powerful Void Mages and Hunters to eat away at the seals?” He whispered the question with horrified curiosity.
“We don’t know for sure, but we know that the [Will] of the magic is what matters in this instance. If corrupted, weakening the seal is possible. Although, we only figured that out recently. Our previous concerns were based on words from records of the Ancient Void. Those records didn’t explain how, or why, however, so we were stumbling in the dark for a while.”
Strom heard what Shine was saying, but still felt lost as he realized that the Remnant was wrong. It wasn’t just Ezekiel that could break the seals, it was all the Void Mages, even if they swore an oath. He had so many more questions, but a part of him knew that the Void Spirit in front of him wouldn’t answer, but he still had to ask at least one.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“...because he asked me to. That’s all.” The Spirit silently turned away from him. They stared into the distance, and he then realized that the clearing they were in was moving. Without disturbing any of the injured Hunters in the process. Much to his awe.
The power needed to shift the landscape itself was incredible. Significantly more difficult than defeating him in a battle, even when empowered and supported by the Void Remnant.
That left him wondering, just why did Ezekiel fight him the way that he had. Looking back, it was wasteful, and time consuming. To the point that it would be difficult to fight any other Mythic in the world.
So, what in the world was he actually planning?
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Ezekiel burst through the cage of wood with relative ease. Even though they were reinforced, his control over his element meant that he could infuse more [Understandings] and [Figurative Meanings], the final description he’d given to the application of symbolic concepts tied to one's element, into his magic that Endaria simply couldn’t.
That didn’t mean that he was going to show his full hand right here and now, of course.
“Endaria... I see your true master has shown his face, after how many years now?” He made sure to sound as mocking and disdainful as he could. There was sneer on his face, and he spat a mouthful of blood to the side.
Without even looking at it, he grabbed the large branch that was poking through his side. It hadn’t struck anything too important, nothing he couldn’t heal from, at least.
“What happened to trying to kill me? Finally figured out that your beliefs, your faith, are nothing but a lie?” With a sharp tug he pulled the wooden spike from his body without even grunting in pain.
A shining opalescent light glowed brightly, and his injuries disappeared.
“Your words mean nothing to me anymore. The Light has always, and shall always, guide me along the proper path.” Floating in the air, Endaria did not look good.
The past year of fighting with Wolken by destroying cities with the Cruor meant that she had had little time to rest and recuperate. Her so-called [Blessing] was also tearing her apart.
It wasn’t obvious in the projections cast by the Com-Slates, but half her body was consumed by golden lines that wrapped around her like ropes. Her eyes no longer glowed with the verdant light of her element. Instead, they were an oily gold color, and her Spirit seemed to have fused with her body.
Roots dug into her back, and what was once her Spirit Armor was now a wooden plating that resembled it, but Ezekiel could tell that it was actually growing out of her body.
“You’re not human anymore, are you?” Ezekiel said with a large amount of disgust tainting his voice.
Endaria just smiled, causing nauseous shivers to run up and down Ezekiel’s body.
“I have been brought to a higher level of existence. One that is ever closer to my Radiant Lord’s true form. One that you will help to bring into this world.” The fanatical worship in her voice made Ezekiel cringe.
“How did you even get my family? They’re far too smart to fall for your traps.” This had been something that had bugged him, since he knew that Morncrest would not have given in to the Cruor’s demands. Nor would his mother and Riley have let themselves be captured.
“My masters are more capable than you could ever imagine. Their power was great enough that the Remnant of Morncrest, and the Forest Spirit that protected it, bowed to their demands. Your sisters were handed over months ago, and when we finally managed to corner your mother and the traitorous whore, it was a simple matter to get them to give up.” A sickly giggle escaped the crazed and corrupted Exalt’s lips. “All it took was a few words to make them acknowledge our true might.”
Ezekiel perked up, as his instincts told him that what Endaria had just said was important.
“What the hell did my sisters say?” Genuine curiosity filled his voice.
“Some tripe about how your mother and the whore needed to trust you, and that this was how it would be done. Nonsense, of course, but it seems that the Remnant had truly given up, if it could convince your sisters that you would save them. As if that would ever be possible!” Endaria snarled in anger as she remembered what had been said. “It was obvious that the Remnant was simply convincing them to leave so that it could save itself. How pathetic!”
With a sigh, Ezekiel just shook his head as a small smirk crossed his face.
“Well, I guess you can believe what you want to believe. Now, what will you do next? There’s no way that you can face me. Not if this is all that you are.” He gestured to Endaria’s everything. “Your power is barely greater than Strom’s was, and he only lasted as long as he did because the Remnant of Quintessa was supporting him. You stand no chance on your own.”
A wide grin spread across his face. One that Endaria matched.
During their entire conversation, the only thing that they had done was expand their [Domains], so as to gauge their respective strengths. Ezekiel had an advantage right now, but was still tired, and he didn’t know what tricks Endaria might have up her sleeve. He had some idea from his predictions, but the risk was still there. He hadn’t seen how this would end, after all. Just that he would get captured.
However, when Endaria pointed a finger up at the sky, his eyes widened, and he threw everything he had into casting the most powerful shield he could. One that was focused entirely on defending against physical attacks. No magic was spent trying to dispel mana or infuse [Nothingness] into the spell. It was purely [Force Redirect] and other [Understandings] that would affect physical impacts.
Just in time to get knocked on his ass after a flaming feather nearly ten times bigger than Shine descended significantly faster than the speed of sound and hit him directly on the head.