The moment that Ezekiel threw Shine away so that they could chase after the copies sent out by Radiant Chaos, he knew that the flow of the battle was going to shift against him.
It wasn’t immediate, but now that he no longer had a weapon to more easily channel his spells, he was forced to make each blow against his enemy with his own body.
“Without your tool your body is too loose. It’s too fresh! Even now, the scent of your Ichor is smothered by my miasma.” Radiant Chaos' spoke in a mocking tone, but Ezekiel didn’t care. Though he did make his next hit a little bit harder at the insult directed at Shine.
His Spirit was not, and would never be, a tool. At the same time though, he had no pride in his form and was more frustrated at no longer having the human appearance that he had before. If anything, the fact that Radiant Chaos' was trying to mock him made him proud, because it meant that he was still very different from the Broodmaster.
A smile began to spread across his face, bringing even more anger out from Radiant Chaos.
“Your insults are childish. Are you certain that you’re older than me? If that’s the case, then it’s obvious that I’m far more experienced than you.” Ezekiel spoke softly, but even so his words came out in a booming voice that sent ripples across Radiant Chaos’ surface. “Perhaps you’d like to speak with the children at the academy I once taught at? I’m sure the younger ones will be about as mature as you are.”
Something shifted in the Broodmasters demeanor. It screamed once again, but this time it wasn’t just one voice. Instead, it was hundreds, if not thousands, that called out at once.
“You laugh now, but not for long!” Runic circles appeared in the shape of molten gold constructs. “Even if you can barely match my body, my magic is greater than yours!”
Ezekiel couldn’t help but frown. The fact that Radiant Chaos had consumed the entirety of the original Ancient Radiance meant that it did have access to the magic of an Ancient being.
It was something that Ezekiel didn’t have, since his own magic was still at Tier five. The difference, however, was the fact that he had actual experience in the more intricate methods of using his magic. Radiant Chaos would not have that.
Something that was made obvious when all that happened were beams of light that burned away anything in their path. When this happened, he was able to warp the space between him and the source of the beams, causing them to bend away.
“Your magic is simple! You might have greater strength, but you haven’t properly made it your own. You’ve merely stolen something you have no idea how to use!” He forced himself to sound confident, even though the effort it had taken to divert those attacks had been great.
His soul was beginning to strain thanks to how much magic he was forcing himself to use.
Skill and proficiency were one thing, but power was power. One wrong move, and he’d most certainly be injured in a manner that would either force him to flee or force him to do something far more drastic than he’d like.
Fortunately, it seems that Radiant Chaos was unable to keep up with his increased perception, and Ezekiel was able to both predict and evade all the incoming spells from the Broodmaster.
Even better, since Radiant Chaos was focused so much on using spells now, it was far easier to further disrupt its body. Its enormous form meant that it was able to strike from almost any angle, but it also meant that it was a massive target. Even more so than Ezekiel’s own towering figure.
“Hold still and die!” The Broodmasters behavior grew even more erratic than before.
It was something that Ezekiel was beginning to find strange. Yes, Radiant Chaos was a monster, but it wasn’t this emotional during Ezekiel’s previous interactions with it. At least, it was much harder to bring about such reactions.
An idea crossed his mind. One that made him grin once more.
“Are you the only one in there?” His soft voice rolled across the Ichor that flooded the ever-sinking pool below them both. He idly noticed that, if this went on for too much longer they would quickly find themselves touching lava.
With that in mind, he redoubled his efforts to keep Radiant Chaos here. If he could do that, then it was possible that the fight would turn in his favor.
At least, that was his thought until he realized that the Ichor had stopped moving. Even the beams of light had stopped firing at him. Instead, the pool of Ichor was utterly still, and had turned into a perfectly reflective surface.
It was eerie, and Ezekiel could feel that something had changed. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what to do. Yet his [Danger Sense] was quiet. It wasn’t screaming at him to run, evade, or do anything at all, but there was still a sense of unease from something else.
“...I see...”
Those two words nearly saw Ezekiel fall from where he stood in the sky. His [Danger Sense] immediately flared to life, and he fully opened himself to all the mana, and even the ambient miasma, that was around the both of them.
“So, they are still here...”
In an instant, all the Ichor that was in the hole below Ezekiel lit up with a blinding gold light. It spread far and wide, and if he hadn’t left himself a way out to [Jump] into the distance, Ezekiel knew that he would’ve been consumed.
This attack was different. It still held little to no skill, or any [Understandings] that he could sense. It was just light, but even countless kilometers away, just beyond the horizon, he could feel a pressure on his soul. One that felt like an uneven weight pressing down on him.
However, the problem wasn’t the weight, it was the fact that it seemed to be smoothing out. It was becoming more even as it burned with a heat that seared the soul.
Ezekiel prepared himself for another attack, but didn’t dare to actually enter the light. He felt that if he did, not even his own soul would remain unscathed.
Several minutes passed, but nothing happened, and with his increased perception, Ezekiel figured out what was going on.
That bastard! You’re burning your own soul to wipe out the impurities and pieces of the souls of those you consumed! He mentally screamed when he realized what Radiant Chaos' had figured out and smacked himself in the head for giving it that piece of information from his taunt.
“It doesn’t matter... This just means that you’ll be less distracted when we fight...” He wouldn’t admit it, but the erratic behavior was one of the few things that had been giving him an advantage to even out the battle.
If the conflicting thoughts and emotions in Radiant Chaos were to disappear, then it was possible that it would be able to use both spells, and its body, to their full extent.
On the other hand, with how the light is shrinking... This might be something that I can use.
Seeing the changes that were occurring right before his eyes, a second possibility passed through Ezekiel’s mind. The possibility that the Broodmaster would lose the power that was needed to keep the magic it had stolen under control.
After all, while the conflicting aspects in its soul were preventing it from focusing, they were also adding to its power, and essentially weighing down on its own magic so as to keep it from running rampant and breaking free.
Those are possibilities to take into consideration, but I need to focus on this right now.
With that in mind, Ezekiel began attacking once more. The light being released from the Broodmaster burned away most of his own magic, since it was a full Tier stronger, but it still chipped away at the golden Ichor all the same.
A funnel formed above him, and the miasma that slowly moved to fill in the holes that were created in the sky was directed into his body. His mana reserves were constantly refilled, and while his spells would grow no stronger, he could feel the strength returning to his body.
Taking a moment to look into the distance, he realized that the sun was beginning to rise. Nearly a full day and night had passed, and he wasn’t sure what to think about the time he had lost while fighting.
The only positive thing that he could think of was the fact that at least the Broodmaster’s efforts to free the others hadn’t succeeded so far.
That could change at any moment, however, so he worked even harder to chip away as much as he could of Radiant Chaos' power and life.
It was just a few minutes later that a message from Shine came through their bond. It was concerning, and Ezekiel was forced to rethink his strategy, and as he did, an idea came to him. Something that might even the scales a bit more, but only if he could move quickly enough, and only if Shine could finish their next task.
Shine...This is what I need you to do...
As he spoke, giving Shine their instructions, he began weaving a spell, and sectioning off a portion of his soul. It wouldn’t be good to leave the Broodmaster alone.
A piece of himself would have to be left behind to watch.
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Half a day earlier, back on the island of Morncrest, the displaced army of Hunters and Spirits marched onwards toward their destination.
The walk into the Temple of the Void on Morncrest was filled with trepidation that Riley could feel holding them back as they walked forward. None of the Hunters were willing to stop, but there was a heaviness to the air that seemed to weigh down on all of them.
She could tell that they were still determined. Not a single one of them shied away, nor did any of them turn away from the temple itself, but they were all slouched over. None of them stood with their back straight, proud and certain of their actions.
“This test is annoying... How much longer do you intend to continue it?” She spoke aloud and should’ve been heard by all that were near her, but no one had any reaction that indicated that they heard her. No one except the other Mythics.
“I don’t think that calling out the Forest and Void Spirits is worth it. Let them continue as they wish. It’s not hurting anyone at this point.” Wolken spoke with a rasp in his voice, and it was obvious that he was in far worse shape than he looked.
The fact that his Spirit was carrying him in his entirety at this point was more than enough to indicate as much. He would refuse to do any less than use a cane so long as he was able to.
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Which said a lot, since all the other Exalts were visibly wounded, and Wolken had no injuries to be seen.
“This will be a challenge that won’t even be comparable should they chose to reenter the battle. While most have recovered from their injuries at this point, there is still fatigue, and fear.” This time it was Invera that spoke up. The others remained quiet, since they were not as personally close to Riley as those two were. “In this instance, you also weren’t at the battle... The sheer number of Cruor that were fighting us was horrifying, yet they were all wiped out in seconds when Radiant Chaos was freed.”
The party fell silent after that, but Riley could tell that Invera had more to say. As did some of the other Exalts, mostly the old guard. The ones that hadn’t broken through inside the Legacy. All of them were fidgeting, and their eyes bounced back and forth between her and their avatar of Morncrest that was ahead of them.
“What else do you wish to say?” She didn’t turn to look at the other Exalts. If they didn’t have the guts to speak to her directly, then she wouldn’t bother looking at them either.
“...What took you so long?” Invera whispered her question, and Wolken closed his eyes with a sigh. Something that Riley only noticed when she whipped her head around to the Lightning Spirit in the eye. A snarl on her face, and a roar in her throat.
But before she could reply, the forest in front of them parted, and she let out a huff instead.
“The fact that you would ask that means that you have changed.” Invera looked away, but Riley refused to pay her any more attention. Though she continued to speak. “My husband spent every moment he could afford to, looking for his sixth Chakra. Something that you know nothing about. In the end, his soul was too grand, and his Spirit Paths too extensive, for him to search through them all in just a couple of years. Even with Shine’s help. In the end, he had to take an unknown path, a path that has existed for less than a few months in this world, at least for humanity, and potentially cut himself off from ascending his magic, forever.”
In truth, Riley wasn’t so certain that Ezekiel wouldn’t be able to break through with his magic like he had with his body. But from what she had been told when he explained it, merging your soul with your magic destroyed your body, and turned you into something like the Ancient Spirits. The original beings born of mana.
Merging your body with your soul did something different and made it much harder to find your Chakras. If it didn’t destroy them entirely. Which, if that was the case, meant that Ezekiel had no idea how to make progress with his magic from the point of an Ancient body refiner.
Supposedly, as a reincarnator that had a Tier six body, or whatever the equivalent was on those alien worlds, in his past life, Drake Cross would have more information, but that wasn’t available to them for obvious reasons.
“As it is, Ezekiel did everything he could to help you... To save this world; and all you do is question why he wasn’t faster.” A new figure appeared in front of them.
Though it had been a while, she was more than capable of recognizing a remnant of the Void when she saw one.
Distinctly female in curves and figure, the Morncrest Void Remnant had sent an avatar out of her temple to greet them. Something that was not known to happen from any of the records. Not without a medium like the specially designed Com-Slates.
“I see that you are angry, Riley Luminance, wife of Ezekiel Luminance, the Herald of the Void,” she spoke with an ethereal voice that sounded like it was backed a thousand more speaking in symphony. “Perhaps I can help with that... With your husband’s return, both from the Spirit Paths of the world, and as an Ancient born within the Ancient Legacy, limitations that I didn't know existed have been released from my existence. With them, we shall see if we cannot tip the scales into the Herald’s favor.”
The pathways opened all around them, and the Remnant gestured for the army to part.
Morncrest will take care of your worries and woes for the time being, but come tomorrow, you will need to set out once more. The fate of the world will rest on whether or not you can succeed, and whether or not your newest ally arrives on time.
Out of the corner of her eye, Riley saw Headren shift. His eyes glowing with the light of his mana, and he nodded along with the remnant’s words. He stepped forward, and the Remnant guided him to the side. A hand wave pulled her, the twins, the Guardian, and Evelyn’s egg along behind them.
A [Gateway] opened, and all of them found themselves within the Void Temple's depths.
The room was carved with an intricately designed runic formation that covered every inch of it.
“Now then, shall we get the only other Ancient in the world here to help his son?”
The remnant’s words were met with confusion, but Riley soon caught on, as did the twins, who fell to their knees in tears. At the same time, the Remnant looked past them at the shadowy egg.
Before anyone else could speak, the egg that held Evelyn cracked open. The shadows fell to the ground like shattered pieces of glass and faded into nothing within moments.
Her ears were now permanently feline in shape, and a tail extended from the small of her back. Reya was halfway in and out of her shadow, and her eyes glowed with a golden light that contrasted her pitch-black skin that was covered in nearly black, but still purple, patterns that seemed runic in nature.
The most startling thing besides her appearance to be a walking shadow, however, was the fact that her power was clearly that of a Mythical being. Though, it was more in line with the same feeling that the Broodlords gave off when fighting.
Evelyn’s power now felt far more primal in nature. Tied entirely to her body, and it seemed like it had lost much of its spirituality.
“I'm sorry, but did you just mention my husband?” The words that came from her seemed to come from everywhere, and the pressure she released lessened while her form took on a more average looking appearance, while still retaining the more inhuman features, and a shifting streak of shadow that ran across her skin.
It flickered every which way it could, and it added another otherworldliness to her appearance that would’ve otherwise been ignorable. Even with the ears and tails that seemed to take the form of wispy shadows. For a brief instant, her entire existence seemed to disappear, before immediately returning.
Riley silently swallowed the spit that had welled up in her mouth. For a moment, even though she was much more powerful than Evelyn, she had felt as if her mother-in-law was more than capable of killing her, if she so desired. In such a way as to be utterly undetectable as well.
“I could’ve sworn that you just implied that my husband was alive; and was at the Ancient level at that.” There was something in her voice that Riley didn’t like. Something that stopped Evelyn’s daughters from rushing forward.
Then, as the topic of the conversation returned to her attention, and her mind cleared up from the sense of fear she had been struck by, Riley turned back to the Remnant of Void, an angry glare on her face. Ezekiel hadn’t told his family about any of this.
She needed to know what the hell was going on, and what she could do to help.
Preferably before Evelyn went on a rampage looking for her own answers.
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Gust of wind threw dirt and trees through the air. Waves of force created ripples in the atmosphere, and shadows flickered as a gleaming blade cut through space.
There was a glimmer of light as beams of Radiant energy pierced the air, and Shine was forced to [Jump] out of the way. But a number of shadow spikes pierced the golden orb flying through the air. Pinning it in place for just a moment, and creating an opening that Shine was able to take advantage of.
One of Radiant Chaos’ gold spheres was cut in half, and in an instant all movement ceased.
“That’s four...” Shine was happy that they didn’t have a biological body, because if they did then they would’ve collapsed hours ago. “Along with the first one we took out, thanks to Ezekiel, that leaves three more left.”
By this point, the sun was starting to peak above the horizon. Neither Shine nor the remnant of Obscurity were in their peak condition. Chips were starting to form on Shine’s body, and their consciousness was starting to fade.
Their soul had been running at peak performance since the moment Ezekiel had thrown them after the Broodmaster’s avatars. The first few were simple enough to take out, but the most recent ones were more difficult. If anything, it was likely that they wouldn’t be able to get to the last three before they reached their respective destinations.
“Your partner would not want you to die for his sake. Not like this.” Shade, the remnant of Obscurity, spoke in a quiet whisper. “Even if you can reach the next one in time, it is most certainly at one of the remaining seals. By the time you kill it, the last ones will have succeeded. We should head back and ensure that your partner is aware of what is happening.”
Shine didn’t like how much sense Shade was making. It was bad enough that they couldn’t finish their mission, but now they were being advised by a helper that had tried to kill them once before.
“Dammit!” They knew that they couldn’t win if they tried to go after the last three avatars sent out by Radiant Chaos. “Let’s go. We need to get back as soon as possible.”
They took a moment to send a message through their bond with Ezekiel. They weren’t certain he would be able to get a response if he was fighting, but hopefully some direction would help them figure out what to do next.
For a moment, there was no response, and Shine was just about to head back to where they knew Ezekiel was still fighting. Then a booming voice filled their mind.
Shine... This is what I need you to do.... Do not return just yet... Something has happened, and it might be possible for me to help. Head to the next seal and deal with it. I will go to the last two and finish things on that end.
Shine was confused. Aren’t you fighting Radiant Chaos? What has happened that would mean that you can leave for a moment?
... I made a mistake, and Radiant Chaos is changing. However, the metamorphosis is taking enough time, so that I can spare the few minutes needed to clear out at least two of the other seals.
Information flooded Shine’s mind, and the location of the next closest seal was marked out for them. Without another word, they set off with Shade following along in their shadow.
Given how close the seal actually was, they would be able to get there in a few minutes, rather than having to look for it for an unknown amount of time.
“What’s happening?” Shade asked.
“I just contacted Ezekiel through our bond. Things changed on his end, and we can finish this now. Just be ready for another fight.” It would be close, and they would be fighting right in front of the seal itself, but so long as they were careful, they would be able to win.
Several minutes passed, and they were feeling even more tired thanks to the effort they were putting into moving faster. They had just gotten in sight of their destination, where the orb of Radiant Chaos was floating far more slowly than usual, when they felt something shift in their bond.
Ezekiel!? What just happened?
The response they received was worrying, but there was nothing they could do.
Don’t worry about it. I just left something behind to give me a heads up if anything changes. Focus on your fight.
Shine mentally shook, but didn’t reply. They were now within range of attack and couldn’t afford to be distracted. The seal was just a few kilometers away. They couldn’t let the orb touch it, or the battle would shift toward the Broodmaster’s favor.
Spikes and whips lashed out, and Shine forced themself to dodge, and Shade took steps to ensure that nothing hidden could strike from a blind spot.
Mana flooded their body, and cracks started to spread further and further. Nearly half their body was covered in them at this point.
Not yet! They internally screamed.
Flashes of light, both from them and the orb’s multiple attacks filled the region. A cacophony of clanging rings could be heard by anything that got too close. The earth was torn apart, and the air shook from the pressure of the many strikes.
Minutes passed, and Shine was pushed back further and further. Their efforts to prevent the orb from reaching the seal were failing. It wouldn’t be long before the avatar reached the seal. Something needed to change, and the decision was made to push beyond their limit, no matter the cost.
Shine [Jumped] back and forth, and for a moment Shade was separated, only to take several attacks into themself before flickering. In an instant, the remnant of Obscurity shrieked in pain before shuddering, as if something was trying to claw its way out of it.
The orb of Radiant Chaos was less than half its original size. The rest of it had been taken into the shadow realm by Shade.
Such a condition wouldn’t last for long, however, and Shine knew that they needed to act now. So, with a mighty ‘crack’ they forced the rest of their mana through their blade, and a construct of Void mana took shape, even at the tip of their body was broken into thousands of pieces.
[Nothingness] filled the sky and cleaved toward the earth. They cut through both the orb, and deep into the shadow cast by Shade. Their [Will] kept the remnant from being destroyed, but still struck true at the pieces of Radiant Chaos that were concealed within the shadow realm.
A second scream echoed out, and the golden Ichor that was the body of the Broodmaster’s avatar faded away into motes of light. Their essence drained completely.
Then, with a clang, Shine fell to the ground. Their shattered vessel clattered on the cooling molten bedrock that had been revealed during the fight. The slag had solidified once more after the orb’s spell fire had melted it with Radiant energy.
Ezekiel... I got it...
They had expected some sort of response from their partner. Something that would indicate that they had succeeded on their end as well.
However, there was nothing but silence, and for a moment, they thought that the worst must’ve happened. They immediately pushed that thought away. There was no way that Ezekiel, at Tier six, would’ve failed to stop a few Tier five avatars that were constantly losing energy
Then the sky lit up as the sound of glass shattering in the distance filled the world.
Fear and doubt filled their soul, until a comforting light pushed it away. The true plan Ezekiel had come up with flowed into them.
“Did we win?” Shade’s voice was weak, and it took Shine far too much effort to listen to them.
“I think so.” Shine could barely verbalize their words but needed to give the remnant directions to get them back to Ezekiel. There was still more work to be done. “Head in that direction. There are things we need to do before we can properly rest.”
Without a word of complaint, Shade took Shine into their shadow realm, it was filled with cracks that let in dim light, showing just how injured they were.
In silence, the two made their way to where Ezekiel had told Shine to go. It would take some time to get there, but if things went right, they would have a pleasant surprise once they arrived.