It took Ezekiel longer than he would’ve liked to realize that the figure floating next to him wasn't his father in truth, but an avatar that was created at the Mythic level of power.
The shape, feel, and overall presence was the same, but it was weaker than what he remembered. So much weaker that he had initially thought that something was wrong.
“How is this possible? I thought that only I had the power to open a rift to the space-between-spaces, and successfully enter and exit Eldramir’s Spirit Paths...” He knew that Headren had done something like this previously, but not physically.
The Death Exalt had merely touched a part of his and his Spirit’s souls to the Spirit Paths of the world. Even then the portions that had made contact were ripped off and nearly destroyed, being scattered everywhere and turned into a brand-new catastrophe that Ezekiel knew he’d eventually have to deal with.
Warren smirked, “Headren, with the help of the Morncrest Void Remnant, managed to increase his connection to his own remnant, and in the process share information. They then worked together to get me close enough to open a rift so that my avatar could exit.”
Ezekiel was shocked. He hadn’t thought that something like this would be possible. The Void Remnants were incredibly restricted in what they were allowed to do. Which was one of the reasons the Quintessa remnant had used agents to do its dirty work.
“I’m glad that you’re here... Even if it is just an avatar.” Ezekiel took a moment to hug his father before turning his attention back to the Broodmaster below them. “What did you do to it?”
The near motionless form had shocked him, and he wondered if his father would be able to do this again. IF so, then perhaps the battle could still be won.
“I have experienced the touch of that thing’s mind before... I simply shared with it all the memories that me and Theo ever experienced under its tender mercies. Given the similarities between our light, its instinctive defenses were less than quick on the uptake. However, this is very temporary, and it is unlikely to work again.” Warren sounded uncertain of that, and Ezekiel felt a wave of regret.
The lake of golden Ichor below them started to shift. Constructs began moving again, but much more slowly than before. Ezekiel almost dove down, thinking that this might be a chance to fight back, but his [Danger Sense] screamed at him, so he held back.
“We need to move... Its soul is operating in overdrive, but it’s still stunned. Any attack on it will become the ultimate focus of its attention. Neither of us can afford that right now.” Ezekiel frowned and held his chin in contemplation.
The world slowed down around him, and he immediately started making predictions. Most were cast aside, since Radiant Chaos’ power was too much for him to properly predict.
Instead, he focused on the newly opened seals. Trying to take in the other Broodmasters’ power on his own would potentially destroy him. His body wasn’t strong enough to contain that much power on his own. Let alone the memory download that might put him on the floor if he wasn’t careful.
That was even if he fully purged their bodies of any remaining will or consciousness.
Thinking it over, he realized that there was one option that had a chance of succeeding, but it was one that might not turn out well for him, or the continent, if things went poorly.
Regardless, a bad plan that fulfilled his goal was better than a good plan that was going to fail. So, he slowed down his perception to something that matched his father’s. Turning to the lion-man beside him, he paused. Something that his father noticed.
“What can I do to help?” His father asked after a few seconds of silence.
“I need you to take on the most dangerous task imaginable... I need you to stay and keep watch, stalling that bastard for as long as possible.” His father immediately frowned, so he continued before he could speak up. “I need to gather the bodies of the other Broodmasters before they get here and empower it any further. You might be able to stun it a couple more times, if you're lucky. That is time, uninterrupted, that I will need, more than anything else, if we want this to work. So, can you do this?”
Warren sighed, but didn’t dispute his request.
“Be fast... More reinforcements are coming, and they won’t be as willing to stay back as I am.” Ezekiel nodded in thanks, but Warren had more to say. “I can only buy you an hour at best. Even now, it’s already breaking out of my illusion. If it wasn’t for the fact that it clearly has no idea how to control the mental aspects of Radiant magic, without directly infecting others with its soul and [Will], I probably wouldn’t be able to get you that much.”
“...It might be less than that. Apparently it’s managed to figure out some trick from those that it previously consumed. So be careful and run if it breaks free. Given your pure mana body, you should be faster than it. Light up the sky if you sense any of the other Broodmasters getting close. Their power will be something you can’t ignore if they get close enough.” Warren nodded in response, and with that said, Ezekiel no longer delayed and shot off into the distance to the closest seal. It only took him a few minutes, given the sheer distance, to get within range to sense the slowly moving orb of Ichor.
It’s movements were taking far more effort than usual, since it was forced to move a near city sized body that weighed even more than the Fanged Broodmaster did, since it was moving the enormous body of the Bone Broodmaster.
Without delay, he dove down, and wiped out the comparatively small orb from existence, even as it tried to feed on the Ichor in the other Broodmaster’s body.
With a sigh, Ezekiel allowed his body to grow to nearly match the Broodmaster in size. Now, unrestrained, and capable of physically manifesting his full power, though much more of a target than before, he opened his soul to the mana of the world and began purifying the Ichor of the Bone Broodmaster. None was taken in by him until he was finished, and the Ichor was utterly pearlescent in color. Only when this happened, did he begin burning his mana.
“Do you need assistance?” the shadow in his hands asked upon seeing Ezekiel working his magic. The sensation of a [Domain] being used in such a massively obvious manner was apparently clear to it. “Perhaps my shadow can help?”
It was obvious to Ezekiel that the Shade wanted to actively participate in the destruction of the Broods. However, he wasn’t sure if this would be too much for it.
“You can try, but what happens might be too much for you.” Saying that, Ezekiel immediately channeled all his mana at once, before pulling on the Tier six Ichor that he had dipped his hands in.
His soul was filled with even more memories, but he shunted them to the side. It hurt, but he couldn’t allow himself to be distracted.
Instead, he forcefully ripped open a massive rift. One that was bigger than any he had made before. Big enough that the dissolving monstrosity that was the Bone Broodmaster’s body was able to slump into it.
Immediately the rift started to lose stability. A Tier five spell just wasn’t capable of handling Tier six energy like this, and Ezekiel was forced to push his soul to the brink to keep it open, rather than let it explode in his face.
“Raagghh!!!” He screamed in pain as the body of the Broodmaster slowly finished pouring into the space-between-spaces. Once it was done, he ensured that the rift closed properly, rather than explosively.
Then, the entire world seemed to pulse, and Ezekiel felt the flow of mana from everywhere increase. Not by a lot, but by enough that he was able to comfortably recover faster than he had expected.
To the side, Shade seemed to grow just a little bit darker, and more well defined. Their pocket space within their [Domain] held a bit more of the Ancient Ichor inside it. Unused for now, but ready to be put to work at a moment’s notice.
“...Next time, I shall endeavor to assist more promptly...” Their voice sounded meek, and Ezekiel just shook his head. Perhaps it would be of help, perhaps it would not. He didn’t know right now.
“Let’s move on... We’ve got to do that six more times...” He trailed off as Shade returned to him and set out without another word.
By his count, that had taken him nearly fifteen minutes total to get to the body and to send it into the space-between-spaces, where its lack of [Will] and shattered soul meant that it could be broken down. Its energy was now returned to the Spirit Paths, where Radiant Chaos' couldn’t reach it.
We’re not going to make it. He realized within seconds of moving.
Yet, even so, he didn’t stop. If he couldn’t send the Ichor through, he would just have to take it in, and hope that he could spend it up in time before exploding.
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Warren was feeling useless as he remained in the air above Radiant Chaos. He hadn’t done anything yet besides flash the Broodmaster with light a few times.
He knew that such a feeling was false, and that he was the only thing preventing the Broodmaster from breaking free and beginning its assault once more. However, the amount of focus it required was taking a toll on him, and he wasn’t certain how long he could continue for.
A shift in the corner of his vision showed movement, so he channeled his mana and shot another wave of mental Radiance. The long-range attack forced Radiant Chaos to stop, but this was already the third time he had used this attack. It was just unfortunate that any actual damage would snap it out of the trance, otherwise he and Ezekiel might’ve been able to do something during this time.
It had been nearly half an hour at this point, and he was running out of mana. This avatar of his was more than capable of taking in mana and refilling his reserves but doing so wouldn’t matter at this point. It was likely that he would only be able to use his spell one more time before it stopped working.
Another shift. This time, barely half as many minutes had passed.
“It’s not going to be enough...” Raising his hand, Warren fired a ball of light into the sky that would call Ezekiel back. “Get here soon...”
Barely a minute later, he fired another spell at Radiant Chaos, but unlike before, barely a few seconds passed before the Broodmaster started moving again.
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“Warren Luminance...” the voice was a quiet rumble that shook Warren’s bones. “How are you alive?”
It felt like the gravity increased, and Warren’s avatar nearly collapsed under the pressure.
He said nothing, and simply shot up into the sky as fast as she could. Yet something was strange. While he knew that he was moving, and he could feel his mana being expended, it was taking him far longer to get away than he had expected.
“That will not work... You may not be made of flesh, or Ichor, but that doesn’t matter. A mere hill will always remain in the shadow of a mountain. Especially if that hill has been crushed.” The light shining from the Broodmaster shone even brighter.
That was when Warren felt it. His mana was being taken in, and the [Will] inside it was being crushed. He wasn’t moving as quickly because the magic he was using to move was being drained before it could be used to its full potential.
“It doesn’t matter if you kill me or consume me once again. You will fail to win, and I will continue to live.” Warren yelled, and his body burst into a ball of light that seemed to warp and bend. Rays of light shot off into the distance, and his mana began to burn up for one last spell. “My son will kill you, and I will be one of the last ones to laugh. Not you.”
The air shattered, and Warren changed his direction. Instead of flying away the large ball of light that had replaced his body shot toward Radiant Chaos.
“That won’t work on me!” Radiant Chaos laughed, and its body changed form to become a bowl. One that reached higher and higher, until it had reached higher than Warren’s descending form. “You spells can no longer affect my mind. Nor can your soul escape my grasp. Your memories, and magic, will be mine to use in full, now that I am free.”
Warren was silent. The plan had only partially worked, and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold off before Ezekiel returned. He also knew that he couldn’t risk letting Radiant Chaos take his essence. Even if it was purified, making the mana that the Broodmaster took in weaker, his recent experiences over the past year and more meant that it would learn several things that needed to be kept secret for a little bit longer.
“You can scream all you want. Your words are nothing more than the braying of a dying donkey that is too stubborn to lie down and close its eyes.” With those final words, Warren ignited the last of his mana, and with that ignition he fired off one last spell, with a different [Rule] imbued into it.
This time, it wasn’t the pain and confusion of his enslavement under the Broodmaster’s grasp. Instead, he reversed it. He imbued the emotions, if not the memories, of every single happy moment. Every single mote of joy and wonder, hope and fun, that he had ever experienced.
All without the context to categorize the reason and source of these emotions. He did this with the expectation that it would be totally unexpected, and something that a Broodmaster would’ve never have experienced before in the entirety of its existence.
I hope Ezekiel gets my message.
The last thing his consciousness saw, before fading away when his mana was used up, was the sight of the many constructs created by Radiant Chaos freezing.
Stunned once more, but this time out of confusion.
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Ezekiel let out a curse once he noticed the light shining in the distance. He had only barely managed to force himself beyond his limits to force a third body into the space-between-spaces. There were still three left. The three furthest from their current position, but still three that could be taken and consumed if the avatars of the Broodmaster master were able to move quickly.
“Maybe dad can go and take them out... or at least distract one of them.” He knew that it might be a bit much to ask his father’s weakened father to do such a thing.
He was just coming up to the area where he’d be within range to see Radiant Chaos once more, when a beam of light, filled with a familiar [Will] shot off into the distance.
Without thinking about it, he intercepted it and moved to grab it.
Ezekiel, his father’s voice filled his mind, thank goodness I managed to find you. I wasn’t certain if you’d be able to find one of my pieces. I had to split myself into much smaller, and weaker, pieces in order to get away. My avatar just couldn’t maintain enough of its [Will] in my magic to escape. Radiant Chaos is expanding a [Domain]. I don’t know how well your own can match it, since the one that it made was very rough, but if your magic is only Tier five, I don’t know if you’ll continue to keep up with it.
Ezekiel flinched at the thought. He had been using his [Domain] purely as a means of subtly reinforcing his martial prowess and making sure his body was constantly operating at top efficiency.
“If it managed to bring out a [Domain], then there’s no way we’ll be able to hold out much longer.” Given the lacking prowess in magic that Radiant Chaos had displayed, mostly using just basic constructs and blasting spells, Ezekiel had been able to mostly match the Broodmaster, even with the power difference. “How much longer till it moves again?”
He felt a sense of surprise from his father. Well... I managed to pull off something that I hadn't expected. However, I don’t know how long it’ll last. I’m not there anymore, so I won’t be able to keep watch. Why do you ask? What did you have in mind?
“So long as your spell can work for at least a few minutes... Then I might be able to get you back in the fight, and at least make a means that would get us more time. So long as this Shade can give me some help.” The tired Shade flickered to life and poked a featureless face out of his shadow.
“Will it aid in the destruction of the betrayer?” Ezekiel nodded. “Then I will do as you direct.”
With a flash, Ezekiel, Shade, and the small ball of light that held his father’s [Will] shot into the distance. Getting further and further away from their enemy.
It took minutes, but they got to the location of one of the last Broodmasters’ bodies. With a simple wave of the hand the avatar was destroyed. Then, wasting no time, he punched the body and forced his [Will] to run rampant and annihilate all that remained of the Broodmaster.
A puddle of Ichor started to form as its body began to fall apart.
“I know that it won’t get you back to Tier six, since this is just an avatar, but it will put you back into top shape.” A small ball of Ichor was taken and Warren began absorbing it. “Now, Shade, do you think you can create a shadow that covers Radiant Chaos?”
Shade seemed to think about it before nodding slowly. “It will push me to the brink of death, but I can. Will this kill the betrayer?”
Ezekiel nodded. “It will trap it for long enough to push things in our favor. As it is, if we continue as we are, we will simply die.”
By this point, Warren, who was basically just a body of mana, had nearly reconstituted himself.
“All three of us will need to work together to make this work.” Touching a finger to his head, he forced out two drops of his own Ichor and infused them with his [Will]. Flicking them into Warren and the Shade, they shook as memories filled their minds. Ezekiel’s plan was now known to them.
“That’s insane...” Warren whispered. “But I can see that it’s already worked once before. If in a different scenario.”
“Get ready. We’re going back right now.” Forming his [Domain] Ezekiel stepped into the melting body of the Broodmaster and [Jumped] back to where Radiant Chaos’ still frozen position.
Without any further direction, Warren flew into the sky with Shade, a construct that was made by Ezekiel, using the half-melted body of the Broodmaster, was squished between them. Light on one side, and shadows on the other, with a gap of [Rules] that he had dictated beforehand keeping them from canceling each other out entirely.
Once they reached the highest point that was still workable, a cone of darkness covered Radiant Chaos in its entirety. Then, by using the mana that was infused in the temporary construct, Ezekiel resonated his spell with the new and artificial [Domain]. This both stabilized the contrasting powers of Radiance and Obscurity and allowed him to infuse his own power into it.
Just as Radiant Chaos started to move once more, the divide between what was and wasn’t inside the shadow was determined.
Time became twisted, and Ezekiel had just enough of an opening to send a message to Shine in order to explain his plan.
He just hoped that avatars wouldn’t do anything unexpected when they were cut off from Radiant Chaos’ influence.
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Riley was having a hell of a time wrangling all the Hunters and Mages as they were moving toward the Continent. They had just made landfall, and it was a strange thing to see a massive moving forest with an opalescent building at the center of it pulling itself out of the water.
The surprise that the Void remnant had in store for them was far greater than she had expected. Simply being able to move at all, especially since the Void remnant hadn’t shown any signs of being able to move prior to this moment.
Let alone the fact that it was moving just as fast as she and the other Mythical Hunters could.
“Get ready...” The voice of the Morncrest Void Remnant suddenly echoed across the moving island. Riley moved to the front of the fortress forest. “It seems like our first problems will be here. A piece of Radiant Chaos is in front of us.”
Immediately there was a flurry of activity, and Riley could see it not long after the preparations were made. Artifacts and equipment grown out of Morncrest, the forest Spirit, and enchanted by the Void remnant were prepped, and everyone was ready in moments.
Not long after that, everyone could see it, and they were nearly frozen in shock.
“What the hell is this?”
Riley didn’t pay attention to who it was that had spoken. Instead, she simply shot into the air.
A sea of golden Ichor that rippled and flowed across the land was all that she could see. Not even mana could be felt in the atmosphere, yet a massive amount of power could be felt.
One that was growing stronger and stronger as time passed.
“We need to send our fastest fliers. I don’t know what happened, but this is not what I had expected. These avatars have changed, and I’m not certain what Ezekiel has done to cause this...” The remnant’s words were spoken in a manner that nearly sounded panicked, and Riley knew that she needed to do something. “I can’t tell what happened, since I’m no longer connected to the world like I was before we started moving, but I can’t imagine that this was something that Radiant Chaos intended. It’s far too impersonal from what I know of the Broodmaster.”
Riley looked at the avatar created by the remnant. “What do you mean?”
The remnant pointed at the spreading sea of Ichor. “That was not done on purpose. Somehow, the body of another Broodmaster has broken down, and it is now spreading without any intention behind its [Will]. It merely had the [Will] to spread and consume the entire world. Turning everything into Radiant Chaos. Something that the actual Radiant Chaos wouldn’t have every thought of. Not this way.”
A thought crossed Riley’s mind. “Was this the location of the Rot Broodmaster’s seal?”
It was far too similar to that strange gray mold that ran the risk of spreading without stopping. Only this was far more rapid, and the loss of mana was almost nonexistent.
The remnant nodded. “In part... It seems like the body of the deep has already been consumed. We are reaching the end far faster than I expected. It seems like the worst choice to get the best result will be the only choice soon enough.”
It was subtle, but Headren flinched, and Riley made to call him out on it, but then the most hideous and bone shaking noise rolled over all of them. She nearly fell to the ground, just as many other Hunters had, but forced herself to stay up.
Turning back to the sea of Ichor, her heart nearly dropped to the floor when she saw the changes that were occurring.
Though weak, and not all Tier five, it was obvious that the constructs that were taking form were endless. They were as widespread as the Ichor itself, stretching across the horizon.
“Brun... you need to go to wherever it is that Ezekiel and Shine are at right now. His father should also be there, so expect a lot of light as well.” Riley gave the order and flew higher into the air.
At the same time, Morncrest dug its roots deep into the earth. Its roots began to glow as mana flooded into it from the crust and possibly the mantle as well. It was a feature that was explained to her, but she hadn’t paid too much attention. That was something that Ezekiel would figure out later.
For now, she needed to fight, and the Hunters and Mages behind her needed to as well.
With a cry of rage, and a wave of azure flames, she began her attack, and ignored the shadow that flicked past, atop an invisible gust of wind.
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For a few brief moments, Shine felt joy when they had awakened. Their mana surged to new heights, and their [Truth] was no longer the core of their soul, their essence. It was now the entirety of their being, and the needed to get to Ezekiel.
Then the memories hit, and they knew that they were too late. Ezekiel had enacted a plan that was meant to give them all time. Both Shine, and their reinforcements.
However, the rushing sea of gold on the horizon caused something inside them to crack.
“I see... so there was no escaping this path...” Steam filled the air as their body, fully restored to what it was before, shifted upon becoming a molten substance that could be reshaped far more easily.
Where there was once an opalescent sword, there was now a black-as-night set of armor with stars and galaxies shifting over its form.
Looking into the sky, Shine reached out with their senses. It was as if the stars of the now night sky were looking back at them, and there was a [Will] that was everywhere. One that they and Ezekiel had begun to sense when they had reached the middle Step of Tier five.
“... Thank you for this chance... I know that this was not your plan... That you are too callous towards us lesser beings, and are merely looking out for yourself, but you allowed the events that will lead to his, and humanity’s, salvation.”
They felt a shift in the wind. Something was coming from the south. Whatever it was wouldn’t cross their path, but they needed to move. Even now, through their bond with Ezekiel, they could feel the pressure on him mounting.
It was time to take the plunge, and cross that final threshold. Nothing else would be enough at this point. No matter how regrettable it was in the end.