Ikrei P.O.V.
Sixth Strata of Outer Darkness. Two hundred and fifty years inside the realm.
This realm is yet another vast place of valleys, endless mountains and a grand central palace right in the absolute center of the strata. The Hall of Lawlessness or Grand Controversy resides within the massive palace.
There’s a black sun in the sky, half the place is filled with light mixed with darkness. The effect converging on the palace, a wondrous, twisted sight.
The home of the purple skies.
Golden Palace [https://i.imgur.com/V8wgJMD.png]
The ruler here is the Great Howler, Mooneater, Fenrir. Father of all shadow wolves.
The sixth strata’s different places are a realm for fighting, bloodshed, soul absorption and true death. Also of great warriors, insane characters and the souls of others that have survived their “eternal” punishment and are training here out of their own volition.
Training to strike back at the gods, as I said, insane.
“Move in, move in! Don’t keep the rest waiting!” The leading guard ordered us as we entered a waiting area.
Black Sun Coliseum.
A place for prizes, great ones. Great risks too.
I sat down in a corner and watched everyone while I was immersed in my thoughts and a secret silent conversation combined with everyone else’s.
“How did you get your spirit cloth?!”
“It was bestowed by one of the direct servants of Gamal in the Nine strata! Yours?”
“Second strata, Awrel, directly.” The guy was puffing out his chest.
‘That guy has a cloth like mine then, right master?’
[Yes, same power and resistance but it won’t matter, not with whom we have hunted or who you are fighting against now.]
‘Deadly crossroads, part two.’
[That’s right, I’m putting some risk in it too. That’s why I have been pushing you like mad these years. I don’t need the extra trouble.]
Akathos elaborated.
“So, you did gain something from the chalice, right?” I asked in a whisper, I felt like talking.
Some of the guys in the waiting room looked at me with strange eyes.
[Of course I did, but that’s my new endowment, no need to pry, Sachear. Be happy with yours.]
Those words felt like the most interesting proposition ever, I was desperate to test them out, in a real fight. Akathos trained me under extreme duress without the aid of my gift while we hunted. We even slowed down the pace to avoid mistakes and persecution.
All that was ending today. Today was a fork in the road and persecution combined. A tough nut.
We had two hundred captured souls inside the swords.
The gift of the dark chalice,
All that was is no more.
None is as it was before.
Left is right, right is left.
Dream is nightmare, nightmare is dream.
Truths are now lies, lies become the truth.
My gift as decreed by the dark gods, Hondonsyr, the chaos of lamentation.
‘Why is control not happened yet, master? I trained until I couldn’t anymore, you know this.’
[I do. You need to master all the intricacies of the dark; you haven’t gone deep enough. No worries, I’m here!]
Akathos talked like it was nothing.
Having someone with you all the time gets you into all sort of situations mentally.
‘That isn’t reassuring.”
[It is not, Eriel had his problems but you are still all over the place, even after all this time. That’s why. You need to fully commit, stop FUCKING around! You are afraid but you are afraid of yourself not the world. Be thankful that the stratas love your suffering yet allow you a door towards enlightenment.]
I knew he was right, nevertheless I had a riposte, our usual banter.
‘Two things, I am starting to hate you a little so that’s working. Two, it is because I am not fuckin’ that all this shit keeps happening!’
The twisted reality from the poisoned cup had fully taken hold. I was fighting with everything just to prevent the stratas from taking over. It was getting to me.
“You are up, whitey! Move!” The guard pushed me without any mercy.
“To the main arena. Lose quickly, I bet a couple of souls on your ass!”
The bastard laughed raucously.
[I’ll take over for the negotiations kid, prepare yourself in the meantime.]
‘Yes, master. No blessing fusion, only soul energy support from you.’
I began following another tall spirit guard to the main duel arena of the coliseum.
The place was packed, at least four thousand souls in the stands.
“Kill him!” “I got my eyes on you, whitey!” “You can do it mighty King!” “Smash this proud fuck!” “How dare he challenge the King!”
No, we, I was not challenging the ruler of the strata, this was a different kind of king.
A cultivator king, a fighter of fighters, a legend. A monster.
We soon reached the fighting circle, a far wider arrangement than anything I had ever seen. Five furlongs long at least in all directions.
“Akathos Sirlenk greets the mighty Five Ghost Heavenly King, Wǔ guǐ tiānwáng.”
We bowed a little.
“Good manners, even if it is unnecessary to use my tongue here. What’s the wager?” He waved us for an offer.
“As customary, the soul and powers of the participant. And this!”
Akathos materialized one of the ring swords and stabbed downward making a dent into the otherworldly rock.
Everyone was stunned. The shouts and the mocking stopped flat.
Silence.
“Mm. There are two of you, I’ll take whoever fights and if you are not careful, the other as well, which is you, sir Sirlenk. I see all that is not but should be and that’s all you’ll get from me!”
He was giving us a hint of his powers, a chance to land a hit, just as master had said.
“Always wanted the soul of a master from your world, enticing.”
I wanted to gulp, but concentration was everything in that moment.
“The rules for this fight, the usual?” Master asked for confirmation.
“Yes, you lose, your souls are mine and that sword of course, otherwise, no sword, no fight. If you land a cut, you pass.”
One breath. I felt the transfer of control.
[You have trained for this moment for ten years. You fail, we are done here. Someone once told me, do or do not, there is no try.]
‘Yeah, no fear, no pain, no desire, no strata, no nothing, just the blade and the blade is me!’
“Everybody, place your bets! We have an agreement; the bout of soul absorption will commence in one hour. Two souls for an extra prize if you get the matchup right! Win, win, win!!!”
The freaking alien announcer beast monster with three heads and two humongous horns like claxons for mouths was making the announcements.
“FIGHT!” “KILL!” “DIE!” “WIN!” “FIGHT!” “KILL!” “DIE!” “WIN!”
The coliseum was ready for the proverbial blood spill.
----------------------------------------
Aysmul P.O.V.
Day of Malgresh, second day of the week. First week of the twelfth month. Somewhere in Zunyl.
‘Hey, hubby, we keep getting followed around, what do you want to do?’
Mental communication was the only way to do anything, something extremely annoying.
“Just scare them away but knock their leader out I want to talk to him, let the rest think they know what we are doing. I’ll use a portal once I’m in. Be back in an hour.” Krigsain’s order came to my mind.
‘Yippee! Ha, ha! I get to play, while hubby goes to do his hero routine!’
Aysmul [https://i.imgur.com/9BN8Xv3.png]
I waited seven breaths for redhead to go inside the headquarters of the Iron Turtle Mercenary Company. Krigsain had business here too, he was just going for the one coin, two whores deal like he likes to say.
“Too bad you are under stick suppression, ho ho.”
‘Let’s catch a few snooping little farm animals.’
“Meudaich!”
I used my chant for a space related detection spell. A radius of three furlongs. I could have done bigger and more extensive but I was bored. The energy traversed like a translucent barrier around the buildings.
“One little piggy, two little piggies, three little piggies, four little piggies and five little piggies!”
I was happily walking the streets, pinpointing my targets in my mind. Ready for a few quick dashes.
‘They should have felt the energy pass through them with that scan, if they have half a brain. Need to be faster!’
“Iargall!” Spell chant for storm wind.
SHHHEEEW!
I appeared two blocks away behind a nervous tracker that was too scared to see a white hooded magic practitioner. The little piggy went for a kinetic palm and a few charges as retaliation.
I evaded by going down and going for a high speed back heel sweeping kick as a counter and an energy barrier for the charges.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
The wall behind me got crushed. My opponent was still a human spinning cartwheel in the air. I went for the finish.
DOOONG!
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
One powerfully charged kinetic palm against a magic barrier, the resonance sent little piggy number one crashing unto another wall.
‘Time to get serious or they will all leave.’
“Iargall!”
SHHHEEEW! SHHHEEEW! SHHHEEEW!
More explosions, charges and artifacts for protection. Malgrunian talismans, the complicated kind.
‘I’m going to bleed a little, my cloak, my beautiful white cloak! Nah, nah, nah!!!’
Triple hand sigil and a slight finger cut, blood powered sigil of our kind. A greenish sphere barrier manifested around me for protection.
“Iargall!”
SHHHEEEW! BOOOM! SHHHEEEW! BOOOM! SHHHEEEW! BOOOM!
Two fast motions, the escaping little piggy was using the crowd for cover. I ran at top speed up the side security ladders of one of the buildings and reached the ceiling in two breaths.
A jump, a straight jump down targeting little piggy number three. I threw mist bombs into the air to obfuscate proceedings. That was more for the normal people than for my target, they don’t need to see, Turgan continent restrictions.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
‘Puff goes the mist bomb, he he.’
Little piggy executed one powerful energy slash, four more behind the first one.
‘This one is getting the blood treatment.’
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
One breath. The hooded little prick added charges and a teleportation glyph formation in a triangle, right where he was. He wanted to suck us in a go wherever it was convenient for him. As I was coming down on his position.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
“HELP!” “AAAAHHH!” “KNIGHTS! KNIGHTS!”
The crowd was dispersing running around like mad.
BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!
Two breaths. My spherical barrier held, a slight crack, before deactivating. Enough power in the orgonoid for twenty normal explosives. I took almost all the crystals from my temporal ring and let them hit the glyphs that created the formation. I held two large orgon crystals in my hands.
“Kisenki!”
My personal created art after true illumination. Materialization of a power, the convergence of a life’s experiences and wisdom. Lightning, gold lightning that shreds all, the blessing from my deity.
Many, many uses and things that you can do with it.
The versatility of a true enlightenment art depends on how close you have walked with your chosen god.
The energy traveled through the broken pieces of the crystal shards and unto the ones that were on the formation.
The portal activation never occurred. Success with minimal expenditure, half a finger of power from the lightning, a snap of fingers worth of core energy.
CRAAASH!!!!
My hand hammered the head of little piggy number three against the floor. Perfect landing, blood from half a nose and no scream for little piggy.
‘Cloak’s good, nice flutter.’
“Meudaich!” Full scope version, one hundred furlongs’ radius.
My cores were pulsating. I have never liked that feeling. Krigsain loves it.
‘Where are you, leader of piggies? Where?’
After five breaths.
“The underground water tunnels, the orgon infused, formation protected tunnels.”
‘He wants a fight! Ha, ha, ha! Hope it’s a trap, it will be fun.’
“You are chewing far more than you can handle, leader of piggies!”
“Iargall!”
I was smiling.
SHHHEEEW! SHHHEEEW! SHHHEEEW!
----------------------------------------
Ikrei P.O.V.
“FIGHT!” “KILL!” “DIE!” “WIN!” “FIGHT!” “KILL!” “DIE!” “WIN!”
The coliseum was ready, I, not so much. The atmosphere affecting me a little Akathos began a final pep talk.
[Listen Ikrei, you get through this and I’ll get you out of your funk. We will talk beforehand but just a little more. Put all your frustrations on that guy! You can’t fuck? He pays! You are not at peace? He pays! Let the dark feelings flow through you, not eat you. You must accept the dark. First integrate, then disintegrate, if you want. You are doing all this by feel not systematic, formulaic training. Instinctive reaction time is what is required in a war! You getting me, kid?]
I was just silently listening, transforming the rings into a pair of marvelous dual blades. My opponent had a Jian sword but even more beautiful than our swords.
[I don’t need to kill to understand death, bull! You need to die, to understand death! Only through your suffering can you truly see yourself and others! Empathy without the experience is hollow. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Ikrei. But you, we are what we do, not what we think we are. This is the truth! Now beat this man at his own game. Do or do not.]
With Akathos’ words the shouts from the stands faded away. I finally found a temporary center.
‘That was surprisingly effective master.’
[ARVEN AELZIR SAREN DES GLAOH, kid.]
“The bout will commence in ten breaths. To your places, weapons at the ready!”
One breath.
My opponent let his soul energy expand. Full on communion with the strata’s purple energy seeping out of him. The power of a cultivator monster.
FiveGhostKing [https://i.imgur.com/MGnO5Q7.png]
Five breaths.
I knew I needed to go all out from the go. No holding back. I was going to let the endowment of the chalice activate.
Eight breaths.
I felt master Akathos’ energy being liberated from his control. This was going to truly be my fight.
Nine breaths.
“Hondonsyr!” I activated the gift silently.
Like Krigsain, like Freslia.
Curiously enough, now I had a good idea about those red eyes of Pricks Krigs and the shiny blue eye of a certain demoness.
My eyes turned pure black.
Ikrei Dark eyes blessing [https://i.imgur.com/PUxdgTA.png]
Ten breaths.
Star Shadows steps!
THUD! THUD! ZOOOM!
CLANG!
A straight arrow like charge for an opening cut, perfect parry from the monster. He barely twisted his wrist a little and my transformed left handed blade was heading downwards to the ground.
SWISH!
I couldn’t twist and turn for a riposte, I would be open to cultivator arts. Nevertheless, I needed to re-engage.
Reika form forty-two, Akathos-Krigsain hybrid. Heavy stomp and redirection.
THUD! THUD! ZOOOM!
SWISH! CLANG! SWISH! CLANG! SWISH! CLANG!
The legendary cultivator that was training here just glided backwards with his “Ghostly Steps” technique as he blocked leisurely.
He was smiling.
Even if I was prepared for it, that didn’t make it any less infuriating. Controlled negative energy manifestation, these type of environments is the one time when the stratas are useful. The need to attack fueling my resolve, dissipating worries even unto death.
ARLEN! FAILEN! ADOHI!
Huge blessing, soul energy consumption. A bolt, a dissipating Ascension master red, dark and blue colored bolt of power.
UUUFGH!
It was time to activate my gift, my eyes. A body slash to the waist with all the speed I could muster while reappearing at the right angle.
UUUFGH!
SLASH!
Right at the moment the parry was coming. My right side attack shifted.
Hodonsyr was active, my dark eyes glowed for a hundredth of a second, in a place where time is almost meaningless.
Left is right, right is left.
My attack shifted by itself. The real blade materialized from the left.
GUUISHH!
Monster cultivator created a perfect parry guiding my gifted attack with a small dagger in his other hand. He went in for a thrust. I went for a reverse grip muto since we were so close.
GUUISHH!
Perfect imitation. The blade slid down naturally from mine. I used a Will infused energy slash, as a counter.
SWISH!
He disappeared and the slash just went through hitting nothing but air that wasn’t air.
Five other spirits, similarly dressed but different from legendary monster converged towards my position.
‘Five Ghost thingy time.’
SWISH! CLANG! SWISH! CLANG! SWISH! CLANG!
“ADOHI!”
ZOOOM!
I left the encirclement searching for the main culprit, managing to parry and block by the skin of my teeth. Monster cultivator? He was hidden among the five.
‘This is going to get difficult. Plan K, emergency hit to legendary heroes and foes, Andukros board strategy from way back then, flaming horses and all that.’
Endowments are monstrous but not all powerful, the drawback is energy consumption. In the spirit world, soul energy. The strategy was good for one shot only and it was still cutting it close.
“Disappointing great one, very disappointing, even if you kill me, you suck!”
The five charged furiously.
The first used energy slashes with kinetic palms straight up.
SWISH! WOONG! SWISH! WOONG! SWISH! WOONG!
“Come on, you can do better!” I shouted.
The second came in with the close quarters thrusts of the barbarians, always close to the center and moving out of line, preventing a flash counter.
SHU! SHU! SHU! SHU!
“KILL HIM! “ABSORB HIS ASS!” “IMPUDENT FUCK!” “DIE!” “DIE!” “WIN!” “WIN!”
The crowds were creating a tenuous atmosphere for me.
“ADOHI!” I slithered away, even better than Yun Hee’s ass running away from the bed.
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
Reserves were being tanked pretty fast. Then again, the five thingy from the cultivator surely wasn’t cheap either.
I was trying to draw out the main body for an attack.
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
The other three executed blasting techniques of some kind. Some resonated against the floor of the arena as I evaded using ADOHI.
DOOONG! SWISH! DOOOONG! SWISH!
The other two gave chase. The entire thing was convoluted, five against one with the mastermind playing coy. I had time and energy for one more flourish and a burst.
“KILL HIM! “ABSORB HIS ASS!” “STOP RUNNING BITCH!” “DIE!” “DIE!” “WIN!” “WIN!”
‘Yeah, you love me, you really, really love me!’
“King?! King!!! King my ass!!!!” Another loud shout.
‘I’ve never thought I would use Krigsain’s words here. Here goes nothing.’
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
There is no need for languages in the stratas but that doesn’t mean you cannot use them. It’s soul to soul communication for the most part.
“Xiǎo tóu ruì miàn” “Jiānzuǐhóusāi” “Zhāngtóushǔmù”
“Xiǎo tóu ruì miàn” “Jiānzuǐhóusāi” “Zhāngtóushǔmù”
“Xiǎo tóu ruì miàn” “Jiānzuǐhóusāi” “Zhāngtóushǔmù”
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
I screamed as I danced and weaved. Then a move only possible under Akathos’ power. I needed to reach Core Condensation if I wanted to used it on my own.
‘Dance of the butterfly, divine steps, Pricks Krigs rift training, bitches!’
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
The main culprit appeared out of nowhere. His face was contorting in all forms and shapes, he was livid.
The six of them came in for a simultaneous charge. Akathos soul reserves were running low. Just enough for a final attack and change.
“Guǐ Dao!” The six came for a unified finish.
The entire placed trembled with the emission of the purple energy from the legendary cultivator.
“Disrespectful vermin, be gone!”
The powerful energy sword attack pierced my body. Six energy blades from different directions cutting through.
“Hondonsyr!” I activated the gift silently for the last time.
My eyes shone pure black, they glinted. This was it.
All reserves gone, Akathos and I had nothing.
[Very good, very good. Ikrei. You are now a chaos blade!]
The true extension of the reversal ability from Hondonsyr manifested.
Dream is nightmare, nightmare is dream.
Truths are now lies, lies become the truth.
The attacks reverted unto the six, including the purple energy emitting leader.
“ARGH!” “URGH!” “Lā shǐ!”
“Souls, fighters and dubious aliens and fuckers! We have a WINNER! A winner of the One Hundred Soul Orb. Again, after a little over seven thousand years! Cash your tickets in! Cash your tickets in!”
“WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!” “WIN!”
The entire place erupted like the madhouse it truly was and is.
‘Thank you, Redknicker Support Department! However, fuck you!’
----------------------------------------
Aysmul P.O.V.
“Just stay there for a bit, master piggy. We will be accompanied soon, I think.”
My trap setting elite was trapped by a cage spell. He was good, really good but not close to my expertise.
‘Well, six against one was a good stretch. No gym for the night, he he!’
I went around the tunnel, searching and taking anything I could from the five companions of master piggy.
“A woman needs her skin care, master piggy, even if one is young for a long time.” I rummaged and took their rings.
They had a self-destruct seal and other protections but that means nothing to me.
He just stared at me wide-eyed. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
“I won’t touch you, so relax a little, that frown will make you look old.”
The steps from outside reverberated. Future continental hero was here.
‘Time to put on the serious, dutiful facade.’
“You may talk, little Zigur.” I disabled the soul restriction on master piggy.
After ten minutes, non-paying redhead boss/future hubby arrived.
“He is all dandy and prepared for you. A couple of minor injuries, he packs a mighty punch.”
“I see. Hello Zigur!” Krigsain knelt next to the barely moving Malgrunian.
“A chosen cannot go around unprotected. Your setup was the correct one, everything down to the last detail. Problem is, I am not a normal chosen one and my entourage isn’t either.” He smiled at master piggy.
“Druid, druid mage.”
Master piggy spoke in a whisper, even less than that, he dreaded his own words.
“Don’t concern yourself with minutia. I want you to help me. We will trade, you become a respected member of the Eternal Moon. You help with a task.”
“I cannot do that, you know this, don’t waste time with impossibilities.”
“I know the Eternal Moon far better than you do, if you falter you will be chewed out before you can sing the chant of the flame.”
“Regardless of the offer, I’ll report her existence, it is better for you to kill me than to play dangerous games.” A fact based counter.
“The conflict will be bloody, very bloody. I need help from many sources. I know who you are, I did a background check on you.”
‘Krigsain is behaving like the whispers of a devil.’
“Beloved of the Will, there’s nothing to do, I’m not betraying the Kolga.”
Master piggy had resolute eyes, the ones only found in a real heir of the phoenix.
‘Nice eyes, very nice. Desirable.’
The tunnel was silent for many hours and Krigsain just sat down next to him and waited.
‘Yeah, a devil, a devil with a handsome face and KILLER music.’
“You will never get a better offer, little Zigur.” I gave him a hard bump for added coercion while I spoke.
Even after the bump in the head, he remained calm even after my introduction. I wasn’t expecting that.
♪By hook or crook, breakin’ al’ rules in da book
We shakin’ hands or we dine in hell tonight
Get ready for the shakin’ the world’s breakin’ nookie
We didn’t create the fire; we just try to fight it♪
‘If hubby sings, he is about to get really solemn, grave and earnest. No good for you!’
Krigsain’s eyes became red, he was murderous to the point of being his old self.
He calmly stood up and using one of his choice possessions, a ritual dagger he went around killing the little piggies of master piggy.
PUCHI! SPURT! SWISH! PUCHI! SPURT!
Different cuts, different techniques, same result. The accomplishes were no more.
“Sorry about that, there cannot be any witnesses for this.”
Krigsain sat calmly down after he was done killing.
‘Scary….no more jokes for a while.’’
After many twist and turns and considerations and time.
“What happens now?” Master piggy managed to ask.
“It’ll be good for you. We are making a deal, Tosen.”
----------------------------------------
Ikrei P.O.V.
“When you said persecution, I wasn’t expecting this master!”
Another mountain was blown to pieces by an enemy attack.
ZOOOM! ZOOOM! ZOOOM!
[If you leave here, you must do so, ready for war.]
The Soul Orb containing one hundred souls was a problem, our two swords another. Too many opponents calling dibs the moment we left the Black Sun Coliseum.
And no we couldn’t absorb it inside the place, house rules.
They knew what would happen. Dark lords and gods enjoy this type of shit.
[Perhaps if we run all the way left, Hodonsyr will take us right, right?]
“You know it doesn’t work like that, master.”
Three more mountains and the ground behind me dispersed and scattered in all directions. The pursuers gave us no quarter.
[When you reach peak soul merge, test it again, changes will occur.]
ZIIING! DOOONG! SWISH! SLASH! ZIIING! DOOONG! SWISH! SLASH!
‘Dance of the butterfly!’
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
Evading a dozen energy attacks and a flurry of soul intrusions the landscape was changing as fast as we were dashing. Mountains became valleys and valleys became craters.
Our little group was terraforming the strata unintentionally.
“They are trying to interfere with my soul through dark energies, master.”
[How you feeling?]
“It barely tickles. Living here is paying off a little.”
[Ha, ha, ha. Let’s get out of here and into hiding.]
“ADOHI!” Triple sigil hand sign. Three core equivalent expenditure.
Star Shadow Steps.
THUD! THUD! THUD! ZOOOOM!
An evading, twisting and turning dark, blue and red streak of light was seen traversing, the mountains and valleys of the strata heading head first towards the grand palace with twenty persecuting streaks right behind. Not without throwing deadly soul splitting attacks.
ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ! ZEEEZ!
“ANAM KALIM DES GLAOH!”
‘Soul blessing merge!’
THUD! THUD! THUD! ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ring swords were happy, thy felt the Soul Orb and they were going to join them. And as they do when they are elated, the rings did what they always do after a good feeding. The swords became maniacal.
“HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!”