Oscar was currently searching around in the hallways, avoiding as much trouble as possible. Luckily, not many obstacles came before him. Oscar went on with Gol-4's guidance to find treasures of great quality. Benefiting from Gol-4's recovered memories, Oscar took a brief recess in another room, organizing his spoils.
"The Inner Sanctum was where I lived. I spent many years in the halls, admiring the works of my children and descendants. Over 2000 years as a Primaere allowed me to see how vast my family had grown. However, I had to bear through the deaths and loss of loved ones." Gol-4 rambled on from Oscar's waist.
"Maybe part of the reason you were so infatuated with Silvia is she had the means to be by your side for those long years. Did none of your wives or other children have the potential?" Oscar split everything into designated space pockets for each category. Since the space pockets were limited to 500 pounds, he needed to spill some items over to extras.
"Indeed, having someone to accompany me through the lonely years would have been ideal. However, Silvia went too far. As for my family, we've had many prodigies and geniuses, yet the barrier to the Primaere stumped all. Why do you think I always said it didn't matter if one was a prodigy? How many of them have I seen become unable to advance?" Gol-4 helped Oscar organize the items by pushing with his head.
"What is the barrier? You mentioned a tribulation." Oscar wiped the sweat from his brow and relaxed on the floor, eating some jerky.
"Too far beyond your means. Focus on the Knight Exalt realm for now. Being too eager will lead to disaster. As a Grade Four, you might run out of life before ever touching upon the Primaere."
"You don't need to put it that way…." Oscar exited the room, glancing from left to right.
"All routes will eventually converge on the divine essence. If their description of its location is correct, it's in my personal stone garden, which lies in the center."
Oscar nodded. He closed his eyes to hear, entering body meditation to heighten his senses. His ears perked up, hearing a slight flutter in the distance, not even to call it a disturbance. Still, it was the best lead he had so far. Turning to his left, Oscar summoned his deer anima and rode atop it.
"Be quieter." Oscar patted his deer anima. "We don't know if it's an ally or not."
The deer anima grunted in response and trotted on top of the floor with lighter steps, prancing with good control over its hooves. Oscar felt his control over his anima had increased over his time in Ashen Grove, especially after seeing how Demon controlled it.
Demon…the mere thought of the impossible guest in his inner world sent a boiling rage over Oscar's thoughts. His blood ran hot as his face reddened.
'Your thoughts are spilling over too much. We can't hide anything from each other. I can feel your anger boiling from your core.' Demon's voice echoed from within.
'....' Oscar refused to talk with Demon. He regarded Demon as a vile creature who needed to be put down.
'Hmm.' Demon's voice diminished, receding from Oscar's mind.
Freed from Demon's instructions for now, Oscar focused on the sounds of fighting, which grew louder as his deer anima strode ahead. In the distance, he saw some people wearing the blue jackets of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. He had finally found some of his peers other than Isabella.
One stood out from the rest, a figure with rosy hair wielding his prismatic sword with grace and power. Fearsome Ein focused on the edges of his blade, cutting through rows of golems dressed in thick armor with broad shields. He was stopped by three more powerful golems, radiating the might of Greater Elite Exalts.
"Phillip?" Oscar smiled when he saw a good friend. Turning to the side, his smile dropped. He saw three others, two Middle Elite Exalts, and a Lower Elite Exalt, fighting against numerous golems, all at the Middle Elite Exalt power. They were at a disadvantage and were turtling up for dear life.
The situation was not good.
Oscar understood Phillip was too occupied with the three monstrous golems to help the others. Urging his deer anima forward, Oscar formed a duo lance with him and his deer anima, ramming into the crowd of golems. The three students were surprised to see many golems pushed aside.
"Everyone alright?" Oscar leaped off his deer anima, creating Eirin lances on both arms and raining down sharp punches on the unbalanced golems, tearing some into pieces. "Phillip! I can handle this crowd with the others. Focus on the three you have there."
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"Hahaha! Nice to see you, Oscar!" Phillip retreated slightly, drawing in a deep breath. His sword appeared to gleam from the edges as a massive force of Ein flooded into it. With Oscar's help, he no longer needed to worry about the others. "Thanks. We can catch up later."
"The three of you!" Oscar shouted without turning back. "You're too tired, so provide some support while placing your backs to the wall. I won't let any one of these things get closer."
With his instructions laid out, Oscar and his deer anima planted themselves between the three tired students and the golems. He counted around twelve of them. Oscar prepared himself with Adamasreis and spammed his imperfect Silver Cage spell to create barriers and deter some golems for a moment.
The broad shields of the golems fell before the power of Eirin lances. Holes covered their surfaces until they broke apart into chunks. With the shields down, Oscar skewered his enemies until they became nothing but scrap metal. Some retaliated with swords, only to be knocked off balance by his deer anima's timely charges.
As for the ones who managed to get through those, they were greeted with long-ranged spells from the three others standing behind Oscar. The golems were helpless before Oscar's sheer might and the assistance of his allies. With a final kick to the temple of one of the golems, Oscar crushed the head into pieces.
Eirin Edureisclad took its offense and defense to newer heights. Oscar didn't revel in the victory. Phillip was still in combat against the two remaining golems; the other was cut in half. A Middle Elite Exalt had no business entering an arena against a higher Exalt. But offering aid to someone else in battle was still a key factor.
Oscar formed an Eirin Silver Star and released it, sending it on a destructive course toward one of the golems. The golem lifted its shield, blocking the Eirin Silver Star, which hit with a thunderous boom. Indeed, his attacks only inconvenienced the higher opponent, but they offered a chance.
The slight opening created by Oscar's interference was everything Phillip needed. Phillip took advantage of the timing and swung his sword in a full circle, vertical. One of the golems suffered a wild spiral of slashes, cuts formed everywhere from the outlines of its body, making its way to the center of its chest, which then burst into shreds.
"Is that the Sixth Step? That's terrifying…" Oscar saw sweat beading down Phillip's pale, realizing the technique took quite a toll. He gritted his teeth, knowing the only assistance he could offer was to throw more Eirin Silver Stars.
Blurs of silver raced through the halls, hitting the remaining golem on several parts of its knees, intending to bring it to its knees. The golem seemed unaffected, only moving back several steps. Again, Phillip took this chance with a fierce smile, charging another Sixth Step.
The last golem fell apart into pieces, and Phillip held himself up with his sword. He started to stagger around until Oscar came up and held him by the shoulder.
"I can see why you never used that." Oscar chuckled. "You took down three of those. That's an incredible feat."
"Says the one who took down more than ten. I haven't seen you for a month, yet you've gotten far stronger than before." Phillip gasped for air, and Oscar helped him take a healing elixir. With a grunt, Phillip nudged Oscar to turn to the others.
Oscar turned to face the three others, and his eyes trembled, seeing them for the first time. One was the Lower Elite Exalt, Esther, who he met during the first battle against Maia. The other Middle Elite Exalt was someone Oscar recognized as one of the many he saved from the Grovekeepers. The last was a stranger.
"Thank you again!" Esther came before Oscar and bowed her head. "I can't thank you enough for saving me twice!"
"Oh, it's our prison break leader! I never introduced myself. I'm Simon!" Simon cheered, the tiredness on his face washed away with admiration. "You truly are my hero!"
"What? You seem to have made a good name for yourself, Oscar. That's good. Someone like you should have more accolades to your name…Oscar?"
Oscar's face turned green, and his stomach started to churn. A nauseous breath escaped his lips, and his eyes shook. Seeing the two he saved in the past, Oscar was reminded of the one Demon killed cruelly in the board game. Esther and Simon's faces melted and morphed into the twisted, bloodied, and tear-ridden face of the one he betrayed.
"Oscar?!" Phillip nudged Oscar by elbowing him in the ribs. "Your face is green. Are you alright?"
"...Yes." Oscar rubbed his eyes. The faces returned to normal. "I think I exerted myself too much. We should catch some rest before moving on."
"That sounds good. There's a room a little bit that way." Phillip healed enough to stand on his two feet, leading the group onward.
Oscar forced a smile, but his hands were trembling. In his heart, he begged and prayed that nothing would happen again. While he could put Demon aside while conscious, he feared the day he might be knocked out again. While in the room, Esther and Simon chatted with him with praising eyes, and so too did the others. However, those praises only cut deeper into his heart.
'I killed many who decided to kill me, enemies of my home, friends, and myself. I should never have committed such an act against my ally.' Oscar drank water to soothe the feeling of a stone dropping in his stomach.
"Oscar, you seem quite sick." Phillip got cleaned up and went to Oscar's side with worry.
"I'm fine. Where did you come from?" Oscar asked.
"I came into the Inner Sanctum a few days ago. I went alone to gather more survivors and converge with the others."
"The others?" Oscar perked up.
"We managed to gather a good number of our people. The princess, Gilbert, Charles, and others are also there." Phillip said.
Celestina was there? Oscar lowered his head, almost feeling shame. He knew Celestina cared greatly for her people and companions to the point of tolerating Gilbert, Isabella, and Aurora. How would she feel about him killing an innocent person?
'Should I tell her?'
'Up to you. Though, I'd prefer if you kept us a secret.' Demon whispered.
Oscar felt a wave of exhaustion dragging his body down. He forced himself up and said, "Let's meet up with the others."