Chapter 91
Blood and Thunder
Yue had witnessed quite a few battles throughout her life, having even participated in a number of them herself. She'd even seen and observed battles of Avatar and Fusion Realm cultivators at times, and though it was always too fast and sporadic for her to truly follow, she could at least make out who was winning or losing. Even now, as she watched her slightly aloof Junior Brother burst out of the cave with a blinding flash of light, she was able to ever so slightly catch the glimpse of the clash--but that was it.
The collision resulted in a repulsive explosion of energy as the two men dashed out of the confined walls of the cave. The world shook ever for a moment, and she sped out, following after them. By the time she was out of the cave, the two were woven in a discordant battle just outside on the jutting platform.
Liang sped about like a possessed demon, leaving dented imprints in the dirt, but the General wasn't any worse for wear--if anything, it was the opposite. Qi rolled and roused around him as he swung a foot-and-a-half long spear, stabbing and thrusting mercilessly, aiming for Liang's vitals.
The General ducked suddenly and spun in place, tucking the spear underneath his armpit for a moment before using momentum to swing further out, aiming for Liang's throat; the latter dipped backward, bending himself underneath the swing and catalyzing Qi into a destructive force within his fist, stabbing it into the ground and using the explosive reaction to propel himself upward, revolving like a spin top for a moment before heaving over his right leg, aiming at the General's head with the heel.
Qi burst out as the heel and the bottom of the spear met, the two men shooting away from one another for a moment before stabilizing. Liang roared, his expression distorting under the violent surge of Qi, his robes flourishing before rampaging outward. His body gnarled under the weight of the speed, afterimages ballooning behind him. The General, too, summoned the whirling bundles of roaring thunder around himself, darkness and lightning emerging into one.
The two rushed toward each other once again, Liang punching out with gold-coated fist while the General thrust forth with the thunderous spear; the booming collision sent out a massive shockwave that forced Yue to pull up a curtain of Qi, just barely enduring, but still being pushed several paces back, watching in horror as the two men exchanged twenty bouts in just a blink of an eye.
Her heart stirred with a complex array of emotions, charged with envy and jealousy--she felt ugly, that she was unable to step past the skin-tearing wind and help him. She was so weak and insignificant that all she could do was silently cheer... and yet, was incapable of even doing that little, instead succumbing to envy.
Blood sprayed out suddenly, and she caught a glimpse of the spear tearing through Liang; it left a nasty gash on the right side of his abdomen, blood whirling out as he spun in deflection. At the same time, however, a thunderously cracking sound echoed out as she saw the General's left arm abruptly go limp and fall. Neither of the men, however, even so much as winced, rushing back towards each other.
Qi became visible, corporeal, steaming out beneath them as the two men ripped the world around them asunder. Liang ducked beneath another sweep, but the spear suddenly stopped and violently jerked downward; she visibly saw the General's shoulder dislocate due to the action, yet also witnessed Liang's left shoulder be torn into. Blood and viscera fell out as the milky white of the bone came into view. Undeterred even with that, Liang swept out with his right leg and tore through the General's knee. The latter jerked ever so slightly forward as his left leg bent unnaturally. However, he immediately stabbed the spear into the ground and used the unleashed Qi as means of pushing himself backward.
Like a hungry beast, though, Liang latched on and sprung forth, ignoring the nausea-inducing sight of his shoulder.
The platform beneath the two men began to give way due to their violent clashes that never seemed to cease--even in the retreat, the General thrust forward repeatedly with the spear, aftershocks blurring past Liang's lithe and surprisingly nimble figure, ripping through the cliff behind him and gouging open massive craters in its side.
In the midst of blinding flashes of light, Yue saw trails of scarlet shimmer like dainty flowers before vanishing in the burst of overwhelming energy. It seemed as though wounds themselves were disallowed, and pain went unregistered between the pair. She found it impossible to quell her heart and soul, and look at this as anything other than the bared reality of just how far behind she was--how was it possible, after all, that someone at the Early Spirit Creation Realm was fighting someone at Avatar Realm? Were the news to even kindle, it would spread like the wildfire, unquenchable until it burned down the entire world.
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He was ever so brilliant, but all his brilliance did was deepen the shadow in her heart until it was black and oily.
An arm suddenly flew off like a wheel off a broken spindle, spray of crimson drifting outward in a strange halo. Two figures emerged from the dust and debris, one on his knees and one towering over--Liang had won. He was panting, his chest sinking and rising like a boat on the wavy ocean, his robes torn and tattered, wounds bleeding everywhere. And yet, he stood an imposition, a looming wall of sanctity--and, beneath him, an armless figure was whimpering.
He found it just as incredulous as Yue--no, likely even more. In his eyes, it was entirely true that he saw Liang as a rebellious child and nothing more, a temporary toy to play with before breaking and moving on. A little pup, even; but the pup bit back and tore him asunder, until he was kneeling hapless and broken, begging for his life.
"We--we can talk about this," the General--or, rather, whoever was pretending to be him--spoke, his voice cracking. "What... what do you want, huh? Money? Treasures? Martial arts? I can give you anything!"
"There's only one thing I need from you," Liang crouched down, grasped the man's neck and lifted him off the ground into the air as though he were a child. The latter's legs began kicking back and forth, dangling like restless twigs, as the already bleeding face turned even redder.
"P-p-please..." the man stuttered just barely as Yue watched Liang's fingers tense further. The skin between them bubbled and stretched, almost like dough, but he kept pressing and pressing. "No----!!!" a blood-curling scream tore out into the world for just a moment before fading.
Yue bore witness to a scarring horror as fingers fissured first the skin and then the flesh, bearing down through until there was an audible crack and the reddened head limped sideways, eyes protruding ever so slightly out of their sockets. She fell backward and felt fear overcome her; Liang loosened his fingers and the supple body fell down with a faint thud, kicking up the dust.
She'd witnessed death before--any cultivator over the age of 13 had, most-likely--but never quite like this. This was... brutal, violent, savage, and, most importantly, it was unnecessary. Most deaths were swift strokes of a blade, not extended suffocations or prolonged cracking of the neck. It was savagery almost condemned, and she witnessed it from a person she thought rather gentle.
After all, she'd never seen this in Liang before--this anger, hatred, discontent bordering psychopathy. His head swiveled toward her suddenly as he looked at her over his shoulder; he was almost unrecognizable, the look in his eyes temporarily demented. They were red like blood, wide and round. However, as soon as his eyes met hers, they changed--softened; he quickly looked away as though in shame, before taking out a fresh robe from his spatial ring and throwing it over his old one.
Yue came to ever so slightly, realizing she was shaking and covered in sweat.
"I'm sorry, Senior Sister," his voice was suddenly gentle, void of the frigid cold with which he spoke to the General. "I didn't want you to see that."
"..." before she knew it, he was by her side, sitting down, his head buried between his knees.
"Face-Thief is an old criminal from before I even enrolled in the Sect," he said. "The list of his crimes... ah, it would fill up tomes. About eight years ago, a few of my Senior Brothers and Sisters went out on a mission only to never return. Once the Sect investigated their disappearances, we learned that they were killed by another Sect because they were all suddenly behaving like berserk beasts--pillaging villages, attacking mortals, thieving openly... it didn't make any sense, because all of them were rather just and noble. That was when the Sect Master stepped in and divined that they were dead long before they did any of those things--Face-Thief killed them and used their appearance to commit all those crimes. Though it was never revealed to the public, I learned from my former Master that the Bloodmoon Sect had hired him to tarnish our Sect's reputation, and that was how he did it." she still stayed silent, though had stopped shaking. His voice... the more the talked, the gentler, the softer, and more subdued it became.
"I don't know what overcame me," he continued after a brief silence. "I simply wanted to kill him, no matter what. That was the only thought I had in my head. I... I forgot you were here."
"... you're much stronger than I thought," Yue said, her voice low. Though she was terrified, there was another emotion gnawing at her, emotion she didn't want. "Rather than fear... my heart is consumed with envy."
"E-envy?! S-Senior Sister, don't worry! You are far more talented--"
"--that's fine," she interrupted his hapless attempt, smiling faintly. "Master has given me a new life, that is true. But, ultimately, fate cannot truly be overcome. There will always be people more talented and less talented than me, all walking the same path. Those are my own demons that I will have to conquer if I ever want to follow you and Master in the future." he seemed to stare at her for a long while before speaking.
"There have been countless who were envious of me in the Sect."
"Oh, wow."
"None, however, ever admitted it aloud," he quickly said. "But, every time I broke through, or completed a mission, I could feel their gazes on me. There is no shame in envy, I don't think; I have felt envious countless times in my life, too. It is how we approach it that defines that part of us; you've understood it, embraced it, and learned that you have to overcome it. You are already further than any of them ever were."
Yue felt her heart skip a beat, but she ignored it. She had to, she knew.
Burying her head between her knees she blocked away the sound of the stirring winds, and the hushed whispers of people hiding in the shadows, likely commenting on the state of the platform and how it came to be that way. She blocked away everything, letting in only the sound of his voice; the ever so gentle, awkward, and blundering voice.