Clash!
Clash!
The repeat continued and continued as Solomon’s battleaxe exchanged with a cloaked swordsman, wielding a katana. Only when he exerted his electric eyes, where he broke free from the momentum. Solomon strode away to give him and the cloaked swordsman some space. He eased the sparks around his eye sockets as it progressively burned. One moment of breath and the opponent swarmed right up to his face, about to thrust the tip of the blade right up to his nose. Bastard.
Solomon bent his back to where he saw the blade past him above. He felt the arch straining his back because of a full 180, and he heard a crack along the length of his spine. There was never a thought he was that flexible, always relying on brute and straightforward movements. His blacksmith’s works never experienced him bending his back in the opposite direction. Hence, this was new to his style of combat.
The strain annoyed him to the brink. Damn you. Here’s some fucking payback. Subsequently, he thrust his battleaxe right at the enemy’s thigh, forcing him to trip down with his grip still on the hilt. Solomon then dropped his axe and flexed his thighs, launching him away from the opponent from tumbling on top of him and maybe stabbing him.
He articulated his orange qi to protect his back and provide buoyancy as he crashed to the sea's surface, sliding away from the site. Solomon had grabbed his battleaxe the moment he escaped from the momentum. Afterward, when it was enough, he shoved the bit into the water and shot out a beam like an anchor to slow him down. When his body finally slowed to zero, he found himself in a predicament. Around him were various unignited bombs floating. He recognized it because he built them before. A thought came to his mind, prompting him to turn to the one closest to him.
The sound from afar reached his ears quickly. The cloaked swordsman, already recovered, leaped into the air, preparing to stab him on the spot.
In response, Solomon went for one bomb next to him, swimming away before the former crashed down. He removed his buoyancy, diving into the sea. One push from his feet, he went on a curve to launch himself back out. When Solomon peeked through, he swirled in the air and saw the cloaked swordsman crash into the water. Looking at the bomb was larger than his palm, despite his enormous hands. On the top was a long fuse, waiting to be detonated. His left eye looked closely at the cloaked swordsman, while the other was focused on the fuse. The next second, he immediately blew a breath of qi at the end of the fuse, sparking a flare. He aimed at where the cloaked swordsman landed.
Almost like a javelin, Solomon went for the overhand throw, aggressively tossing the bomb. He ain’t going to lose it as the closer it reached to the sea's surface. The shore of the wrecked South Cai Fishing Village wasn’t that far from the site. Hence, it could get shaky.
To be certain, Solomon exerted his aura for a full completion around his body and aimed the bit of his battleaxe at the scene. Being in his left hand, the right hand took the bottom spot with little to no space in between. An illuminating orange surrounded both of his fists, and he lifted a behemoth upwards, triggering a thunderous reaction from the cloudy skies. A summon of a bolt was all it needed. The shock energized his entire body, down to his nerves. Dangerously potent for some. Three. Two. One. The entire face of the axe charged up, and Solomon unleashed right. It was only seconds before the bomb hit the cloaked swordsman.
Not for long. The bomb tapped his back as he tried to get up, igniting right on. The c-shaped slash generated by Solomon’s axe went into the rapid bulb of light, spawning a pillar of light that reached up to the sky. All the clouds crumbled and dissipated, excreting all the rain at once while the sun emerged from the sky.
The heat from the bomb circus generated episodes of heavy gusts. Rings formed around the mushroom cloud. Weirdly enough, the mushroom cloud became a pump. The stem went distorted, changing shape every couple of seconds to where it performed a pumping motion. From the bottom up, it pressed out rings around the blast site. Hence, the heavy gusts blasted the heat all around the zone. Where Solomon stood, he was absorbing everything from it, not having the time to decide where to go. Luckily for him, he felt something different. His Skoltor’s system flashed what he was feeling.
--
Heat Absorption Activated
--
In fact, his whole body’s qi capability rapidly increased, making him more energetic. His orange aura grew beyond his control when glaring up, he could see a tower of orange shooting toward the sky.
Boom!
What in the? Solomon, surprised by a sudden boom, focused on the blast site being suffocated. Subsequently, it was shown the stem was cut in half, and the whole mushroom cloud got absorbed by this black color from the opening.
I recognized that damn qi. About damn time. Solomon, a little frustrated, blurted out. “Finally, you show up!”
Julius came through, teleporting right next to Solomon. “I had to deal with my opponent. You know I can’t be reckless. Otherwise, everyone is fucked.”
Solomon maintained his focus at the dispersed blast site, and now all the mushroom clouds, rings, and debris dissipated. He was curious about who his opponent was. “It seemed you dealt with your cloaked opponent. How was it?”
Julius gave a long sigh. Solomon couldn’t see his expression as the facial mask covered his lower half, but he could tell Julius grimaced from the growing thin eyes when he turned. “I won, but not well. You remember the ones back at that training center?”
“Training center? Wait…the one in Underground Kriegshan?!”
“Yep, Helda,” Julius said with a nod. “What an unfortunate tragedy of reunion and come to like this, and I’m worried because I had disturbing thoughts as I flew back here from the medical. What if our cloaked opponents were them? Like the entire group, we each take one of them out.”
Solomon rubbed his eyes, then pointed at the same spot. “I guess let’s find out with mine.”
Julius sighed again despite the mouthplate on as if he really breathed out. “I have a bad feeling about this.”
“Well, don’t get yourself out of control, got it?”
“Of course…of course. Let’s go,” Julius said, descending first.
The two quickly headed down to where Solomon lay on the surface of the sea before escaping from the cloaked swordsman. The latter was seen in the same predicament as Solomon, lying on the surface. Julius, mentioning his potential worries, went next to the cloaked swordsman, whose cloak looked toasted. The smell of burnt continued to emit in the air. A whiff reached Solomon's nose as he kneeled down next to the cloaked swordsman’s sword laid across. And it didn’t sink as it was supposed to. Hang on…This looks familiar. The aura of a relic. Hold on a second.
He grabbed it by the hilt and immediately jolted through his forearm, prompting him to call. “Uh, Julius? I found a relic.”
Julius stopped and turned to Solomon. “Oh, fantastic. Which one is this?”
“Look,” Solomon said, “you don’t recognize this? Remember those three katanas other than you? There were three. Each was colored. Yours was like silver ragged before an upgrade.” He raised the hilt closer to Julius’s face. “This one is red.”
The two stared silently and simultaneously looked at the cloaked swordsman. Julius then tore the cloak off and immediately shoved Solomon back. A foul smell was exerted from the head before a gush of black qi-like energy was released into the air. Gross! These smells of holy garbage. He felt nauseated, wanting to puke. He tried keeping himself together, using his aura to burn everything away inside of him while holding his mouth and nose tight with his palm.
It was horrific, and the situation felt dragged as the cloaked swordsman kept gushing it out after ten seconds. He noticed the arms and limbs twitching like being sucked out. It lasted for half a minute when the smell abruptly disappeared. Nothing was left behind. Not a trace of the nastiness left.
“I was right. Yinhai!” Julius yelled, standing up from the spot. He paced around the vicinity while Solomon leaned up to see who it was under the cloak.
Good Yinhai. Solomon was bewildered at this. “Xavier…Why does he have to be right?”
Boom! Splash!
A gush of water spurted after Solomon's fist slammed into the water's surface. He went for the pulse on his neck. Phew, thank goodness. His finger felt a consistent pulse. Hence, he called for Julius, who was still pacing around. Julius didn’t hear Solomon’s call. In response, the latter hand chopped a whiff of qi into the water, blocking him from pacing any further.
“Did you hear me? He’s alive!”
Julius was silent, heading back to the spot. “Well, I’m glad. But still. My prediction was right. I was about to go insane.”
“Remember what I said to not lose control? Me and Empress Cai have to keep reminding you again.”
“You don’t have to remind me of that again,” Julius said. He kneeled next to Xavier. “I’ll take him to the medical tent.”
“Perfect, let me help.” Solomon went to the end of Xavier’s feet and helped Julius lift him up. Julius let Xavier’s upper half onto his right shoulder, and Solomon let him go, as he had another problem to deal with.
--
A team member from “Skolritter Party” needs assistance:
Empress Cai
--
She adapted well to these commands. Solomon turned to the far outskirts of the sea. He saw Empress Cai fighting against two cloaked individuals. Before he could intervene, Father Kang came from the opposite side, landing right next to him.
“I heard some bizarre things happened over here. Did I miss it?”
“Yeah, you did. But now we have something new on our hands. Empress Cai needs our help. The only way to deal with them is to break their consistency and go hard.”
“If the boats are already a chaotic mess, I’m sure these fuckers are a hell’s play.”
Solomon nodded. “Yes. It is. However, I have one condition. Don’t kill them, but knock them out hard.”
Father Kang grimaced. “May I ask why?”
“Emperor Julius’s orders. After he fought against one, it was revealed to be someone he left behind at Underground Kriegshan. Remember that story he told us of how he escaped?”
“Yeah, a group had to go their separate ways.”
“Correct. And those cloaked enemies could be them. So far, two are proving it. His opponent and mine. It’s bizarre to even think about now.”
“Do you know who were the two?” Father Kang asked.
Solomon prepared his battleaxe, wiping away the residue from the bit of the axe. “I don’t know about him, but mine. Gosh, you know Xavier? The legendary master.”
“I do. Wait. Are you serious?!” Father Kang asked. His eyes widened like crazy. The first Solomon had ever seen him express himself like that. When he nodded at his question, Father Kang went dumbfounded. Both hands were all over his face. “Is he alive?”
“Yes, I checked his pulse before Julius took him away to the medical tent. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Father Kang lowered his hands, relaxing his facial muscles. He pulled out his tang dao sword from his sheath by his waist. “Alright, good. Anyway, it seems Empress Cai’s battle is stagnant.”
Solomon analyzed it, and she could still keep up with the two cloaked opponents. “She wanted a Skoltor system for herself, and it proved very advantageous for her…Let’s go. We can’t drag talk.” He launched himself up into the air, breaking the sound barrier from his feet. Going at the same speed as the fight, Solomon raised his battleaxe and put it in front of him like a tip of an arrow. He doesn't care who the battleaxe strikes, but the job will be taken care of.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Lightspeed, Solomon thrust the battleaxe forward with both grips tightened around the handle. In the next second, the heavy crash of the three pulled his body forward after the impact from the battleaxe. Blood spurted from all three, splattering to Solomon’s face. It caused him to drop his battleaxe down to the sea. The blood seeped into his eyes, irritating it.
Suddenly, he felt a forced pull from behind. Solomon wiped his eyes away, finding Celeste in front of him while Father Kang gripped his upper collar. Celeste’s shield did the job of cushioning the crash from the three. They hit the shield, sending them down into the sea. Empress Cai directed herself out of the downward force, flying back up. “That wasn’t cool.”
“Sorry,” Celeste said.
Father Kang let go of Solomon's coat’s collar, and the latter walked right up to Celeste’s side where Empress Cai walked on the air, going behind and asking her. “How does your Skoltor feel?”
“I loved it. I figured it was the right time to get it…and it hasn't failed me one bit since.”
“These cloaked opponents are potent and a hell to deal with. Except the moment I saw you earlier, you looked fine.”
Empress Cai raised her blade with the tip pointing at Solomon’s face. “Are you mocking me?”
Woah. Solomon was surprised by her sudden gesture, almost blurting. “I said nothing that mocks you.”
She hung on momentarily before receding her blade and lowering it down. “I was fine, ok. They are annoying to deal with, not enough to be hell. I let myself lose a little when dealing with those two. I thought it would be nice to get some assistance,” Empress Cai said, then shrugged.
Boom!
An ignited blast of water disrupted their conversation. All returned focus to the two cloaked individuals who launched themselves into the air. They hovered above in a blink, forcing Celeste to launch her platform, Vesper, at them. Subsequently, Father Kang thrust his tang dao like a stab, summoning a phantom around his sword, triple in overall size. Since they were facing towards the fishing village, the thrust pushed them back. Solomon followed speed, teleporting right in their path.
He extended both of his palms out, each engulfed in orange qi. The two cloaked individuals each crashed hard where he felt the vibrations rippled to his bones, prompting him to exert more qi around his arms. Perfect. He thought, and his hands let go of their backs. As a result, they were pinned in midair.
Solomon went on with the advantage and swirled his body abruptly. Using his left foot, he spun his body repeatedly twice until his right leg felt good and burning. After the second spin, his right leg extended fully and went for the strike at the first cloaked individual. The foot went at its head, directing it to the second cloaked individual. The two heads clashed like two rocks, followed by a loud shatter of crumbling bits. Because of the stuck-in-place move Solomon inflicted, they had to deal with every force, leaving no space for a reduction. It was like there was a barrier blocking the second one from nudging down. Despite that, there were no cries or a whisper of a grunt.
Black vapors emitted from his right foot. The boot emitted a smokey smell, and an aura of fire summoned around the entire boot and portions of the leg above the ankle, overtaking the orange aura. A trail of plumes of smoke rapidly exited from the surface of his boot.
Slam!
Because of the impact, all the potential energy was still inside and wasn’t released. Hence, a sonic boom erupted, triggering an abrupt speed that sent them to the empty parts of the village. It left behind a wide trail, displaying an eradication of nature and elevated landforms. Solomon had to take a breather, denying he caused that much with only one kick. When the effects of the impact subsided, he flew toward the trail, only to find the two cloaked individuals lying head down.
----------------------------------------
Yinhai. I could even feel it down here. Empress Cai thought, raising her arms down. She stood outside of Celeste’s shield, initially watching Solomon’s destructive tactic to neutralize the two cloaked opponents. The shockwave was wide and reached her. What’s left from the shockwave was vivid and displayed all spots. Elevated landforms at many spots are all trimmed like grass. The hill that was obliterated by Qiang’s dual blast into a plateau, reduced into a plain surface.
The possibility of restoring the village’s former geography seems to be impossible and will never be the same again. Even the beachy sands at the shoreline were torn and gone by half. Empress Cai wasn’t pleased.
Before she could let the destructive presentation distract her, Empress Cai looked back at the sea. The naval activity progressively quieted down. Only a few ships remained and sailed. The battle on land appeared to end too, with allies’ arms raised.
She pointed at the few ships, insisting on taking action. “Once they’re gone, the fishing village will once again return to our safe graces. Will you follow me to it?”
Celeste responded with a heavy nod. “I’m intrigued.” Her shield dimmed into thin air, and she hovered next to Empress Cai, leaving Father Kang. “Are you coming along?”
“I’ll scout along,” Father Kang said. He wasn’t thrilled to be in another battle, especially since the conclusion was imminent. “You don’t want me to ruin the fun now, do you?”
Empress Cai shook her head. “I don’t mind if you do it with a snap of your fingers. That isn’t my problem.”
He took her statement as an affirmative response. Hence, he raised his tang dao, directing the blade towards the few remaining ships. Father Kang’s left hand gripped his right forearm briefly, triggering a humming noise. Empress Cai and Celeste watched him do one horizontal slash gesture.
“Done,” he said, putting his tang dao back into his scabbard.
“Nothing happened,” Celeste said, looking back and forth between Father Kang and the few ships. “Where’s the answer?”
Empress Cai steered Celeste’s head back to the view of the few ships. “You’re too early…watch.”
Crack. Crack-ling.
A line of separation from the sea widened like the ridges from an aggressive earthquake. It swirled through the waters from the far parts of the sea, creating a massive wake. It tore up like a zipper opening up a jacket. The depth of the waves was exposed. One ship was on its direct path and surrendered without retaliation. Empress Cai saw the enemy soldiers and cultivators fall along with it into the open gap. The water flow was disrupted, all focused towards the wide hollow gap of a trench.
“Holy mother…” Celeste said in a mumble.
Empress Cai grabbed her, and the three flew closer to the scene, where they got a better look. There it was. A behemoth of a line, bordered by two waterfalls. Empress Cai saw the sea floor near the village’s shore, even with a bit of water flooding it. She and Celeste hovered in the middle of the gulf. Hence, the seafloor isn’t even detectable, only a dark hollow hole. Ok, time to pull back. She hovered a little back from the spot, with Celeste still in her grip.
“Did he really cut through the damn ocean all the way to the floor from that far?”
Empress Cai nodded. “Yes, he did. Since this was a huge scope, it took a couple of seconds to trigger.”
The three then saw Julius landing on one of the two ships remaining. That’s when they all went down to the left ship. For a non-flagship, it was a havoc of people somehow being able to fit on a smaller deck. Only for Julius to disrupt their time further by slicing their heads.
Empress Cai let go of Celeste, and the two landed right on the crown of the head. The latter tip-toed and swirled down to the empty part of the deck. One unintentional gesture caused a part of the ship to be sliced in an instant. The part of the deck where she and Celeste stood was at the stern. A pour of water steered it right towards the flow of the sea towards the dark opening.
Before Father Kang erected a wake that separated part of the sea into half, the three ships were in wedge formation. It was only possible because the three ships were distanced almost evenly between each other. The vanguard, the one that was on a direct path, succumbed to the depth of darkness without resistance. That left two ships remaining. Each at the opposite side of the line. However, the ship Empress Cai and Celeste jumped on, now heading right to the line. The former turned to view the rest of the ship, and much to her horror; the two halves are being dragged.
--
Alert: Qi Overload
--
Empress Cai exerted her aura, bursting a ton of enemies into the air. She followed up with an upward slash, completely decapitating the bodies. Another exertion from her body released another round of her red aura. Like a few others, her aura was razor sharp, obliterating every opponent into bits that even blood was cut at the atomic level as there was nothing left to precipitate.
That leaves her, Celeste, and Father Kang on the ship's stern.
“I’m jumping out,” Celeste said, focusing on Empress Cai.
“Right behind you,” the latter said.
Father Kang didn’t respond as he kept silent, but he drifted off from the ship’s stern and flew right to the scene. Empress Cai and Celeste ran out of the stern and jogged along the sea’s surface. “Duck!” the former yelled.
Empress Cai ducked her head, leaping downward to the sea’s surface. Once she slid through the overcast shadow, she partially turned her head over to view what was up in the sky. Her eyes revealed a pile of bodies at once in the sky, passing her. You are insane. Empress Cai assumed it was a result of Julius’ recklessness. Returning to focusing on getting herself to the other half of the deck, there her answer showed. Julius, in a madlad expression, threw multiple cultivators at once. She figured quickly that this was immediately after they were deceased. Next to him were some laid with no signs of voluntary movement.
With only a few feet left, she lunged up from the sea’s surface and crashed right up into the crowd that was in the middle of a standoff against Julius. Despite her voluptuous body, the muscularity hidden underneath her warrior clothing fooled everyone as everyone tumbled to the deck hard in reaction to her landing.
Julius grunted and thrust the pile up away from his torso as he slithered away until the knees were free. Empress Cai, whose body got locked, watched his movements as his knees generated ice. She braced as a violent push jolted the pile and her up in the air. “Oh, shit!” She exclaimed. Looking down, her feet naturally coordinated with the air, allowing for a stable landing. She stood next to Julius, who wasn’t in spite.
“You didn’t have to,” he said. “I was about to finish this ship.” His mask opened, revealing a scarred and charred mouth.
“I want this to end quickly if you don’t mind,” Empress Cai said.
“Alright then.”
“Behind you!” Celeste yelled.
Silt!
Loud coughs erupted, ending with loud vomits.
Empress Cai sighed. What a nice shower.
She turned to Julius on her left. His hair was down and showered in dirty blood. The mouthplate had already closed up his lower face. The attention turned towards her and gave a nod. Both simultaneously yanked their swords out, and the two enemy cultivators above them collapsed to the floor, revealing lifeless bodies with eyes phased out.
The barrage continued as the cultivators from the village arrived, finishing it quickly. Empress Cai lowered her katana, returning it to her sheath. She then watched them perform garbage disposal before all gathered around her and Julius, waiting for further command.
Not giving him the chance, she pointed her palm right at the last ship across the line. “One more at our disposal. I want all of you to go do it quickly. Once you’re done, come back to the village.”
They silently nodded and departed for the sole ship. Celeste summoned a barrier to block the flow from the remains of the deck that she, Julius, and Empress Cai stood on, buying them for some time.
“I appreciate y’all for the help, but I was going to do this by myself,” Julius said with his eyes focused on Empress Cai. “But seriously, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I don’t want to get you on the brink of cries like the last time.”
“I know. I know. At least I can use the cold.”
“How’s the pain?” Celeste asked.
Julius walked right to the edge. “Much better now. The mask is comfortable after a while,” he said, looking back at the wrecked fishing village and the sole ship. “Time to go. They’re done.”
All followed him back to the village.
Empress Cai looked to her left and noticed the flagship stranded on the empty plains. The hull was still intact despite the lower layers being completely torn. It left with no mast and sails. The keel was shattered to bits as most of it was floating at the sea, causing the hull to lie tilted on its left. “What are we going to do with that whole remains?”
“I don’t know. We might get the guys to dissect and salvage everything valuable and worth noting,” Julius said and landed first on the sandy beach. When Empress Cai landed, he continued. “The whole keel was gone because the cloaked lady fell into the hole after I threw her up. Adding some touches, I summoned water right inside. I don’t know what happened, and it exploded very quickly, like a storm. My armored sleeves got some damage from it.”
The cultivators returned from the ship, flying over the beach and descending to the crowd. That tied the knot, ending with a successful victory. South Cai Fishing Village back into the dynasty’s hands. Julius ran right up to the edge of the beach. Empress Cai and Celeste remained and watched him raise his sword high in the sky, facing towards the cultivation army.
Loud cheers erupted from the crowd. Hence, Empress Cai departed from the beach, joining the crowd. She still can’t fathom the amount of support and her home nation’s victory achieved under one man with a mysterious history in such a short time. Her understanding of him becomes a full circle. How’s that father? You can’t even make this happen. Empress Cai thought.
Julius’s eyes were expressive despite his mask blocking the bottom portions of his face. And the crowd’s reaction was apparent. When she turned to them, they cheered at her too. That took her by surprise. Ever since she departed the throne, her expectations were low. Being sick after the Raid of Longyue secluded her. Her time of post-discharge was a self-evaluation of everything around her. The turning point happened twice. The first functioning senate and today, the retaking of the South Cai Fishing village. The moment she can finally relax while filled with joy, taking a deep breath while the cultivation army continues cheering.
Suddenly, Empress Cai went behind him and hugged him around his waist, turning everyone silent. Her arms felt Julius lowering his arm and a twitch from his upper back.
“Oh, my god. What did you just do?” Celeste asked in a low voice.
I don’t care. Let me have some peace. “Am I not allowed to?” Empress Cai asked in response, silencing her.
“Not this in public!” Celeste loudly grunted through her teeth.
Julius raised his hand. “It’s fine. Everybody doesn’t mind a little fresh atmosphere,” he said, in a relaxed tone. “Right?”
They all raised their blades, followed by a chant, and resumed their cheers. The crowd departed and celebrated throughout the wrecked village. Empress Cai let go of hugging him from behind, prompting him to half turn.
“How do you feel?” Julius asked. “…Another win for home.”
Empress Cai strolled to his side, leaving a few feet of space between the two. She then wiped little tears away before staring at Julius. “I can’t describe it. Maybe delighted,” she said. “It is almost as if ever since you came and stepped foot in the palace, everything changed. Today, I don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Thanks for the gesture, Empress,” Julius said. “I have one thing to say before we celebrate. I feel I’m finally home. Home. Think about that. A man came out of nowhere at an unexpected time, not knowing where the hell he was. I’m happy to be here, and I don’t know if we will ever get any moment like this again. But my mind is filled with joy. I hope you and the rest of us will lead to another moment of bliss in an uncertain future.” He then held his hand out, looking at her and Celeste. “Will you join us?”
Celeste then walked up, and the three gathered in a circle. They clasped hands for a moment, exchanging non-verbal emotions. Afterward, one lengthy breath of fresh air before they turned their attention towards the crowd, departing their spots to join their celebration.