novelnext Chapters 637-640
Chapters 637-640
Chapter 637: Final Negotiations
It was absurd that, with all the apocalyptic concerns around them, Zae Zin Nim needed to be concerned about what she wore. But the Pureflower Sect was the only faction that was willing to support her, so her meeting with them was critical. Whether or not she could convince them to provide the final support she needed could well make or break her plans.
Only minutes until they teleported to the Pureflower Sect and she was still making her final decisions. One of the most obvious paths would be to wear her formal Brightwind robes and approach them as a matriarch, but that might not convince them, not with patriarchs bowing to the Yangix Sect right and left.
Another entirely different path would be to take a page from Omilaena's book and approach them confidently. They would likely be shocked by her new appearance, so it might be better to wear it proudly. Or she could go the opposite direction and show that she embodied their sect's virtues of grace and modesty. She could even wear the Pureflower robes she had in her spatial bracelet... unless that would be too overt, too clumsy a symbol?
"What are we doing?" Cragrila stood just behind her, hiding her impatience. She didn't care for fashion, but she knew how women's clothing worked and she could use a speed phase, so she was the best assistant available.
"I..." Zae Zin Nim pushed aside all other thoughts and made her decision. "These."
She wore only plain black cultivator's robes, with the Heavenly Sash atop them. No jewelry or anything else, simply her hair tied back with a single pin. When they prepared to enter the teleportation circle, Cragrila nodded to her, just slightly.
On the other side, they stood atop the sect's mountain, where Zae Zin Nim had not been for many years. There was an escort prepared to greet them, bowing without any reaction to her appearance. They said nothing as they were escorted inward, then Cragrila stayed behind so that Zae Zin Nim could enter the central chamber alone.
There she faced the aged matriarchs of the sect as well as the three Pureflower Goddesses, who sat in elegant chairs waiting for her. Once that might have been intimidating, but Zae Zin Nim realized that she had no time for their pomp and circumstance, not now.
"Your name is anathema across Cloudspire," one of the old women said. "The Yangix Sect has promised destruction upon any who would aid you. Tell us, why should we help you, at great cost to ourselves, when doing so could be our doom?"
"If you truly believed that," Zae Zin Nim responded, "you would not have agreed to my request. I think you understand that Yangix Sect controlling Cloudspire would mean your destruction anyway... tell me, what has he already demanded of you?"
"It isn't Yangix himself." Kir Mei Bai spoke up, almost apologetically. "It's the men with him, the... invincible Earth Souls. They are far cruder, and they have been pressuring us to send them wives."
"Then you understand the threat. No doubt others in the Western Wilds urge you to sacrifice yourselves for their sake, to gain favor with the invaders. I am the only one who will offer you a path to defeating them."
"And what proof do we have?" another elder objected. "Every Sky Soul that has faced them has been defeated, and their schemes grow ever more desperate. You, merely an Earth Soul, ask us to sacrifice great qi reserves, only to try to defend yourself."
Zae Zin Nim wanted to snap back that she had defeated her father as an Earth Soul, or perhaps just show them her raw strength and beat sense into them. But she realized that she was getting this meeting not because of her power, but because she had a connection with the Pureflower Sect. If she had built a stronger relationship, maybe they would even have supported her gladly instead of requiring these negotiations.
So no, force was not the path through this. As alien as it was to Cloudspire, Zae Zin Nim decided to take a compassionate approach.
"I share your frustration." As she spoke, she addressed the entire room, all of the sect members listening as well as the elders. "These invaders are uncouth men with little cultivation, able to defeat us only because of... a brute force technique, one might say. I have mastered the same technique, but as you said, I am only an Earth Soul. With your help, I could gain the final strength I need to stand up to them."
"Alone?" Kir Mei Bai asked.
"No, far from alone. I have assembled allies across the world who are waiting for the moment to strike, but we need to strike with overwhelming force. Join us and we will be one step closer."
There were more questions, and some bickering, and eventually Zae Zin Nim was asked to leave the chamber while they conferred with one another. But she had only been waiting for a few minutes when the doors opened again and Kir Mei Bai stepped through.
"Provided that you make a formal alliance as Brightwind matriarch," she said cautiously, "the Pureflower Sect will support you. Our qi reserves are yours."
"Good." Zae Zin Nim wanted to nod and move on, but she saw the fear in the Pureflower Goddess's eyes and stayed back a moment. "Believe me, this will work. I only need the final step."
Kir Mei Bai smiled thinly, but she nodded and returned to the others. As soon as she was gone, Zae Zin Nim turned back to Cragrila, who had been leaning against one of the white pillars. Now she separated from it, grasping her spear and shifting her weight.
"Take this south." Zae Zin Nim handed her a jade teleport talisman. "That will allow me to return to your position. Until then, do what you can to support Wan Fei and the others."
"You think you can reach Sky Soul in time?" Cragrila asked. "And it will be enough?"
It would be wrong to give the old revolutionary soft reassuring words, so Zae Zin Nim met her gaze and merely said, "What other options do you have?"
After a pause, Cragrila took the jade talisman and departed. Zae Zin Nim didn't watch her go, trusting that she would do her part, and turned to do hers.
.
..
.
After she finally slipped Jonijix - whose horniness had made him remarkably determined - Omilaena circled back to the others. They had been monitoring the invaders and tracked a few who tended to go off on their own, and they had been planning to target one of those. There was a very real possibility that the ambush would turn into a disaster and she would return to find them all dead.
When Omilaena found the group, there were indeed bodies on the ground... but the ambush hadn't failed. They clustered around a cliff face, where one of the weaker invaders had been impaled against the stone by a single arrow with Thunderbird fletchings. Damn, Omilaena had done better than she expected with that arrowhead.
Yonto and several other elves stood at a distance, looking extremely tense. All the bodies on the ground were demons... some of them were actually dead, dried blood tracing lines from their eyes and mouths, while others thrashed in pain.
"What's going on?" Omilaena landed beside Yonto. "Good shot, by the way."
"After we isolated and killed one of the invaders," Yonto explained, "the demons tried to absorb his power. It seemed to be... too much for them somehow. Some who seemed to be absorbing the power better ended up dead, and it's unclear what's happening to the rest. We have no answers, and they lash out at anyone that gets close."
"Does anyone know about the dead invader?"
"Not yet, but he usually returns from his walks within a few hours, so they'll start asking. Time is limited."
If even Yonto was looking nervous, Omilaena resolved to take care of things. She walked over to the demons, and a woman thrashing on the ground tried to grab her ankle to drain her. Once that might have been a threat, but now Omilaena only gently kicked her away. Focusing on her own phases, she could resist the drain... and that might be the problem.
She found Gorutiel on his knees, clutching his chest so hard that his fingers dug into his skin and drew blood. Unlike the others, he seemed to have absorbed some of the power - the phased energy moved through his body as sluggishly as syrup, and he was clearly struggling to command it. Based on her best guess, however, she thought that he would master it eventually.
"What... is this?" he demanded in a rasping voice. "Demons... should be able to..."
"Have you ever struggled to absorb power like this before?" Omilaena asked.
"Never... no matter how concentrated... they should be only prey..."
For a moment Omilaena looked down at him, wondering if it would be better to just let the demons die, or even help things along a bit. They were uncomfortable allies at best, and potential future liabilities at worst. On the other hand, she and Kai were short on allies, and the idea of demons draining phased power was fascinating from a theoretical perspective.
"Here, this should help a bit." Omilaena bent down and injected Gorutiel with soothing chakra. "We'll have to talk more later, just sleep now."
He muttered something angry, trying to fight her, but there was a huge gulf in power between them now and the sedative overwhelmed him. As he fell asleep, Omilaena took a look at his soul.
<
Name: Gorutiel
Total Power: 1119
Crimson Demon: Emerald Rank (500)
Demonic Cultivation: Nascent Foundation (230)
Physique: C-5 (325)
Soul Level: 8 (64)
>
It seemed that absorbing the phased energy had made Gorutiel explode past the 999 Power barrier, taking his Crimson Demon ability to 500. Once that would have been impressive, but now it didn't seem so high, not when it was only partially supported by other abilities. Other demons, who didn't have Gorutiel's impressive Physique, were faring poorly.
There could be interesting implications to this... Omilaena pulled out her goggles and inspected him on a deeper level.
<
Name: Gorutiel
Physique: Enhanced Mortal (300 year lifespan)
Soul: Mortal
Supremacy: None
Talent Capacity: Crimson Demon
Elemental Capacity: Crimson Demon
Essence Capacity: Crimson Demon
Cultivation Capacity: Demonic Cultivation
>
Shockingly, his Crimson Demon ability consumed a full three capacities within his soul: Talent, Elemental, and Essence. Only his cultivation remained intact, and that seemed like a clearly linked ability. It was also surprising to see someone so powerful have a purely Mortal soul - his enhanced Physique kept him looking young, but apparently his lifespan was still limited.
As she compared to other demons, Omilaena began to come to a conclusion. It seemed that the demonic ability to absorb the power of others came at a great cost, occupying a huge part of their soul. In a sense, that shouldn't have surprised her: the laws of reality didn't give something for nothing, and being able to simply steal the advancement of others had always seemed a bit like cheating. Now she saw the hidden cost, which might explain why demons didn't dominate everywhere.
But what was the difference, in fundamental terms, between stealing power and absorbing it from other sources? Power could be exchanged via dual cultivation and many chakra techniques, after all, and Kai was able to consume monsters - if anything, his soul was too large. Her best theory was that normal routes to power involved encountering outside power and incorporating it carefully, while demonic abilities tried to skip that step and steal not energy, but advancement itself.
Before she could figure out all the details, they were interrupted by a new arrival, and a welcome one: Kai landed beside the group. Some of the demons and elves flinched, but Omilaena rose and swept her eyes up and down in exaggerated admiration.
"Well, look at you." She waved a finger in a circle. "Turn around for me so I can admire all of you."
"No," Kai said with a smile. "I stopped the Colossus, but that just means that there's nothing else to stop Jonijix."
Bah, she would get to fully enjoy him later. Omilaena forced herself to be serious for a little longer. "As you can see, the elves - with no help from me whatsoever - were able to take down one of the invaders. That's likely to confuse the others, but once Jonijix figures out, he's going to be pissed."
"What do we do about it? I'm confident I can take him, but if he calls the oth-"
"You don't do anything." Omilaena reached out to put a finger over his lips. "Not here. I think it's only a matter of time before one of the invaders either goes mad, someone unrelated to us sets them off, or they start doing things that can't be tolerated. Now that we're ready to fight them, we have to get into position for a battle if - no, when it becomes necessary."
Kai frowned as he took her hand gently. "We're ready, but what about Zin Nim?"
"We have teleportation potions, but sadly no communication. We'll just have to trust her."
"Then... you want me to go to Deadwaste." Kai let out a breath as he understood her plan. "You plan to fight Jonijix..."
"Which means you need to handle the last continent. Or the first continent." Omilaena squeezed her hand around his fingers. "We have no idea what's been going on there, other than that the worst hasn't happened. So go back home and figure that out, get things in shape if you can. With any luck, we can strike the first blow before things go bad."
"Alright." They discussed a few more details, but all too soon Kai pulled out the thin vial and drank the teleportation potion. "How long does it t-"
Then he was gone, as if he'd never been. Off to Deadwaste, but she had to take that on faith. Omilaena realized that she hadn't kissed him one more time and hoped she would have a chance in the future.
They were running out of time and now there were no more reinforcements coming. She would win or lose on Rosemount under her own power.
Chapter 638: Final Deadwaste Reunions
Teleporting across the world should have been more disorienting, yet Kai felt no more than the slight lurch he had felt years ago, teleporting into the monster reserve for the Hunter Trials. One moment he was with Omilaena on Rosemount, then the next he was back in the Frontier.
He stood within the phase-suppressing rings for the mortal phase trial, which he doubted was an accident - the elites had planned for the possibility that someone else would steal the teleportation potions. There were multiple people on guard, reacting the instant he appeared... but their attacks slowed as they recognized him. After all, Kai was one of the few people in the world whose soul was impossible to fake.
"Kai Clanless." Handelrey Orgoron was the first to lower her guard, shaking her head as she moved toward him. "Every time I see you, you manage to surprise me again. I suppose you've been to both Cloudspire and Rosemount."
"I have," Kai said, "but right now I just want to know about home."
An hour later, he was at the planning table with Gunjin and the other elites, getting the full picture. So many things had happened... he wanted to find and congratulate Razz for having taken down one of the most dangerous invaders, but that was old news by now. His eyes slid over the map, going from the lowest threats - still lethal to anyone below the elites - to the greatest.
"So we still have a major cluster of invaders in each of the Frontier nations." His hand stabbed down in four places, barely remembering not to tear the map with a claw. "Somewhat spread out, but they're in communication, so we can't begin taking them down secretly."
"Not unless we're committed to a very short time frame for an all out attack," Gunjin acknowledged. "They check in irregularly, but often enough to be a serious problem."
"There's one exception," Handelrey pointed out. "The group in Goralia is in complete disarray and we've co-opted their crystals. That means that we can listen in on what the others are saying and potentially interfere with their messages. But that's only a handful across the continent."
"Regardless, if we try to confront them all at once, our elites will be spread extremely thin. Especially in Krysal, where we don't know the exact location of all of the invaders."
"I agree with both of you," Kai said, "but we have to keep looking forward. What you've said about Fodajix and the Abhorroid... it sounds like he's basically trying to weaponize it."
"Correct. He knows we care about the continent and he doesn't." Gunjin drew a line from the Frontier to the southwest, the space between Krysal and Goralia. "The monster completely destroyed a stretch of the wall when it passed over, but that's a problem for the next incursion. It moves slowly, but it has already wiped two cities off the map."
"Wait, when you say-"
"The cities, not most of the people. Because the movement is relatively slow, we were able to evacuate them in time... but the neighboring cities are overwhelmed with evacuees, and Fodajix realized what we're doing. If we can't predict where he'll go next, significantly higher numbers will die."
Even with that aside, the complete destruction of two cities' infrastructure was a serious loss for the continent. Kai was past the point where he was thinking about survival and wanted there to be a continent left for the victors. Unfortunately, given the sheer scale of the conflict, and the way Fodajix was luring the Abhorroid, he might not be able to worry about such niceties.
"Omilaena is in position on Rosemount," he told them, "and we hope Zae Zin Nim is ready on Cloudspire. But this is going to turn into an ugly fight here... what's our plan?"
Kai looked up and realized that everyone was looking back at him. "We don't have a complete plan without you," Handelrey said with a wry smile. "Do you think you can take on the Abhorroid and Fodajix at the same time?"
"Probably not, but I shouldn't have to." Kai stared down at the map and the symbols of the destroyed cities. "Fodajix might be smart enough to lure it, but they're not on the same side. I can try to lure them together, but we don't know exactly what the consequences would be."
"Let's put that off a little longer," Gunjin said. "Take some time to meet everyone again, see what we've been working on developing. If there's danger of another city being destroyed, then we can take those steps. We can hope the situation develops before then."
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That didn't seem very likely to Kai, but he realized a second later that from the elites' perspective, it had: their situation had been rough until Kai came back and tilted the scales. There was so much that could still go wrong, but some things were shifting in their direction as well.
After so long rushing and fighting, Kai allowed himself a few moments of respite just reuniting with old friends. Inafay and Orotaisin seemed to be de facto elites now, and they made plans to both spar and have dinner together, but he barely got any time to talk to them before they ran off to deal with a problem in the Elemental Nations.
So he moved on, and was relieved to find the Goralian contingent in one of the old supply buildings. When he entered, he saw Razz talking to Juray and Raghi, and for a moment they were all frozen in shock.
"Kai!" Juray was up first, hugging him fiercely. "I wanted to believe you were alright, but given how things are..."
"I'm the one who should be worried about you," Kai said. He moved to thump Raghi on the back. "What about you? Become a spymaster while I was gone?"
"Never again." Raghi shook his head slowly. "I'm not ready for phase training, but I've been working on my Physique again. The invaders have gotten Birtaegali to work with them in Irun and Goralia, so the elites need some backup."
Kai intended to talk more to them later, but he had to turn to Razz, who was approaching a little unsteadily. Even though his leg looked like it had been healed, he still moved a little gingerly, probably feeling a shadow of the pain he experienced. His smile was more restrained than the others.
"And I hear you're the most recent hero," Kai said, gripping Razz by the shoulders. "You took one of them down before me!"
"Oh, don't try to flatter me," Razz said, while looking flattered. "I just manipulated them a bit, and I may have screwed things up."
"Nah, we knew we'd need to deal with Fodajix and the monster eventually anyway. It sounds like the situation in Goralia is under control, at least. Are you still in contact with the merchants there?"
"Constantly. It sounds like Fodajix just left without explaining anything, and that group has gone strange. Some of the elites figured out how to make half-phased alcohol, so I've been funneling it to Goralian merchants. It's keeping the invaders complacent, but I don't know how long it can last."
"Wait, half-phased alcohol? That sounds like the beginning of a joke."
"Wait a second," Juray said, "you can't keep throwing questions at us when you're the one who was off on other continents!"
So Kai sat down with them and went over everything that he'd done, at least in brief. Midway through, Lofgan joined them - he'd apparently been in phase training and left in order to visit Kai. He didn't say much more than that, but seemed pleased to sit and listen to the conversation, so Kai only gave him an approving nod.
Once Kai had caught them up on his work, he was able to get Juray and Razz to talk more about phased materials. It sounded as though being able to research the invaders' equipment had done them a lot of good, even if they couldn't really replicate the power. The Krysali elites were able to create phased crystal weapons for themselves, which they'd already been half-way to doing anyway.
"There was a time when I actually thought I could create a phase potion," Juray lamented. "You know, someone drinks a potion and becomes fully phased like the invaders. But the gap is just too far... I thought I made a big leap to help Omilaena, but this is even bigger."
"Yeah, there seems to be a huge gulf between the world we know and the outside one." Kai thought about telling them about all the Insanities he'd faced and decided that was the wrong direction for the conversation. What he really wanted was to sit with old friends and talk about Monskon City, but he could only justify relaxing here for so long.
After he reluctantly left the Goralians, Kai moved on meet with others. To his surprise, on his way through the elite base, he saw Yuinafal... walking alongside someone he would never have expected: Vyorrine Nermtrian. Kai hadn't seen the former Diamond Crystallier since they'd parted ways at the Battle of Yulthens.
<
Name: Vyorrine Nermtrian
Total Power: 712
Flamecaster Class: 67 (77)
Waterborn: Twicedrowned (163)
Path of Steel: Steel 2 (69)
Crystal Cultivation: 3200 (84)
Physique Level: D-1 (205)
Soul Level: 8 (64)
Golden Dragon Breath (+50)
>
His gaze caught their attention and they moved closer, Yuinafal giving him a lazy wave. "It's not much compared to you, but this is what I've been working on. Vyorrine here has been traveling the oceans and I convinced her to come back to Krysal."
"Crazy, the way things go." Vyorrine eyed Kai as if she wasn't sure he was real. "I didn't think I could beat you back in Yulthens, but god damn. Way to make a girl feel inadequate."
"You shouldn't, of course," Yuinafal reassured her. "You've done well with your phase training, so you'll be one of us in no time."
"I don't know about actually being an elite, but I saw these invaders. Not gonna let them do what they want here."
It was a surreal conversation, both to find out that Vyorrine had been taking an entirely different path in the years since Krysal, and to speak so comfortably with Yuinafal. There had been a time when it seemed like they hated each other, but an incursion and an invasion seemed to have solved that.
Eventually Vyorrine departed to return to her training, and it seemed like Yuinafal was going to leave as well. Kai caught his arm before he went.
"Good work," he said, trying to make his sincerity clear. "We couldn't defend Deadwaste without everyone working together."
"And we couldn't do it without you." Yuinafal inclined his head slightly. "We won't be fighting together, but you can count on me to take out some of the invaders. Focus on winning the big fight and the rest of us will cover your back."
"Thanks. You know... back when we met, I thought you hated me because I'd sort of... taken your position."
"Oh, I was absolutely pissed off." Yuinafal gave a dry laugh. "You have any idea how irritated I was to go to all that work, only to have you show up and upstage me? But... traveling on Rosemount, even though people were generous to me, I was reminded over and over that I'm really a son of Deadwaste. And after I got to see your work, I realized that you are too. It's like you said... we can't defend this place without everyone working together."
They shook hands in the Goralian style, then bowed as if they were in the Elemental Nations. Kai left with a smile on his face, absurdly glad that this hadn't become a vendetta in which Yuinafal turned out to have brothers and a father who declared vengeance on him.
Before he could get far, however, he was met by Tusquo and Quinta, and they were definitely not smiling.
"We cannot finish the work Omilaena gave us," Tusquo said, raising what appeared to be one of the invader's swords, melted into a rough sphere. "We have learned to manipulate phased metal, but incorporating it is impossible. For all our work, we are no stronger than we were before."
"Our phase training has proceeded well," Quinta added, "but the gap in power is too much. Irun may not be able to defend itself."
Kai wanted to tell them that they were being too modest, since they were both stronger than before and just controlling phased metal from the outside world was a big step. But in a conflict like this, normal progress wasn't adequate, and they could be called on to defend Irun if the violence began. He was a poor substitute for Omilaena, but he went with them to do what he could.
They were better off than they had been half a year ago, but could they possibly be prepared?
Chapter 639: The End Begins
Given enough time, Kai might have been able to solve Deadwaste's problems on his own, but he didn't have time. He only had a few days to train, which mostly resulted in improvements to monstrous abilities, before he heard the grim news:
The Abhorroid had changed direction and was heading toward Hantron City. There had been evacuations on the Krysali side of the border, but Hantron was completely unprepared.
Whatever mind games had been played, Fodajix had gotten a step ahead of the elites, managing to make the Abhorroid swerve to attack Hantron instead of expected targets. A few had left early, and a few could evacuate, but there simply wasn't enough time to evacuate a large city before it arrived. Unless someone acted, it would roll over the city like an infernal eclipse, killing tens of thousands.
They had only hours to act, so Kai tensely met with the elites to discuss their final options. One of the largest questions was whether or not Kai should try to engage Fodajix as well, exploiting his drive to pursue. After debating the potential consequences, they decided that they couldn't predict what would happen, so the result was too risky.
That meant he would simply put himself between the Abhorroid and Hantron City, doing his best to defend the emergency evacuation. Despite all the strength he'd gained, Kai wasn't confident in his ability to defeat an omega-ranked monster, especially since Abyss Maw required proximity, and the Abhorroid's dust technique was devastating up close.
He considered trying to build a new ability, fusing together an upgrade to his monstrous armor, but again he ran into the limits of his soul. Fusing it now, or breaking through his cultivation against what Zae Zin Nim had said, would lead to permanently limiting himself.
As Kai flew out to face the unstoppable monster, those final decisions shadowed his mind with doubt. If people died because he hadn't reached for short term power, was he responsible for those deaths? He tried to tell himself that he would have been useless in this entire conflict if he hadn't left Deadwaste and aimed for greater power, but that was no comfort to the dead.
Soon enough those thoughts were washed away: the Abhorroid loomed ahead, only its lower half emerging from the clouds as if the moon was falling. It had gotten even closer to Hantron City than he had thought: from a distance both the city and the monster looked serene, but he could feel the people rushing in panic, and he knew that once the Abhorroid got close enough, it would cease to float calmly with a surge of terrible violence.
When Kai arrived, he launched dual Tyrant's Claws, tearing great gashes across the side of the Abhorroid. Larger than before... but nowhere near large enough to take down the monster. It focused on him instantly, crimson beams scraping the sky.
Since he couldn't afford to be injured here, Kai stayed at a distance, keeping ahead of the eyes while he launched Manticore's Spines. Each one managed to pierce an eye, and this time he didn't let up. If he could just keep up this pace, he might be able to reduce its offensive ability one eye at a time.
One of the gnashing jaws on the side suddenly opened wide, revealing another eye. Kai was prepared for it, spinning to the side around the beam... and directly into another. He flew backward, grimacing as his armor burned around him.
Somehow he regained control without spiraling away, but he felt scorched from the hit. At a greater distance, he could see that he'd done some damage to the Abhorroid, but he was hardly defeating it: the best thing he'd done to slow it down was distract it from the city.
Could he win this? It was tempting to use Baleful Breath or even go for Abyss Maw, but Kai was deeply aware that everyone was depending on him. If he was severely injured, the others would be left without a defender, or worse, Fodajix might be lying in wait to finish him off. Based on his actions so far, it seemed extremely likely that he was taking an opportunistic strategy.
There were people running throughout Hantron City, the majority streaming out the opposite side to flee before the monster arrived... but there was one person running in the opposite direction. Kai barely noticed at first, then looked again.
Fodajix was sprinting directly toward him, eyes glowing gray.
So he hadn't fled further south, he'd somehow slipped the elites and hidden in the city. That was a nasty surprise, but it didn't have to be all bad. Kai retreated, trying to put the Abhorroid between him and the rushing invader. He had no doubt that the monster would attack anyone in range, and if they wore each other down at all, that could well turn the entire battle in Kai's favor.
Instead, to his surprise, Fodajix slowed to a halt. He clutched his head, then when he opened his eyes, they were clear again. Something had changed in his expression, a bleak new viciousness. As the man reached into his robes, Kai actually flew toward him to try to stop whatever he was going to do.
Even when he came closer, Fodajix wasn't overcome by the gray light again. Instead he resisted, pulling a Krysali communications crystal from his robes and activating it.
"They're coming for me!" he shouted. "They killed Budajix and they're coming for the rest of us. Kill them, kill them all!"
Kai's claws slashed out, but he was too late. Fodajix spun out of the way and his sword lashed out, dealing a glancing blow to Kai's side that drove him into the ground. Even as he got up, crimson beams began to rain down around them.
And across the world, the other invaders received the message and the killing began.
.
..
.
When Kifaela had left the Southern Reach, she had found hope for the first time in her life, so of course she had fought with the Frontier nations against the incursion. But hope had given way to the new reality of the unstoppable invaders, before whom her training was useless.
There were only three of the enemy in Irun now, but they might as well be an infinite army. Kifaela and Mariyay had been spying on them and working on weapons, none of which had any actual chance of killing the invaders. Perhaps it was just a fantasy, believing that she could do something in such a grim scenario that seemed to stretch on and on.
She and Mariyay were observing the invaders from a city wall, trying to predict what they would do next, when without warning all three lurched to their feet. They began arguing with one another, but soon enough, one by one, they began to draw their swords.
.
..
.
Technically Omilaena was meditating on her new Physique, but in practice she was getting irritated at Ceryyn and Yonto. They weren't that touchy-feely with one another, but they could sit together being obnoxiously cute when her partners were across the world. It just compounded her frustration with-
And then a tidal wave exploded from the center of the city.
From her distance, Omilaena couldn't see Jonijix, but she knew that it had to be him, just like she knew that this was different. This was no tantrum, that wave had been designed to cause damage. There had been a question of whether the invaders on different continents would lash out, considering that Rosemount and Cloudspire hadn't heard the ultimatum, but it seemed Jonijix simply wanted to kill. They were finally making good on their threat.
"Contact the Windlord," Omilaena said. "It's time."
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In Goraykan, the merchants listened to the genocidal message coming over the crystals with horror. Many of them looked toward the invaders, who were drinking and feasting obliviously. Five of them, plus a small army of Birtaegali mercenaries. So far they hadn't heard the message, but how long would that last?
The merchants fumbled for their own crystals and called to Razz, but received only silence in response.
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For a brief time, the Southern Rivers had enjoyed a peace it had never known before, free from sect and clan conflicts. Even though she wasn't a native, Cragrila had been happy for them, and equally sorrowful when the invaders destroyed that fragile peace. Now she and Wan Fei lurked in the shadows, doing what little they could.
Yangix had come along with four underlings and he'd sent one to each of the four regions of Cloudspire. That meant there was only a single invader in the Southern Rivers - Cragrila thought that it would be possible to kill him, the problem was that it would trigger retaliation. So they fought indirectly, trying to shore up support among the shocked factions for the inevitable battle.
She was sitting in an abandoned temple with Wan Fei when the announcement roared over the heavens. Someone was speaking from a distance, their voice carried by qi, and she realized grimly that she recognized the voice.
"The time for play is over," Yangix said. "Not only have you not bowed to me, you even strike back against the Yangix Sect. I have just executed one member of your nobility, and I will execute another every hour, on the hour, until your leadership gives themselves up."
"We can't go," Cragrila said as soon as the voice faded. "We could take one of the weaker ones, but not Yangix."
"No, I must." Wan Fei rose to his feet slowly, smoothing down his robes. He knew exactly what he was doing, but he intended to go down fighting if it meant sparing his people from death.
Where was Zae Zin Nim? Cragrila desperately broke a jade slip to warn her, but she had no way of knowing if she would come, or whether the same was occurring around the world. The sudden change could be a random whim from Yangix, or he could have his own plans for the promised slaughter.
Even though she was going to her death, Cragrila picked up her spear and left.
Chapter 640: Sacrifices
When Omilaena and her allies finally hit the city, she had to admit that it felt good. Yes, there were casualties, and yes, this was the beginning of the end, but...
Finally. Fucking finally.
Jonijix and his invaders had made almost no allies in their hedonistic rush, so there were few to stand in her way. A few Savage Creed followers, but Omilaena flashed past them with a speed phase, leaving them to her allies. She wanted to finally get her hands on those damn invaders.
One of them turned, gaping at her like they all did. A fool who thought he was invincible because he had been born on a higher phase, who had strutted around protected by the promise of slaughter. Well, they had started that slaughter now and they were going to reap it.
Omilaena's needles hit his eyes first, ensuring that he would never ogle her again. She could have spent longer torturing him, but he was just a distraction, so she cut his throat and let him drop. On his way down she stomped his spine, just to make sure, as she marched forward. As she moved past his body she reached a broad street, partially empty as Jonijix tried to slaughter everyone in range.
"You!" Jonijix snarled and unleashed a wave of water at her, but Omilaena easily spun over the top of it and then breathed out a cloud of poison, fully phased.
It clearly shocked Jonijix, but his raw power gave him unfair speed. He summoned a sphere of water around himself, which was a trick she hadn't seen before. On her way down she hurled a few needles, but they bounced off the rapidly spinning sphere. Okay, she had him locked in place, surrounded by a cloud of poison on all sides, so that was a start.
"I'll kill everyone else," Jonijix shouted within his sphere, "but not you! You... when I get my hands on you..."
She ignored the usual babble and focused on how she was going to finally kill him. Given his raw power, plunging into that water would be a mistake. With her new Physique she could probably survive it, but Jonijix was free to throw 100% of himself into this fight, whereas she needed to keep going and end the war.
"Men, get her! Pin her down!" Jonijix wasn't bluffing, he was shouting to the group of invaders that rushed down an alleyway into the street.
Omilaena was not bluffing either: seconds later, the Windlord swept in like a meteor. Even with all of them fully phased, the Windlord was shockingly fast, dancing around the attackers with blades flying. The strikes didn't kill immediately, but in seconds the invaders were covered in shallow cuts. After so long ignoring attacks, they cried out in pain and fell back.
Jonijix stared in shock, and that was when Omilaena hurled her next needle: one forged of pure ice qi. It plunged into his shield of water and froze its way through - he only barely jerked aside and it still cut through his shoulder. The watery sphere wobbled and almost collapsed as Jonijix clutched his injury and stared at her in horror.
"Forget about trying to capture me," Omilaena told him, flipping more needles into her hands. "You'd better focus on surviving."
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Bonto stared as the waves of attackers rushed toward the Acidarium. He had fought against the incursion, seen monsters thicker than this, but the fact that all these attackers were humans shocked him. Even though he had known it was a possibility, even working with the new resistance, he hadn't been prepared for this.
Everything could fall apart at this last stage. The resistance had made plans, hiding Krainuun and other leaders in the Acidarium with contingency plans. But the sudden explosion of violence left them with no time for a normal evacuation, so they were locked into the most defensible building. Unfortunately, the outer walls of the Acidarium had already fallen, leaving them with one corridor and a secured room.
"Are you okay?" Tori stood nearby, watching him nervously, and he realized it must have shown on his face.
"No problem at all!" Bonto forced a grin and waved toward the door. "How are we doing this, though? Can we afford to hold back?"
"I don't-" Tori never got to finish her sentence, because at that moment the doors burst open. They'd reinforced them with crystals, but their opponents had crystalliers too, and the invaders couldn't be stopped, so they knew it was only a matter of time.
Attackers flooded in - Birtaegali and other mercenaries who had sided with the invaders. When they attacked, Bonto realized that there was really no question - Krainuun and the other administrators were still hiding in the innermost chamber behind him. The invaders were trying to tear out the new heart of Krysal, and Bonto refused to allow that to happen.
After so long together, he and Tori fought as a perfect pair, dropping their opponents easily. Even when more piled in, they easily held their own, though some of the enemy started slipping past them to the second doorway. Their only hope was to hold them off before they invaders could realize, so that was a disaster, but Bonto was pinned down...
The doors burst open and Maggle leapt out, dropping the men running at him. "Hold the line!" he called. "Don't let them kill the leaders!"
With Maggle joining them, they had an easier time holding the corridor. Ahead, it looked like there was some sort of disruption, and Bonto expected to see the invaders themselves... to his surprise, Nirka sprinted in and then skidded to a halt beside them.
"They're coming." She bent down, catching her breath. "But first... they brought..."
Bonto wasn't sure what sort of weapon the invaders would use and looked out nervously toward the courts beyond the entrance. To his surprise, the people rushing in were normal Krysali, ex-slaves of average power, weeping and crying.
"Don't attack!" one of them called.
"They made us!" sobbed another. "They'll kill our families unless..."
These were just ordinary people, being thrown at them by the invaders. Were they such cowards, or did they fear attack by the elites? Bonto had no idea if any elites were coming, so he had absolutely no idea what to do when the slaves rushed his position, fearing for their lives.
Tori acted first, smarter than he was: she formed a thin steel rope with weights on the ends, then hurled it at the legs of the slaves. It tangled some, who fell and sent more tumbling over them. The others, looking behind them desperately, tried to move around the pile.
By that point Bonto had caught up, forming lines of crystals to trip them up. Not as easy as weapons, but the flexibility was what made crystal cultivation so great. Tori gave him an appreciative nod and they worked together so well that Maggle and Nirka almost had nothing to do.
Maggle retreated to the inner chamber, then stuck his head back out. "It's going to be close. You'd better get back here."
"No, the invaders are close." Nirka set herself to fight, but Maggle grabbed her and pulled her back into the innermost chamber.
Almost all of the citizens had been knocked to the ground, forming an obstacle of their own. Problem was, the invaders might cut their way straight through those bodies. Tori glanced toward Bonto, uncertain, and he waved her away.
"Go," he said. "I'll clean them up."
"But the invaders..." Her eyes flickered to the doorway.
"You want them to walk through everybody here? Let me move them out of the way, I'll be right behind you."
She nodded and retreated with the others, and he had no idea if she believed him. Bonto wasn't sure if he believed himself. None of this was his area of expertise, and the one thing he was good at was going to be useless once the invaders showed up. All he could really do was buy time while having no idea whether it was enough.
First he used his old Manalance abilities, blowing a hole in the wall of the corridor. Then he formed a crystal ramp from the ground and pushed all of the innocent attackers out of the way, because he really didn't want them getting killed. Once the corridor was clear, he formed the biggest, strongest barrier of crystals he could over the entrance. As soon as it was done, he built up a second layer, a thinner one, across the center of the corridor.
Before he got to the third, the invaders arrived. They only had to swing their swords once and his barrier shattered instantly. Bonto winced as he felt his qi crystals fall apart, but he forced himself to keep working, finishing the third barrier and moving on to the fourth. Not that any of them would stop the invaders, but through the crystal he could see them, pausing and cursing each time they encountered a new barrier.
By relentlessly recreating the barriers, Bonto held them back, longer than anyone would have predicted. It finally ended when one of them charged forward, smashing through barrier after barrier. With that insane speed they had, the man had thrust his sword through Bonto's chest before he even knew what had happened.
Strange... everything had been so fast, then as he crumpled to the ground it all seemed so slow. The attacker stood over him with a sneer as the others moved in to smash the inner doors.
"Are you an idiot?" the invader asked. "You bought them minutes, at most. You threw away your life for nothing."
Bonto tried to speak, but there was blood in his mouth. As he swallowed it, he heard the others break down the door... and shout in surprise. When the attack began, Krainuun and the others had been evacuating via a portal, but powering it for each person was slow and laborious. The resistance hadn't been sure whether there would be enough time, but the invaders cursed in the empty room.
"Hah," Bonto said with his last breaths. "Joke's on you..."
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Flames met dust, both equally dark and malevolent, and Kai hurtled backward as the power erupted. He narrowly escaped the fell breath and left a line of burns across the Abhorroid's surface, but it wasn't enough. All across its body, the damaged flesh was twisting and distorting as new eyes and jaws emerged.
He had already been burned by several beams, but he fought on, throwing himself against the monster over and over. Behind him, the people of Hantron City were still evacuating in panic, and the Abhorroid had refused to be lured further away. If he let up, it would float onward and thousands would die in its shadow.
The worst of it was that after setting off all the other invaders, Fodajix had managed to overcome the gray power and retreat from the battle. A foolish part of Kai hoped that the other invaders wouldn't actually begin a slaughter, but he couldn't count on that. The die had been cast and everyone was now engaged in a fight for their lives, not at the time or place they'd chosen.
All Kai could do was hold back the Abhorroid... and he needed to do so much more. The plan only worked if he defeated it, and even if he could do that, the elites were counting on him to kill Fodajix. They might be swinging into action around the continent, but unless they could take down the strongest invaders, this battle was nothing but buying a little more time.
Well, if buying time was all he could do, Kai would buy time. He forgot about the people behind him, reached deep into the Savage Heart, and gave over to his instincts.