The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar rushed together with the mass crowd of Lower and Middle Elite Exalts. His ears rattled from the sounds of hundreds of rapid footsteps from the great host of all of his surviving peers charging through the middle region. Only a few noncombatants and guards remained behind to watch over the camps.

Their formation was set up so the Middle Elite Exalts surrounded the Lower Elite Exalts to prevent them from being picked off or losing their way in the harsh middle region. Though, with their great numbers, not a single Exalt Beast moved close to them. Oscar noticed all the birds flying away and the sounds of insects fading into the distance—a sign of a fierce battle about to happen.

No one spoke a single word. Oscar could feel the tension rising as he came closer to the inner region. He glanced at Frederick and Erik by his sides, their faces stern and eyes focused ahead. With a firm nod, Oscar kept his gaze straight ahead.

Then suddenly, he felt the air change. The ends of his hair rose, and his lungs expanded and heaved more than before, struggling to breathe properly. As he kept running, his feet grew heavier until it was like dragging his body through a swamp. The shift in pressure meant one thing, the inner region.

'What a fearsome pressure…' Oscar used Adamasreis. The boost from the empowerment of Reis lifted some of the pressure, and his feet began to feel lighter. They were still heavier than before, but an improvement. The same could not be said for the others around him. The Lower Elite Exalts suffered the most as their faces reddened like ripe tomatoes.

"The inner region is far different. Even though the barriers have been lifted, the regions didn't change at all." Frederick said softly—an obvious attempt to start a conversation to take his mind off the pressure.

"Are you struggling?" Oscar happily obliged and chuckled. "You're sweating a river over there. If you have to take a break, I can carry you the rest of the way."

His little joke made Frederick scoff and bump Oscar on the shoulder. Having enlivened his friend back to normal, Oscar gazed ahead. The Pavilion's base camp should be close by, near the border, they just crossed. After a few more minutes, a stone wall came into view.

Then several Eins burned brightly in front of the camp, unleashing the full might of Greater Elite Exalts. The fearsome powers would have suffocated Oscar and the others, but everyone smiled and felt relieved. In front of the entrance, Celestina flew above with her rapier in hand; her emerald eyes scanned the crowd and met Oscar's. A slight smile formed on her face, and Oscar smiled brightly back with a thumbs-up.

The sounds of their feet stopped all at once when facing her. Oscar released his Adamasreis quietly and let out a sigh. He gripped his knees with his hands and leaned forward to relax for a moment. Relaxation was the key to clear thinking and good condition of the body, his master and Elder Saul's favorite lesson.

"Thank you. I thank you all for risking your lives so far and risking it further for this next week." Celestina's voice echoed through the crowd. A small flicker flashed across her eyes. She counted the number of people. Oscar understood her well enough to know she was grieving for the lost and the dead.

"All of you rest up well in the base for two hours. The temple will open in four hours, and we have a short journey ahead of us." Celestina flew back into the base.

"The map of the inner region showed how it was the smallest one, so the battles between the factions must have been more frequent and fierce." Frederick guessed.

"She did look tired," Oscar said. "I wish I was stronger." Again, he was too weak to carry on some of her burdens. He frowned as he watched her figure retreating into the distance before she descended into the camp. He was too weak before, but now he finally had the power to make a change.

Slowly, he made his way into the base camp as everyone was funneled into the entrance. The walls were tall and sturdier than the previous base camps. Signs of attacks littered the walls: claw marks, dents, and cracks. Just how many attacks did they have to fight off? The Exalt Beasts were far more daring and wild in the inner region.

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Oscar strode into the base camp. The base of the inner region had a large number of tents to accommodate every person from all regions. Large bonfires burned well in the central gathering area. Oscar noticed the grim and tense faces of the Greater Elite Exalts who rested by themselves. It was, as Frederick said, the battles were beyond what he could imagine.

Feeling stressed, Oscar decided a quick two-hour nap would be good for him. Frederick and Emily split off to gather information from the others. Austin and Mary retreated into a tent of their own. Erik went over to a table of food to eat up.

"See you later, Oscar," Serena said shortly, and she quickly disappeared into a tent without waiting for his response. She behaved as awkwardly as usual.

Oscar felt another headache coming on from thinking about her strange behavior. It was certainly his fault for how he and Demon treated her. A part of him knew Demon spoke the truth about how he handled his conversation with Serena. He laid back on the bed, feeling wretched about himself.

"Sleeping already?"

Oscar sat up instantly. Celestina walked up to him and leaned her face close to his, looking at him intently with shining emerald eyes. For the moment, his worries went away, and his heart thumped faster as his mind went numb, lost in her starry gaze. What was she doing here?

"You look tired." Celestina patted Oscar's head. Her red lips curled into a smile. "Congratulations on becoming a Middle Elite Exalt, and well done. I'm sure you did your best."

"Ah…." Oscar suddenly felt so tired. He could no longer keep his head up and struggled to keep himself straight. Three long weeks. He fought for three long weeks, remembering the mission she had given to him, and finally, a sense of relief came from her words of gratitude. His cheeks winced from the small tears falling from his eyes.

"Sorry I couldn't help everyone, but I did my best." Oscar leaned back on the tent pole by the bed. "I'm sure you noticed how many were missing."

Celestina came close and took out a handkerchief. She wiped his tears and sighed. "It must have been hard. I'm sorry for placing such burdens on you. Do you want to tell me about it? At the very least, I should listen to your story."

Oscar rubbed his red eyes and exhaled loudly. He informed her about everything from the start with the Oen fortress. He left out the details about the illusion because it was too embarrassing to say he kissed her illusion many times. For a moment, his eyes gazed at her lips, recalling their softness from the illusion.

'Snap out of it. Don't make things harder for her right now.' Oscar blinked and continued. He told her about the battle with Maia, Tectusen, Orden, the Desert realm, and the Grovekeepers, leaving out the part about Demon. Celestina remained still and focused on Oscar. She was a very patient listener.

"And that's all of it." Oscar yawned. Only ten minutes had passed by, and his body was ready to give in. He felt a gentle push on his forehead. Celestina moved him down to the bed.

"I never thought you had to go through all of that." Celestina knelt beside Oscar. "That would be quite the tale to put on your records. I'm sure the Judges will love it."

"Maybe." Oscar smiled. "What about you?"

"Well, first, can I meet Gol-4?" Celestina asked. Her interest in Gol-4's knowledge was natural. The amount of knowledge had saved Oscar on multiple occasions. Gol-4 might be helpful to their efforts in the temple.

Oscar reached into his space pocket and pulled out Gol-4. The golem's glass eyes glimmered with a rising blue light. Gol-4 levitated and snapped to Celestina's face with a tilt, a sign of confusion.

"Oscar, why are you in bed? Who is this fair young maiden? What a nice setting you have here." Gol-4 said flatly.

"Gol-4, this is Celestina, the leader, and princess of our expedition here." Oscar gestured to Celestina.

"Hello, Gol-4. I heard about you from Oscar." Celestina bowed slightly. Then she lifted her head with narrow eyes and a serious face. "How much do you know about the temple?"

"Central palace! It's the main palace of the Divine Stone Clan. I only know what it was like beforehand and not as it is now. Sorry, my fair lady." Gol-4 said.

"Gol-4….Don't be so rude." Oscar frowned.

"Don't worry. For a golem who is thousands of years old, it's natural to see me as some child. However, you can still help, isn't that right?" Celestina reached out for Gol-4. However, the Golem flew back to Oscar's side.

"I have been attached to Oscar. If we enter the central palace, I will only talk to and help Oscar, not you." Gol-4 said.

"Gol-4!" Oscar got up from his bed and squeezed Gol-4's head. His strength wasn't enough to squash it.

"Hmm." Celestina gazed in wonder; then, she started to laugh. "Thank you, Gol-4. Take care of Oscar."

"Are you sure? He might be of use for getting to the divine essence."

"He doesn't want to help me, only you. There's no use taking along someone who is unwilling." Celestina crossed her arms. She said it was fine, but her slightly furrowed brow expressed the opposite. Before she turned to leave, Celestina said softly, "Good luck and stay alive, Oscar. I want to read some books in the Neptune Archives later."

Oscar smiled and saluted her. "That sounds good to me."

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