The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"Avril. What are you doing?" Oscar reigned in his shock at the brutal scene of Avril stomping on a man's chest; at least, that's what he could tell. The corpse was torn apart, limb from limb, head to toe, by blood-soaked roots. Blood flowed like streams, and pieces of flesh and flakes of skin swam around like floating leaves in the river, barely indicating how they were once a single whole. He barely glanced at the grotesque scene, his attention fully devoted to Avril.

Avril took her foot off the man's chest and stomped again, clear cracks coming from the bones and the ground being crushed. She stared with wild fury at him, and he knew from that look that her mind had long since receded inward, leaving only the basic instinct compounded by Sevon's hypnosis.

Oscar counted the number of corpses on the floor, seeing the group of Middle Knight Exalts he sent to accompany her. They had all died, suffering gracious wounds. Avril had not done this to them; these were not her handiwork. "I don't know what you saw that forced you to leave, but it's over. If it's the deaths of our allies that enraged you further, I will say it's not your fault. I sent them to you, and they died under my orders."

Avril screamed, a piercing cry over the red sky and blood-drenched floor. She pounced on Oscar, wielding the staff he crafted for her and using the Reis taught by Sevon. His advanced Prinstcyt caught her movements. He sidestepped her careless charge easily, rotated to her back, and lifted his elbow, targeting her neck.

'I regretted how I couldn't do this before, but right now, I have no choice.' His hesitation from before vanished. Oscar dropped his elbow onto her neck, hoping this would be enough to knock her unconscious. Unbelievably, her neck felt too soft, like it was liquid. Like a slippery snake, she bent her head and countered with a powerful spinning kick.

This kick contained all the Reis from his elbow attack. A mix of alarm and admiration jumbled up his thoughts, and he smiled awkwardly. He never imagined she had come so far. Her Flowing Mountain was far more advanced than his, and her strange body softening was something he had never had.

Still, Oscar did not falter. While she had the talent for the softer forms of Reis, he embodied the harsh and hard. His hands, clad in Edureisclad, blocked her kick, resounding with an unnatural sound of stones pounding. Gripping her foot, Oscar stared deeply at her, his anger increasing more each second as he saw the vicious scars on her face.

He let her go, and Avril continued her reckless barrage, coughing out blood and wasting her Ein with waves of roots to catch him. Wiping the sweat of his exertion as her attacks never ceased, Oscar stepped in and landed a clean blow on her stomach. Despite how limp she could make her body, his power surpassed hers.

A choked yelp escaped her throat, and her bloodshot eyes shook from the recoil. It wasn't enough to put her to sleep, but the damage stopped her for a moment, a moment Oscar seized to grapple her and make her immobile. She screamed angrily and tried to free herself, but Oscar clung to her tightly. He had to hold on until she calmed down. As her Ein expanded out and invoked more spells, Erden blasted them down and away, letting Oscar carry on without interruptions.

Seeing Avril's back, Oscar felt pity for her and her unknown circumstances and leaned in by her ear to let his words be heard clearly. It didn't work before, but maybe it can now. He slowed his breathing to speak to her soothingly even as she thrashed and struggled in his hold. He laughed and started to speak. "Lectures from Gol-4, How to be an Alchemist, lesson one…a simple heal elixir. Gather the blood of a creature known for its healing properties, grade-one poisonous herbs, and…."

Oscar narrated the instructions for a grade-one heal elixir and asked Avril to recount the next lesson. Sighing at her lack of response other than baleful, raging screams, he shook his head and continued for her with a smile and a lighthearted tone. Gol-4's alchemist lessons never left his memories as he cherished them dearly, and he knew Avril adored the lessons on alchemy. He never stopped, only pausing to see if she would respond, only for him to continue alone.

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After some time, Avril ran out of Ein and began to sob. "Sister….where are you?" She said in a voice of sorrow as her tears dripped onto the bloody floor. Finally, she lost all strength in her body and fell asleep.

Oscar breathed in relief and put her down on a cleaner patch of ground. He wiped her tears away and put her mask on her, which Erden found earlier. Instead of just putting her on Erden, Oscar carried her in his arms and walked through the smoking ruins of a once proud and mighty city. He leaped over mounds of corpses, splashed through rivers of blood, and swept through scattered remains of once-stunning towers and palaces.

"Bastards! You haven't won yet!" A ferocious warrior freed herself from the wreckage, her hair frazzled and her body wounded. She lunged straight for him, and Oscar stared coldly back.

Erden kicked him from behind, a fuel of Reis. Taking in the powerful Reis, Oscar held nothing back, wanting to vent his frustrations. His kick blasted away the air and sound, sending a deafening weakened Eirin Omnireus. The warrior flew back rapidly, forced away by his power, until she crashed into another pile of wreckage.

Ignoring the small inconvenience, Oscar made way for the Lord's palace, his pace not slowed by the warrior's interference. His hands never stopped holding Avril, who was sleeping soundly as if her previous outburst was a lie. She truly was troublesome. Oscar chuckled as he passed through the ruined entrance and into the main hall, where the Lord of Brightburn's body remained, still impaled by the lance.

"Hey, little brother, you've got the other one with you. That's good to know." In the throne room, Adam was lying atop a pile of armaments, rare ores, gems, gold, and more, a satisfied smile on his face. His hands gripped several treasures and threw them on the floor, rattling and clanking on the obsidian marble. "All this wealth from attacking a mere city under a Greater Knight Exalt. What's more, is the vast amounts locked in their vault. Many could only dream of obtaining so much, yet you don't look satisfied."

Oscar glanced around. No one else was here but them.

"I sent everyone out to handle the aftermath in the city. There's no point if we can't get it up and running for the next war against the other three." Adam answered his thoughts. The battle maniac slid down the mound of treasures, a downpour of metallic sounds echoing through the throne room. He patted the large throne at the end, overlooking the room from above. "This throne is yours. Oscar, the new Lord of Brightburn."

Oscar ignored Adam and went into the back. He went through the network of stairs until he found a suitable room with a soft bed on luxurious, sculpted frames. He placed Avril on the bed and sat in the wide, golden, velvet-cushioned chair. All this luxury he had not had in a while didn't stir a thing in him. He only brushed Erden's fur, waiting for Avril to wake up.

The door creaked, and Adam stepped inside with a still face, serious, lacking the usual smile.

"She seems peaceful now. I'm sorry about the Elder's actions. He has no social skills despite what his butler clothes may suggest." Adam pulled up a chair and sat with Oscar.

"Who said you can come in? You never cared from the start, only seeing us as tools for your plan. Don't come in with some hack sympathy. I'm only in this so I can go home." Oscar cracked the armrests of his chair with his fierce grip.

"You're right. It does look bad for us. After what the Elder did to her. And how I withheld it from you. But! We do care. We're not so heartless as the enemy. Both of you matter to us. The Elder is happier than ever to have a new disciple and to meet another free user of Reis." Adam rubbed his hair, letting it down naturally.

"And yet, we're the ones who suffer the most. No, she's the one who gets hurt more." Oscar snapped. "There better be a good reason for all of this. A good reason for the war, our training, all those deaths, everything."

"I can answer that," Sevon's voice reached both Oscar and Adam. Oscar saw the middle-aged man with an eagle's eyes standing near Avril. Sevon lifted his hand and sent some Ein into her. "I realize that using that spell was a mistake. I have lifted it, and now she should be back to normal." Sevon turned to Oscar and bowed without hesitation. "Forgive this old failure for putting such burdens on you and for the trickery on Avril."

"What an idiotic thing it was to do…." Oscar murmured, slumping in his chair. He had nothing to say after seeing a mighty Greater Marshal Exalt bow in apology to him. "Just tell me everything. Those Reis users I saw earlier were peculiar. They also spoke of their leader. What are they?"

Sevon became silent, brooding as he closed his eyes and sighed. "A mistake that I should have never left alone in the past. It was my fault that they started hunting Reis users." Sevon's face slowly twisted in anger. "I should have killed him a long time ago. All of this, our war against the enemy, the strikes on the Burning Valley, are because of my mistake."

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