The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"A Wortortle? What is a mythical Exalt Beast doing here?" Geno glared, a dangerous red gleam shining behind his glasses as his lips smirked viciously. "No matter, you're clearly on their side. However, how fortunate it is that I can have you. The sheer adaptability of a Wortortle is something I've always wanted, but no. I had to be stationed here to watch over some helpless fools."

The winds picked up, rising in heat. A great blaze burned within Tort's open mouth and condensed into a molten orb, dripping hot excess onto the scorched earth. Tort opened his jaw wider, the ground melting from the magma spewing from its mouth, and turned the area into a lake of lava. Tort's massive body disappeared into the molten depths.

"Astounding. Wortortles are said to be able to adapt to any environment, mutating in their elemental capabilities, and even change the environment of their surroundings." Geno walked atop the waves of lava and grinned in delight. "Though, did you believe this would benefit you? No. I quite love hunting." If Tort's Ein and presence permeated the ground, then Geno's took to the winds and sky.

Even from afar, Oscar shuddered from the two forces clashing and intertwining, sparks of their parting landing on the ground in explosive quakes. Geno held a harpoon and melded his anaconda anima into it. The dark clouds above parted as a result of the burst of power from this fusion. Geno's harpoon turned into a large structure, the size of a catapult. A snake-headed spear rested at the ready.

Columns of lava ejected out of the lake, and Tort's spinning obsidian shell appeared from within and spun rapidly, spewing jets of lava around it. Geno fired his harpoon, and the snake spear hissed and grew into a massive white anaconda, storms churning its scales, great hurricanes that swirled around its long scaly body.

'Going into that is a surefire death.' Oscar thought, his hands trembling at the cataclysmic battle. The great anaconda wrapped around the ferociously spinning Tort and tried to bite down with its rows of needle-like teeth–a needle being a relevant term compared to the anaconda's large size. They fell to the lake of magma, the winds parting the pool apart. Tort's spinning wasn't affected by the constrictive prison of the anaconda, starting to cut into its scales. Geno smirked and fired several more. Four large anacondas wrapped around Tort and finally brought him to a halt.

Tort finally snapped his head out and crunched on an anaconda, which hissed and wailed before it faded away, the damage too much for it to bear. Geno jumped at the chance, his narrow eyes narrowing further from focus. A large spear of turbulent air, a hundred feet long, fell at a swing of his hand, aimed at Tort's exposed neck.

"Tort!" Avril cried out.

All of a sudden, the anacondas all screamed and wriggled. Their bodies broke down, and Tort inhaled all of their remains. A slight tremor ran through Tort as the black shell fell apart to reveal fresh green scales, each plate containing a swirl of wind, his red magma eyes turned teal, and his black body changed to a shade of white.

Tort grunted and unleashed a shockwave of air, breaking Geno's wind spear apart. Winds gathered under Tort's feet. The large beast sped up, charging against Geno, who laughed in glee, shooting more anacondas and zipping around the pool of lava with the winds.

"Magnificient! Utterly Magnificient! I can't believe the sheer speed of adaptation! If I can implement this into humans, we will be perfect beings!" Geno waved his hands, and jetstreams of tornados twisted around the air like tendrils, whipping and lashing on Tort's shell.

It didn't matter how many anacondas shot out or how many winds Geno summoned to fight on his side. Tort's wind-covered shell easily absorbed the winds, the swirling on its plates growing larger until reaching a point where the green shell could not be seen under the wind. Tort roared and sent out another explosive shockwave. Geno blocked it with a hurricane wall, but his breathing seemed ragged.

'Just how much Ein are they using in this battle that even the Ein Awaken of a Marshal Exalt can't keep up? Or is Tort that much stronger?' Oscar was shocked. Geno's advantage had gone away since Tort switched to the wind element. A Wortortle's power went deep when related to the elements.

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Oscar never turned his eyes away from the battle. The two masters of wind broke apart plains, rampaging to the hills in the distance, and scattered the remains of everyone who had died into dust. He regretted being unable to bring back the dead to be respected and buried by their family and friends. But there was no room to intervene. Everyone could only watch the two monsters battle it out.

"You damned beast!" Geno screamed. His glasses were cracked, and his confident look broke into a fury. He charged everything, a ball of dense winds, condensed to the size of a fruit, formed within the snake harpoon's mouth. This time, the ejected spear didn't enlarge to a lively anaconda; instead, it remained in its shape, only with scales adorning its shaft.

Faster and more piercing than before, it flew with a deafening sound, enough to knock the air from anyone's ears. Tort retreated into his shell, spun faster than ever before, and faced the center of his shell against it. Devastating winds kicked up and swept across the battlefield, a fierce storm Oscar had never seen before.

The harpoon shattered with a loud cry, and Geno couldn't retreat from Tort's incoming slam. Tort's large body fell on him, the ground turning over from the immense force. As the dust settled, Tort stomped to Oscar and spat out Geno's corpse.

Oscar quickly picked up Geno's corpse, jumped atop Tort, and raised Geno's body for all to see. He shouted to the far armies of the three lords, "We have a Marshal Exalt on our side! The one who came to aid you all is dead! Do you wish to surrender or continue fighting!"

The armies remained silent for a time until someone dropped to his knees. Like a cascading wave, more and more started to kneel with their hands raised in surrender. Oscar let out a chuckle of disbelief. It was over. His men arrested everyone and grouped in the center. Seeing the defeated faces of the enemy, Oscar welled up, letting down a single tear.

"It's over….It's done." Oscar sat down, the winds brushing against his air. It felt refreshingly cool even though it was the hot winds of the Burning Valley. His army rested along with him. Feeling two bumps by his side, Oscar smiled and glanced at Erden and Avril.

"Just start collecting money for the Pathrisers, and we should be homebound. She can't believe this is really happening. Her hands will not stop shivering from excitement. Maybe outside, she can find her family." Avril gripped her staff harder and smiled widely from cheek to cheek.

Oscar removed his buckler and put it back into his space pocket. Nothing entered his sight except the view of his army grouped around, surrounded by a wasteland. Under the light of the red orb, Oscar stood up and shouted to everyone, "Azure Sea Company!"

Everyone turned to him. Desmond, Arc, Fenu, and the other leaders all waited for his words. Oscar knew only a single course of action to take here, the same he witnessed long ago at Portland Island of Erith Ocean, a figure of silvery hair bowing under the moonlight. He lowered his back and bowed deeply to everyone, the living, the fallen, the sacrificed, but more importantly, his men, his Azure Sea Company.

"I have nothing but gratitude for all of you. Thank you." Oscar projected his voice, full of warmth. The crowds cheered and roared, repeating, "Lord Demon! For the Azure Sea Company!"

Erden and Avril stepped up and bowed together with him as well. Oscar smiled toward his two companions and rested back on Tort's shell. The long battle was over, the largest obstacle gone. Oscar tasted the air, almost feeling free. Avril rummaged through Geno's space pocket, her face downcast with disappointment and disgust.

"How could he not have any grade-four Supreme Healing elixirs?" Avril frowned. "Though, he does have a bunch of Reis cores, lower grade elixirs, and…a grade-four armament!"

"Oh? That could do well for us. A grade-four armament should cut down the price of returning home by a lot." Oscar held the grade-four sword. He thought it was strange that Geno would have this in his possession. Geno wasn't a swordsman. Oscar put the sword back in the space pocket. He found it useless to worry about it.

After some time, Fenu approached delightedly, bowed, and said, "My Lord, should we continue to the cities? They should be defenseless now. The prisoners can remain here with the great Marshal Exalt."

"Hmm. What can we do?" Oscar didn't want to leave without Tort in fear of another Marshal Exalt lurking around. His mind went through various options and decided on a single route, stay here. "We will stay. The point was to defeat the three lord's forces while their elites were away at the Summit of Flames."

"And what a grand job you did!" Adam appeared from a far distance, projecting his voice from afar. Oscar wondered how Adam heard him from so far away. It was a mystery.

"Is it finished?" Oscar asked, his breath halting in anticipation.

"No problems. The other three Lords are dead." Adam smiled and announced it to everyone. Some looked at him in disbelief while others cheered, mainly those who were in the palace when Adam fought the Lord of Brightburn. "The Azure Sea Company and Lord Demon shall rule the entire Burning Valley. Congratulations, little brother."

"Hahahahahaha!" Oscar broke out into laughter. "It's finally over."

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