The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

As the arrows from several Knight Exalts arced downward, Oscar raised his shield, a powerful Ripple Shroud altering the course of the hostile spells. A dangerous Ein of a fearsome individual piqued his interest, coming from the other side of the battle, where he noticed Gavir leading his men onward. With the timely aid, Phillip should be safe for now. But Oscar was not relieved. He was rather irked and frustrated that Gavir's words came true like a prophecy because two new presences made themselves known, nearing his position.

'They'll split into two main attacks. Depending on the changes during the battle, each can turn into a killing stroke.' Remembering Gavir's strategy, Oscar patted Erden and received a deep growl, affirming their goal. The enemy had indeed split themselves into two, and Gavir went along to Phillip's end to prevent the worst, leaving Oscar to deal with the second killing blow directed at him. The enemy backed off slightly, and his Black Aegis Order as well. A vacuum existed amid the harsh battle, creating the stage for Oscar's battle. Since time immemorial, duels during the intensity of war between the generals and leaders often occurred, displaying their might to both enemy and ally and severing the head of the opposing commander.

Stepping out into the empty stage of air, Oscar unleashed his Ein and raised his fist high in a triumphant pose, garnering the cheers and shouts of his army. While the battles raged on the sides, there was nothing but cheers from his allies behind and silence from his enemies ahead, the observers of this grand battle. Some of the watchful foes could not cover up their shock and fear, slightly shirking away from his lengthy shadow. The sound of thunder drumming on metal boomed, silencing the cheers from his side and invoking war chants from the enemy as they all raised their hands up and down in a frenzy.

The drumming, the pounding, and the clanging of metal grew louder and louder until the enemy soldiers parted, allowing a tall, burly figure to walk into the arena of war. This figure was clad in the simplest plain-looking armor, like flat metal sheets attached to his skin. If it wasn't for the breath of life within the hulk of metal, he could have mistaken this Exalt for a golem. This giant of a man, only two inches shorter than himself, carried a large gold shield. It matched the man's height and extended to cover his massive width. With a final beating of his gauntlet on the shield, the crowds silenced, and he spoke in a boisterous voice, "I am Krowe, the Second Wind."

"Where are the others? I don't believe you're foolish enough to fight me by yourself." Oscar banged on his shield, a counter to Krowe's earlier display, and rippled his power through the air, gusts of winds blasting against the shielder's unbending figure.

Two others appeared from the crowds. The most dangerous and intimidating feeling came from the one holding a teal sword, faint currents of air swirling in patterns on the blade, clearly an elemental armament. His Ein was sharp and prickly, practically stabbing softly on Oscar's skin. Approaching closer and standing by Krowe, this handsome swordsman with a sharp face of steeled nature and flowing black hair eyed him fiercely. "I am Alphos, the First Wind."

The third newcomer swayed the strange incense holder, the chains rattling and clinking from his hands. Small bells jingled from the glass lamp at the end of the chain, smoke-filled with the bitter scent of burning herbs spreading out in rings like ripples on water. This one dressed in simple robes, similar to the Pavilion Master, and covered his head with a veil. The veiled man let out a small gasp. At first, his words came out in a raspy whisper, an unsettling slow voice, but somehow Oscar could clear him with great clarity as if the words were meant only for his ears. "Loges, the Eight Wind."

Three of the Winds had gathered here for the sake of killing him. Oscar was troubled about whether to be angry at drawing the short end of the stick or happy that he became such a highly valued target, meaning the rest of the battlefield would not be troubled by these fearsome opponents. Two Grade Eights, Krowe and Alphos, and one Grade Seven, Loges…he expected the worst onto him as Gavir had predicted.

"I apologize for the unfair circumstances. I abhor using such underhanded means, but this is the only way we can handle you." Alphos bowed gracefully, his sharp and fierce gaze still fixating on Oscar. "You must be eliminated for the sake of our home and–"

Not letting his enemy finish a sentence, Oscar doubled his flames with Erden's, flames erupting from their hands, hooves, and antlers, all collected into a singular hot orb of bright light, the spell, Sunflare. Rumbling on its path across, the Sunflare contorted and shrank to the size of a grain seed, gathering the air in a rush before it exploded with the fight of fire and Eirin. High it rose to the sky, just shy of the upper battles, and wide it spread, engulfing the three Winds in scalding punishment.

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"If you wanted to be underhanded, you should have sent more against me. Gavir left me alone and went to help Phillip, which was our plan from the start. Do you know why?" Oscar said coldly to the pluming black smoke that obscured his enemies. Entering the Pseudoguise, he bared his teeth like a beast, though none could see through his horned helmet. He declared, "It's because I'm more than enough to deal with the three of you. Now come."

'You say that, but this is still unfavorable to us.' Demon whispered from within, always warning and second-guessing his decisions.

'I know. Can you hold on until the end, Erden?' Oscar reigned in his surging Ein, wary of any counters.

'That Gavir better succeed.' Erden grumbled, then roared outwardly, forcing away the black smoke.

The three Winds revealed themselves, the great shield of Krowe standing tall, unscathed, or charred by Oscar's deadly Sunflare. The shield lowered to show his head as he made a metallic chuckle. "Arrogance can only be paired with the appropriate despair. With your death, the entire left wing will crumble."

"Krowe, Loges…it's time to hunt." Alphos's sword screeched like screams in the wind. His figure dashed to one side while Krowe dashed to the other. Loges shook his incense holder three times, the bells clattering louder.

A mist spilled out and enveloped everything around Oscar, and then it vanished, but he found the battlefield had vanished. Clouds floated everywhere, above, below, on eye level. His friends and soldiers, the enemies, were gone, leaving him alone in this empty world. Was it a prison world similar to the one Sirsi had placed him in? Oscar observed and concluded it was not. Having an idea, he activated the Eliren Breaker, a purple light circling inside his pupils, and some of the clouds faded away under his sight. Suddenly, more clouds appeared, and his location changed to another part.

"You appear to have some means against illusions, but it is useless. You cannot hope to unravel that which is also changing." Loges mocked from the sidelines, coughing as he did. A puzzle that changed its pieces and fought back against the solver. That was the only way Oscar could describe it. He tried again and again to seek out the reality in this illusory world, but the combinations of Ein and the array of clouds ceaselessly churned in different configurations.

Calming himself with a clearing of his lungs, Oscar expanded his Ein out, but he detected several identical sources of Ein, too many to count. Erden tried sniffing out the three Winds to no result. Even the air itself carried multitudes of scents that confounded the high senses of a beast. His sight was useless; his nose held no use, and his ears heard only the rushing winds that streamed through the clouds. With nothing else, Oscar trusted his instincts and waited.

Instantly, he turned to the side and raised his shield against a spiraling cyclone that twisted and writhed like a snake. The wind howled by his ears, unable to break through his defense. Oscar's eyes narrowed with a sharp gleam at Alphos, who closed the distance, or perhaps he was always that close. Oscar cared not and knew he only had to block and counter. The sword and shield nearly collided, and he swung his Golden Drill out for a fast kill, but shockingly, the sword slipped through his shield as if it phased across and sliced down on his face. Erden acted fast and stretched out the antlers to block the blow.

This time, the sword was repelled away. Oscar wanted to finish his plunge. However, Krowe appeared from the clouds and charged ahead like a battering ram, intent on attacking Erden's side. Because Erden swayed to defend properly, Oscar's attack missed, so he opted to burst out his flames. At the same time, Krowe's golden shield bashed against Erden's wings and antlers, a dark void opening like a maw on its sparkling surface as it roared out a deadly burst into a shockwave of shredding winds.

Erden retracted his wings and fused them into his antlers, surrounded Oscar and himself in a metal sphere, and burned it in a flame barrier. Oscar resonated his elemental armament into his Indestructible Gold, coating Erden's sapphire shield in his spell. When the winds of destruction no longer battered on Erden's defenses, Oscar peered out to find the same landscape of clouds, not an enemy in sight.

The sounds of their disapproval at his survival echoed out, and he smirked, taunting them more with a slight chuckle. "A fine tactic, making use of your best strengths. But I'm still standing." Oscar considered using the Guise to overwhelm them. After a moment, he discarded the idea. He had no assurance in killing them for now, at least not until he figured out more about their abilities.

There was no doubt they already knew about his Guise and wouldn't have come here without the proper countermeasures. Besides, this was a war, not just a battle. Oscar gritted his teeth, recalling a horrible memory. He learned his mistakes from when Fred had to suffer while he was unable to fight. Never again would he let that happen.

'It's only the second day…show me more.' Raising his spirits, Oscar clashed endlessly with the shielder and the swordsman, gaining no ground and giving nothing.

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