The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The bright flame in his hand thumped, its beating akin to a warm heart as it swelled and diminished. Sewn by Ignyres's hands, the fire burned in a myriad of colors as if threads had been carefully woven into a singular masterpiece. Ignyres had taken quite a while to create it, and he endured much damage to his body, but the results were worth it. In a split second, the immense heat swelled, enveloping all in its epicenter. Hot winds blew, forcing back Lelith's hand slightly. Smoke steamed out of their pores, yet Lelith's face never changed, calm before the might of Ignyres's flame.

Demon stood firm. He raised his finger, the fire concentrating on the tip, her eyes following his gesture. One Line of Eirin formed a magnetic orb that rested in the center of the fire. Another Line created another orb, and another Line followed after. One by one, he intersected the spells, ten Lines forming ten orbs overlapping each other, occupying the same fixated point. The primordial flame roared furiously, its domineering nature refusing to share with a lesser element. The single orb, created from ten orbs, vibrated to the loud, ear-piercing screeching of metal, sometimes almost falling apart as they nearly divided, but he held them together.

He pointed it at her. The fires swirled around the converging magnetic orb in a ring, ceaseless in motion and hotter than the deepest magma. His body had no chance of coming out of this unscathed, but he felt no pain, and she was too strong. His finger tapped the orb, and it shot toward her. Once out of his unstable control, the fire collapsed into the orb, caving in the smooth platinum. Only a small bean of prismatic gleam remained, and it exploded, the first wave of heat instantly devouring the ocean, causing a crater to form in the blue water. The second came in a thundering shockwave, the sounds of thousands of cannons firing at once. The third carried primordial flames, Eirin, and magnetic force, everything in its wake distorting as if an illusion was collapsing.

The spell no longer cared for wielder and foe, rushing at all in its path with the pure desire to destroy. Erden wrapped his wings protectively around Demon. Like a helpless leaf to the wind, he became helpless, straining his Guise and platinum armor in a futile attempt to muster some control. Erden's protection shattered. One wing broke, dangling from the base like a broken branch. His platinum armor suffered a similar fate. He bore it all, eyes focused, not a speck of pain coursing through his nerves. Battered and bloody, he was pushed onward, speeding out toward his target.

Demon coughed out blood and closed his eyes, using Reis Awaken to check his condition. It didn't look good. A part of his normal armor had pierced into a lung, six out of ten parts of his body suffered heavy burns, half of his bones were broken, and his Guise had ended. He could not even use Reistand to control his movements through Reis, his body refusing to twitch even a muscle. Still, despite the ringing in his ears, Demon heard a faint, crisp whistle, gaining in volume and more distinct the closer it came. Blinking several times, he regained a semblance of sight, a scythe swooshing across, clear as day in the vastly blurry world. 'Damn.' He thought.

A splash of blood splattered on his exposed face, the remnant heat burning it off his skin. Erden growled, baring his teeth as his face twisted in pain. The scythe protruded from his shoulder, almost separating the limb from his body. He saw a memory that forced itself through the connection to Erden's soul. It replayed a scene of a close death in Ashen Grove when the beast was almost sacrificed on the altar, Erden's eyes watering. That was Lelith's power. Her blade drew forth the fear and trauma, forcing one to relive it in the present. Erden was still lucid, but the memory still played, a terrible state of being in reality and memory together.

"Why did the beast have to interfere? I hate beasts. A human expresses fear the best. Though, it's interesting. You were once a sacrifice?" Lelith stepped out of the flames. Her white lace shirt and long black skirt had been torn and burned in several places, but the skin revealed underneath showed no signs of injuries, simply darker from ashes and soot. She rubbed her thumb on the corner of her lip, gazing intently at the splotch of blood, its red color distinct enough for him to catch. Her voice spoke in its usual emotionless tone. "This was my mistake. I should have used Integration and ended it faster."

She clenched her hand, and Erden's body jerked, the scythe pulling on him. "In all my battles, no one has piqued my interest as much as you have. There is no fear in you. Perhaps, if I can induce fear in you, it will also be enough for me to feel it." Several more arrows swept across toward her, and she lazily waved her other hand, a large platinum pillar breaking them, their explosions tickling the metal. "Right, there's still another I need to take back."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

A snail, the size of a carriage, rose from the ocean. Its red, coiling shell flattened and separated out into a spiraling pattern of individual plates. The snail's slimy body turned to liquid as it streamed from each plate, linking them all together into a formation that shone brightly, Ein blazing on its edges. Erden tore off the scythe, his front leg hanging by a thin thread of sinew and skin. Erden pushed Demon, and they entered the formation, burning in a rejuvenating fire that healed their wounds slightly.

'You all made it. We've won.' Ignyres cheered.

The last sight he saw was Lelith giving chase, her scythe swinging toward them, accompanied by the glint of platinum needles. It was too late. The world distorted and shifted into the starry network of the spatial domain, and he couldn't stop himself from falling unconscious, letting his body ride the bright path to his destination, to Convecia City.

…….

"I win." Carcoatl declared. He stood up and brushed off the dust from his black robes. Actually, he was wiping the sweat off his palms, his heart pumping faster than it ever had in thousands of years. It came down to the last moment, and he exhaled deeply, relieved he didn't have to interfere and incur the wrath of the Primal Council. It wasn't yet time. He turned to the other two, nodding slightly to Ollanar and smirking at Kerak, delighted by the deep frown on his counterpart.

"Carcoatl…." Kerak said through clenched teeth.

"Come now, don't say it's unfair. The goal was for Isaac's heir to reach that point and escape or be stopped." Carcoatl laughed to the point they were naught but chortling wheezes. "You brought on the Triheaven Elysium's Grade Nine and still failed." Seeing Kerak's frown deepen, he lowered his voice and threatened, "If you continue to press the matter, the other neutral folks will start to stir. I won't bother you about Isaac's death, but his heir is a different matter. Now back off." His gargled speech turned surprisingly clear.

"Fair. Oaths must be kept. I will have no quarry with Isaac's heir, but you can't prevent me from sending gifts and favors." Ollanar lowered his Ein, and the blue sky retreated, replaced by a starry expanse, the moon shining gently on the remains of the battlefield, shimmering on the ocean's waves. His powers were as impressive as always. Carcoatl looked around the sudden night that was freed from Ollanar's Ein. Ollanar turned around, his imperial robes swaying to the dark breeze. "But come Fallen Heaven, all oaths will be broken. Farewell."

Ollanar disappeared, and the rest of the Defiants retreated to the tower airship. It flew away, vanishing into thin air. As Carcoatl sighed, Kerak spoke sharply, "He has raised quite the elites, capable enough to overwhelm ours."

Carcoatl followed Kerak's gaze to the aftermath below. The clashes between the Marshal Exalts from the Triheaven Elysium and his and the Lands of Zeret were in a stalemate the entire time, but it was a different story for the Defiants who slaughtered their side. Many bodies bobbed up on the waters, far more on the Defiants's side. Ollanar trained them well. Carcoatl smiled, "They fight against insurmountable odds against our Primal Council. Perhaps we have been too complacent. The Argent Lords of Shattirma will know of this battle and may gain confidence in invading us."

"Then, why not stand with me? You oppose the council at its most crucial moment." Kerak patted his eyepatch, a wound that he sustained at the hands of an Argent Lord.

"You refuse to accept Isaac's methods, but you let the New Dawn be. I sometimes wonder how one can live with such hypocrisy." Carcoatl was disgusted and spat in the other direction.

"Isaac had reckless ambitions to harness a weapon to turn an entire continent into a desert. The New Dawn's goals are laughable in comparison."

"He never wanted that, and you know he never did."

"Yet he thought of it. The mere existence of the thought, even if he didn't desire it, is dangerous enough. The same for Isaac's heir." Kerak grumbled.

"But you will not harm him."

"That is the deal. But come Fallen Heaven, there will be no mercy." Kerak said sternly. He ordered the Triheaven Elysium to retreat.

"It's over…." Carcoatl floated down and felt his heart start to ache. Clutching his chest, he grimaced, the pain becoming unbearable. Broken shells of his children floated on the waters, their slimy bodies either burned to ashes or dispersed into the ocean, forever gone. They were all dead, so many of his family, his precious family. He wanted to cry, but no tears could ever flow from the blockage of rotten flesh in his eyes. Still, he silently wailed, the lamentations exiting as faint wheezes.

"Old Snail." From his side, a woman with gentle features akin to a loving mother appeared. She had flowing rainbow hair that sprawled freely to the winds. Her rainbow dress seemed to be woven by flames, lines of them burning at the seams and edges.

"I weep, child. I weep for the lives lost and more that will be lost." Carcoatl picked up a piece of a shell, the salty waters drenching his robes. He gritted his teeth and gripped the shell harder, pus leaking from his rotting fingers. "But the world must change. Thank you for blocking the other one. Now, hurry to the Lands of Zeret. He will be in the Rusk Continent, closer to your domain. Receive him and hide him well."

"Understood." Solara departed with the crows and gorillas.

"I'm sorry, my children. Forgive this old beast." Carcoatl collected every shard, every piece that remained of his beloved family. "Now be by my side."

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