The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Without warning, Volten entered the Guise, not a fanciful one like Oscar's that boasted a pair of antlers. It was simple and clear, a veil of Eirin surging on Volten's skin like the ocean swirling around his figure. Sweat beaded down Oscar's brow. Out of all the Reis users he had fought, none came close to the might shown by the progenitor, the ebbs and flows of the Eirin shuddering the air in great ripples strong enough to knock down a small child. He heaved a heavy sigh and gripped his shield, the Prinstyct watching every move.

'Not this time.' Oscar sucked in a deep breath, drawing in the most his lungs could carry for the long exchange. Instead of waiting for Volten to start, he charged forward, using his regained mobility. The joints cracked; his legs screamed in joy as the ground trembled under him, the blood rushing to awaken the previously unused muscles. It didn't surprise him that his legs still functioned well, owing more thanks to Avril for massaging them and feeding him replenishing elixirs.

The waters crashed onto the walls as if climbing in desperation to avoid the undulations of Eirin clashing in the arena, revealing the bottom of the moat. Oscar entered the Guise, as did Demon. Ignyres's flames sprouted in his core, burning into his Guise as one of the blue antlers cracked and peeled off, a red blazing horn of flame protruding outward. Demon struck first. The white sword, blue flames sharpening its edge, sliced once. Volten smirked and jabbed the end of his handle, ringing Oscar's shield like a bell, and pivoted to lay a powerful blow on Demon's sword.

Suddenly, the ground quaked, the metal arena groaning in a noise that induced a splitting headache. Sparks of lightning rose from the ground, electrifying the area as black clouds churned in the false sky. Then, in the call of thunder, lightning descended and struck in a flash. Oscar used the Line and condensed a powerful platinum magnetic orb, overlapping the same spell tenfold. He fired it off with a flick of his finger, sending it into the storm. The magnetic force and the deadly lightning churned, screeching and blaring in the droning sound of a horn.

There was a sudden shift in the ground beneath his feet as a pair of giant stone hands grasped him and Demon, the craggy fingers slowly crushing his insides. Hearing his bones creak, Oscar calmed down. His eyes were fixed on Volten, who sped and blurred before vanishing, the invisible steps of Reis stumping his foresight. It would have stumped him if not for having Demon, his counterpart, watching his back. In unison, they unleashed a Ripple Shroud of primordial flames. The shockwave broke apart the stone grips, and the flames rushed over them, engulfing Volten in blue flames.

But the ancestor of Reis was not undone. He ran straight through the blue flames, scraps of burning metal flaking off his shoulders. Oscar leaped to the side, but Demon had to roll to the other as torrential waters speared from below, near impaling them. Oscar shot several scarlet-platinum swords, the fusion of normal flame and metal, but they bounced off Volten's shining orbs, failing to cut one. He couldn't believe it, but all of Volten's elements were primordial, and there was more than one.

The orbs flared and exploded in a flash of light that washed over his pupils, forcing his eyes shut. Oscar tried to see through Demon's vision but found only darkness as Demon hacked away at encroaching waves of corrosive shadows. How many elements did Volten have? Eyes still shut, Oscar dropped to his knees and flipped through the air, showering his side of the arena in scarlet-platinum swords. His ears perked up, listening and waiting, but no reaction, not even the faintest clang from deflecting his spell, reached him as if Volten wasn't there.

'Shit. Demon!' Oscar regained parts of his vision, his eyes focusing in and out, but he caught a glimpse of Volten ambushing Demon from the back. Linking their senses, Oscar relayed it just in time for Demon to duck and retreat before the ground caved in from Volten's killing stroke. He pulled Demon back before the aftershock could hit them. The single blow dispersed the storm, the waters, the flames, and all others. Silence and calm reclaimed the arena as the duo stared at Volten, and he stared back.

'Ignyres, what elements can he use? All of them?' Oscar asked as he realized the gap between him and Volten, who was fighting at his level. He shuddered, imagining the full might Volten may have displayed during the ancient war, and feared the Caerulumen more for being able to match this monster.

'If we had the beast and the Meld, our chances of victory would have been better.' Demon scoffed.

'Even with him, we'll lose.' Oscar clenched his shield and strode closer. Volten mimicked him and approached, resting his weapon on his shoulder. Many questions were racing across his thoughts, but Oscar forced them to be silent. It was not the time for questions, only a battle to be had. The elements danced around Volten, eight powers gathering around the previous savior. Earth swelled underneath as trees took root, an orb akin to a sun shining from above with dark vapors spewing from the distinct shadows. A river ran across the terrain as a small mound of metal, sticking out like a miniature mountain, hummed a magnetic tune, guiding the river around it. A storm churned as lightning struck the slopes, the smoldering rubble piling onto the ground, part of the forest now in flames, diminished by the rain but roaring in defiance.

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"Wow…." Oscar was speechless. The half of the arena on Volten's side had been turned into a small world of eight elements in perfect harmony. And all were primordial elements. He considered his options and found one path, standing side-by-side with Demon as they faced the primal might of the elements. As Volten stepped forward, the terrain encroached, expanding into the untouched half of the arena.

Three smiles welcomed each other, even Demon showing a flicker of emotion. Volten jabbed the end of his handle on the arena as if signaling the start of the battle with the clear ringing sound that followed. Oscar and Demon rushed onward, the eight elements descending on them like a ravenous horde. Metal and fire. That was all they had. He burned the forest, charred the earth, boiled the river, impaled the magnetic mountain, sundered the storm, rendered the sharp gales into a breeze, and fought on.

Volten's blade pounded on his shield, nearly forcing Oscar to his knees. Gritting his teeth, Oscar rammed his shoulder into Volten's gut and pushed him off as Demon slashed ahead. He hadn't fought so unrestrained, so freely in a long time—a fight for fight's sake. A smirk lifted on Oscar's lips, and Volten responded with a wide smile of his own. As their elements coiled and sought to destroy the other, as their blades and shield crossed many times, Oscar didn't quite have the words to describe what was happening. He'd never felt this phenomenon.

No sounds. No worries. No anger. Only the fight. Only the foe before him. From Volten's blade, Oscar sensed a strange connection. With every swing of the sword that clanged on his shield, Oscar felt a heavy loneliness, a mix of despair and grief numbing his bones. Many strange scenes played out in his mind, a boy growing into a man and fighting from battlefield to battlefield, never resting for one more battle awaited at every moment. Yet, no matter what, the man was alone, endlessly alone, as he wandered with tattered robes and old scars. He thought as a blade brushed the ends of his hair, 'What is this?'

'So you can finally see it?' Volten spoke, but not really. Oscar had the impression they were somehow feeling each other's thoughts in this long battle. 'That's right.' A blade swiped through Oscar and Demon, gaining more power. 'After so long, across the long passages of time, we meet and connect. We are the same, pups of the same litter. I've been waiting for you for thousands if not millions of years.'

'Is this my fate? Do I become you? Watch helplessly as everyone else dies around me?' Oscar had long since lost feeling in his arms, his shoulders quivering from the dull pain.

'I said to follow your heart, no? There is always a choice. I could have ended myself long ago, the one freedom afforded to me. But we both know I could never do that. Our nature is to keep struggling and fight to our last.' Volten lost balance from Demon's blow. He stamped his foot back and swung wide.

'I don't want to fight.' Oscar kicked away the spearing handle.

'Then why can you walk now?' Volten smirked, shaking the arena with a downward slash. 'Why can I fight so freely now? We found each other, the one other person who can understand the pain, the burden of the world wanting something more from you. We found a fight still left in us, and your legs are proof of that, but where you want to fight, young warrior, is up to you. Unlike me, you can decide your battles.' The sparks of their battles stopped as Oscar retreated, breathing heavily. Demon's Duality began to dissipate, having suffered heavy wounds.

"You had given up, but you know you must rise. That is why you walk. But the time will come when you must face what you refuse to see, and when that happens, overcome it and surpass yourself. Be free." Volten dropped his blade and chuckled, turning transparent.

"You…." Oscar said, eyes round in disbelief.

"Ah. There is no more time. After holding on for so many years, I reached my limits in this fight." Volten put on a helpless smile as if it couldn't be helped. "There is an exit over there with some treasures and clothes you might need. As for my wayward descendant, I left her to go in another direction. She won't bother you anymore."

"Volten!" Ignyres shouted, bursting from Oscar's chest. "You can't leave now! I have much to apologize for!"

"It's fine. I'm glad you're the way you are now. It's fine. I shouldn't be here at all." Volten's legs had vanished, and his arms were next. He gazed at Oscar. "Live your best life, Oscar. The world may not want you to, but live on and see it to the end. You'll feel lonely. You'll be hurt again. You'll suffer. You'll cry endlessly into the night full of regrets. But you'll overcome because we can. You've helped me do the same." He smiled brightly like a child. "After countless years, I can finally see everyone again. Ah, I guess this is what people describe as passing on with no regrets. What a good feeling it is. I'm sure your master felt the same."

As his visage faded away, his last words echoed, "Farewell, young warrior." The ground jolted, and a loud click resounded from the plain wall. A large opening rose, and a bridge extended, crossing the moat to lay a pathway toward the new exit.

"Farewell, Volten." Oscar nodded to the empty space where Volten once stood and made his way across the bridge. What awaited him beyond the exit?

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