"Hehehehehehe..." A dry laughter echoed through the skies, and suddenly, the space around the whale closed in, covered by mixed runes in a formation. A barrier of QI emerged, covering the entire sky and blocking any possible escape route.
The whale, with cold eyes, turned in that direction. Then, it saw a human man and sensed his cultivation; he was undoubtedly a prestigious central elder, at the fifth level of the Elemental Condensation Realm.
Around them, a hundred elders were noticed, all with cultivations ranging within the Heaven Stage Realm, some reaching the ninth level. All humans, with a similar appearance to the people of Montide; they were undoubtedly members of the Nightflare Clan.
The whale observed that human laughing for two seconds, while Alm felt a distant cold aura. Another distinct figure was hidden in the shadows, out of sight, but his manipulation of Yin did not escape Alm’s senses. It was a black elf, with cultivation also at the fifth level of the Elemental Condensation Realm.
’Two enemies we can hardly beat... we already had only a 10% chance of escaping, even from the hundreds surrounding us...’ Bruno analyzed coldly.
Alm then completely cooled his mind at this crucial moment and analyzed. ’A hidden black elf; he was certainly the connection to Liumi.’
Alm looked at the cat-eyed woman in the distance and smiled sarcastically. ’Who would be foolish enough to give up something that was already theirs? The black elves simply made the Grassrunners believe they were free, just paying off their debt. But they would never truly be liberated.’
Bruno sighed, feeling the complete lack of fluctuations from Liumi. She just observed them in a state that seemed like a puppet. ’We analyzed her body and her soul, but found nothing wrong... once again, we relied on our past experience, and failed. It seems the strange laws of the Skyward Forest must have something to do with this. Liumi now has her free will and consciousness completely erased.’
’They made us believe we had control. But when they saw that we killed a lot and they couldn’t catch us, they activated contact with the Noctryn. That’s when Liumi became strange, but she didn’t know why. Probably, they triggered something inside her partially and got a brief sense of things,’ Alm said dryly.
’After we left her alone, they fully activated control. And with her power, they set up the trap... a well-executed plan, which we couldn’t know about,’ Bruno added with regret. ’Maybe if we had waited and approached her earlier... after learning her story, we could have considered the clear possibility that she never stopped being a slave.’
’It doesn’t matter now; either we die, or we kill. Get ready. We won’t hold back,’ Alm spat coldly.
It took five seconds; in the skies, the man finally stopped laughing and spoke to the whale with disdain. "Who would have thought you’d be foolish enough to leave the sect. Unfortunately, you didn’t bring the one that belongs to us, but with your accomplishments among the institutes, you’ll be very welcome as a new slave."
Alm and Bruno smiled; they hadn’t tried to be discreet, and news of a newcomer becoming a teacher in all the institutes reached the upper echelons. They did it to draw attention to themselves and avoid dangers for others around them. Those three as disciples and without the spotlight could achieve more within the sect. It was a success, but things got out of control.
Watching the whale’s lack of reaction, the man just stared into his eyes and felt a cold and infinite mockery coming from them. Soon, he experienced the sensation of a blade at his throat, making him break out in a cold sweat. However, he roared, pushing the feeling away.
"A human who managed to get expelled from a pathetic clan. And then fled to the realm of dwarves... you must have lived the young master’s life everywhere with your talent, and now you think you can escape?! Hahahah."
The whale just smiled, and his eyes gleamed in a strange color; his words sounded smoothly. "Human? Hahaha..."
THUMP-THUMP!
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A rune, earth-colored, pulsed in full force from within the whale’s body, as if it were the heart of a primordial beast. This pulsation reverberated and was felt by everyone... all the laws in an area of several kilometers froze in response.
In the next second, another pulsation echoed. Then, the heavens and earth dimmed, as if the light of the world had bowed down and shrunk.
Suddenly, the only light in the world surrounded the whale, emitting an earthy color. Its eyes shone like a sacred and primordial beacon. Quickly, the ground seemed to light up with earth runes emerging like grains of sand, so many and so dense that they resembled countless stars. They rose, drawn and converging to a single point.
The Behemoth, the primordial divine beast destined to reign over mortals, was blessed by the Heaven’s Will itself with a magnitude comparable to the heavens. This singular creature held in its essence the energy of the beginning of time, an extraordinary ability that set it apart as one of the few primordial entities.
More than just a powerful beast, the Behemoth personified primordial chaos. Its essence was intrinsically linked to the universe; its lineage dominated the natural laws, its body ruled over mortal physics, and its soul was the manifestation of the infinite power of creation.
In a bold act, the Behemoth chose to sacrifice part of its immortality in a gamble. It fully merged its existing essence in that part of its soul with the inner rune of Alm and Bruno.
Within this rune, something beyond pure earthly power resided. Fragments of primordial chaos intertwined with the rune, giving Alm and Bruno the knowledge that they could unleash a truly terrifying force, capable of challenging the very foundations of the universe.
It was only a small drop of this power, and even with their divine souls, manipulating something of this level would be impossible. Therefore, the only fuel capable of making them use this was the few drops of the Behemoth’s lineage. This power represented only 1% of the real capacity of the energy of this drop of primordial chaos; but it was capable of amplifying and multiplying the laws of the earth. And now, it was a weapon capable of rivaling the world.
On the battlefield, in an instant, all earth runes merged with the figure of the whale. Then, as if thunder had struck and punished the world, the runes reverberated, and the human figure disappeared...
A five-meter-tall being covered in glowing runes of earth power emerged, its radiance eclipsing the world. Its form was still humanoid and rounded, but it was like a giant that seemed to weigh as much as a mountain, and its aura was like the manifestation of the very earth of the world.
The figure’s eyes glowed eerily, and its guttural voice echoed. "COME ON, MOTHERF***ERS!"
It was a roar that made the laws reverberate, and immediately the gravity of the place seemed to reverse.
BOOM!
Following that, everyone in the skies fell to the ground like meteors. They felt infinite gravity pressing them into the earth, and their spiritual roots, which were once connected to the laws, now made it seem like they were in a complete vacuum.
"They trapped me here? We’ll see who’s really cornered!"
CRACK!
All rose in a daze, hearing the sinister words... it was when the ground quickly collapsed, with countless cracks spreading in all directions. The earth shook, and everyone looked at the creature ahead, immediately their hearts stopped.
In its hands, a gigantic heavy sword, shining in a celestial blue, appeared. With just its weight, space seemed to vibrate. It was in that second that palpable death permeated them all.
"GET READY!!!" A frightened but powerful roar reverberated along with infinite streams of Qi.
The central elder fully activated his cultivation and the formation around, waking everyone up. The formation was designed to trap but could be used in various ways. "Attack with everything, we are many! He is burning something in exchange, it can’t last forever!"
A sinister laugh echoed from the creature. Indeed, they had 100 drops of bloodline, and each second one was being burned. Now, it’s 90 seconds with 100%, and they didn’t wait even a second after reaching their peak.
Gripping Fides in his hands, all physical cultivation was triggered, and Bruno felt his whole body overflowing with energy, as well as an endless killing intent.
"Die!" Fides fell forward, giving the impression of splitting space and reality.
BOOM!
A cut with dozens of kilometers in length advanced, splitting everything in two. An entire line of terrified elders – whether they were at the beginning or end of the Heaven Stage Realm – was turned into a bloody mist. The central elder and the few more powerful elders were all horrified and activated their defenses.
The sword fell to the ground, and its residual destructive power was still advancing. It was when two hands, one enveloping a cold Yin and the other enveloping electric laws, appeared from the front and destroyed that power.
A cold smile appeared on the faces of Alm and Bruno. The two elders at the fifth level of the Elemental Condensation Realm joined forces. But they were slow. With a single movement, they took down almost 20 of the weaker elders.
"Hehehe, come!" The whale retrieved the sword and advanced taking a step and disappearing... it seemed an unbelievable speed, but everyone felt it clearly. It dove beneath the earth!
The two elders were horrified, then roared to the survivors. But they only saw the ground where everyone stood become something liquid, acting like an incredibly efficient quicksand, almost immobilizing them. They all activated their full strength, feeling imminent death.
CRACK!!
Then, countless spears sprouted from the earth with a destructive force, over twenty bloody mists spread through the air. While others managed to defend themselves using their main survival cards.
"FORMATION!" roared the elder, to all 60 survivors. Almost half died in a few seconds.
All the survivors were the strongest and most experienced; they quickly gathered in a circular formation with weapons in hand.
Then, the black elf roared, and a power similar to a black mist covered the place, merging with all the elders. Across the ground, a black layer was created; the elders could now feel every tiny movement of the earth thanks to the mist. It was when an earthquake suddenly occurred.
Everyone felt the world vibrate; they couldn’t fly; then, at the center, the ground opened, and the gigantic figure appeared. While everyone trembled, it advanced fiercely with fists.
"DEFENSE!"
The elder roared, and everyone seemed to unite their QIs. The formation around lit up, reverberating together. That formation that initially was only made to trap was composed of various laws and QI. And now, it was being used to transfer QI and power to everyone, like a giant battery.
BOOM!
Everyone spat blood, but no one died. Then, a satisfied and sinister gleam appeared in the eyes of the central elder. He could use the power of the formation to contain this creature; he didn’t consume even 1% with this defense; now it was just a matter of time.
"ATTACK!"
The black mist covered the entire enclosed area and thickened around everyone, connecting even more with them and creating a detection domain. The elders could now sense everything around. It was a confined space, and speed and stealth attacks from the ground were nullified. With everyone united and fueled by the energy of the formation around, they advanced with red eyes, in a coordinated manner.
80 seconds... mentally Alm and Bruno counted. While the 60 elders covered them, attacking in all directions, they simply advanced toward the black elf. With him alive, it was impossible for them to win.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The whale attacked with fists the elders trying to approach the black elf. Meanwhile, all the elders struck its rocky body. The defenses of this earth were as hard as steel and just bounced off. Then, with a roar, the internal Yin rune was activated, and a scarlet explosive wave hit the elders.
It was the hellish laws mixed with Yin, something similar to the laws of the abyss and was like poison to all non-demons. Immediately, ten died, but the formation around shone, expelling the scarlet wave away.
The elf just fled far away, and the central elder manipulated the formation, providing support. The surprise effect of this blow was gone, and it couldn’t be used again.
The now 50 elders attacked again. A war of attrition began. The whale just advanced rapidly, chasing the black elf. While everyone fiercely hit him; the earth’s defenses were his greatest and only advantage.
Despite their exuberant power, the low cultivation was the limiter for Alm and Bruno. The only thing that made them fight was the peculiar power given by the behemoth and its impenetrable defenses. They were using a good part of their energy to maintain gravity, preventing everyone from flying. With their speed and ability to hide underground neutralized by the black elf, they were at a clear disadvantage.
70 seconds...
The whale roared and changed tactics. It relinquished its defenses, and dozens of weapons ruthlessly pierced its body. But after the piercing, its blood forcibly spread over them like a mist.
With all its bloodline surfaced, the blood became even more poisonous, and screams of agony echoed. Just touching their skin, the blood could penetrate their bodies and poison them to death.
The cost was gaining endless wounds, but 15 new elders who were closer died. And an opening emerged!
The black elf sensed the danger and moved the black mist around to escape. But the whale was too close and wouldn’t allow his getaway.
They ran within five meters of the elf, then the central elder roared and attacked, blocking him. Then the two most powerful joined in a counterattack, but noticing that malicious blood, they focused on a single point to kill him once and for all, instead of creating more wounds.
A sword from the central elder attacked the left side of the whale. Then their eyes glowed, and immediately burned 20 drops of blood for this movement. The earth runes covering its left arm vibrated.
In a second, a rock as black as obsidian emerged, covering that limb. Then the arm moved.
CRACK!
The black hand grasped the sword blade and, with a motion, split it in two. Then the left hand swung upwards, and Fides appeared above them, the hand gripping the sword, cutting with the help of gravity.
BOOM!
The formation and the earth trembled, and a giant trench appeared. All the elders looked stunned and felt the black mist slowly dissipating. When they looked forward, they saw only pieces of what used to be the black elf.
So, a new sword pierced through the giant figure, and blood pulsed from its mouth. The central elder jumped away, avoiding the blood. Quickly, he roared with the formation.
"Attack!" Everyone rushed forward, and the whale moved its black arm forward.
CRACK! CRACK!
Upon realizing that the black elf had died and the mist had vanished, the central elder immediately attacked with his sword, creating an opening. He activated the entire formation, pouring endless energy into everyone. He couldn’t give the creature an opportunity to escape using the earth.
Alm and Bruno could still burn bloodline to run in this situation, but it would waste what little they had, and they would hardly win afterward. So, they only blocked and attacked with their fists.
Bruno controlled the black arm they created by burning 20 drops. It was primordial rock, a supreme defense created with the behemoth’s bloodline, but with so many attacking together, they couldn’t block everything.
30 seconds...
The blades struck their bodies, opening wounds, and blood sprayed, killing some. Their black arm swung, blocking and breaking several blades. In tandem, the other fist killed ferociously. As the fists hit the target, infernal laws and Yin penetrated, and they exploded from the inside.
Time passed, and they had burned many drops, further reducing the time. The exchange was worthwhile to kill the black elf; it was impossible to win if he remained alive. But now, their bodies were in a terrible state.
Half of the power of the surrounding formation was burned, and now, even if the elders reduced consumption, it wouldn’t be worth using their speed. But, without the black elf, there was a way... less than 1%, but it existed.
Every second, one or two elders died, leaving only 25. It wasn’t worth raising defenses, and they were continuously killing.
20 seconds...
The entire rocky surface of the whale was red and covered in blood. Its bloodline was near the end, and it would clearly be depleted before killing everyone. Perhaps the elders would die in time, but the central elder would stay alive and kill them.
The same central elder only provided support with the formation for others to have defensive and offensive power. He watched attentively, knowing that victory was unfolding.
The Qi of Alm and Bruno was sufficient for one last strike with Fides. Without Ruri, they lacked the mental power to use Eternal Bond or Eclipsing Divinity. Perhaps, if they used the power of their divine soul, they would have a single chance of victory. But it was so minimal that it was negligible.
The whale was hit in the face, making its vision turn. Then, its eyes met with a distant furry and purple figure. The feline eyes were fixed on the whale. Alm and Bruno locked eyes with Liumi and felt something different that made their minds jump.
Suddenly, they saw tears of sadness subtly fall from those yellowed eyes...