It was already night when the whale left the castle. He thought of heading to the forge, but was taken by surprise when two women appeared completely out of their senses and grabbed onto his arms.
They turned, looking at Ruri and Rehvka deeply. They smiled, and around both of them, a violet and black aura intertwined. Ruri was already well-versed and trained by them in the use of Yin, while Rehvka quickly managed to grasp the basics of mental power. With the array giving power from one to the other, the two quickly developed this method together.
"I see. Mental power clouds the mind and senses, Yin physically blends you with a part of the environment. You complement each other in the method of hiding," the whale said calmly, and Alm and Bruno quickly saw the potential in this.
"Master finally emerged, come on, let’s go," Rehvka exclaimed excitedly, pulling them by the arm he held intimately.
Ruri spoke from the other side. "Let’s enjoy the night; today is Rehvka’s welcome party. Everyone needs it to ease their minds; after all, master is already preparing for the next battle."
The whale snorted, they wanted to prepare everything immediately. But the minds of so many who had lived decades under the pressure of death were problematic. They had to stabilize themselves, or it would hinder them in a fight. But they were obliged to go. Everyone could only be reassured seeing them there.
So they walked slowly with the two beautiful disciples close by... a bit too close. One dressed entirely in black, with a dark gaze and pale skin as... yes, she looked dead. On the other side, another woman dressed in white with a smile and radiant skin. They were complete opposites.
Rehvka clung tightly to the whale’s arm, Ruri saw this and was stunned. The whale looked at Rehvka and saw her excitement, knowing she was only doing this to provoke Ruri. Rehvka really liked Ruri immediately, but of course, she already had Thea and wouldn’t try anything. She was creating an imaginary rivalry and watched Ruri’s face change, laughing.
"Well... no need to be so serious. When master wants to be aggressive, I’ll take over. You handle the cute side," Rehvka teased.
Ruri clenched her fists. "No need, I can handle both sides! I’ve dealt with both masters for much longer than you. I know what each of them likes and I can satisfy them..."
Alm and Bruno decided to ignore it and stopped listening to that. Despite everything, Ruri was internally quite pleased. The two were getting along in their own way, the biggest proof being that they had learned in a day to combine their powers.
Upon arriving at the city center, everyone was already gathered and having fun. Obviously Vuard and Odis were not present, busy with a side quest.
The whale settled into a chair in a raised area, ensuring that everyone could see him. He observed the people calmly, noticing all the cultivators they recruited in the Three Extremes Sect for the three factions, drinking and chatting perfectly integrated into the city. While casual glances turned toward the whale, their minds teemed with energy.
Alm and Bruno had already heard Ruri’s entire story. As soon as they became central disciples, they focused completely on cultivation and training day and night. The connection Ruri had with Nimfle and the city was essential. The elf sold all the things Vuard made, and also those forgers in the sect that the whale taught, continued to forge. By their own will, everyone handed over a portion of their profits, saying it was for the whale.
Thus, Ruri took over everything on their behalf, receiving infinite resources and using them for the benefit of all. Within a few months after the first tests, all the main clans of the sect were already seeking to recruit them at all costs. So, the three leaders devised a plan.
Corin joined his faction in the Bonecrush clan of the orcs. Loeus led a faction composed almost exclusively of women, and they went to the Soothora clan of the Feys. Meanwhile, Ruri directly joined the Nightflare clan.
Learning well to be cunning and cold with Alm, Ruri stood out so much in the sect that the Nightflare clan couldn’t do much openly against her. They initially accepted her, knowing her intentions. However, their arrogance in underestimating her as just a young idiot was their downfall.
Ruri infiltrated and rose quickly. In a year and a half, she passed the definitive test for central disciple, winning even more notably, even eliminating some elders who tried to challenge her. After another year, the sect itself decided to elevate Ruri’s status to that of central elder.
On the same day that she accepted the elder badge, the Nightflare clan was exterminated. The three factions attacked and devastated everything and everyone. As an elder, Ruri had the authority to punish any violation of the sect’s rules. Although all clans were involved in clandestine activities, mainly Nightflare, who would be foolish enough to accuse the planet’s top cultivators?
However, they were not only accused, but Ruri had gathered evidence over time. Only the three factions together eliminated these cultivators considered invincible in a single day. The sect could do nothing about it; Ruri acted within the rules. It was a landmark day in the sect in many ways.
So, they lived in the sect for almost a decade. As they reached the end of Elemental Condensation, Ruri was already planning an incursion into the forest to free the city from its people. However, she couldn’t attack the Divinestone clan; even without knowing all the details that the whale knew, she clearly realized that they had hidden protection. Her plans involved a silent invasion and the destruction of obstacles, leading everyone back to the city.
However, during the preparations, everything changed drastically when they were in the desert city.
The twelve families launched an attack on the desert, unleashing a bloody war. All the cultivators of the three factions joined the city. Events escalated rapidly.
Early on, the realm of the dwarves was attacked and was being massacred. Ruri left the protection of the city to help them, resulting in a desperate fight. The Bonecrush, Soothora, the powerful Obsidian, and even, to everyone’s surprise, the Nightflare clan of the dark elves, with whom Ruri had cultivated a subtle friendship with a dark elf, tried to assist them.
However, they were comparatively insignificant in the face of the twelve families. While each clan had a dozen cultivators in the Body Destruction Realm, this was only the basic cultivation of the thousands of average members of the families. It didn’t take mobilizing elders to end everything.
In the end, although Ruri was grateful for their loyalty, she expelled them before they lost more lives. They contributed to saving a few thousand dwarves, but it was the most they could do. The Grassrunners living in the city were taken back to the sect by Nimfle. The most sensible strategy was to isolate themselves in the city. With the puppet left by the whale, they considered themselves invincible and saw no need to shed more innocent blood... But...
The formation was activated shortly after. It was then that Ruri witnessed the cruel reality of cultivators; all billions of cultivators on the planet, anyone who was at least in the Elemental Condensation Realm, were forced by the families to fight against the puppet.
She saw Thalor, the orc Lokar, the fey Fyclea, the dark elf she befriended... and many other acquaintances from the sect being buried in the desert sands. She remembered how she tried to save them but watched helplessly as they were massacred by the puppet.
No member of the Divinestone clan, being ridiculously weak, appeared. Not even the Grassrunners, or even Nimfle. The elf must have influenced the events in the sect, protecting herself and her own.
So, after thirty years, the puppet was destroyed and the Cerberos sacrificed themselves. The clock for the end began to tick.
Back at the party, the whale watched everyone excitedly. Rehvka was already fitting in well. Then, he was called by Langrum, who brought her children and formally introduced them.
They were extremely nervous in front of the whale, but Langrum laughed cheerfully, perhaps a little drunk, and said, "Unfortunately, you took too long to come back and my girls grew up too fast. They were so cute when they were young. You would have loved to hang out with them hahaha."
Alm snorted. ’Even Langrum knows your soft side...’
’SHUT UP!’ Bruno immediately cut in.
They all inherited a very human appearance, maintaining their father’s good looks. There was no trace of ogre, except for the green tone of their skin. They were three robust men and two slender women, but with piercing gazes. Already adults, they were raised in the midst of war. Langrum was extremely strict in their training, but in the end, it was the best choice. All of her children survived.
In the middle of the night, Rehvka approached the whale. By her side, a robotic figure with a still skeletal body and filled with cables advanced smoothly. Its head, now perfectly sculpted, looked truly like that of an elf, incredibly realistic. This was probably connected to the Yang of the tattoo that Thea wore, giving an impression of life to that synthetic skin.
Rehvka stopped a few steps away from the whale while Thea continued to advance. Upon reaching them, she bowed as much as her body allowed, not kneeling due to her physical limitations.
"Sir, I thank you for sparing me and saving me before. Even though I was once controlled, I was an enemy who caused many problems and took many innocent lives. I will never forget your kindness in giving me another chance," said Thea firmly.
The whale responded dryly, "Don’t worry so much. I needed to leave that universe, so the soul gem I used would be free. It was just a whim of mine. I didn’t even know if you could really recover. You took care of my disciple, that’s already payment enough. We owe nothing to each other."
Thea lifted her face towards the whale, her eyes emitting a soft hum, and she focused her gaze on the whale seriously.
"Rehvka raised me and taught me everything, she is who I love and would die for her; that doesn’t pay for anything. Let me repay..."
"You can stop," the whale cut in unceremoniously. "If you want to become a devotee, no one stops you. But if you want to follow me alongside Rehvka, I don’t want someone with such a weak desire. Your life and happiness depend only on you, and I didn’t do anything expecting repayment. Live seeking what you truly desire, not behind something so small. If you really want to repay, just save someone random. One life for another, end."
The entire robotic body trembled, unable to say anything. It took a few seconds for Bruno to take over and heaved a heavy sigh, then spoke calmly.
"What do you desire? What is your goal?"
"I..." The robotic eyes seemed to tremble for a few seconds. Then she turned to the whale, and a determination arose. "I want to end that bastard queen who manipulated me. I want to save the heroes who were enslaved like I was."
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"Great. I want to kill as many heroes as I can, but if you find a way, we can negotiate. Rehvka needs someone to balance her, just be loyal, not submissive or wishing to repay something."
The whale spoke calmly, and then Thea looked down and clenched her robotic fist tightly. A wave of joy surged in her soul and leaked out. Rehvka approached her slowly, smiling, and supported her.
Thus, the party passed slowly, and everyone relaxed as much as they could in their own way. The next day, preparations would begin.