Kaiyka didn’t need to do much. It was like she had unlocked an invisible door in the rune, and the four of them were sucked into a powerful current. It felt like being pulled through a pipe, dragged along by a torrent of water toward an unknown destination.
They found themselves navigating a turbulent channel, as if they were being forcefully dragged into a separate dimension. The attraction was inescapable; the space around them twisted and distorted.
In the middle of that chaos, Coltia and Kaiyka took a while to notice the presences beside them. When they finally looked at the whale, both of them jumped in shock. Where was the whale?
Next to them, they saw two ethereal figures: one radiating a sacred and luminous Yang, and the other emitting a pure and malevolent Yin. Between them, a thread of energy connected them, pulsing as if it were alive.
Alm and Bruno snorted simultaneously, anticipating their companions’ reactions. The two women didn’t need to exchange words; they instinctively felt that those figures were somehow familiar. An even greater confusion took over their minds. Would there always be two? The silent question hung between them.
Suddenly, the space around them trembled violently, as if the very fabric of reality was about to tear apart. An explosion of energy resonated, and Coltia and Kaiyka instinctively clung to the figures beside them, seeking safety amidst the chaos. Before Alm and Bruno could protest, a powerful suction force pulled them out of the chaotic flow of space.
The transition was abrupt. In an instant, they were in the heart of the dimensional storm; the next, they were thrown out, falling into a new reality.
The quartet found themselves at a high altitude, but before they could understand what was happening, they shot down like meteors. Then, they hit the ground, feeling a strange pressure.
A giant hole formed in the ground. Alm and Bruno, by pure instinct, quickly got up, their minds spinning.
Suddenly, their minds started to clear, and they looked at themselves. "This… is a body?" they noticed, stunned. Their souls were covered in strange runes that enveloped them. It felt like having a nearly physical body.
They turned to the two who were getting up. Kaiyka looked the same as always, also covered by the runes. But Coltia was in her original form: a white, furry silkworm, a little over five feet long.
"Kill!"
Furious roars shook the earth, and countless figures roared. It was only now that they realized they were in a massive battlefield.
They saw countless beasts fighting in the skies and on the ground. It was a wild battle, but strangely, there were no corpses scattered around.
Sensing the battle, everyone was surprised. "They’re not using Qi, it’s pure soul power!" Coltia exclaimed, astonished.
Alm and Bruno realized they were still connected by that thread. They couldn’t stray too far and needed to be careful. They spotted a high vantage point and ran, climbing a mountain.
There were two groups of beasts fighting, but they had similarities. One side seemed mostly made up of felines or similar creatures. They were all bluish, with pulsating runes on their bodies.
"Are those the Celestial Jaguars?" Bruno commented, intrigued. He had never seen that race, but the description from the dwarf matched those figures.
They were beasts that, with their movements, sealed the space around them, trapping the enemy. In legends, these beasts were known as eclipse-causers; even light couldn’t penetrate their space. When the enemy fell into their trap, escape was impossible. They were natural hunters, experts in dark traps.
On the other side of the battle, at first glance, there didn’t seem to be any physical connection between them. There were winged beasts, land-dwelling beasts, and even some that looked more humanoid. The only common feature was their eyes; all of them had a mystical indigo glow.
"They’re the Zaori," Alm said, and they quickly confirmed it.
The Zaori were known for their Void Piercing Eyes. Beasts with these unique eyes always aimed to attack from a distance, capable of predicting the enemy’s movements and avoiding spatial traps. With a single strike, they’d hit the exact weak spot, defeating their opponent.
They weren’t a race with a defined physical form; each birth was theoretically a surprise; they could even look human. However, according to the dwarf, there were techniques where the pure ones could control these variations, making their offspring have characteristics as needed.
Although this didn’t change much since all their power came from their eyes, physically they were even inferior to medium-grade beast races. However, having the option to choose physical traits allowed them to create varied strategies.
After confirming this, they looked farther away and saw a gigantic black city in the distance.
The black city had a light barrier around it and an imposing castle inside. Also, a multicolored ball of light at the top of the castle looked like a strange eye, watching the world.
The eye glowed intensely. It seemed to be the core of the castle, but it was different from conventional formation cores; everything there was very strange, and this core was exposed.
The black city had countless beasts of various shapes emerging from it. It looked like the Zaori were defending, while the Celestial Jaguars were attacking.
In the distance, spatial cracks appeared, and sharp blades cut through the void, as if trying to slice the sky and earth. It looked like a battle between peak cultivators, but there was no Qi, just soul power.
The dead in this fight simply exploded, turning to dust and disappearing. But everyone instinctively felt that they weren’t truly dying.
The battlefield twisted violently, with beasts constantly exploding. There were many questions, and just watching wouldn’t bring answers.
Suddenly, Alm and Bruno felt a gust of wind. A winged beast noticed them and was attacking.
It roared furiously and, with a single move, flapped its wings, sending soul-powered blades toward them.
Coltia and Kaiyka felt completely defenseless. Both were without their Qi and conventional powers. Kaiyka could use her soul to attack, but she wasn’t confident; without a sword in hand, she felt completely unprotected.
The two opposing figures sighed. Immediately, using only their souls, Alm and Bruno created two temporary tattoos. They both took a step, and with a thought, a Yin and Yang blast shot up into the air.
The attack exploded, and the beast was pierced in the chest instantly, letting out a grunt of pain. With a movement, it was pulled closer and felt all its movements being sealed.
"He seems to be just a soul, try reading its memories," Bruno said, turning to Kaiyka, who nodded and moved closer.
She confirmed that the beast was indeed just a soul, but its memories were very distorted; only the most recent ones were clear. Unfortunately, it had no idea who the leader was or what the real target was.
An idea then came to Alm. "Ignite your divine souls and try to shape the form. Look at those bluish felines and try to make yourselves look similar."
The two nodded, knowing that the soul wasn’t physical and could be easily shaped. It was a huge and unnecessary energy drain, something an ordinary soul couldn’t handle, but for their divine souls, it was simple.
"Let’s go," Bruno said, and the quartet of bluish felines set off. Initially clumsy and slow, they struggled to get used to moving on four legs, but soon they started moving more confidently.
"Kill! Kill them all! There’s no need to be afraid!" Alm and Bruno began chanting war cries.
However, as they shouted, they realized their orders weren’t being followed. Instead, they drew the attention of a huge feline with a prominent aura of power.
"Why are you shouting?! Get moving! The city gates will fall soon! If you dare to be lazy, I’ll kill you!" roared the imposing feline.
Alm grinned sinisterly. The feline felt an instinctive fear at the gleam in his eyes. Suddenly, the villainous Celestial Jaguar took a step forward, and pure Yin power exploded.
*BANG!*
The powerful aura feline turned to dust with a single blow. "You dare to howl at your boss? Looks like I’ll have to discipline you." Alm spat with disdain.
The other beasts around were shocked. A subordinate really attacked a superior? That was a serious offense.
"What are you looking at? I’m one of the disguised generals. I’ve been assigned to oversee all of you! Anyone who slacks off will be killed by me! Do you know who’s behind me?" Alm shouted.
The Celestial Jaguars were stunned and didn’t doubt his words. Who could defeat a general with one blow?
"What are you waiting for?! Attack!" ordered Bruno. The beasts that had followed the now-dead general could only follow their new orders.
The two women behind were silent, watching the two in action. These two had immediately taken on the role of generals and began issuing precise orders; they were identical in their methods, though they were said and executed in slightly different ways.
They were quite confused. Were the two the same person? The answer was clear, but it was hard to believe what they were seeing.
The army quickly grew under Alm and Bruno’s leadership. They defeated more and more enemies and soon led thousands in an assault, approaching the city walls.
Alm and Bruno moved to investigate the situation. It seemed the city’s defenses had been raised to the max, and the attackers were amassing their forces to breach the city. This indicated that the city was in imminent danger.
Seeing the city about to be invaded, Alm and Bruno wanted to secure some benefit or, at the very least, get information. After all their effort, they couldn’t leave empty-handed.
A booming voice sounded: "Are you blind? Don’t run around aimlessly! The left flank is the weakest! Attack the left flank!"
Alm and Bruno were leading their army towards the city gates when they were interrupted by another general with an aura a hundred times stronger than the previous one.
"What do you understand? The weak left flank is a trap to lure us in! The front gate is our real target!" Bruno retorted.
Who cared about the weakness of the flank? Entering through the gates was the fastest way. Otherwise, when the city was breached, he’d be stuck on the edges, and others might grab the best resources before he got there.
"Are you not listening to orders? Die!" The general attacked furiously.
Bruno snorted, and his Yang tattoo lit up. Suddenly, the general let out a miserable scream, as if being burned alive.
Simultaneously, Alm shouted, "The Supreme Master ordered us to oversee the battle! We’re in charge of secretly controlling the pace of the attack. You fools wasted so many warriors without taking the city. The Supreme Master is extremely dissatisfied. I’ve been ordered to bring down the city gates in the next few minutes. Otherwise, you’ll all die. If you don’t want to die, you’d better follow my orders."
During their journey, he had heard people mention this generic name, "Supreme Master," and used it to intimidate.
The general’s mind was stunned by the words. Bruno slowly reduced his power, and the general was visibly terrified in front of him.
"Senior… please spare me. We’ll follow your orders!" The general trembled, finally believing they were trusted subordinates of the Supreme Master.
"Summon our troops. Smash the gate!" Bruno shouted. He then released the general, who immediately began gathering the forces.
The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.
*CRASH!*
It didn’t take long for a large army to destroy the gate and invade the city. Leading the charge were the quartet. As they entered, their focus zeroed in on a single point. Alm and Bruno narrowed their eyes at what they saw.