"Is that Crux!?" Calvin asked in astonishment, looking at the proud Pantheran wearing a cute green frog hoodie that hid her ears and tail. It was unthinkable.
"Your eyes do not betray you." Kaze replied calmly, "That is indeed Crux Panthera Pyron, Princess of the Panthera and loyalist to her people. However, if you look slightly below her you will see another mortal that leads her."
The mind-bending thought of [two] mortals obtaining Crux's loyalty twisted their perception of reality.
"Only to solidify--are you truly mortals leading yourselves?" Calvin asked in disbelief, "Not enemies of Killian?"
"While we will pursue retribution for what Killian has done, you are correct--we are mortals leading ourselves." The emperor replied solemnly, "See the power of Evalyn Skye yourself; it should answer all questions you seek."
Amy and the elderly specialist watched Crux fly Evalyn over the raging fire, glowing in shades as it burned through mountains of corpses.
-
A hushed silence spread through the shipping yard, creating an eerie environment bereft of life. Only the sound of cackling fire, popping and fuming, filled the atmosphere as they watched their general flying a hundred feet above hell.
Amid the deafening stillness, a small white ball contrasted against the inferno, creating a drop of white-out on the world. As Crux flew away, it slowly glided to the earth, creating a satisfyingly uniform image lacking deviation.
There was a calming peacefulness as it touched down into the pits of hell.
VROooOOoooOSsshHHhhHhhssSshHHhhHSHHHHH!
A violent eruption of steam shot out from space like an exploding volcano, shooting a cloud of scorching gas toward the shipping yard.
The soldiers braced for impact, shielding their faces.
Yet the steam never came. One after the other, the soldiers and civilians opened their eyes hesitantly, finding themselves in a clouded marble. Upon closer examination, they realized that a spherical barrier covered the shipping yard, and the steam had bent around it.
Everyone looked up reflexively, searching for a lazy cat--and found her staring at the steam with a mocking smile.
A myriad of emotions crashed into everyone as they realized the end was there. With Crux erecting a barrier, there wasn't a need to worry about the fire or sharks anymore.
They could rest easy.
And breath.
CRAaaaaaCcKkkKkkkcCckKkKcCkKckkkKkcCkcCkkKkkcCckKkkKk!
Their blissful moment violently shattered when a shrieking sound of freezing water crashed into their ear drums. The milky white steam abruptly condensed into a liquid, making it downpour acidic rain. For a split second, it felt like they were in a hurricane; however, the rain turned white snowflakes and then hail in real time.
It was a physics lesson in molecule deceleration, the four states of matter, and the four seasons as ice spread along the ground, hitting the barrier and turning it into a crystalline block.
CRaaaACKkkKKkccCkkKkCAacCkckK!
To everyone's horror, the perfect ice dome cracked violently, snapping and warping the barrier. Every soldier and civilian looked up at Crux, who was visibly shocked before hardening her resolve.
-
"What grade of technique is this!?" Calvin cried in horror, grateful that the emperor had created a barrier in time.
"It's a humble heaven-grade technique; though she's using the Qiite rotational power of a sacred technique to fuel it--it's quite remarkable." Kaze smiled mysteriously, waving his finger at the barrier below. A series of runes developed on it, creating brilliant white markings that glowed radiantly. After finishing a combination, the cracking barrier solidified and--
CRACK! KkckCkKkckKkCkckKkCkckkkKkkKk....
--the ice on the barrier exploded, shooting crystal shrapnel everywhere.
The Ice General, Pantheran Princess, [The] Princess, Kaze's Cheerleader, Sky Plane Cultivators, Cabinet Members, Immortal Elites and their families, and Lainwright Soldiers were equally perplexed with the mind-bending physics they had just witnessed.
However, no one said a word. They stood with their eyes to the sky, watching millions of reflective prisms fall to the barrier like pixie dust, coloring the world. Since everything was white, it created a dazzling rainbow-esque landscape that engulfed their vision.
It was so dazzling that it took a few seconds for the soldiers to register what the cultivators in the clouds were panicking about--the winter hellscape the Ice General triggered.
Not only did it freeze the area outside the shipping yard, but the crystalline ice also swallowed the skyscrapers, turning them into ice sculptures.
"I left you all alone for eight hours...." Evalyn shifted her eyes from the sky to the soldiers and civilians. Then she shifted to the wasteland, now a frozen desert with mountains of various sizes, before turning back to them. "And I come back to this?"
An awkward atmosphere developed, with everyone stewing in mixed emotions. However, when they saw an amused smirk on the blonde's face, a few people cheered, and it spread like wildfire. Soon thunderous applause rocked the atmosphere, shredding the soundwaves.
"What happened?" She laughed in amazement, walking up to a burnt pile of [death squakers], "This morning, I believed that you were weak and would be afraid of sick, crazy people forever.
Now I've returned to find a roasted flock of calamity birds and half the zombies in the city dead. My expectations about you were grossly misplaced."
Evalyn's words electrified the air, giving the soldiers and civilians goosebumps. They didn't think they would care so much about her opinion; however, as they stood there, trembling with misfiring emotions, they couldn't deny how much it meant.
A wave of strange synesthesia cut through the soldiers and civilians, building their emotions and tearing them apart. After countless hours of uncertainty, doubt, and hopelessness, they stood there, alive, getting praised by the most influential person in their lives. It was surreal.
Jackson closed his eyes and released an earth-shattering battle cry, vindicated tears pouring down his cheeks.
The synesthesia passed to Denzel and Moe, struggling with their past criticisms of the general and their beliefs. Both choked back emotions, taking sharp breaths and nodding before releasing assenting cheers at the top of their lungs.
Layla watched Denzel strangely, wanting to support his emotions and also being conflicted. She didn't feel like she belonged in the group, which was hard to bear. However, Eric's reverberating cheers and beaming smile made her realize that feeling victorious and grateful was okay.
So the blonde patted Denzel on the shoulder and smiled genuinely, sharing a small moment of emotions before walking away.
As for Chen, he studied Evalyn pensively, thinking about how an invisible force had paralyzed three people--saving their lives--30 seconds before she arrived. It didn't seem like a coincidence or an act of divinity. No, he was confident she or Crux saved him directly and was grateful beyond words.
"You have remarkable potential." Evalyn confirmed with an ominous smile, "So can someone explain why you've been hiding it? To get lighter training days, mayhaps?"
The atmosphere reversed instantly, hearing the notorious tone-smile combo that struck fear into their hearts. A few people stuttered around.
"W-We weren't this strong before, I promise!" Jackson said with trembling eyes, "We're stronger now!"
"Hoh?" The Ice General mused, "Do you mean that your recent training has paid off?"
A solemn silence befell the shipping yard, mute save the sound of rustling clothes. The soldiers felt anxiety, suffocating under the worry that they'd get punished and have their training multiply! Everyone took it with grave severity until--
"Eyyyyyyyyyy!" Denzel pointed at the woman with two index fingers, "Okay, okay. I see you!"
Soldiers looked up and saw her lips twisted into a sardonic smirk that bordered on the derisive. It instantly created an awkward sensation of excitement mixed with uncertainty.
"You got stronger, idiots." Evalyn rolled her eyes dramatically, "Think about where you were two weeks ago and what you accomplished today. Then think about where you'll be next month!"
After a brief pause to process, the soldiers erupted in a frenzy of excitement, cheering, and clapping. The energy was contagious, spreading through synesthesia. Within seconds, their original enthusiasm returned in full force.
"From what I've seen, you've been reminded of the constant dangerous you now face." The Ice General continued, "However, your victory today proves you can overcome any danger through guidance and training."
Their desire to celebrate had pressurized, creating a powder keg that violently exploded when ignited.
"Today, you've seen that my training and techniques work." Evalyn smiled strangely, looking at the burnt seagulls, "And some found how important new skills are."
A medley of pride, envy, laughter, wry chuckles, excitement, and hope rippled outward after her comment on Combustion.
"So let's rid ourselves of the poisonous mindset that training is suicide." The Ice General said sternly, "Because it's through training that you can obtain strength that makes battles like these seem irrelevant. When you have that power--nothing can harm you!"
Mania and delirium took root, freeing the soldiers from reality and replacing their mindset with pure potential, what-ifs that always end with power.
"Now that you have tasted victory, who wants to taste it again?" She smiled sinisterly.
Battle cries ignited the pressurized energy in the atmosphere, detonating an explosion of overwhelming emotions. Soldiers screamed until they lost breath, and their minds became hazy, forcing them to gasp for air sharply.
"Then here's your next challenge!" Evalyn yelled passionately, "We will temporarily assimilate with Immortal Skye to fight the Sky Plane cultivators in two weeks!
I want you to demonstrate gains that will make the Immortals sweat. Show them their only advantage was time and that you'll soon surpass them with your training!
With your proven talents and our real-world training, I'm confident that all of you can earn their respect when the time comes!"
The skies quaked with murderous fervor, multiplying the atmosphere pressure and sucking out the air, suffocating and strangling those not part of it. That included Calvin and Amy, rattled to their cores over Evalyn's power and the effectiveness of Kaze's propaganda strategy. Everyone now felt they had a chance of fighting the Sky Plane cultivators--and winning.
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