The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Pained groans of an ancient and benevolent voice rumbled in what Avril could feel to be despair. Dark clouds emerged out of the void and spread to shroud the stars, choking out the last semblance of light. Only one spot remained bright, the place where the Caerulumen first broke through and descended. Inside it, Ein weaved and intertwined into grids like a cage, keeping something out as they endured a fierce beating that caused them to fluctuate and dim. Their light was fading, but they clung on despite how they became as thin as the finest threads, unbreakable for the time being.

Her advancement was easier than expected. The Convergence truly was a miracle beyond compare that allowed such easy advancement into the King Exalt realm. Avril breathed out and touched the crown floating above her head, a circlet of flowing Ein with a single spoke sticking out, feeling the groove that was missing a jewel. At times like this, a wave of relief should have washed over her, but only fear filled her thoughts at the sight of the ten Caerulumen, including Gilbert, completing their advancements. Their eyes radiated oppression and left her feeling helpless as they drifted below and back to one another.

"The lingering will of this world is mighty, indeed. Though, I suppose the place that gave birth to our blood would be quite unique." The scholarly man, Artera, adjusted his glasses and gazed at the tear in the stormy sky. A fierce power battered on the interlocking Ein that prevented whatever lay ahead from entering, but the loud bashings were worrisome to hear. Artera flipped open his pocketwatch and shut it, clicking his tongue in clear annoyance. "Vanis, Asir, and Alverus stand guard."

"Guard for what? We should kill the others here." Alverus insisted, stepping out to the edge. "Why waste our time?"

"The Convergence has ended, and we must collect the prisoner we have below before this realm expels us into Talos." Alverus seemed uncaring that everyone here could hear this conversation as if their existence didn't matter to him. "I have an idea to weaken the barrier for a small fraction of the moment and allow at least a few more of us through. Not the original fifteen we hoped for, but perhaps two or three more."

"What worth are they if they can't act on Talos without having gone through the Convergence?" A blue-robed woman who had been silent earlier spoke up, shaking her head. "It's not that I doubt you, Artera, but I can't imagine any use for them from this point onward other than that, isn't that right, Charisse? At least we don't have to do the filthy duty of bearing children with the ilk here like Evelyn and Cassandra."

Avril knew from the tone that she was mocking the other woman named Charisse much in the same manner her former mistress used to. However, Charisse shrugged with a cheeky smirk and said, "Who knows? Be wary of needless slander, Freyr. You may end up with the same fate."

"Ah?" Freyr raised a brow and stepped out toward Charisse but was blocked by Artera's hand.

"Enough prattling. You're making a fool of yourselves and, by extension, our family. We're wasting time, precious time." After scolding them, Artera waved Gilbert over. "Don't mind Freyr. You and your mother are the same as us. Only the immature like them believe in divisions. Step in the middle and use your blood. The three of you stand guard. No one should be able to break through our barriers, but I prefer some peace while we work."

Artera, Freyr, and Charisse, the Grade Nines, sat around Gilbert and held out their necklaces, seven-pointed stars that shone just as bright between their palms. Avril recalled a similar necklace in Oscar's possessions and grimaced, staring down in anticipation, waiting for her husband to arrive. Surely, he was still alive. The remaining three Caerulumen, the Grade Eights, encircled the group and also pointed out their necklaces. Light beamed and bounced to each necklace, connecting them, and Auren exclaimed, screaming about how they formed a formation so quickly.

"So says the boss. Vanis, Asir. You two stop anyone from approaching. If anyone can get past you two, leave them to me." The three designated as the guards by Artera patrolled the formation. Alverus laughed, glancing over the crowd. "Though, would anyone here be a good challenge? However, some are quite beautiful. I can't wait to taste the luxuries of this world, despite how few there would be."

"Scum….That whole family is scum." Celestina murmured from the side, gripping her rapier to the point it shook from her anger. She didn't step up to challenge the insults, and for good reason. Alverus was a Grade Nine and far surpassed anyone here. Avril grabbed Celestina's wrist and gave a short nod, calming her friend down. Suddenly, her heart ached as if struck by a hammer, and she gasped, clutching her chest, coughing out blood. Celestina knelt and looked worried. "What's wrong, Avril."

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"I…made a huge…mistake…." Avril coughed between words and saw the splotches of blood on her palm. Honestly, she should have seen it coming but ignored it the whole time. Not even the advancement to the King Exalt fixed the consequences of overdrawing the Reis when she had gone beyond its limits. To be fair, staying alive afterward was a stroke of luck. At that moment against her former mistress, she had exerted too much and knew it might end in her death, and Oscar realized it too through their Resonance. But it warmed her heart to know he hadn't stopped her at the time and didn't let down her resolve. 'Hurry up, you idiot.'

A burst of Ein shuddered the world and struck against the barrier, failing to hit any of the Caerulumen inside. Alverus perked up and rose to his feet, facing the one who had dealt that blow. Lysander crossed his arms and tilted his head with a wide smile. In a hearty burst of laughter that rippled across the air, the Shattered Scion summoned his King Exalt's crown and pointed at Alverus. "Hey, blue hair. Why not bring down the entire net over Talos? Do that, and I will leave without a word."

"Watch your tone, you lowly cur. You may have the highest of grades, but your blood is not. Only a fool will face me without an Ancestral Mark." Alverus sneered. "Are you a fool or a man seeking death in battle? Either way, I can grant you death."

"Would you say those words to your ancestors who lacked the Ancestral Mark before they rose? If anyone is a fool, it's you who relies on the leftovers they give you, like a dog waiting at the foot of a table." Lysander's smile flattened, and his yellow eyes gleamed fiercely. "If you take so much pride in the legendary blood flowing in you, then fear the ones who will rise and begin their own."

The Shattered Scion clenched his hands and took a stance, kicking off the air and swinging right at Alverus, who reached out and extended a staff out of nowhere, blocking the diamond fist. The single exchange nearly knocked Avril off her feet, but her firm roots held her and her children in place. Lysander opened his fist and grabbed the staff, clutching it in his firm grip. He tensed his other arm and sent another punch, throbbing with intense gravitational force. Alverus laughed and broked his staff in two, slipping them out of Lysander's hold. The two halves crossed and blocked the other fist, resisting the gravity with a repulsion of his own.

They weren't using any spells at all, simply the pure innate power of their armaments and Anima. That was understandable, considering they hadn't learned any grade-five spells in the short time after advancing. Avril noted that Alverus also had the elemental spark of earth, matching Lysander blow for blow. The two rods in Alverus's hands split again and extended out, linked by chains. He whipped them around, their swings and paths faster than her eyes could catch them as they moved more widely than a storm over the ocean. A lot happened at once, dozens of blows meeting one another with deadly force.

"Vanis! Asir! Lead Gilbert's forces and kill the rest. No one should be a match for you two." Alverus laughed, seemingly enjoying the fight. Somehow, Lysander was keeping up with the erratic movements. Vanis and Asir, who were twins, judging by their identical appearance, cracked their necks and neared the edge. Just as they were about to go down, a section of the floor was flung up and shredded into sparks at the barrier at the top, and smoke plumed up.

Avril widened her eyes and forgot to breathe at the figure hidden inside. Everyone around her jolted as if struck by fear and awe. She knew, as everyone else seemed to know, that whoever had arrived was strong and was beyond anything they had ever felt, a strange Ein, yet she found it somehow familiar. The smoke dissipated, and Oscar emerged. Avril smiled and shed tears, glad to see him well and alive, but what was that new form? Her husband's hair had become pure white, reminding her of Erden's fur. Still, she could never mistake those beautiful obsidian eyes that gleamed with the same wondrous light of the man she met long ago in the withered forest before they traveled in the burning valley, before the tragedies that had stricken him. It was the look of confidence and deep kindness that shone with determination.

Two antlers extended from his forehead, one rainbow and wreathed in colorful flames, the other pure black like his eyes. Oscar sighed and took a step forward, reaching Vanis and Asir, their expressions warped by shock as they turned toward him. Avril chuckled in disbelief at their bodies being flung away and slammed into the barrier.

"Enough. This war is over." Oscar spoke in a voice that quelled the rumbling storm above and cleared the skies back into the starry expanse. The fierce attacks on the barrier in the gap stopped, and she could hear audible gasps resounding behind it. And behind Oscar, she thought her eyes had been fooling her, but she saw faint visages of a being of pure flame and a guardian of pure steel. What had happened down there? Oscar landed on the disk and stared at the Caerulumen inside. "I have come to end it."

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