Soulstream (Rise To Omniscience Book 10), page 13
“It almost makes getting up at half-past two worth it,” Morgan replied with a grin of his own.
It had been difficult to drag himself out of bed so early. Despite not actually needing the sleep, once he did go to sleep, getting up was difficult, especially when he was so warm and comfortable. It had been tempting to just turn over and go back to sleep, but the thought of the look on Gold’s face, coupled with the delicious breakfast, was enough to rouse him from his bed.
“I’ve gotta say,” Sarah said, popping the last of her apple-filled pastry into her mouth. “The best part about being a powerful Mage is definitely the ability to stuff myself without being afraid of gaining so much as an ounce. There are people back home who would kill to be able to eat what I just did, not only for the amazing flavor and quality but because they’re basically stuck eating air just to maintain a good figure.”
“I seem to remember a time when someone,” he paused to look meaningfully at her, “had the same issue.”
“But I don’t anymore,” Sarah said with a shrug, leaning back on two of her chair legs and lifting another pastry to her mouth.
“Careful,” Morgan said. “Keep eating like that, and you might just overwhelm your metabolism’s ability to keep up.”
Sarah let out a snort, spraying crumbs all over the place. It seemed that the time where she could be egged on or set off by a comment about her weight was long in the past.
With Gold waiting outside, the two of them got to finish the breakfast in peace, purposefully ignoring the absolute terror that awaited them once they were done. For all they knew, this would be their last meal together, so they were going to make it last and enjoy it for as long as they possibly could.
20
“Now that the two of you are finally done being meanies, it’s time to go over the plan,” Gold said when the two of them emerged.
“Yeah,” Sarah said. “We’re still sort of unclear on how you’re going to get the agents of Chaos where you want them or how we’re supposed to keep them there.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Gold said. “I’ve picked two locations for your fight, and both places will favor your particular skills. If I’m right, then Sarah will be holding Katherine off, while Morgan deals with Gwendolyn. I’m going to handle the other Morgan.”
“What about the other two?” Morgan asked.
“They might stick around to watch,” Gold said with a shrug. “Other than that, there won’t really be anything they can do. That is, unless you attack them directly. Them getting caught in an area attack or purposefully throwing themselves in your way won’t work. The way our power is restricted has more to do with the intent of someone causing us harm than the actual action.
“So, if you’re throwing an attack at Katherine, who’s decided to hide behind Herald, you should be fine, unless your intention is to try and hurt him, as well as her. In which case, you’re screwed.”
“Okay. So, you’re confident they’ll be one-on-one. I know Katherine won’t run, but what about Gwendolyn?” Morgan asked. “She’s smart and has run in the past when she’s been outmatched. Hell, I’d expect her to try running at the first sign of trouble.”
“While I’m afraid I can’t go into specifics, I can say this. I’ve placed something in the area that will prevent all spatial travel,” Gold said. “It’s set to activate as soon as I leave the area. It’s also keyed to only lock one god in place, leaving the other free to follow once I leave. Additionally, it will keep them contained to within three square miles, meaning they can’t fly away either. Of course, neither will realize this until it’s too late.
“Morgan, your spatial lock will last for exactly six hours. If it takes you any longer than that to finish her off, you’re going to be in trouble. Sarah, your spatial lock will last for twelve hours. This way, Morgan will have time to help you kill your opponent once he’s done with his.
“Neither of you will be prevented from flying out of the areas, unlike the gods, so Morgan will be able to leave. Additionally, don’t think you can rely on the barrier to hold for any amount of time if you don’t keep your opponents distracted. The estimates I gave only hold true if you keep them engaged.
“It’s fine if they try running a few times, but the main purpose of the trap I’ve set is to prevent spatial travel, not keep them contained.”
“You do realize that a big part of my own fighting style revolves around short-range teleportation, right?” Morgan asked, frowning.
Sure, he could fly, but his overall mobility would be greatly hampered if he couldn’t move freely through space.
“Lucky for you, so is theirs!” Gold said with a beaming smile. “And trust me, they rely on teleportation and spatial travel much more than you do. So, now that that’s all out of the way, shall we get going?”
“Wait!” Sarah exclaimed. “That’s it? You’re not going to tell us how you plan on separating them from one another or even getting them to follow you? Remember, they don’t trust you. Like, at all.”
“Don’t worry about me,” Gold said with a wide grin. “I’ve got it all figured out. All you have to concern yourself with is your part of the plan. Do you think you can hold a god for six hours?”
“I certainly hope so,” Sarah muttered, her fingers curling and uncurling.
Unlike Morgan, Sarah didn’t have any teleportation abilities, so her own fighting style wouldn’t be impeded. Her opponent, on the other hand, would. Still, despite the advantage it would give her, Sarah was only at the Advanced stage.
Sure, she had access to some divine power, thanks to her revival and the method in which she was reborn, but doing any lasting damage to a god was highly unlikely. In other words, her job was to basically be a punching bag for six hours and hope she didn’t die.
“Don’t worry,” Morgan said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I believe in you. You’re much stronger than you think.”
Sarah gave him a weak smile, unable to muster much more than that now that the reality of what they were doing was starting to sink in.
“Well then, if that’s all. Let’s be off!”
Before either of them could stop him, Gold vanished, speeding toward the north at an astonishing rate. Morgan knew that had he wanted, he could have reached his destination near-instantaneously but was likely taking it slow so that they could follow his trail.
“You ready for this?” Morgan asked, holding a hand out to Sarah.
“Not really,” Sarah replied, taking his hand and squeezing it tight. “But ready or not, we’re committed.”
Morgan took one last look back, then teleported away, space warping and twisting around him as he followed Gold to the most dangerous battle of his life.
Freezing, howling wind tore at him the moment the two of them exited the whirling tunnel of color, ripping at their clothes and armor. Snow blew into both of their eyes and powerful gusts tried to knock them from the air. Mountains towered all around them, frozen pines and snow-covered peaks being the only things either of them could see even from their vantage point in the air.
Jagged stones and massive icicles littered the ground directly below them, dotted with the occasional boulder or tree. Morgan couldn’t sense a thing for miles around. This place was so inhospitable that not even the hardiest of beasts would think about making this place home.
Gold was standing right before them, a wide grin plastered on his face, as though he personally had created this wintery hellscape. He spread his arms to either side, the grin not diminishing in the slightest, even as a gust of wind sent his long jacket billowing and flapping around his waist.
“Well, what do you think?” he asked. “Is this the perfect landscape for you or what?”
“Or what is more like it,” Sarah muttered, glaring around at the snow and ice as though they’d personally offended her. “What in the world would make you think that I’d want to fight in a place like this?”
“Your abilities?” Gold said. “You derive your power from water and ice.”
“Meaning that fighting on a tropical island would have worked just as well,” Sarah said. “Also, in case you didn’t realize, my power isn’t affected by climate. I would have done fine somewhere warmer.”
“I know,” Gold said. “But I wanted you to fight here.”
“Cause you’re an asshole.”
“And proud of it!” Gold said. “Now come on, Morgan, we have to get moving. Time is money!”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Morgan asked.
“Never you mind,” Gold replied. “But we do need to get going.”
“Good luck,” Sarah said, pushing back from him and conjuring her wings.
The two of them embraced, Morgan hugging her tightly before letting go and following Gold as he vanished into thin air once more. When he next emerged, he found himself in the middle of a wasteland.
The sun overhead felt like it was about twice as hot as the desert in the West Kingdom, and the ground below seemed to be radiating nearly as much heat. All he could see in any direction was stone – flat, dark stone. The ground was still textured and ridged, with small pieces jutting upward, but aside from that, there was no other change or color in the landscape.
“This place is worse than that glacier,” Morgan said as Gold grinned. “But let me guess. This has something to do with my skills.”
“Exactly,” Gold said. “All of this stone is perfect for you, as is the heat and powerful sunlight. You’ll have the clear advantage here.”
Morgan didn’t bother arguing. This was the spot Gold had picked, so this was where he would fight.
“Anything else you’ve got to say before you leave?” Morgan asked.
“Not really,” Gold replied with a shrug. “Just be ready to fight when I show up.”
The man twiddled his fingers, then seemed to fold in on himself, vanishing to parts unknown.
Letting out a sigh, Morgan took a look around the desolate landscape. He’d definitely seen worse – though not much. Drifting down, Morgan was met by a rising pillar of stone that he pulled up using his Earth Mastery. There he sat, legs curled up beneath him, and pulled up his status. He’d added a bit more energy in his spare time – though it was nothing significant.
Still, before any big battle, he liked to look it over. It was calming in a sense, as it was a visual reminder of his own strength and showed him what weapons he would have at his disposal when facing a powerful enemy.
Name: Morgan
Title: King of Eternity
Classification: Titan Slayer
Pinnacle Supermage: Rank - 89
Energy to Next Rank - 71,803,444/1,500,000,000
Ability - Downfall
RP - 17,500/17,500 (Regen - 169 per second)
Strength - 1,833
Agility - 2,308
Constitution - 1,821
Intelligence - 1,750
Wisdom - 1,690
Traits - Eternal Soul, Perfect Aura Control, Devourer, King’s Might
Skills - Gravity Release, Bestial Might, Starforge, Earth Mastery, Expanse, Rift, Beast Soul
Superior - Infernal Star, Light Star, Meteoric Downfall, Continental Collapse, Soulstream
Ultimate - Eternity Beam, Sunscorch, World Breaker
He had a lot of power to work with, and in addition to that, he now had several new skills that none of the gods had seen before, nor could have seen, as he’d taken special care not to use any of them just in case they were somehow watching. Now, as his fight loomed, Morgan prepared himself.
This would be it. Any battle after this would pale in comparison. There was no beast in the Five Kingdoms that could match the power of a god – let alone two.
He inhaled deeply, then opened his eyes.
He was ready.
Let them come.
21
Gold streaked through space, headed in a very familiar direction. He had no idea why they continued squatting in the same place after all the times he’d popped in but figured that they were probably overestimating their own strength and intimidation factor. They likely believed that no one would have the gall to simply show up unannounced, which just went to show that even gods made mistakes. Especially gods who had been ordinary humans not too long ago.
Gold stepped from his portal, entering into the dimension where the warehouse they used as a base was located. Why in the world they used such an ugly and cliché base was beyond him. He would personally have gone for a mansion or maybe a mega yacht, a seven-star hotel, or a resort on the moon, which just proved to him how unimaginative they were compared to him.
Then again, Gold mused as he floated over to the front door. I’ve had millennia of experience with this, while they only just started on their own.
He didn’t bother knocking, simply sliding the door aside – they hadn’t even locked it! – and stepping inside.
He took in the room at a glance. Katherine and Gwendolyn sat on the couch, both engaged in whatever videogame was currently playing on the gigantic screen. Morgan sat in a stuffed armchair, reading a book and looking as bleak as usual, while Loquin and Herald sat by a bar, sipping on cocktails from swirly straws.
“The bar is new,” Gold commented, immediately getting everyone’s attention.
They reacted as though he had a gun pointed at them, all leaping to their feet, pulling weapons or looking otherwise intimidating.
“What are you doing here?” Katherine snapped.
She was always the first one to bark when he was around, and it was all to do with the fact that they had once gone out. He didn’t know why she still held a grudge after all this time. After all, he’d only accidentally called her by another girl’s name that one time.
“Can’t a friend pop in for a visit?” he asked, allowing an easy smile to spread across his lips.
“Friend? Yeah, right,” Katherine growled, taking a threatening step forward.
Morgan held out a hand, stopping her from advancing any further.
“Do not take him lightly,” he said, locking eyes with Gold. “He’s crafty and is most likely up to something.”
“Who, me?” Gold asked, widening his eyes and trying to look as innocent as possible. “Why, I’m just here to invite my dear friends for a dinner party I’ve arranged.”
The others visibly stiffened at his words. It had been just such a dinner invitation that had gotten Sarah killed. The fact that Gold would show up here and use that exact same line could only mean he was doing it to rile them up.
“Yeah, no thanks,” Morgan said.
“Aww,” Gold said. “And after I’ve slaved away in the kitchen all day for you guys. It’s quite rude, you know.”
“It’s also rude to trick your friends away, then arrange for another of them to be killed,” Loquin said.
“Oh, Locky, don’t you just look lovely as ever?” Gold said, turning his eyes on her. “Wasn’t sure you’d make it after Sammy kicked the old bucket, but look at you…”
“Yet another one of us that you got killed,” Herald said.
Unlike the others, his voice was steady, his tone measured and his gaze appraising. Of all those here, Herald was the one who was most likely to get in the way of what he had planned. Gold knew he had to play his hand carefully by antagonize them just the right amount, then getting them off guard. Only once he had them perfectly set up would he be able to act.
Unfortunately, there was no set amount of time or predetermined signal as to when that opportunity would come. He would just have to talk and wait, hoping it would present itself to him soon.
“Well, in my defense, he was asking for it,” Gold said with a shrug.
“What were you doing in this world, Gold?” Loquin asked. “What do you want?”
“I could ask the same of you,” Gold replied. “After all, isn’t your world in need of some divine guidance right about now? I hear it’s on the brink of an all-out war.”
The tick in the corner of the woman’s eye told Gold all he needed to know. Loquin was aware of what was happening, and yet, she chose to remain here. Apparently, she was all-in with this lot, hoping that they would be able to untether her from her world by pushing Chaos to the forefront.
“Get to the point,” Morgan said. “Why are you really here, now, in this room?”
Morgan wasn’t leaving much wiggle room for witty banter or some terrible joke. It seemed his brother knew Gold too well.
“I just wanted to come for a chat with my little brother,” Gold said. “Is that such a bad thing?”
“Considering our last visit saw Sarah dead, yes,” Morgan replied.
Gold could sense Gwendolyn’s movements as she shifted to block his escape. It seemed that while he was scheming and plotting, they were trying to do the same, and if they were trying to block his escape, it likely meant they intended to kill him.
Loquin and Herald would be unable to act, of course, not unless they wanted to die. But the other three were more than capable of killing him without consequence.
“You didn’t end up dead though, did you, little brother?” Gold asked. “If you can believe one thing, it’s that I don’t want to harm you.”
“That’s where we’re different,” Morgan said, taking a threatening step forward – intended, of course, to keep Gold’s attention fixed squarely on him. “Because I do want to harm you. Very much.”
In a flash, they spared out, Gwendolyn appearing between him and the exit, Katherine flanking his right, while Loquin blocked his left. Morgan and Herald stayed in front of him, which made Gold feel a bit agitated. He didn’t allow it to show, though, looking past Morgan to the man who’d pretended to be a simple human king for eons.
“Not going to try participating, Herald?” he asked. “I see you’re content to do as you always have and hide behind someone else while they do all the dirty work.”
“If you believe a simple provocation will get me to foolishly attack you in anger, then you’re greatly mistaken,” Herald said. “I know you and your trickery. I will maintain my distance until my help is needed.”
