Monsters and Legends, page 50
part #1 of Infinite Realm Series
“Did you think that I would allow anyone to insult my sect, honored Giren?” Awirren asked the black-feathered karura.
She saw his beady eyes blink, his beak open, and then close. Awirren waited patiently for him to speak.
“Apologies, greatest of Elders. I did not mean to give offense. I just wanted to—”
Awirren raised her hand, silencing him, the brilliant golden feathers granted to her by her True Body sparkling in the light provided by the glowing lanterns. The others were moving away from the poor fool, already knowing what was coming.
“Elder, I —”
Awirren looked beyond the man. “This is your fault, for not instructing the newest sect leader properly.”
Giren, the latest karura to join the ranks of the sect leaders, looked around, noticing that everyone had moved away from him. But she saw no understanding in his eyes.
“What? Eld—”
Awirren’s True Body burst apart as she transformed into her Evolved Form. Golden fire filled the room as she became the Golden Phoenix. Giren realized, at last, what was coming, but he could do nothing. Awirren opened her beak, and the brilliant golden fire burned the man to ash in an instant. She screeched, releasing her Qi to batter at her sect leaders and sect heads. Then, after a moment, she pulled it back and released her Evolved Form.
“Now,” Awirren continued, as if nothing had happened, “the matter of the Zenshuen attack on our village. I believe that a force of two thousand sect warriors accompanied by fifty Lord Realm masters and twenty Monarchs is appropriate?”
The sect leaders and heads nodded their heads up and down. Awirren’s eyes narrowed and she opened her beak to speak again. “How many did the Dragon Heart send when we raided their farming village?”
“Uh… Five thousand warriors, greatest of Elders, a hundred Lord Realm masters and fifty Monarch Realm masters, accompanied by one Immortal Realm master,” her oldest Sect Head answered.
“Really?” Awirren asked. “An Immortal Realm master, for one village?”
“Yes, greatest of Elders,” the Sect Head answered.
Awirren waved her head. “Then do as they had done. We cannot appear weak, even for a matter as small as this one.”
“It will be so, greatest of Elders.”
“Leave me— and have someone clean up all that ash,” Awirren said. Then she stood and beat her wings once, leaving through the corridor in the ceiling above her throne room. She flew through until she reached her bedroom and landed near her sleeping perch. She looked around the room, seeing her golden form illuminated in the mirrors that were placed on every wall.
“Ah…” she sighed as she saw her beautiful form. She truly was magnificent.
She cast her eyes to her windows, basking in her own power.
Name
Awirren Goldenfeather
Race
Karura (Aegos—Iteration 1)
Class
Eversky Warden (L)
Level
180
Combat Ability
Maelstrom Crescent
Movement Ability
Clear Sky Dive
Support Ability
Wind Shield
Cultivation
The Path of the Magnificent Flame (M)
Stage
Early Evolved Realm
Aspect
Soulfire
Base technique
Soul Burning Touch
Branch technique
Field of Everburning Fire
Fruit technique
Dawn of Soul Flame
Passive Skills
Active Skills
Perfect Trained Body: My Feathers, Golden Beauty
Perfect Aim
Combat Mastery >> Lance Mastery
Strike >> Greater Strike >> Titan’s Strike
Evade >> Sky Evasion
Strength
2129
Dexterity
3031
Vitality
2155
Endurance
2304
Intelligence
2185
Wisdom
3016
She sighed. It had been so long since she advanced that she had almost forgotten what it felt like. But the only thing that mattered to her was for everyone to see the magnificence of her flames. She watched in the mirror, as the golden fire danced over her feathers. One day, she would burn so brightly that she would consume every soul in the world. She was, after all, on the Path of the Magnificent Flame.
It was only proper for everyone to be granted the privilege of gazing upon her brilliant form before they died.
Horror and Murder
He moved silently across the roof, his target a long way down below. The woman had no idea that he was above her, as most of his targets didn’t. It surprised him at times how few people bothered with skills, abilities, or techniques that boosted their senses. He could never imagine walking through a city like this one without at least one.
But the fact that so few people had them, only made his task easier.
He walked and watched patiently, sooner or later he would get a chance. The streets of Emeros were filled with people, even so deep into the night cycle. It was a city that never slept, a perfect place for him to work.
And then the woman made a turn, going down a dark alley. Velor smiled, his fangs showing through his lips. He jumped from the roof and landed gently on the ground behind the woman. There was no sound to be heard, thanks to his Silent Hunter perk. He walked, following her. She wore a cloak around her, the hood pulled up. But he knew what was behind it: the form fitting dress that made her look like a goddess. He had watched her for weeks, followed her from the brothel where she worked to her home every night. He knew her, knew everything about her.
Then his leg struck something, and sound filled the alley. The woman turned sharply, a small knife in her hands. Velor jumped forward, his paw clasping over her mouth as the other grabbed her knife and twisted. The knife fell to the ground, and Velor picked the woman up. His stats were far greater than hers, and he jumped up the walls, until he landed on a roof. The woman was struggling, her weak hands trying to hit him, trying to scratch him. It wouldn’t have mattered even if she was a drake, not even with claws would she be able to scratch him, let alone with her weak human claws. He hit her in the throat, using just enough strength not to kill her immediately, but enough to make her unable to scream.
She looked around frantically, her eyes bulging with terror. He smiled, taking it in. The moments before he started were the best. The fear… He took a deep breath, taking it in.
“Ah, I’ve waited for weeks for this chance,” Velor said, pulling out a curved knife.
Her eyes locked onto his weapon and her face turned pale. Her eyes rose to meet his and she moved beyond fear, into terror.
“You…” she managed to croak out. “You are him. The Night Horror.”
Velor smiled at the name the wardens had given him, and leaned down. “Oh, yes. Don’t worry. It will not hurt. Much.”
He stabbed his knife into her and got to work.
A while later he sat on his haunches, looking at his work. The open stomach, the organs arranged just so. The head between the legs and the arms nowhere to be seen. Oh, he was going to enjoy seeing them try to add some meaning to this one. He finally turned to his notifications, looking them over.
Dark Heart Dagger activated — you drain five percent of your target’s highest stat and add it to your own base stats permanently.
+3 to dexterity
Little by little, that was his motto. Why hunt powerful monsters or people when you could go slowly, and grow by killing the weak? His dagger, coupled with his ability, made it almost too easy. Perhaps, the only downside was the pile of bodies that he dropped everywhere he went, but truly, it was a drop in the bucket. More people died of disease than to him. He moved to the next notification, seeing that the Essence he gained was enough to push him to the next level. He grinned and put it in, leveling up. Then he looked at his windows.
Name
(Current) Velor Highmane
Race
Ravzor (Great Plane — Iteration 5)
Class
Devourer (E)
Level
144
Combat Ability
Devour Flesh
Movement Ability
Devourer’s Step
Support Ability
Greater Shapeshift
Cultivation
The Path of the Horrifying Visage (E)
Stage
Mid Lord
Aspect
Flesh
Base technique
Horrifying Presence
Branch technique
Field of Horrors
Fruit technique
Phantom Army
Passive Skills
Active Skills
Perfect Danger Sense
Cut >> Greater Cut >> Spatial Cut
Combat Mastery >> Dagger Mastery
Stealth >> Greater Stealth >> Shadow Stealth
Perfect Imitation
Strength
657
Dexterity
644
Vitality
615
Endurance
355
Intelligence
424
Wisdom
816
No, he wasn’t going to be caught.
He glanced to the side, looking over the city and the mountain in the distance. Even at night, the Citadel of the Wardens gleamed with light.
Velor smiled at the bulwark of law, the power of the wardens.
No, they weren’t going to catch him.
He turned around and used |Shadow Stealth|, the shadows engulfing him and allowing him to disappear.
He wasn’t going to get caught.
CHAPTER 74 – PRESENT – Ryun
Qi Control
Ryun sat on top of the residence in the middle of the town, cycling. He had just finished doing another rotation through his core, the last one for this stage. He didn’t remember the last time he had reached the point of advancing to the next stage so quickly. It had happened in the distant past, but not since he reached the Lord Realm. Unfortunately, he now didn’t have enough Essence to advance to the next Realm, but he did have enough for advancing his second path. He was just trying to figure out if it would be better to save the Essence so that he could reach the next Realm in his main path sooner.
But in the end, Ereclaw’s advice from before they fought the second boss monster came to him. The Yeti had been powerful, and Ryun couldn’t afford to hoard Essence. He needed power now, or he risked not doing everything to guarantee his survival. There was just one boss left, and Ryun would rather not die to it.
The raids on the town had intensified, and monsters from every territory were coming now every hour. Ryun could understand why no one had managed to complete this scenario. Even if they had people powerful enough to defeat the bosses, just surviving the waves would’ve been difficult. The town had managed it mostly because of Ereclaw’s wolves, but they had started to suffer losses since the last change in attack intervals. It wasn’t surprising to Ryun. The warriors of the town were weak, their stats low, and they couldn’t stay awake for as long as Ryun could. They had a rotation established, but with one hour between attacks, they’d been fighting with less sleep.
Anrosh had asked him to hurry and go kill the last boss, but he couldn’t do that. Preparing for a fight properly was the only way to survive it. He had made the mistake of rushing into danger far too often.
And then there was the fact that he heard a voice inside of his head, one that seemingly came from behind the wall that kept his memories from him. Something was hiding behind that wall, and Ryun had been trying to see through it. But no matter what he tried, he heard nothing. There was a crack in it now, but nothing was coming out. Ryun didn’t like having something like that inside of his head, especially not when he couldn’t do anything about it and when it could interfere with his fight. That could lead to death. But he also had no choice. The shop was closed to him, so he couldn’t go and ask the Dealmaker what it was about, though he was sure he knew. So he put it aside—for now. Kagehime had told him that she hadn’t detected anything dangerous from the voice, and he decided to trust her.
Instead, he dealt with Anrosh, by giving her reign over the defense of the town, letting her help them if she was so worried. As far as he was concerned, fighting at such disadvantage would be good for them, might push them to get stronger. She was powerful enough to do it alone now, however, and he had accomplished what he’d set out to do by bringing her to fight the last boss. Aside from having her help, he had wanted her to see what a powerful monster looked like, to fight against it. Fighting against Ryun wasn’t the same—she knew that he wasn’t going to kill her.
However, it looked to Ryun that only Ereclaw and he could match the Monarch Realm monsters. So he had decided to go only with him next time, but not before he decided what to do with his remaining Essence.
“Any advice?” Ryun asked his sword.
Kagehime didn’t answer immediately. But when she did, she echoed Ereclaw’s words. “If you defeat the next boss, you will get enough Essence to advance anyway. Keeping that little Essence for later will do you no good.”
Ryun nodded his head, agreeing with her. Then, he took his Essence and put into his second path, raising it from Peak Foundation to Early Lord.
A moment later, he received a new notification. He moved through them until he came to the one that was important.
Path Perk evolution available for Qi Manipulator—Weaver of Destruction
Qi Controller—Thousand Threads of Destruction
Your Qi control is nearly perfect. You are able to finely manipulate your Qi and use up to 3 techniques at the same time. Control depends on your wisdom stat. Gain +20% to wisdom. You weave a thousand threads of Qi, each thread filled with power. As you weave, you ensnare all those who would stand in your way.
Speed of Thought
The speed of your Qi channeling is increased by 150% percent. Gain +50% to your Qi conduits capacity, and +10% to wisdom.
Void Manipulation
Your manipulation of Qi is enhanced by the power of your aspect, allowing you to put in more power in your techniques. Gain +100% to your Qi conduits capacity, -50% to Qi speed, and +20% to wisdom.
Ryun looked at his choices, unsurprised. The first option was an upgrade of his previous one, and clearly the most powerful, as proved by the addition of an extra title after the perk name. It also granted him a small insight: he had felt it twice before, for two perks. Reading the words now, he could feel something inside of him seeking to click into place. He had learned that perks that had such additions were more evolved than usual ones, although not necessarily more powerful. And it wasn’t a coincidence that this one was much better than his other choices. His Qi manipulation and control was one of his greatest strengths.
The other two were interesting, but not enough. He had no need of them. His Qi channeling speed was already high from practice, as were his Qi conduits capacity, from his cycling. He had spent a long time cycling Essence from the air, pulling it in through his conduits and strengthening them. Perhaps, to an ordinary Cultivator who rarely cycled, the other two options might seem tempting, but not to him. The very reason why he received the first choice as an option was because he had spent his life improving on his control and cycling his Qi. His choice was clear.
As soon as he had selected the first, he felt the words of the perk settle into him, and a glimmer of insight, a breakthrough in his understanding of his Cultivation, appeared in his head. He emptied his mind, and meditated on it, trying to discern what it was that the insight was trying to tell him. And then, it clicked. He opened his eyes and smiled as he stood up. Immediately he started pulling his Qi out settling into a breathing form. He activated his {Null Mantle} and then he switched his breathing to {Qi Shaping}, but not in his typical manner. Instead of stopping one breathing form and activating another, he melded them together, allowing him to use both techniques at the same time, and then he added a third. His Qi moved through his body, enforcing him with {Null Mantle}; another part of it moved to his palm and formed a cube, and one more followed the technique of {Qi Sheath}, covering his arm in Void Qi and creating a bracer of Qi.
Ryun looked at the result, now understanding far more than he had before. He released his breathing and the three techniques collapsed. He could do so much more now than he had been able to before—the new perk was an incredible boon. So far, his incredible control allowed him to chain his techniques incredibly fast, but now there was no need. He could use several at the same time.
He jumped off the roof, and headed to the training yard. He needed to practice a bit with his new power. After that, the next boss awaited.
CHAPTER 75 – PRESENT – Ryun
Shall I fall?
Ryun ran through the last territory. Dust, smoke, and rivers of lava surrounded him and Ereclaw. The two had left the town only a few hours ago, and already Ryun could see the fortress rising in the distance. Without others to protect, without the need to go slowly, the two of them had smashed through the ranks of monsters coming their way. The Molten Elementals (U) were tough, made out of rocks with molten lines and cores, but they were nothing to him. Ryun crashed into one, his hands sheathed in Void Qi, his {Qi Sheath} taking the shape of gauntlets. His right hand grasped its head, and Ryun could see the rocky skin of the monster cracking just by coming in contact with Void Qi. He squeezed, shattering the elemental’s head. His momentum carried him forward, so he raised his leg and crafted a Void cube with his {Qi Shaping} to slow himself down. He stopped and then pushed off, he turned and kicked off with a leg sheathed with Void Qi in the form of high boots. Ryun’s leg smashed through the back of the decapitated elemental, pulverizing most of its body, but leaving its core still intact.
