The Call of the Forces

by Yuri Ajin

  Intrigued by the one who had caused his early wakeup, Liu ignored Alexander’s fit of rage.

  Elize was able to spot her opponent only when he appeared next to her. One blow of Liu’s tail made her fly away like a rag doll. Fortunately, she had managed to materialize a shield around herself before she was attacked, which greatly cushioned her fall and had probably saved her life.

  She’s quite good. The servant was right. She’s definitely not from this world. We need to find the Gates as quickly as possible, Liu thought, dashing toward Elize with the intent to finish her off. This time he wouldn’t hold back.

  However, before he managed to get to the girl, he was thrown aside, as if something invisible had rammed him in the ribs. Crashing into the wall, Liu cried out in pain.

  His shriek shook the hive and made people clutch their heads and cover their ears. Anyone who wasn’t strong enough immediately fell to the ground. But that was nothing compared to what Liu was experiencing now. The pain made it impossible to maintain the Master’s Will skill, making him visible to everyone.

  ***

  Kai was no less confused than everybody else. But, unlike the majority, he wasn’t just standing there but trying to come up with a solution.

  “Old man, do you have any ideas? I’d even let you take control of my body...”

  “Use your energy vision. I need to check something,” Rune’Tan replied quickly. “I think I know what we’re dealing with.”

  Nodding, Kai sent a bit of ki into his eyes and looked at the insectoid. A few seconds later, he was able to make out Liu’s soul and ki. And although this didn’t give him any valuable information, observing the world through his eyes helped Rune’Tan understand just what was going on.

  “As I thought. This is Reincarnation. I was going to use it on you when we first met. Simply put, with the help of this technique, the soul, which rests in a container of a kind, like that room of mine for example, can gain a body,” he explained. “I got no idea how this insect got this kind of body, however. Perhaps this is some special ability of their race. Perhaps their queens can reincarnate themselves in a different form without losing their cultivation progress... Or something like that. But never mind that now, we have bigger issues at the moment.”

  “We can use it to our advantage somehow, right?” Kai asked.

  “Right. This technique has many drawbacks, and one of them is adaptation. The soul needs time to get used to the new body. During this period, it’s quite vulnerable. However, I can’t kill it. But I think it’s possible to seriously injure it. I’ll need soul energy and temporary control over your body.”

  “Good. I’m counting on you.” Kai nodded.

  Taking control of the young man’s body, the redhead retrieved the Spirit Fruit from Kai’s Ring. Its core, that is. No resource lasted forever, after all. Over time, Kai had absorbed all eight parts of the Fruit that let him heal his soul, and there was nothing left of it save for a small light purple ball.

  In ideal conditions, they would’ve planted it in order to regrow it. Even if it’d take more than one millennium, the result would be worth it. However, the current situation demanded it to be used as it contained within itself the precious soul energy Rune’Tan so desperately needed.

  Swallowing the core, the redhead channeled the released energy to his soul. Using both it and Kai’s ki, as he possessed none of his own at the moment, he started creating a technique that he released when Liu got close to Elize and that made the insectoid fly away and cry out in pain.

  “Too bad that I didn’t have more energy. If I had the entire Fruit, I think that Soul Torment would’ve killed him instantly,” Rune’Tan said as he returned the control over the body to Kai. “In any case, now’s your chance!”

  Kai immediately felt that his Source now lacked about three-quarters of its ki. He had spent one on the battle with Alexander, and the rest, apparently, went into Rune’Tan’s attack.

  Taking out three Energy Stones from the Ring at once, he consumed them instantly. After a couple of seconds, he felt his meridians, Source, and body get flooded with ki. Something like this could harm the energy structure of a Soul Stage cultivator since the amount of released energy was at least twice the size of even his reserve. But with his energy control, he was able to hold on to the surplus until it was time to spend it.

  The feeling of swirling energy inside him made him feel better than ever before, and allowed him to open all of the Four Body Gates at once.

  The Force Gate made his muscles expand. The Speed Gate allowed his nervous system to transmit signals even faster, accelerating his mind. The Regeneration Gate saturated every cell of his body with invigorating energy, increasing his recovery speed. And the Mind Gate allowed his thoughts to flow smoothly, making it almost impossible to break his concentration.

  This made it possible to use Ultimate Focus for half an hour while being able to interrupt and resume the skill at any time.

  Kai summoned the Forces of Sword and Space, as well as the particles of the Cold Void, and covered his blades with them. He was finally prepared for the upcoming battle.

  The pain was gradually subsiding and Liu was coming to his senses. Rune’Tan’s attack had a serious impact on his soul and strength, weakening his control over energy and Forces, and slowing down the process of adaptation to the new body. The only way to recover was to heal the cracks in his Soul Shell. All Liu needed to do was meditate, but there was no way that Kai would allow that.

  “Listen to me!” Kai shouted, amplifying his voice with ki, and bringing people back to their senses. “I used an artifact to weaken this thing! It’s weak, so even those on the Soul Stage can see it now! This is our chance! We must destroy it quickly!”

  Having finished his speech, Kai charged at Liu. Unfortunately, his attack was only somewhat successful. Liu managed to react in time and push him off, however, there was a small cut on his arm.

  How did this mortal damage my Cover?! I see... He was the one who attacked me earlier. I must kill him first. Then the girl.

  Kai was just as startled. Albeit, for a different reason. He had strengthened his attack by covering both swords in a compressed form of the Blade Release Technique and the only thing he did was make one small cut.

  Fuck... He can still kill me... Even like this... Fuck!

  Activating Retreat Step at the last moment, he just barely managed to dodge Liu’s attack. At least, that was what he thought. Only when the pain reached his brain did he realize that his right arm was now lying on the floor. However, thanks to the numbing effect of the Gate of Mind and Ultimate Focus, he managed to keep his cool and notice the next attack just in time. However, he didn’t dodge it.

  Liu’s long tail pinned him to the ground, breaking his bones and damaging his organs. Had it not been for Alexander and Elize, he would’ve lost consciousness and probably died right there.

  Unfortunately for the two, Liu was much faster and stronger. Just as he was about to attack and kill them, an explosion boomed behind the two. A reddish figure appeared between Elize and Alexander, emanating great power. Aiming its foot at the insectoid’s chest, it threw it backward.

  Having received additional time to recover, Kai had activated the most powerful ability of the Heavenly Nine-headed Hydra’s bloodline — Life Rampage.

  Finding himself next to his severed arm, he reattached it to his shoulder. Muscle and tissue were brought together like glue and the bone clicked back into its socket. After a couple of moments, there was nothing to indicate that Kai had ever lost an arm.

  Liu stared in shock in confusion, recalling the ancient manuscripts left by the Empress herself.

  These abilities... I’ve read about them! No doubt, he’s definitely a member of one of our enemies! It’s because of them that we were banished from the Ecumene! I’ll kill him and bring his head as a gift to the Progenitrix! Maybe then I’ll be pardoned for my failures. But…

  Where’s your five-eyed mark, mortal? a voice suddenly addr
essed Kai. He almost fainted from the sudden bloodthirst that followed it.

  “Close your soul world immediately!” Rune’Tan’s alarmed voice rang out. “Just imagine that impenetrable walls have appeared around it!”

  Having done this, Kai immediately felt relieved. The presence instantly disappeared.

  “What was that!?”

  “The Spiritual Connection Technique. Simply put — telepathy,” the redhead explained. “This means that before its reincarnation, this insectoid wasn’t an Elementalist, but a Holy Lord! He must’ve sacrificed his cultivation in order to fulfill some mission...”

  Liu was about to attack Kai when everyone who had remained standing on the battlefield, got in his way. A storm of different techniques instantly fell upon the insectoid.

  “I’m getting tired of this,” Liu said in a terrifying voice that could freeze one’s blood in their veins, and a powerful surge of ki dispelled the techniques surrounding him, throwing back the people in his vicinity.

  He raised his hand. A crimson sphere began to form around his fingers and kept getting bigger. And bigger. And bigger. It didn’t stop growing even when it exceeded the size of a two-story house.

  Looking at the danger looming above them, people froze, feeling inevitable death and despair.

  However, one person decided not to stand by and wait for death to come.

  “I’ll destroy you!” Alexander shouted at the top of his lungs and charged, followed quickly by the Exorcists of the Union and the Western Alliance, as well as Elize, Ivsim, Lily, Jiang Yong, and Jiang Si. Approaching Liu from all sides, they intended to attack them with all their might.

  Seeing the group running over, Liu pointed at Alexander with his free palm and grinned. A wave of densely compressed ki burst from his body and sent everyone flying. They felt as if they had just crashed into a wall.

  It seemed like the group had lost, but Liu didn’t immediately notice that Kai was also among the attackers. He had hidden in the back row, and had disguised himself just in case.

  Taking advantage of the fact that Liu was preoccupied with materializing the technique, Kai took his chance. When the wave of ki was nearly in front of him, he redirected a significant part of his ki into his legs and kicked himself off the ground, making the earth under him explode in a shower of debris. At the moment of collision with the wave of ki, Kai trembled from the pressure, but nevertheless managed to break through and continue toward his goal.

  Despite the Offset Step’s ability to teleport him to any point within a twenty-foot radius, Liu’s aura was too dense for that maneuver.

  Noticing him, Liu frowned. A spear made of blood materialized in his free hand but Kai managed to break it with his Blade Release Technique and land near his opponent. Getting up, he swung his right sword, which only made Liu chuckle. He had strengthened his Cover in advance, and the second wave of compressed ki was already on its way. His opponent was only at the Soul level, so he was sure that this would be more than enough to deal with the pest.

  Seeing that he was being underestimated, Kai grinned and rushed at his opponent, completing the Space Destroying Sweep Technique. The sword itself couldn’t even scratch Liu’s skin but the technique cut through the Cover, leaving a deep wound on his shoulder.

  What the hell?! Who would have thought that someone like him could possess such a powerful technique?! Liu cursed. I should’ve increased the Cover’s level... What a rookie mistake... He almost laughed, but then suddenly fell silent.

  All three eyes focused on Kai, Liu was furious that the young man was running away from the second wave of compressed ki. At this point, it dawned on him that Kai wasn’t trying to hurt him, but opening a way for another attack.

  The huge blood sphere in his hand was actually a medium-quality, Royal-rank technique. If Liu had finished it, everyone would’ve been killed. Aware of this, Rune’Tan decided to attack the insectoid’s soul once again, using his own soul energy this time, which he had partially restored back when Kai gave him two slices of the Fruit.

  Liu screamed in agony. Mind consumed by pain and rage, he lost connection with the crimson sphere, making it crash on him. It then began to shrink and rotate, looking as if it wanted to grind its own creator. However, instead of exploding, it dissolved.

  “A hundred years less to live, boy.” Rune’Tan sighed sadly. “I rely on you to do the rest.”

  “You got it.” Kai nodded firmly and then turned to the people. “It isn’t dead yet!” he shouted, surprising everyone. “I need your help! Pin it down! Don’t let it move a goddamn muscle! It can’t do anything right now, so it’ll be easier to deal with!”

  People looked at each other in confusion, shrugged, and ran over to the insectoid.

  “You heard the man!” Rogers shouted. He looked much younger now, as was the case with almost all Exorcists. Usually, he preferred to make himself look older, so that people would take him more seriously. After all, it was hard to believe that a baby-faced young man was a war veteran. But now it’d be stupid to waste ki on such tricks. “Get ready to strike as soon as the opportunity arises! Senior officers, come with me. We’ll attack second. Focus on close combat!”

  Having given the orders, he looked at Kai and nodded. The young cultivator nodded in response and then concentrated.

  “We’ll help, too,” Alexander said and motioned to his people to follow him.

  Thirty seconds later, the sphere was replaced by a huge crater, which was instantly bombarded with dozens of different techniques. But before they could even reach their target, a frightening cry rang out.

  “DIE!”

  Dozens of scarlet threads flew toward people from the center of the crater. Unfortunately, not everyone managed to defend themselves. More than ninety percent of soldiers died instantly, as well as three of the Exorcists. Looking at their comrades in confusion, they turned pale, and dropped dead.

  “Attack!” Rogers shouted, snapping the survivors out of the shock.

  Gritting their teeth, the soldiers ran toward Liu. Several angry Exorcists approached him too early, for which they paid with their lives. However, it was this act of recklessness that allowed others to carry out their plan and take advantage of Liu being distracted.

  Alexander pressed him with Space techniques, making Liu feel like several tons of bricks had been piled upon him. Two more groups of Exorcists approached him while he was being held down. Rogers, Dale, Laura, and Diamond just barely managed to grab Liu’s right hand, the Exorcists of the Western Alliance grabbed his left, and Kai’s friends his long and powerful tail.

  Immobilized and with his soul wounded, Liu couldn’t do anything but glare at Kai as he appeared in front of him. Pointing his blades at the insectoid’s head, Kai poured ki into them.

  Liu just grinned.

  You underestimated me, fools! Now pay for your carelessness!!!

  Freeing his tail in one sharp movement, Liu pierced Kai’s chest.

  “Kai!!!” Diamond shouted in rage, while others gasped and yelled in fear and horror.

  With glazed eyes and a motionless face, Kai hung on the insectoid’s tail like a limp doll, while blood was gushing from the hole in his chest.

  His companions were wounded, too. Jiang Si’s arms were broken. Lily, lying unconscious, had a few fractured ribs. Ivsim ended up with a huge cut above his hips, and Elize managed to escape with a twisted ankle. But Jiang Yong was the most unfortunate one. His belly was ripped open by a spike at the end of Liu’s tail, which contained a lot of poison.

  The fight seemed to be over. Liu was about to start laughing when a voice came from behind him.

  “You should have aimed for the head!”

  Liu’s eyes widened, but he didn’t have the time to do anything. Two swords came close to his head.

  “Storm of Swords!” Kai shouted, and a white flash illuminated the hall.

  When it was over, all that was left of Liu were his legs and tail. The beam had wiped away everything else and also made a long tr
ench in the ground behind him.

  The Storm of Swords was the ability of the Twin Blades of the Grizzly Mountain, which Kai was given by the Seven Blades Clan. Like the swords themselves, this technique was of Royal-rank, which meant that it could be used only by those who had mastered the Force of Fusion, which Kai had not yet achieved. However, there were so-called “temporary symbolic techniques” that allowed anyone to use them for a limited amount of time. The number of these techniques was engraved on the weapon itself and each use would consume one of the symbols used to represent the technique. Kai had used up one, which was why on the right blade there was one less mark in the shape of a tiny sword. Both of his blades had six symbols each. Once all of them were consumed, Kai would need to either find a master who could restore them or master the Force of Fusion if he wished to use this technique again.

  Kai’s eyes were bloodshot and half-open; he was exhausted. Regenerating his internal organs and cleansing his blood of the poison had drained him. He was still alive only because his heart ceased to be a weak spot once he became a true descendant of the Heavenly Nine-headed Hydra. As long as he had the energy to regenerate, he could only be killed if his brain was destroyed or severely damaged.

  But in spite of the fact that he barely had the energy to exist, he felt joy.

  We did it! The Storm was enough... he thought with a sigh of relief. Now we need to help the wounded.

  Taking a few steps to the side, he suddenly froze. Something was off. The message informing him about the enemy’s death and loot hadn’t appeared.

  “YOU THINK THAT YOU’VE KILLED ME BY DAMAGING MY SHELL?!” a voice rang out in everyone’s heads.

  In the next instant, Liu’s remains turned into blood, which took on a new form. Yes, his soul was injured and he couldn’t activate any techniques, but this didn’t apply to the abilities of his bloodline — Blood Recovery and Blood Theft.

  Looking for Kai, Liu grinned, and took a step.

  I need more time! flashed through Kai’s head.

  And then time seemed to have stopped. Having accelerated his mind to the limit with the help of the Gate of Mind, Ultimate Focus, and Life Rampage, he tried to find a way out, but there was nothing he could do. He became aware of the fact that he wouldn’t be able to keep up with Liu’s speed in his current state. Worst of all, no one could help him, not even Rune’Tan.