by Yuri Ajin
The Cult’s leader — a person going by the title of the High Priest — considered the newcomers Gods, and bowed before them. For ten days, they treated the guests like divines they had mistaken them for. The leader of the group asked the Priest about some gates and some tower, but received no answer. However, when the “Gods” left, the Priest went with them, and returned two days later. This made the RLA believe that he probably knew something about the location of the ‘tower’ Diamond and the rest were after.
The RLA’s main goal was to rid Siberia of the Cult members since it considered them extremely dangerous. Negotiations, threats, and bribes didn’t work. The Cult didn’t like outsiders so it attacked anyone who didn’t belong to their organization without a second thought. They forcibly brought new people into the Cult, and if they couldn’t convert their enemies, then they tried to get rid of them at any cost.
In addition, the Russian military was somewhat afraid of the High Priest, who, in their opinion, possessed a unique set of techniques that allowed him to brainwash others and create such a large organization, whose members blindly followed him.
“They offered us to sign a spirit contract,” Diamond finally said. “They can help us find the High Priest if we deal with the Cult. More specifically, we need to kill all of its higher-ranking members. They’re all Exorcists.”
“Isn’t that a bit too much?” Ivsim frowned, voicing what everyone was thinking.
“I agree.” Diamond nodded. “But if we refuse, we’ll have to look for this Cult ourselves, which would take much longer. Not to mention that the Russians are planning to go full Rambo on these guys. If they do that, it’ll be way too difficult to capture the Priest alive and interrogate him. We’re much stronger than them, I think we’ll manage.”
“Well, since we’re so powerful, why don’t we just intimidate them into helping us? I’m sure that they’re aware of the fact that we’re strong,” Elize asked.
“It won’t work.” Diamond shook his head with a heavy sigh. “The RLA’s scattered throughout Siberia... Right now, we could threaten only Novosibirsk. Also, the Union made a mistake, so we have to make up for it. The deal was that they were to let us in only after they defeated the Cult, but we persuaded them to change their minds. That’s their bargaining chip. With the way things are right now, the fastest way to get to where we need to be is to sign the contract. I understand that the imminent invasion isn’t as important for you people as it is for us. Now’s not the time to be losing allies.”
“I see... How many Exorcists do the Cult and the RLA have?” Kai asked. “I mean, if Jiang Dao found the Gates a week ago, then we have a maximum of two or three days before they’re activated. As far as I’m concerned, we should sign the contract.”
“He’s right.” Shacks nodded. “The Gates usually take about ten days to open.”
“As I was informed,” Diamond continued, “the Cult has twenty-one Exorcists. Fifteen are presumed to be at the initial-level, while the other six are at the mid-level or higher. As for the RLA, they only have sixteen.”
Kai whistled, impressed.
“I get that the Asian part of Russia is bigger than the US, but there weren’t so many people living here before the System arrived. Where did they get so many Exorcists then?”
“The monsters,” Diamond replied. “I don’t know why, but after the cataclysm, a large number of monsters appeared there. We received the same info from both Europe and China. We assume that the original population number somehow influenced the System’s actions.”
“I see.”
“So, what’s our next step? Should we sign the contract?” Diamond asked.
“I’m confident that we can handle it,” Kai said. “If that’ll help us get to our goal faster, then I’m up for it. Do you agree?” he asked, turning to his group.
Lily and Ivsim, realizing that they were the weakest in their squad, just nodded. Elize leaned back in her chair and shrugged, which in her terms meant “yes, sure, whatever.”
“What do you say, Shacks?” Kai looked at the archer.
“I’m with you,” he replied. “But under one condition.”
“Yeah?”
“If me or my squad are in danger, the contract is off,” he said and shifted his gaze to Diamond.
“I think we can arrange that.” He nodded. “We’ll discuss the details tomorrow morning, sign the contract, and be on our way by lunchtime.”
***
Four combat helicopters rushed across the gloomy Siberian skies. The contract had been signed, and, as Diamond had predicted it, they were on their way north by noon.
At this time of year, the temperature had long dropped below zero, and everything was covered in snow. However, the cold didn’t make the cultivators feel any discomfort or negative side-effects.
During the flight, they studied the maps of the four major cities in which the Cult members spent most of their time. The High Priest and fourteen other Exorcists were currently located in the biggest one. Shacks and his group were to deal with them.
The rest of them were divided into three other groups. The first consisted of Diamond and his people, together with two Russian mid-level Exorcists, and fifteen Soul Stage soldiers. Ivsim, Lily, and a couple of Bright Moon Exorcists were in another group, with fifteen Source Creation-level soldiers from the RLA. The last group consisted of the same number of Russian soldiers, as well as Elize and Kai.
Waiting for the operation to begin, Diamond thoughtfully observed the Crystal that Kai had created a day ago.
“Take it. I worked on it a bit and replaced its original contents with a copy of my memories. There’s info about cultivation, fighting styles, Forces, techniques, a little bit about alchemy and artifacts, and many more things...” Kai said.
“This… This is a very valuable gift…” Diamond replied, unable to hide his amazement.
Kai smiled.
“Well, I can’t leave my little brother without a gift. Since you’ve decided to stay, the least I can do is help you become stronger. Oh, but wait! That’s not all.” Kai held out a simple Spatial Ring. “It’s full of important and quite useful things, like a Particle of Wisdom with Forces of Space, pills and potions I don’t need, a couple of artifacts, and a few technique scrolls. If you don’t need any of that, feel free to sell it and earn a couple of bucks.”
“Heh… And here I am without a gift,” Diamond said sadly.
“I don’t need anything. Except for you to become strong. Very strong! I’ll definitely come back, and I’d like it if you were alive to greet me. With the knowledge that I left you, you may even become the first Elementalist on Earth! Also, start using the Crystal as soon as possible, there’s least forty-days worth of stuff recorded on it.”
Diamond pondered whether to use his brother’s gift now or to wait until after the mission was done so that he could sit down and meditate. In the end, he decided to start later, because the best result could be reached only with time and patience. And for that, he needed a quiet place and a few hours of free time.
Putting the Crystal in his Ring, Diamond raised his head and looked out the window. On the horizon, he could see the outlines of a city.
***
A hail of missiles rained down on the chopper, but none of them were destined to reach their target. The scarlet barrier Elize created did its job perfectly, allowing them to fly closer to the city.
“You have ten minutes before the barrier disappears,” she said to the pilot, and then jumped out without a parachute.
Kai jumped after her, followed by the RLA soldiers.
No sooner had they landed on the roof of one of the buildings than they were attacked. To Kai’s surprise, their opponents were locals working for the cult. They weren’t cultivators, but cannon fodder, promised God only knew what in exchange for their lives and devotion.
They felt superior to the cultivators, although they were as strong as your average high school bully in comparison to them. Not caring about their lives, they continue
d to attack even after Kai and the group were forced to start killing them as it became impossible to knock them out or incapacitate them.
The cultivators that came after them were mostly below the Soul Stage, so they, too, posed little threat to the group.
Ten minutes later, the city was flooded with blood, and the streets were littered with corpses.
“We should split up,” Elize said. “I sense a pair of enemy Exorcists...”
“I agree.” Kai nodded. “I’ll head west.”
“I didn’t tell you where they are...” she said, looking confused. “How did you know? Can you feel them as well?”
“Now’s not the time, Elize,” he replied. “We’ve more pressing matters to attend to. I’ll go west, you go north, alright?”
“Alright,” she finally answered, and then ran off to meet her opponent, killing everyone in her path.
“You take care of the locals,” Kai said to a group of soldiers and ran off as well.
***
Followed by a group of twelve men, a tall man in a long, dark robe walked down the street.
“How dare they interrupt my pleasures in the harem?!” He gritted his teeth. “Have they gone crazy? We didn’t bother them too much, why are they doing this?! Bastards! I thought they were going to attack at the end of the month... Did they manage to gather their forces so quickly? Curse them!”
The man stopped suddenly. Sensing a presence behind him, he instantly turned around, and threw his hand up to the sky. A raven-haired young man was approaching him with a series of lightning-fast leaps.
What an idiot! Can’t he see that I’m stronger than him? Still... Something... Something about him seems off... I shouldn’t underestimate him.
Fire burst from his palm, forming a round shield that stopped the young man’s swords. Grinning, he was about to finish activating his attacking technique when it was suddenly interrupted.
With a shower of sparks, the swords pierced through the fire shield and hit his forearms, which he covered his head with. Having failed to activate a new defensive technique, he succeeded in using an item that increased the power of his Cover by several times.
Little did he know that this artifact, precious as it was, would be of no use to him.
As soon as the swords reached their target, blood spurted from his eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. In the next moment, a powerful shock wave shook the earth, killing all twelve of his followers. Their mangled bodies were sent flying in different directions.
The Cover should’ve been able to stop the blades, but they were far too heavy for him to do so. He didn’t know how, but the young man had somehow increased the weight of his swords, making them much more dangerous.
Staggering, the Priest struggled to remain on his feet. Most of his bones were broken, and his insides had been turned into minced meat. Blood was pouring from his limp hands onto the snow. He felt like his spine had been crushed so hard that he had lost some of his height.
But even with such terrible injuries, he was alive.
The young man got ready to dash at him when he suddenly jumped away with such speed that even the Priest didn’t see him.
At that moment, a black sphere hit the place where he had just been. The power wave was so strong that it turned the Priest into a pile of ash.
***
What the hell?! He was an Exorcist! How did he die so easily?! Kai wondered, astonished and terrified, and turned around to see who had attacked him.
“Not bad,” came an eerie voice. It was followed by an even eerier aura. “As the teacher foresaw, you were in the right place at the right time. I can finally finish you off! I’ll kill, kill, kill...”
Kai clenched his fists. The face of his opponent was hidden by a red demon mask.
“You.” He gritted his teeth. “You’re the one who killed Ash! And you almost killed Lily! You bastard... You’re the one who possessed Yang Liang and tried to kill me!” he shouted, rage growing with every recollection. “You—”
“Kai... Is that...?”
“A tattoo with five eyes,” Kai breathed out, gaze glued to the mark on the man’s hand. The eye that stood out the most was the obsidian one.
Chapter 24
TEARING OFF THE MASK
“Finally, I can avenge my master!” the masked man hissed, jumping off the roof of the two-story building on which he was sitting.
Upon landing, he released a small amount of ki, and sank into his own shadow as if it was a small pond. Both he and his aura were gone.
Where the hell is he?! Kai instantly took a fighting stance. He didn’t expect to lose sight of his opponent so quickly.
But no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t find the masked man. It was like he had disappeared into thin air. He didn’t sense any energy nearby either. For the first time in his cultivator life, he couldn’t detect his opponent. Even his energy vision was useless.
Deciding not to waste time, he activated Ultimate Focus and the Gates of Mind. Time slowed down so much that it seemed as if it had completely stopped. The falling snowflakes froze in the air, and the noise of the battle coming from the other part of the city subsided.
Come at me! You’re wrong if you think I’ll go down that easily! Kai thought, concentrating on his surroundings.
“Be careful,” Rune’Tan warned. “There’s something wrong with him. His soul feels... twisted.”
“What? What do you mean?” Kai asked, and then he remembered. “Didn’t we damage his soul by destroying the bit that was controlling Yang Liang?”
“We did. Yes.” The old man agreed. “However, his soul seems intact. But I’m not talking about that now. I don’t know what it is, but don’t underestimate him. He’s not weaker than Elize.”
“Got it,” Kai replied seriously.
Armed with a pair of daggers with onyx blades, the masked man emerged from Kai’s shadow. Kai only noticed him when he was already too close to defend himself or jump out of the way.
Looking at him over his shoulder, Kai bared his teeth. His hand twitched, and the blade of his sword shone for a moment. A powerful gust of wind swept the street. Several buildings collapsed, and the snow rose up, creating a white curtain, from which a silhouette emerged just a moment later and soared up.
Using Gravitational Break Blade, which he had prepared in advance, Kai managed to get away, but this didn’t mean that he could relax just yet.
Several hundred obsidian spheres flew after him, piercing through the snowy curtain like cannonballs through sails. Fortunately, Cold Void managed to stop them before they got too close to Kai.
Goddamn it, there he is again! Kai thought as the masked man appeared in front of him. These techniques require too much concentration! I can’t fight and keep an eye on him, too!
Crossing his daggers, the masked man attacked again. Kai just barely managed to block the blow that almost sent him flying.
“Stop resisting,” the man hissed angrily, increasing the strength of his attack and forcing Kai back, “and die!”
“As if!” Kai grinned and then opened three more Body Gates.
Pushing down on the daggers, Kai finally managed to land a hit. At least, that’s what he thought. He didn’t know how, but his opponent somehow managed to back away from him and disappear again.
Jumping back, Kai landed on the roof of one of the many five-story buildings and froze in anticipation of another attack.
“Funny...” the masked man said, but Kai couldn’t sense his aura or see him. There was no trace of him. “You’re strong. I admit. A Soul Stage cultivator fighting with an Exorcists on equal terms. Truly fascinating. I finally understand how you managed to kill my master. Still... That doesn’t change the fact that, in my eyes, you’re nothing more than trash. I’m not like these weaklings. Thanks to my master, I was able to gaze into the true world of cultivation! I won’t lose! Fate favors me!”
What’s he on about? Why...? Why do I feel this sense of impending doom...? Something’s not right he
re...
Looking up, he noticed that the clouds had blocked the sun and that the entire city was covered with a huge shadow. His eyes widened, and his gaze fell to the left of him. A moment later, the masked man emerged from the shadows. Kai was about to attack when anxiety took over him.
Wait... How’s this possible?! he thought, seeing two more masked people emerge from the shadows. Are these his clones? They have to be... I doubt that there are more people like him...
He stopped the clones that were about to attack from his sides with a strong blow of his blades, enhanced with Weight Distortion and Blade Release. Gravitational Break Blade took care of the clone in front of him. Using three techniques wasn’t difficult for him anymore. With Ultimate Focus and the Mind Gate, he was able to activate as many techniques as an average Exorcist.
As soon as his blows reached the clones, they all disappeared in a puff of smoke and ash.
The moment the dark mist settled, the masked man emerged from the shadows behind Kai. His plan was to attack his opponent while he was busy dealing with the clones.
Aiming at Kai’s head, he flew out of the shadows with the speed of a bullet.
“Die!” he shouted and then almost gasped when he flew into a cloud of sparks and flames. What was that?! How can he move like that?! How did he manage to defend himself?!
As if in slow motion, he watched Kai change the grip on his right blade at the very last moment and turn around to block the attack. Staring at him in confusion and shock, he didn’t notice when Kai moved closer until he felt a pain in his chest and something warm spreading across his torso.
Looking down, he noticed a blade sticking out of him.
“How?!” he gasped, blood dripping from under the mask. “When did you have time to...?”
He never got his answer. Plunging the sword even deeper, Kai raised his hand sharply, cutting the man’s chest open. A moment before the final blow was struck, most of the man’s ki left his body, after which he turned into a shadow, and disappeared again.
Another clone? No, it can’t be. I definitely wounded him... Kai reassured himself. He must’ve switched places with a clone at some point... Still, I managed to wound him, so that’s good.