The red glow of the Nascent Soul beast's eyes lit up the battlefield like a nightmare sun.
"Formation! Bar it back!" the Immortal Organization's captain cried who had just arrived. A hint of desperation in his voice.
Its ten masters of the Golden Core obeyed simultaneously, their qi burning in the same motion as they merged into a moving web of elemental energy. Fire burst upwards, air blades whirled around like a hurricane, stone walls rose to protect their comrades, and golden light wove through their lines to fortify the formation further.
Hope flickered for a moment. The formation glowed like a fiery bulwark at night.
But hope lasted only for a moment.
BOOM!
The monster slammed one claw on the ground. The ground broke apart, shockwaves tearing the ground asunder. Its strength tore through their formation like paper, sending cultivators flying like chewed toys.
"Ahh!" A man screamed as he was smashed against a tree, his chest flattened.
Another spat blood, his arm twisted at an awkward angle.
The top squad of the very Immortal Organization tribes revered as gods. reduced to scurrying ants in an instant.
The beast's tail lashed out, poison dripping from its stinger, and another soldier fell dead.
Desperation consumed them.
But among that tempest of terror, one stepped forward being silent, serene, and unflinching.
Vaen.
The blind youth's blade trembled in his hand as darkness materialized, sustained by his Tenebris Energy. The sword grew heavier, darker, longer, until it was no longer steel.
A night-smiting blade.
Nightfall Slash
Shadows exploded from his blade like an endless tide, extending far, far, far beyond the reach of any mortal boundary. The cut sliced through the beast's plated hide, cleaving through its hardened shields. For the first time, the horror issued a scream of actual pain, black blood spouting into the darkness.
The survivors of the Immortal Organization gazed with wonder.
"That… that wasn't spiritual qi… What is he?!!
But Vaen wasn't done. His panting grew ragged as his blade trembled, the blackness ravenous enough to devour even him. And still, he didn't back down.
The beast roared, its eyes locked on him with hunger. It felt the threat. It felt him.
And it struck.
The ground shuddered beneath its colossian steps. Its claws glistened, its wings unfolding like death itself descending upon him.
"Vaen!"
Moonlight poured out, shining silver light that cut the night. Yu Rael stepped into view, hair flying around her uncontrollably as her aura burst well outside its usual limit. Her blood, tied to the moon, blazed into being.
She threaded her fingers together, forming a forbidden seal her people had warned her never to make. Veins on her arms surged with muted silver light, fissures spreading over her alabaster flesh as the price ravaged her body.
Moonlight : Eclipse Veil!
The sky became dark unnaturally, and from her body, threads of moonlight poured down like stars dropping. They shrouded Vaen, sheltering him, energizing his shadow sword, and confusing the beast with light.
Yu Rael's face became pale immediately, blood dripping at the corner of her mouth. The forbidden style drained away at her life force.
Vaen's blind eyes widened faintly, sensing her wavering presence. His hand reached for her wrist, steadying her trembling frame.
"You'll kill yourself," he said quietly.
"I'd rather die," Yu Rael whispered back, her voice trembling, "than… than lose you."
Claws descended with a crash, sparks exploding as Vaen barely avoided them with his shadow-extended sword. The impact sent shockwaves through his arms, but Yu Rael grasped him from behind, holding tight. Her forehead pressed against his back, her silver light pouring into his shadows.
"Vaen… if we perish here, then…" Her voice shook as the ground shook beneath them. "Then I'll never get to tell you…"
Her words dissolved into the roar of the monster, but Vaen heard them. He always heard her.
For a moment, the battlefield's noise dulled. The screams, the roars, the chaos, all faded into silence. Only the thundering of his heart remained.
Slowly, he spoke, his tone low but steady.
"You won't die. Not while I'm here."
His shadows deepened, rising like a tide to respond to the oath. His sword screamed, growing longer on the strength of the moon and shadow blended together.
He secured his hand around hers, quieting her trembling fingers.
"I won't let you fall, Rael. Ever."
For one brief moment, heat flared between them amidst the chaos.
But the beast was untouched by feeling. Its massive form recoiled, and with a scream that tore the heavens asunder, it leaned forward to pin the two of them beneath its massive wings and claws.
The ground trembled as its shadow enveloped them. The very sky appeared to collapse.
Yu Rael's beam faltered. Vaen held his sword hard.
And then—
BOOM!
A new force entered the battlefield. Blinding flashes of light illuminated the night, along with the war cries that shook the air.
The reinforcements.
More Immortal Organization cultivators. A
battalion came forth, and their collective aura crashed down like an ocean wave. At least twenty Golden Core masters launched their energy in one smooth motion, sending burning spells out into the air that lit up the darkness with more light than day.
The beast hesitated in mid-swing, red eyes squinted at the interlopers.
Vaen breathed a slow sigh, his sword still trembling, Yu Rael's pale head on his shoulder.
They'd survived for now.
But the battle was far from over.