617. Aether’s Realm

Dallion was the first to attack, striking at Arthurows with a double spin. The harpsisword’s blade vibrated intensely, letting out a strong musical hum. It never hit its target though, blocked by the Star’s arm. The black substance that composed his clothes had trickled up, covering his entire arm, acting as a diamond-like shield. Despite that, Dallion’s attack sliced through into it, even if merely a fraction of an inch. Apparently, a music infused harpsisword wasn’t capable of fully cutting through the Star.

“Interesting.” The Star looked at his hand. “You’re improved.”

The Star took a step forward, but the moment he did, the mountain split it into two, forming a chasm between him and Dallion. It wasn’t just a normal chasm either—all the air had also been split, keeping Dallion at a distance even if he was floating.

“Nice to see you’re up to your old tricks, Aether,” the Star said, looking up at the sky. “A bit on the weak side, though. Anything wrong?”

“You’re a funny guy,” the aetherbird’s voice thundered. “Still reaching for what you can’t get?”

“I thought you’d say that. Only this time, things have gone my way.” Arthurows rose in the air, surrounded by black flames.

Dallion didn’t need to ask Nil to know what was going on. Just as Dallion could make use of his familiars, the Star had the power to manipulate the void. If he wanted, he could probably release a swarm of cracklings—or even chainlings—to wreak havoc. Why hadn’t he, though?

“And it’s all thanks to Dal,” the Star laughed. “I knew he’d bring me here eventually, but he did me one better. He weakened you enough so I could take you.”

Arthurow seemed different from what Dallion had witnessed in the aetherbird’s memories. There was nothing majestic about him at present. In the memory, he had been exceedingly powerful, having others do his bidding. In fact, Dallion hadn’t seen him once in those times. Everything was done by subordinates which themselves commanded a greater authority than the being in the present day. Back then, the cultists were people who could actually think on their own, not the possessed puppets and lowlifes the current batches seemed to be. They were dangerous, troublesome, and powerful, but insignificant compared to what they were before. Tens of millennia ago they had virtually ruled the entire world, and now were reduced to a criminal sect constantly hiding from the nobles whose cities they infiltrated.

“Keep on dreaming.” Laughter filled the realm. “You’re like a moth fighting a candle.”

“I like my chances. Not to mention that I’m not alone this time.”

Dallion froze for an instant. He knew making any deal with the Star was a perilous idea. History had proved it along with the races that had been banished into the awakened realms as a result. And still, a small part of him wondered what he could achieve if he could cast spells. He wouldn’t be terribly good at it—his leveling up had slowed down as it was—but it would be enough to make certain people think twice. From what he had seen, even a weak mage remained a mage, maybe not enough to be accepted by the academy, but they were going to keep others from blatantly harming him. Dallion had seen that when facing the rogue mage. It was only due to the poison plague and Archduke Linatol’s personal involvement that the mage’s death was hushed away. Even then, there were repercussions for the Icepicker guild and March in particular.

“How about it?” the Star asked. “Your device made everyone in this realm the same level. There’s no winner in a three-way fight unless we work together.”

“I’ll just fight against you.”

“That—” the Star waved a finger “—won’t be as easy. Dear Aether tends not to trust people. Even if you vow not to go against him, he won’t be convinced.”

Looking at the ever-changing landscape around him, Dallion could believe that. The reason he had gotten to fight an echo of the aetherbird in the feather was because it had let him do so. With its real-self at stake, would it do the same?

“But say you gain its trust. Are you sure you’ll be able to take me on?” The star continued. “Magic is a wildcard when it comes to combat. It can only kill if it’s stronger than the person it’s used against. But will it counter my skills?”

Blade-tipped tendrils emerged from the Star’s clothes, extending outwards.

“Remember the fight at Nerosal? You had someone else fight back then—someone with real experience who’d almost taken over the world. Even with him, and the restrictions imposed on me, you won by sheer luck. I have no restrictions here.”

It was difficult to deny that if it hadn’t been for Aspan, Nerosal would have been swallowed by the wilderness.

“I don’t need the skill gem,” Arthurows said. “I just need to do something with it. You can have it afterwards. Even Aether knows it. If he didn’t, he’d be going on all about it.”

Lightning crackled, spreading throughout the entire sky like water trickling down glass.

Dallion tightened his grip round the harpsisword’s hilt. This was like in his trial all over again. The difference was that there wouldn’t be a Moon to help him out this time. No Moon would come to his rescue here, but that hadn’t been the goal of the trial—it was to crush the Star’s influence before it took hold.

“Spark,” Dallion whispered, splitting into instances. “Lux, forward!”

The blue flame wings on Dallion’s back extended as the firebird thrust him in the direction of Arthurows. The blade of the harpsisword tapped the side of his shoe, then started humming, accompanied by a white glow.

The Star must have sensed the danger, for one of the void tendrils changed form, transforming into a shotgun. Apparently, he really was able to form modern weapons, as Dallion suspected. At the same time, the result was a lot cruder than he thought. With a high enough perception, one could see the many flaws in the weapon. For starters, it was the most basic of models—a generic two-barrel shotgun, if that. The surface was far from smooth, not to mention that the barrels seemed slightly crooked.

Shield, Dallion ordered. The shotgun might not have been perfect, at close range, it didn’t particularly matter.

The armadil shield extended. Covering Dallion’s entire side. At exactly the same moment, the Star darted towards him. The black flames didn’t provide the speed of Lux, but the maneuverability was better.

A blast followed, scattering pellets of void matter in Dallion’s direction. In several instances, the shield was hit and pierced, resulting in stacks of purple rectangles appearing. Provided with a series of pad options, Dallion fell back to his safety instance. The Star didn’t stop there, continuing towards him, shotgun aimed forward.

Another six instances emerged, all heading in different directions. Maintaining them was far more difficult here. For every one that emerged, twenty would fade away. Dallion could feel his temples pulsing. The pain was becoming palpable, yet he pushed through.

One more shot and another five instances were pulverized. Not needing to reload, the star aimed at Dallion again. At this point, the distance was shortened to a few feet. The harpsisword split the air, hitting the middle of the shotgun barrel slicing through it like putty. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the blast.

MODERATE WOUND

Your health has been reduced by 20%

PERMANENT EFFECT - PAIN

Your RIGHT SHOULDER has been wounded and will continue to inflict pain until the status is removed.

The status continues to be in effect in the real world.

MAJOR WOUND

VIHROGON’s health has been reduced by 50%

Three effects with none issued in return? This was far from what anyone would hope for, though it had allowed Dallion to achieve a better position. Currently, he was banking on the Star, not being used to fighting on a level playing field. While he had a clear advantage at short range, hand to hand combat wasn’t his thing. The last, and only, time Dallion had fought the Star one to one, Arthurows had shown he was pretty bad at it. While it was true that Dallion had struggled to win, it wasn’t because of the other’s combat skills.

Taking advantage of the situation, Dallion immediately performed a spin attack, making a full three-sixty arc with his harpsisword. The weapon hit the size of the Star. Thanks to the effects of the Spark, it cut in deeply, halfway into the bone.

AGGRAVATED STRIKE

Dealt damage is increased by 100%

For a single moment, time froze. The Star looked at the wound, as if refusing to believe it possible. On the surface, there wasn’t anything strange. Attacks were supposed to deal damage, though for some reason Arthurows tended to think that wasn’t supposed to be the case. For a fraction of a second Dallion saw a grain of emotion flash in the Star’s forehead. Hidden behind layers of void was fear, not fear of dying, or even failing, but a different type of fear mixed with agitation.

Without a moment’s delay, Dallion pulled the harpsisword out, then swung for another attack. Void matter poured out of the Star as if he were a balloon that just had burst. The liquid attempted to surround Dallion, but Lux’s flame stopped it inches away from his body. Not wishing to take the chance. Dallion hit the blade of the harpsisword in his shield, then struck at the surrounding blackness. A single slash was enough to tear it down like an old curtain. The liquid fell a few feet down, then retreated back to Arthurows. As for the Star himself, he too had pulled back, the void matter surrounding him like a shell.

No, Harp told Dallion. Don’t follow him.

“I’ve learned my lesson from last time,” Dallion replied, waving the weapon about in the air to maintain its vibrations. Nox, I’ll need you.

Sorry, can’t, the crackling replied.

Hmm? It was rare for Nox to refuse to aid in combat. Usually, the puma enjoyed sharpening its claws. The few times it had refused were against weaker enemies, when it was considered a waste of time. Right now, this wasn’t the case. Why?

It’s scorching out there.

It took a few moments, but Dallion saw this wasn’t a phrase. The void pellets that had buried themselves into the armadil shield were evaporating, leaving thin layers of smoke. Further away, the Star was also surrounded by a cloud of black vapors, almost clinging to him like fine, wet mist.

“Stay safe,” Dallion said. He was going to handle the fight with Lux alone.

COMBAT INITIATED

“What the heck?” Dallion stared at the purple rectangle that had appeared. The fight had started a while ago. Come to think of it, there hadn’t been a rectangle when it did.

The surroundings changed again. Spires emerged from the ground and sky, flying in the directions of both Dallion and the Star. Instinctively, Dallion split into instances, avoiding them. Meanwhile, the Star had the void matter thicken in the areas of impact, effectively shielding him from the attack.

“Sorry, kid, but I just can’t trust either of you,” the aetherbird’s voice echoed throughout the air. “No hard feelings, though. You’ll just end up outside. I’ll even give you the feathers, as I promised.”

So, ultimately, it had turned out into a three-way fight. The difference was that Aether had waited until both sides were at a disadvantage until joining it. Quite sneaky. It wasn’t the first time he had delayed an event until long after it had occurred—the advantages of being the Purple Moon’s familiar.

Any advice on the magic front, Nil? Dallion asked, using three instances to keep an eye out for further surprise attacks.

Beware of illusions, the old echo said. That’s your greatest weakness, so they’ll use that against you.

Both of them?

In a three-way fight, everyone is the greatest threat.