Ashborn Primordial

Chapter 227: Soliloquy of the Ash Damned

A battle raged in the sky. Virs fingers played over the control tablet, and the Automaton Guardian fired its eye beam at the Wyrm that shrieked above, diving for the enormous Imperium creation. The beam had proven the most difficult command to master. While the Automaton normally acted with limited intelligence, its weapon had to be manually controlled.

Yet there was no questioning the devastation it wrought. Swaths of Ash Beasts disappeared in an instant, and it was one of the few weapons Vir wielded against flying predators. The avian beasts attack was thwarted when the Automaton sustained its barrage, unrelenting. Constituent worms died off by the thousands, dropping from the sky like a rain of insects.

They were in the deepest parts of the Ash, now. A land where none dared tread alone. Not even Cirayus.

Vir glanced at the giant, who fended off a horde of a hundred vile beasts by himself. Even then, without the Automaton, without Vir and Shan, Cirayus would have perished long ago. Which, of course, meant Vir would have as well.

This was the true no-man's-land. The dark sky had darkened steadily over the past year, and now they traveled under the veil of eternal night. The lightning, while not striking quite as frequently as Saunaks defense field, struck often enough that Vir had to maintain Prana Armor even as he slept.

Sleep, he thought. Now there was a luxury he so dearly missed. When was the last time hed managed more than an hour here and there? Had it been weeks? Months?

Vir refocused. The aerial battle wasnt his fight, and nor was it Cirayus. Even with their strength, a single moments inattention would spell their doom. Vir had learned that lesson too many times already, as evidenced by his mangled seric armor. The once beautiful work of art was now punched so full of holes and gashes that it was scarcely even recognizable. Hed considered abandoning it, but could never bring himself to. There were too many memories attached to it, both before and after he entered the Ash.

Cleaving through a Shredder, the beast died before it even knew what had hit it. As it fell, Vir bounded off the beast, bringing his greatsword down across the vulnerable neck of an Ash Biter.

His actions were fluid, like water, and his mind was elsewhere. For these enemies no longer posed him any threat. Not after the hellish training hed been through.

That wasnt to say he was invulnerable, though. Not even close.

Vir dodged a Chakra-laden attack from a nearby Phantomblade, its dozens of spikes all carrying the spiritual weight of the Warrior chakra.

Ash Beasts, it seemed, didnt progress through the natural order of chakras that demons had to. Many of these beasts possessed Warrior Chakras, as well as the shield Chakra for physical defense. Only some had opened the Foundation Chakra, and those that had opened the second ChakraLifewere exceedingly rare.

While Vir didnt have to worry about mental attacks, Cirayus had drilled into him the irreparable harm hed incur by sustaining even a single Warrior Chakra-laden attack. Recently, a worryingly increasing number of enemies they encountered had them.

Vir glanced up to the battle in the sky. Thus far, they hadnt encountered a Wyrm whod unlocked the Warrior ChakraVir suspected the more ancient, more powerful Wyrms that had lurked even deeper in the Ash. Or perhaps exclusively within the Mahdi Realm. If they did come across one, there would be little hope of survival, even with their Automaton. Even with Cirayus, who fought exclusively against Chakra-wielding enemies these days.

Vir had gotten the fight hed asked for, what now seemed like ages ago. Hed fought Cirayus. Hed lost, and it wasnt a loss he could even be proud of. It wasnt a close battle, where Cirayus had pulled through by the skin of his teeth. No, it was only when Vir had lost consciousness, not even thirty seconds after the fight, that he realized Cirayus had never shown his full strength. Not until that day.

Balar 700 was a lie, borne of the Human Realm's deficiencies, and of Cirayus' desire to hide his true strength. The demon was easily in the multiple thousands with his Chakras, his half-dozen tattoos, and his incomprehensible battle experience.

Days later, theyd fought again, and again Vir had lost. He shouldve known then that itd become a trend. Not a week went by without them dueling, and each time the outcome was the same.

Vir never had a chance. Cirayus continually switched his tactics and styles, so Vir felt like he was fighting a brand new opponent each week. He hadnt even known this many styles existed, and somehow Cirayus had mastered them all.

The demon insisted there was no secret to it. Just that every few years, hed spend a few months learning a new style. When repeated across centuries, Cirayus was the inevitable result.

He had no weak spots. He had no deficiencies. His form was perfect, and while Vir beat him in raw speed, it didnt matter. The demon had a sixth sense built up from the thousands of battles hed fought. Hed seen every trick in the book, and even without the Third Eye Chakra, he predicted Virs movements perfectly, as if guided by an invisible ability.

It was infuriating. And yet, despite that, Vir improved. He improved something far more precious than merely combat prowesshe improved his adaptability. Hed now experienced such a vast array of fighting styles, Vir doubted there were many demons alive who could surprise him. Let alone best him.

His technique had been refined and honed to the absolute limitevery minute error beaten out of him. Perfected. His battlefield awareness, experience, and survivability had multiplied. Not only on account of the thousands of Ash Beasts hed defeated but from Cirayus tutelage and their innumerable duels.

It didnt stop there. Vir was now equally as proficient with talwars, spears, and even greatswords as he was with his katar. While hed trained in all before, hed only had basic familiarity. Now, hed grown so adept that it had become difficult to discern which weapon was best suited for certain enemiesVir wiped the floor with them with equal ease, regardless of the tool in his hands.

Furthermore, the moment hed mastered a weapon, Cirayus had him switch hands and fight left-handed until hed mastered that, too.

It was why theyd begun counting the kills per minute. It mattered little against individual Ash Beasts, but against mobs, certain weapons fared better. The greater reach of the greatsword and spear allowed them to shine in crowd control situations, while Virs katar still reigned when inflicting lethal pinpoint stabs targeting prana centers.

Even so, more than Virs strength gains, it was his skill at exploiting his enemies weaknesses that had grown the most. His prana capacity, while greater than before, hadnt undergone nearly as much progress as it had initially in the Mahdi Realm. A year ago, hed boasted a prana capacity a hundred times that when hed entered the realm. Now, it was half again as much.

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A hundred fifty times his initial capacitywhich was by no means smallwas nothing to scoff at, however. He could now power all of his Talents at least a handful of times, and several of the more efficient oneslike his prana darts, claws, and basic mobility Talentsdozens of times.

Even in the Voidlands, Vir was confident he could get through any single battle with his current reserves. A feat he suspected few could boast. And with Prana Current more efficient than it had ever been, he didnt need much ambient prana at all. That would give him an edge, even in the prana-deficient Demon Realm.

It wasnt all smooth sailing, however. What irked him the most was his progressor lack thereofwith Chakras. It was the one dimension where nothing hindered his progress other than his own mind, but for one year, hed remained firmly stuck. Beating his head against an invisible wall. It wasn't that he couldn't use it, just that his ability to call on the chakra to stabilize his mind was rudimentary at best.

WorseCirayus was just as puzzled. The giant had never seen anyone struggle this much with their Foundation Chakrasaid to be the easiest of them all to open. Even with Cirayus aiding and accelerating his progress, theyd met with no luck.

Finally, theyd both concluded that Vir must be unique somehow. That there was some key they were missing.

It was a bitter end to his time in the Ash, now nearly over.

Over the past year, they had followed the Guidance Artifact. Deeper and deeper into the Ashen Realm. For the longest time, Vir had wondered just how the realm could be so vast until he learned the startling truth. The realm was repeating itself.

Not that they saw the same locations theyd previously passed. Not exactly. But mountain ranges theyd crossed would reappear with only slight differences. Their arrangements to forests and streams would be identical, allowing Vir and Cirayus to easily locate food and water wherever they went.

The realm was broken in ways that were difficult to understand. It seemed to twist all the rules Vir knew about reality.

Sensing movement in his peripheral vision, Vir swung his greatsword in an arc, deflecting a projectile behind him. The way the blade clanged and deflected told him what type of enemy it was even before Prana Vision showed him.

Phantomblade.

Long ago, hed been forced to attack their underbellies. No longer. All Phantomblades had soft necks and vulnerable heads. Just that most enemies wouldnt dare get close enough for it to matter.

Vir wasnt most enemies.

He lightly pushed back on his toes, Blinking blindly backward with Haste active. The Phantomblade let loose a torrent of its obsidian scales, but Vir had expected as much.

By synergizing Haste with Prana Current and pushing it to its limit, he leveraged the steps hed practiced tens of thousands of times, moving the slightest amount to dodge each projectile, while predicting the trajectories of those yet to fire.

Vir didnt duck, bob, and weave. Those were the movements of amateurs. He simply walked, moving the barest amount to dodge each spike with barely an inch to spare. Micro Leap aided his motions, jerking him imperceptibly in one direction after another, and soon, Vir was at the Ash Beast.

Placing a hand on its head, he pulled, sucking the prana out of it, absorbing it into his own body.

Then, using its very own life energy, he surged it back into the beast. Its brain, unable to bear the concentrated deluge of prana, burst. The beast collapsed, dead.

Vir and Cirayus stood in a field of corpses, watching as the infinite wave of beasts closed the noose. When theyd first entered this realm, the landscape had been mostly barren Ash, sparsely populated by Ash Beasts.

Now, Vir could scarcely find a single inch of land that wasnt roving with these monsters. When his eyes looked to the horizon, he no longer found fields of Ash. He found hostile, deranged organisms. Not hundreds. Or even thousands. Millions.

The world has no idea, Vir thought, nearly laughing at the absurdity of it all. If they knew how many mythical beasts lurked in this realm If they ever got out

That would be the end of the world as humans and demons knew it. The least of the monsters that surrounded him was Balar Fifty. And there were millions, some many thousands of Balar ranks strong.

Some poured through half-formed Ash Tearshalf dying in the process. Some simply popped into existence. It was a land where nothing made sense, and where every moment of every hour of every day was a constant, relentless fight for survival.

Forget sleepeven eating became a chore. Every meal involved fighting their way to vegetation, praying that the beasts whod come before hadnt already eaten their fruits and vegetables. They even fought while they ate.

Virs duels with Cirayus had ended long ago. There was no time for such luxuries anymore. Now, they simply fought Ash Beasts, and whatever Vir learned, he learned in deadly combat. As for meditation, it was the last thing on his mind.

Were nearly there, lad! Hang in there. It has to be around here! Cirayus roared over the din of the clattering, shrieking, howling, and roaring.

Thats what he said yesterday Or was it a week ago?

Days blurred together as time lost meaning in this place, and Vir dared not hope. Cirayus Artifact had led them here, its light growing brighter and brighter, but itd led them astray before. It was entirely plausible that Saunak had sabotaged it, or that it was guiding them to another Imperium tower.

Vir didnt dare consider the possibilitythe thought of escape was the only thing keeping him going.

His eyes found Shan, who heaved with exertion despite the thick prana of their surroundings. Not quite as thick as Mahdi, but close.

The land had taken a toll on all of them. Vir had snapped at Cirayus more than he could count, and Shan was always irritable these days. Even Cirayus, who clearly spent great effort to keep his gentle and strong demeanor together, was fraying around the edges.

At least Vir could seek refuge within the Shadow Realm, where he fled more and more these days, purely to retain his sanity. For every minute, he spent nearly half of that within the Realm. Regaining his peace. Prolonging the endless torture.

When he could, he brought Shan in with him. The Ashfire Wolf appreciated it. How Cirayus managed without it, Vir couldnt know.

When inside the safety of the shadows, Vir often thought of Maiya. He thought of his home in Balindams Undercity, tucked safely away from harm. He yearned for the sturdy walls of Saunaks tower. What a luxury it was! It was only now, when he was so far from safety, that he realized its value.

Im so sick of this place. How much longer can I last?

Not long. More than once, in the moments when he dodged an enemys attack, his mind had drifted off. What if? What if he didnt dodge? What if he just let it all end?

The pain, the relentless fights, itd all disappear to sweet, black nothingness.

It was Maiyas blood-soaked image that always shook him out of those thoughts. It was a bleak reminder of why he fought.

Not for himself. But for her. For all those whod sacrificed so much for him. But everyone had their limits, and Vir had long ago exceeded his.

Lad! Over there! What do you see? Cirayus shouted, snapping Vir out of his reverie. During his daydream, Vir had managed to kill another half dozen Ash Beasts.

Vir flowed prana to his eyes, straining in the direction Cirayus pointed.

He saw nothing, but Prana Vision caught it. Covered by Ash Beasts was a network of underground somethings. Passages, by the looks of it. They crisscrossed under their feet, deep below the ground. It was difficult to tell with the amount of Ash Prana in the earth.

Virs heart skipped a beat, but he forced his emotions under control. He refused to celebrate. Not yet. Not until they were out.

But how do we get in? In between attacks and dodges, Vir traced the passages up to the surface. There was no obvious entrance.

Cirayus! Shan! To me! Vir called out, avoiding another rain of worm fragments as they fell. Even dead, each worm was like acid, burning everything it touched.

Vir didnt look for his alliesthat was a fruitless endeavor with the throngs of enemies. He simply followed the trail of death they left in their wake as they made their way to his position, and he knew they did the same to locate him.

Reunited once again, Vir played his hand over the Automatons control tablet, ordering it to follow. It was far too dangerous to venture away from the Guardian, and so they always fought with it close by.

Using its legs as cover from the Wyrm above, the three slowly made their way to the spot. They were aided by the Automaton, because while its eye beam was focused on the Wyrm above, its legs did a fine job of mulching any Ash Beast unfortunate enough to be caught under it.

Vir ordered a halt the moment they arrived.

Well? Cirayus asked, his voice strained. Where is it?

Below us! Vir said, but I dont know how to!?

A brilliant white light shone, blinding Vir. Consuming the world around them. The Ash Beasts faded away, breaking up into motes of white essence, as if reality itself was coming undone.

And then there was nothing. Only darkness.

So this is what death feels like.