Savage Divinity

There is no cure for regret, but also no cure for stupidity, and I am a man afflicted by both.

Regret because I knew Zhen Shi was lurking nearby but didn’t put enough effort into finding him before now. Stupidity because despite having all the relevant information in hand and the process laid out before me, I am still unable to make heads or tails of what I’m supposed to do next. Zhen Shi’s Ascension is both familiar and bizarre in that it hits all the same notes but in a vastly different order and rhythm to what I expected. When he let loose with an inhuman howl of pain and suffering, I was beside myself with glee despite still reeling from Bai Qi’s surprise attack because I thought the uppity bastard had fucked up and was about to Demonify, but now I see how wrong I was.

For the first full second of Zhen Shi’s Ascension, everything he did was analogous to a Demonic birth, from the foul gaze of the Father fixated upon him to the storm of Spectres surging into his soul in a hostile bid to become part and parcel of the whole. The world and the Heavens themselves were rejecting his efforts, so it was only a matter of time before he succumbed beneath the weight of his emotions and Demonified. This I believed wholeheartedly as I watched a vortex of disincarnate souls form around him as the Spectres screamed and shoved their way into his Natal Palace, a scene I wasn’t seeing so much as perceiving within the Void. They swarmed over him like locusts over a field of wheat, or so I thought until I realized the Spectres were more akin to moths drawn to the flames, hapless spirits lured into a trap whereupon they were consumed by Zhen Shi’s unyielding Will.

Never before had I seen so many Specters gathered in one place, not even when I gazed upon them out in the Void, millions upon millions of starving spiritual predators all consumed to fuel Zhen Shi’s rise to power. In a normal Demonification, the Spectres rend apart the host’s soul and amalgamate with it to merge together in a ramshackle affair, but Zhen Shi was somehow able to hold firm as they tore him apart and emerge dominant in the struggle for control of his eternal soul, one empowered by the additional metaphysical mass of the aforementioned Spectres. From there, he Shattered the Void and rebuilt himself from the ground up, but rather than draw upon the raw Energy of the Heavens to fuel his transformation, he relied solely on the energies of the Spectres themselves to reform and Refine his body, mind, and soul using the accumulated liquified corpse matter collected by the Demons here in Shi Bei.

Those are the broad strokes as far as I can tell, but even after seeing it all unfold with my own two eyes, I still can’t quite wrap my head around the process. Some of it makes perfect sense, like how Zhen Shi side-stepped the issue of controlling the raw Energy of the Heavens by finding a different source of usable Heavenly Energy in the form of repurposed Spectres, but I don’t understand how he Cleansed them. In fact, I’m pretty sure he didn’t Cleanse them, because the emotions were so thick I could taste them, with anger, hatred, and despair aplenty as the Spectres railed against their lamentable fate, but Zhen Shi somehow harnessed all those negative emotions and channelled them into a process of growth and rebirth. Creation birthed from Destruction in a manner that seemingly defies all logic no less, like shooting lasers that sprout fully formed trees wherever they hit. Inconceivable given what I know regarding the laws of physics, yet not entirely outside the realm of possibilities either, since I could see a way in which that might actually one day happen.

Like… I dunno, you’re shooting concentrated sunlight at seeds buried in super fertilizer which speeds up the process of growth and photosynthesis. Not likely, but plausible enough for me to write off as science I don’t entirely understand.

Then there’s the rebirth process itself, which I couldn’t follow at all, because I wasn’t able to actually see any muscle growth or physical development at all. In my mind, I always pictured it like in the movies, where you have a basic skeleton curled up in the fetal position as muscle tissue sort of sprouts and spreads all across it. Organs take shape wherever they’re needed, followed by ligaments and other little details like skin and hair and whatnot, all of which culminates in a dramatic moment where the newly formed person opens his or her eyes for the first time.

There was none of that here, no step-by-step development to follow or process to adhere to, not even a grotesque transformation like I’ve seen from other Demonic births. One moment, Zhen Shi was buried beneath the sands where he was hidden from sight, Concealed beneath the city to avoid notice while watching the battle unfold. Then his Ascension began, and a few seconds later, his transformation was complete, though for a second, I felt as if I could sense him as he was within his Natal Palace. Not as his new self, but as the older, almost grandfatherly gentleman clad in resplendent golden robes and enough skeletal jewellery to fill a Halloween costume shop. There he sat upon his Natal Throne, deep within his Natal Palace and buried underneath the sands, here in the real world and ensconced within the Void all at the same time, a duality of existence which somehow made perfect sense at the time. The two figures overlapped to become one and the same, even though they were one to begin with, like a man and his reflection merging together despite never truly being separate and distinct, with the end result being something more powerful, more vital, and more deadly than the man he was before.

And thus, Zhen Shi Ascended into his new form as easily as turning a hand after making all his careful preparations beforehand. The Spectres, the Demons, the liquified corpses, and probably even more that I have yet to realize, all of it came together in an instant to propel him along his Path and turn him into something more than a Divinity in utter defiance of the Heavens. This much I can feel from his presence alone, one which far outstrips that of the Demonic Divinity in Meng Sha, and still it continues to grow as the Divinities take to the field in spades. At first glance, Zhen Shi’s newfangled appearance is uninspiring to say the least, a lean and sinewy physique that is more or less rectangular in shape and far less chiselled than I would’ve expected. His shoulders, chest, waist, and hips are all a straight shot down, making him seem even skinnier than he already is given his complete and utter lack of curves or definition. Being butt-naked doesn’t help, but at least he didn’t go overboard and give himself a giant glowing blue dong, nor is he really moving all that much so I’m not forced to watch it flop around. As for his face, I wouldn’t call him ugly, but I wouldn’t say he’s beautiful either, as it’s a face so utterly plain and forgettable there’s really nothing to say about it. His appearance is bog-standard Imperial, with pale skin, brown eyes, round head, and weak chin, all punctuated by a broad nose and thin lips that do nothing to enhance or detract from his appearance. The only thing that really stands out apart from his nakedness is the total absence of any and all hair. I’m not talking about just head and beard, but eyebrows and body hair in general, which lends an unsettling ambiance to his whole façade that makes me want to look away out of mild discomfort.

Not because it’s ugly, but because it’s strange and I don’t want to be rude. Weird right? If it was just baldness, I’d be cracking jokes left, right, and centre, but I can’t bring myself to hate on him for being completely hairless. That’s like a health condition or something, and I get the feeling like I’m about to be slapped the moment I mention it.

Ugh. The memes just don’t stop, not even with a bunch of walking nukes ready to glass all of Shi Bei, but I suppose that’s just my way of coping. To my grave chagrin, I notice that not all of the Imperial Divinities are staying to support Grandpa Wolf and would rather take their chances trying to break through the Enemy encirclement and flee, but there’s nothing I can do to stop them. Gang Shu is amongst the first to turn tail and run, leaving his band of merry bandits and even his two sons behind, but the Ancestral Rhino soon follows suit, which is surprising to say the least. Out of all the Divinities I’ve briefly interacted with, he seemed like the most die-hard Imperialist of all, so I would’ve expected him to stand and fight with so much on the line. At least Mama Gam and the Ancestral Bull Niu Mowang are still here, but I’ve yet to see hide or hair of any Divinities heralding from the Imperial Clan.

And I doubt I will either, meaning the fate of Shi Bei and quite possibly the Empire itself hinges on the actions of Grandpa Wolf and his allies, none of whom hesitate to take the fight to the Enemy as Zhen Shi weathers an explosive flurry of blows from the old wolf himself. The sheer magnitude of power involved is beyond my meagre comprehension as the seemingly frail Ancestral Wolf unleashes hell in the skies above Shi Bei, yet Zhen Shi doesn’t move a single step as he stands there seemingly lost in thought. His arms move about to block and parry some of Grandpa Wolf’s attacks, but oddly enough, he also makes an effort to stop Peace and send it flying away every time it hurtles towards him. Maybe the Natal Soul controlling it knows why, but the answers provided make no sense and I’ve no time to even think about it as yet another inexplicable phenomenon unfolds before my eyes. There’s nothing I can do but stop and stare as the routing Defiled army stops and turns about on a dime, a menacing sight in and of itself. This alone is not enough to alarm me given how we’ve already killed the majority of the Peak Expert combatants, but then they set to slaughtering one another out on the desert sands and set into motion a massed Demonification unlike anything the world has ever seen.

No, not Demonification, but a partial Ascendence, one initiated not by the Spectres or surrender, but by Zhen Shi himself. As I watch the death and transformation unfold, I’m reminded of how I helped Rustram find success with Domain Development by granting him Authority in place of the Heavens above. One thing I’ve never understood is how Rustram retained his Authority even after I stopped assisting him, and I was even worried that I might have limited his future potential by helping him, but only now do I see how wrong I was. By granting him Authority over the Heavens, all I did was hold back the flood for a moment while he built up his own personal barrier to protect him from the surging waters of the Heavens above. So long as his foundation was sound and his method’s up to par, then he was free to continue along his Path unobstructed even after I stopped helping him, because all I did was lend him a hand and let him progress unhindered long enough to find his footing before the waves crashed into him once again.

And now Zhen Shi is doing the same for millions of Chosen and tribesmen, though the numbers dwindle rapidly as they slaughter one another in order to fuel the transformations of the survivors. The strong thrive, and the weak die, such is Zhen Shi’s Dao, one which is reflected in the eyes of his minions as he graces them with his Tainted Heavenly Energy which guides them towards the peak in defiance of the Heavens. Even his cohort of Demons are sacrificed for the cause, slaughtered and consumed to create even more powerful half-Demons immune to being Devoured by myself and Cleansed by Blobby, resulting in a net increase of usable strength on the battlefield. These transformations take only a handful of seconds to complete, all carried out in tandem, but there’s an unsettling sense of something amiss regarding these Ascended Half-Demons.

A sense is all it is as I watch this all unfold in awe, captivated by the plethora of transformations still unfolding before my eyes, for the Chosen and Tribesmen lack Zhen Shi’s carefully laid preparations and undergo their metamorphosis step by careful step. Oddly enough, most end up creating armour to support their still-human physiques, likely because these Defiled are not so far gone as to wholly surrender to emotions. It could also be because the Spectres themselves are not driving the transformation, but rather the subconscious of the hosts instead. Their bodies swell with might as Zhen Shi supplies them with the usable Heavenly Energy they require, yet I sense a wrongness about this power which tells me it’s not the same as what Blobby provides. If it was water, I would call it murky and unclean, filled with so much filth and offal that I wouldn’t want to even step in it, much less drink it to survive, yet drink the Defiled do as if they were dying of thirst, and I can see how it pollutes their body, minds, and souls. Not by Zhen Shi’s design, I soon realize, for he himself is similarly contaminated, fruit of the poison tree as it were, except it matters not one whit. The collective Wills of the Spectres have yet to be erased, an excess of grievances and grudges accumulated since the dawn of mankind, all of which continues to rail and rage against their newfangled shackles as Zhen Shi converts them into tainted but usable Heavenly Energy. For the first time since uncovering the existence of this formidable foe, I am given a glimpse as to just how staggering the difference between us truly is, for I almost succumbed to the wiles of a mere pittance of Spectres, while Zhen Shi bears the weight of millions without so much as blinking an eye.

Not because he’s better at shutting the Spectres out, which is how I dealt with their whispered lies. No, I can see them even now writhing about his soul, mind, and body all at once, changed but not gone. Constrained only by his physical and metaphysical mass while left free to run rampant within, the transformed Spectres continue spewing their hate-filled rhetoric and honeyed promises of power and pleasure aplenty. Rather than ignore or rise above them, Zhen Shi has embraced the Spectres as a whole and even indulges them to some extent, playing along with their fantasies of discord and depravity without ever losing sight of his true self. This goes beyond the realm of an iron will, beyond even that of steel, titanium, or any other hardy metal I could conceivably name, for Zhen Shi is but a man like any other, yet he refuses to waver even a single step despite revelling in all manner of debauched, murderous, or despondent thoughts at every second of every day.

The same condition can be seen in the empowered Defiled Ascending on the desert sands at this very moment, their very existence infested with unchecked Spectres yet somehow unaffected by this. How? Zhen Shi holding fast to Balance is one thing, but these are tribesmen and Chosen we’re talking about, people who have long since succumbed to their Spectres and not known for being the most resolute of people even on their best days. Even then, not a single one succumbs to true Demonification as they each complete their partial Ascendence in full success, resulting in well over a million Demon-Level threats emerging on the battlefield in a matter of seconds, one the Imperial Army behind me is ill-equipped to deal with.

And then it strikes me, the reason why I find this all so unsettling. It’s not the wrongness of their transformation or union which irks me so, but a sense of transgression taking place, an air of sin and violation unfolding before my eyes that I cannot put into words. It's in the way Zhen Shi’s Tainted Heavenly Energy surges in their bodies and the ominous manner in which it flows through them, an unpleasant pattern to behold as it takes root within which reminds me of the flow of Spectres within the golden robe Keystone Zhen Shi wore within his Natal Palace. It’s disconcerting, yet draws the eye and mind all the same, almost hypnotic and alluring in spite of the revulsion it inspires, like the morbid curiosity which drives us towards the unknown.

A series of ear-splitting explosions rock me out of my fugue and I break free of Zhen Shi’s massed mesmerizing magics just in time. My teacher Taddy inadvertently saved me as he brings the scuffle between Divinities to an all time high, shaking the world with a wave of his hand and unleashing Heavens knows how many Explosive Winds at Zhen Shi and his approaching Divinities. All this is by design, I know this to be true, though I cannot put into words how I know what I do, and I believe that he is utilizing the method he used to control Demons in order to control his newly Ascended Half-Demon army. Not entirely sure how, but it makes too much sense to ignore, for more reasons than one. Zhen Shi loves control, and I know his robes had something to do with how he controlled Spectres and Demons, so why not Half-Demons as well?

Something to keep in mind, because if he’s the sole puppet master, then I might be able to use this knowledge to my advantage. The method of Ascension is similar to how I helped Rustram Develop his Domain, but whereas I lent him a hand and left him to do all the hard work himself, Zhen Shi is hell-bent on showing his Defiled the Path to take and all but forcing them to adhere to his Path, though I suspect they each believe they are moving forward of their own free will. Maybe that’s why most are merely armoured humanoids, because they are still human yet and unwilling to let go of their physical forms and identities. This raises many questions regarding why Spiritual Beasts would become Ancestral Beasts with humanoid forms rather than Divine Beasts and keep the same general form, but that’s something for future me to deliberate about. Present me needs to focus on seeing and remembering everything and anything alongside surviving so there is a future me to bother, though I could really go without having to see Zhen Shi’s dong flopping around as he reels back from the Abbot’s invisible and imposing attack, one I can barely even perceive much less make sense of.

No doubt threatened by this close call, Zhen Shi smacks Peace out of the air yet again before finally focusing on the Divinities around him. A smug, self-satisfied sneer stretches across his plain, boring face, and as I struggle against the urge to shove my boot down his throat, I realize that he’s been distracted all this time because he was busy overseeing the Defiled Ascendancies over yonder. At least not all of the Defiled stopped to take part in his games, though I suspect it’s more due to a lack of resources than anything else, given how he had to slaughter most of the Defiled who did stop just to fuel the transformation of the rest. That being said, a million Demon-level combatants are more than what even the entirety of the Imperial Army can readily deal with, to say nothing of the ragged and weary Demon Slayers and Peak Experts of Shi Bei.

And as if this were not bad enough, Zhen Shi makes his first move in the battle between Divinities and brings the clash to a standstill. The Energy of the Heavens rage and roil as they resist his Will, yet they are drawn along to do his bidding regardless of their reluctance as his Domain billows out and Materializes all around him. Divinities on both sides retreat to watch it all unfold, with Grandpa Wolf leaning against my side while huffing and puffing for all he’s worth and Taduk appearing behind me as he strokes my head and Lin-Lin’s as well, who hasn’t left my side after helping me up from my collision with Bai Qi. Funny to think that only happened a few seconds ago, but a lot has happened in the time since, so all I can do is pray that she’s quick enough on her feet to get out if the Divinities really get out of hand.

That’s all the time I have for errant thought however as I lose myself in the details of Zhen Shi’s working, a powerful and complex process which rivals the storm I called forth in JiangHu. The skies do not darken, the clouds do not swirl, the earth does not shake, nor does the wind howl, yet the world dims nonetheless in a manner besides the physical, as if everything in and around Shi Bei was coated in an impossibly thin film of translucent grease. There is a wrongness about this which I cannot explain, as if this act was a transgression against Heaven and Earth itself, yet no matter how much the Energy of the Heavens bucks and heaves, it is unable to throw off Zhen Shi’s grip. The monster himself stands stock still with eyes closed and arms spread wide, his head tilted upwards to face the sun with his sneer still holding strong, and for a second, all of Shi Bei watches with bated breath as he seizes control of reality itself. There within his Domain, he holds absolute authority, but there are still worldly laws to abide by, laws which even he finds difficult to surpass. Difficult but not impossible, for the conservation of energy and mass seems but a mere suggestion as Zhen Shi braids strands of Heavenly Energy into a physical thread not once, not twice, but thousands upon thousands of times. Those threads are then woven together and a pattern soon emerges, revealing the familiar golden robes I’d seen him wearing before whilst ensconced in his Natal Palace, the immaterial made material as he brings his vision forth into reality, seemingly creating something out of nothing without violating the laws of physics, but bending them nonetheless.

Which is honestly kinda fascinating if I’m being honest. It’s one thing to use Heavenly Energy to bulk up your physique, since that’s really only stimulating natural growth and fuelling it with something besides diet and exercise, but this is something else altogether. Then again, I did this exact same thing, when I used Panacea to reforge Peace even after it was shattered and dusted. I am the Sword and the Sword is me, yet Zhen Shi has gone above and beyond this by weaving robes out of thin air, without even fuelling the process with his own blood and flesh like I did. While you could argue that the Energy of the Heavens is being converted into the ingredients needed to produce the threads, there’s a big difference between using what’s available in the physical world and transforming it into something else, to taking the immaterial Heavenly Energy and producing a physical object. I took my flesh and transformed it into the steel of my sword, whereas Zhen Shi is creating everything he needs from scratch, which once again shows just how vast the gulf between us truly is.

Because there’s more to this than Heavenly Energy, something I have yet to truly understand, but yet I recognize its presence all the same because I myself have touched upon it.

That being said, I note that my method was far more efficient, as I created a giant storm and guided three-thousand Irregulars to Core Formation while all Zhen Shi has done is make himself some fancy robes. Runic Robes, to be fair, but again, it probably would’ve been easier to hire an actual tailor to make the robes and engrave the Runes himself, assuming he knows how to. Efficiency is key, though Zhen Shi seems none too shy about using the power he has, which is bad news all around. Seeing how the Spectres are still active and cognizant of their surroundings, I’m guessing that his process of extracting ‘usable’ Heavenly Energy from them doesn’t erase them from existence the way Blobby does, though I doubt it’s without limit. Then again, there are always more Spectres to be had, especially if the Canston Trading Group is still active in the West and carrying out their Anathema production. Considering Zhen Shi has the power to direct their movements and keep them away from me, I have to assume he can call them over to himself as well, meaning so long as there are humans to create Spectres around, he has more or less an infinite supply of tainted but usable Heavenly Energy to draw upon to make all manner of Half-Demons and Runic robes.

Which honestly just isn’t fair at all. I can’t even crack him open and Devour his Spectres because they’re part and parcel of his soul now, meaning Blobby can’t Cleanse them either, so I guess we’re all fucked.

On the bright side, the androgynous baldie is no longer naked as he descends from the skies above, moving out to join with his Half-Demon army which Cloud-Stepped over in an instant. So fast they arrived before the returning Imperial cavalry, our forces are now split in two, but thankfully, Zhen Shi seems in a chatty mood and pays no mind to the troops before and behind him.

“Bear witness and tremble,” he intones, his voice both soothing and jarring to behold. The words send a sensual chill down my spine while simultaneously driving a spike deep into my brain, and judging by the reaction, the experience is not limited to me alone. The Imperial Army flinches as one, but to my delight, they all stand firm rather than give into despair despite their glorious victory having been snatched away before their very eyes. “For this Sovereign has surpassed the limits of mortality and will soon usher in a new age of humanity, an age of Immortals who shall one day rise up into the Heavens and slay the gods themselves.” Silence is all that greets him in response, and I can tell he doesn’t like that much as his smug sneer turns into a dissatisfied scowl. So simple a change in expression, yet I sense the courage and conviction of my Imperial allies shaking, a mere grimace enough to shake these hardened veterans and survivors. There’s more to it than just mere expression, some not-so-subtle working of Aura, something familiar yet different enough that I just know a regular Emotional Aura won’t be enough to counter it. It’s as if Zhen Shi’s emotions are speaking directly to all of us, his anger and dissatisfaction made real on a personal level, and there’s nothing I can do to stop him as he utters, “Kneel”, and the soldiers of Shi Bei fall to their knees.

There are a few exceptions of course, as I myself remain unaffected, as does Lin-Lin and the other Divinities, but everyone else from commoner to Peak Expert alike have no choice to obey, despite their unwillingness to do so. Restless growls and muted discontent ripples down the line as they try to make sense of the madness before them, an entire army brought to their knees by a single word from their foe, the infamous Uniter of the Enemy. “There now,” Zhen Shi croons, pleased as punch with the display before him. “See how easy it is to comply? This Sovereign seeks not your deaths, but to bring all of humanity to new heights, heights denied to you by the Imperial Clan and the Emperor himself.” Gesturing at the Half-Demon army gathered around him, Zhen Shi continues, “See for yourself the progress this Sovereign has already wrought, and envision what we could do with more time and resources. What’s more, even an Emperor requires his ministers to rule the Empire, so this Sovereign mercifully offers those gathered here today this one chance to make amends for your sins. Swear yourselves over to this Sovereign, and together, we will overthrow the true Enemy of mankind and reach the full potential which has so far been denied us.”

Time freezes as Zhen Shi’s tantalizing offer sinks into the minds and hearts of the Imperial soldiers, and I fear it will not be long before they succumb to his Will. This is not an offer made in good faith, but one powered by the same seductive persuasion utilized by Spectres to turn good men and women into deranged and murderous psychopaths. First the stick, then the carrot, this is Zhen Shi’s chosen method of drawing soldiers over to his side, and as soon as the first Imperial voices his intent to bend the knee, you can be sure there will be hundreds, if not thousands to follow suit soon after. Such is the weakness of the human heart, especially in the face of such overwhelming strength, meaning the only way to prevent a complete and total collapse of morale is to show them that we can still fight back.

Peace appears in my hand, but I do not recall seeing it fly back into hand, a discrepancy I have no time to ponder just yet. The sword radiates thrill and excitement as it senses my Intent and is delighted to cut down so formidable a foe. The prospect of failure never once enters into the equation, for Peace is a sword, and a sword is a tool for killing, so kill it must to fulfill its purpose. Oddly enough, the mere thought of creating a sword spirit has unconsciously set the process into motion, as the Natal Soul in charge of Peace took it upon himself to leave the Call Centre of the Void to take up residence within the sword itself. When this happened, I can’t exactly say, for though my connection to the Natal Soul still remains, he has transformed too much for me to make sense of all his thoughts. I am the Sword and the Sword is me, the process now fully complete, and Peace hums with an eager energy once more as I raise it and ready to strike. The Energy of the Heavens surges through me, but where Zhen Shi seizes control and directs it with his Will alone, I harness its wild movements using my sword as both Keystone and focus. My Domain billows out through Peace, no longer a Domain that is mine and mine alone, but a Sword Domain within which I exert my Authority through my blade alone. I did this once before, but only now am I able to understand what took place, for this time, I utilize Peace as a Keystone to Materialize my Sword Domain without Blobby’s assistance and watch it all unfold step by careful step.

The eight fundamental Chi skills come together to form something new without so much as a thought from me, a process driven by the iconic representation of my sword itself. Unlike a puzzle with only a single solution, I acknowledge the Truth staring me right in the face, one I touched upon earlier but never wholly understood. This is Sword Force, but there are an infinite number of different ways to put the eight fundamental Chi Skills together to create an infinite number of resulting forces, the same way Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen can form so many different compounds. These complex, manufactured forces are different from what we might encounter in nature. Spear Force, Sabre Force, Palm Force, and more, the result is dependent on more than just what weapon you use, but a defining factor in the means through which it damages your foe. The specifics escape me for now, though I can easily guess that Honing features prominently in Sword Force, for this was the clue Blobby first gave me all the way back in Sanshu, but only now am I able to perceive the vast complexities he was hinting at. This Sword Force is the reason why Zhen Shi didn’t risk taking my sword head on, because in combining the eight fundamental Chi Skills, I have created something which transcends the Natural Laws of this world, a higher order power with which I could challenge the Heavens themselves.

But for now, I will content myself with cutting down the arrogant and pretentious bastard before me.

My chosen Movement is undefined, a simple cursory swing of the sword which feels wholly natural and effortless, my body merely an extension of the weapon which I have become. I have one purpose, to kill, and I strike with this in mind, utilizing every muscle and Chi Skill available to me to eke out every iota of power available to me. The strike falls woefully short, for I still stand upon the battlements of Shi Bei while Zhen Shi is at least a quarter-kilometre away, yet while my physical form is unable to reach him, my Sword Force knows no bounds within my Sword Domain. Rather than stretch out in all directions, my Sword Domain converges upon my target with a sword comprised of Sword Force and Sword Domain alone, an immaterial blade with the power to sever reality and the Void itself. Zhen Shi’s diffuse and extended Domain is no match for mine as it cuts through all his metaphysical defenses with ease, but even if he focused all his efforts on a singular defense, it would do him no good. The Authority of my sword supersedes his even within the bounds of his Domain, for wherever my sword passes, so too does my Domain.

I am the Sword. The Sword is me. The sword cares not for laws, morals, or ethics, for those are human contrivances, and the sword is but a tool for killing.

And I will not be denied.

My attack slams into Zhen Shi’s golden robes and they part like wheat before the scythe. His flesh succumbs in a similar manner, cleaving clean through his chest with laughable ease before continuing onwards to exit out his back. From there, my Sword Force cuts through the sky and hurtles ever forward until my Domain can stretch no longer, at which point the attack is all but spent and I collect myself once again. All this happens in less time than it takes to blink an eye, my foe still yet to finish even uttering his last syllable before my sword carves through him in a spray of blood. Sagging in place where I stand, I take note of the exorbitant expenditure this singular attack cost me, for not only did it require a significant amount of Chi and Heavenly Energy, it also required something even more than that, something that has left me drained and enervated in ways I’ve never felt before. It’s not just life force like I theorized earlier, but perhaps even death force as well, the equal and opposing force which I believe is needed for life. There’s still more to this attack, more which I have spent and can only sense by noting a glaring absence of anything else, like knowing there is wind in the distance by noting the swirling sand, a deduction made in absence of all other evidence.

This is an attack made with my life on the line, this much I know, but even knowing it would cost me everything up to my last and final breath, I would still choose to attack once again.

Or maybe not, considering Zhen Shi doesn’t seem all that put off by the attack, aside from a modicum of blood and surprise as his robes mend to hide the bloody furrow across his chest, one which should have cleaved him in twain yet has hardly inconvenienced him.

…Should’ve gone for the head. C’mon man. How many times do I have to learn this same lesson?

Every eye in and around Shi Bei turns towards me, as if instinctively sensing that I was the one who unleashed the attack. All the attention compels me to speak despite knowing it’s probably better to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t stay silent in the face of Zhen Shi’s demands, because the kneeling Imperial soldiers are all looking to me for hope and direction. Like it or not, I lead here in Shi Bei, by virtue of being the only person under Divinity left standing, which means I need to set the right example for everyone else and tell Zhen Shi where to shove it. “Never before have I met a more pretentious prick,” I begin, my speech already getting off to a rocky start. “And believe me when I say that’s an impressive accomplishment. Kneel before you? I would not kneel even if the Father Himself were standing here before me, and you still bleed like any other mortal. I’ve no more patience for your deluded ramblings. There will be no surrender here in Shi Bei, none offered nor accepted, so whether you stand and fight or turn to flee, I will take your head here today.”

Not my best speech ever, but not the worst either. The results are surprising even to me as the Imperial soldiers find the strength to get back on their feet, though I’m not entirely sure if I can take credit for that. I think Zhen Shi’s Compulsion, for lack of a better word, was temporary rather than a binding command, and not so much a command as a strongly worded suggestion. Li-Li might’ve been able to resist if she had her Emotional Aura already defensively deployed, though I doubt that alone would’ve been enough. As far as I can tell, Zhen Shi pit his Will against the Wills of everyone gathered here in Shi Bei, but in individual matches rather than all of us against him, and it’s clear that he has Willpower in spades. What’s more, this was not an attack directed at the body or mind, but the soul itself, and most Martial Warriors have pitifully weak souls in comparison to the rest of their stats. This Compulsion is likely an advanced form of whatever Shen Zhen Wu used to bolster the crowd way back in Nan Ping, and similar to how Gen was able to entice so many others to his side through words alone.

That being said, my speech bought enough time for my allies to clear their heads and shake off their fright as they raise their voices in a defiant cheer. The odds are still stacked against us, especially with so many Half-Demons to contend with, but for the first time ever, we actually have numbers on our side. Not only that, but I’ve shown them that the Uniter bleeds, and if he bleeds, we can most definitely kill him.

Uttering a wordless snort, Zhen Shi meets my gaze and a brilliant idea strikes me as I witness the depths of hatred and fury buried deep within. As I noted before, this is a man who indulges in emotions yet never allows it to control him, but I am a man who excels at inducing nigh uncontrollable rage. Going with my instincts, I offer him my best smirk and add, “Come, little worm. Make your move, and this Legate shall teach you the true meaning of regret.”

And true to form, Zhen Shi lashes out in his rage with an attack that strikes me before I can even register any movement. Agony overwhelms me for an instant as my existence explodes into darkness and despair, and I watch as the world falls out from underneath me. Gone is the harsh sun and stifling heat of Shi Bei, replaced by the calm silence of the unending Void stretching out in all directions. “Such hubris,” Zhen Shi hisses as he slams into me like a truck, hurtling me out into the Void and away from the safety and sanctity offered by my body and mind. “To dare say that you will teach me? Oh there will be regret aplenty, but it will be this Sovereign who does the teaching.”

A flurry of attacks tear me apart from inside and out as I try to make sense of this madness, the world shifting around me to reveal all manner of illusions which I readily ignore. I don’t know how he managed it, but he somehow ripped my soul out of my Natal Palace and brought me here to do battle in the Void, but as I weather his storm of attacks and find my bearings once more, I realize this might not be so bad after all. I am still connected to my body and mind, able to find my way back to them the same way I could spin in circles for hours and still point at my Spiritual Weapons, but the thought of fleeing is the furthest thing from my mind. My body isn’t entirely defenseless, since one of my Natal Souls will no doubt step up to take charge, and here in the Void, I might actually stand a better chance against Zhen Shi than I would in reality. So long as I keep clear of Zhen Shi’s Natal Palace, then this is now a battle of Wills, and if my Natal Soul General could put up a fight, then I most certainly can as well.

Letting loose a roar of fury as I meet Zhen Shi head on, I grapple with him here in the Void and meet his eyes with a snarl. “You done fucked up now,” I exclaim, taking great delight in what comes next as I Visualize my Will and make all my dreams come true, “Because I’m exercising my right to bear arms!”

Seeing his surprise and confusion is almost as satisfying as smacking him across the face with a bear paw, one which rips and tears through his metaphysical mass without leaving any blood behind. Howling in unspoken glee, I follow up with a flurry of bear-enhanced blows that is everything I’d ever hoped it would be and more, for here in the Void, imagination is power, and I’ve spent the better part of two lifetimes preparing for this very fight.

For while others were out partying and having sex, I studied the meme.

Chapter Meme