Chapter 48 - Massacre Part 3

“Index and ring fingers,” said Solana, looking at the dispersed remains of stone. “The Asukan and the changeling haven't gotten to Banksi yet. Yet the Outsider is requesting aid, not for himself, but for those two. In this situation, the next course of action would be…”

“Of course he’s the first one that gets in over his head,” snapped Tanya, as she looked at the army behind her. “How soon can we move in?”

“Not as quickly as you think,” said Solana, frowning. “Nihil and his group were supposed to get at least an hour to open a tear through the wards. Aguilar was supposed to deactivate the ward stones first.”

“Don’t have that much time at our hands,” said Tanya. “For all we know, someone alerted my grandfather. We’re on a time constraint, so I’ll improvise.”

“Improvise?” demanded Solana, annoyed. “Lukas was supposed to clear the central courtyard for you before you can rift through.”

“Won’t be rifting,” said Tanya. “I’ll tear my way through the wards.”

“Don’t be stupid. The wards are at full power. Without shutting the wardstones down, nothing short of a Level-4 hit can destabilize them. You are far from it, girl.”

Tanya smirked. Two weeks ago, she'd been in complete agreement with her words. If she had the liberty of time, she might have been able to possibly deconstruct or make a tiny hole in the fortress’s wards using consecutive, pinpointed Level-3 strikes.

Frost had shown her a different technique.

Without bothering to explain anything, she raised both hands forward. Between her palms, a sphere of devastation was born. An orb of tremendous pressure, held in place by a madness just as deadly.

She couldn’t have explained to anyone what she did. She wasn’t sure that she understood it herself, at least on a conscious level. She simply knew. She gathered the essence of Everfrost, and fed it to the wind core in the center, grinning as it began to imbibe it, becoming more and yet less at the same time.

The shot she lined up was perfect. If her father was there, he would have praised her. The stance, the mental draw and the release were fluid and perfect, the only change being the moment between draw and release where she spoke her aria.

“WIND SHEAR!”

The aerodynamic implosion missile cut through the air, and only after it had been gone for half a second did the noise of its passing actually meet the warm a strange warbling howl as it twisted through the air, spinning with impossible intensity, the force of its turning so great that just its passing struck the world around it like a physical blow. But when she had fired it against the bylestyr in the borderland, it had been far more powerful than this one.

More powerful, yes, but power wasn’t the only thing that mattered.

“What the….” she heard Maude murmur in panic, before realizing what she had done. “Are you sure that thing will be able to hit the wards from here? We are several miles away.”

Tanya ignored her, and stood like that, unmoving, waiting for the inevitable result. She already knew where it would hit and how. Now it was simply a matter of dealing with the inevitable consequence.

It took six more seconds for Wind Shear to cross the distance between her and the ward barrier, the missile arching up, taking a parabolic path that took it far above the highest peak in the area, and then it began its descent, howling its belated war cry as it homed in on its target.

There was no thunderous detonation. No flames reaching towards the skies.

Nothing.

Instead a ripple of something spread from the epicenter of the blast and then —

“There is a hole in the north-eastern side of the wards,” whispered Solana, her intense gaze stuck on her face.  Her voice definitely sounded strained, and Tanya had to suppress a sigh at the thought that she might just be giving her an aneurysm if this kept up. “That power. It wasn’t even Level-3.”

“Everfrost has far more applications than just consuming lifeforce, Solana.”

“This is inconceivable,” Maude murmured., shaking her head slowly.

“I only do one thing,” Tanya admitted softly. “But what I do, I am the best at.”

“I see,” said Solana. “From the Empress’s memories?”

“No, from something far older than her,” said Tanya, smirking.

“Who?”

She shook her head. “I’ll tell you later. For now, Olfric and Elena need my aid.”

“Be careful, Tanya,” said Maude. “Aguilar was the one requesting aid, which means he’s found something that even he’s having problems with. Who knows what kind of accursed enchantments and beasts ravage the innards of that castle…”

Tanya let out a small snort.

“You think he’s too strong to need help?” asked Solana, little flickers of annoyance in her dark eyes. “I know he defeated the Empress, but you will do well to remember that the Empress was restrained by your own body’s limitations, and not taking him seriously from the start.”

“Oh no, you misunderstand me,” said Tanya, the tiniest of cruel smiles playing on her lips.

BOOOM!

The top-left portion of the fortress erupted violently with a flash so bright that it put a bolt of lightning to shame. They watched as layers upon layers of protective wards sprung into existence, trying to block the power from escaping, a classic case of an unstoppable force against an immovable object, with the shockwave from the collision blowing the rooftop into splinters.

“That’s got to be…” began Maude.

“Lukas,” said Tanya, still smiling. “I’ve faced a lot of opponents in my life as an adventurer and a fugitive, Maude. Anomalies, monsters, beasts, mercenaries, beast tamers, warriors and spiritists. I have witnessed enchantments and techniques surpassed, evaded, circumvented, disrupted, usurped, altered, deconstructed, dissolved, and so on…”

BOOOM!

If the previous one was comparable to a brilliant fork of lightning, this one definitely fell in the leagues of an overpowered Level-3 attack. This time the wards didn’t just intercept the might of the attack, they detonated, silvery flames roaring upwards, leaving a sickly, grayish void in the sky.

“And yet,” continued Tanya with a smile, “to this day, I have never come across any tool or person that utterly and unilaterally butchers through every skill, enchantment or technique he comes across like him.”

“Butchers?” repeated Maude.

“Solana’s barriers, Meynte’s ability to rift through space, the deception of Nidhogg’s lair, my own Everfrost eroding my sanity, getting stranded in a borderland, being possessed… need I go on?”

“Point made,” said Solana, the edges of her lips twisted upwards in a scowl.

“Trust me,” said Tanya, as she prepared to shoot into the sky and join her lover in battle. “This is just the beginning. From here on, Lukas will only grow dangerous and terrible. And the things that oppose him will try harder, and he will only be more dangerous and more terrible for it. If you all have the sense, and I know you do, you have seen it. You have felt it. I might be the one to wield Ezzeron, and the future Lady of the Shimizu after all this is over, but make no mistake, it will be Lukas who’d have defeated my grandfather in battle, shattered his bones, torn his kami away from him. I might be the one to strike the killing blow, but the deed will be his.”

“Are you claiming he’s a threat to us?” asked Solana.

“I’m saying no such thing,” said Tanya. “Lukas is a kind person. Too kind for the shit he’s dealing with. To the point of being a flat out fool. But he isn’t unreasonable, and likes to help people if they ask for help, even without expecting anything in return. You have tricked and deceived him from the start, captured him, forced him to fight for his life, bound him in unreasonable contracts and tricked me, someone he cares for, into being possessed by Meynte. And yet, he’s being civil with you. That’s just the person he is.”

Solana glared back at her with irritation.

“We both know how he was when he first arrived in our world, Solana. And in this tiny time frame, he has battled more things that most people face in their lifetimes. Yes, he has his own priorities, priorities that he will go to the end of the world and spit in the face of monsters, yokai, Asukans, muspels, bylestyrs, Emperors, and Kings, even you, to achieve. They are not unreasonable, immoral or unrealistic, at least for him. But that hasn’t changed the fact that he faced everything he did, passed through every impossible obstacle that this world threw on his path, just to stay true to his goals. And he won.”

She smirked at Solana’s caustic expression, as her feet left the ground. “Food for thought.”

....

....

....

It was a trap.

The battalions around him were spread resourcefully in camps, surrounding him from all three sides. And by ‘camps’, he didn’t mean the types separated by fences, but with the sheer violence of numbers.

The first five rows of soldiers held spear-like things nearly twenty-feet long that required two hands. Lukas had faced them before to know that they could shoot energy blasts out of the pointy end, and were the equivalent of guns for this world. Heavy and not easily maneuverable, but the sheer firepower made up for the lack of flexibility in movement.

Lukas assumed they were the major cavalry unit, but for all their numbers, they wouldn’t be very efficient due to their heavy weapons. They lacked the ability to cope with any quick actions, and a quick Analysis told him that the only thing protecting them from any wide-area attacks were the remarkably strong defensive enchantments on their scale mails.

That is, assuming someone could ignore their suppressive fire and get to them first.

And then there were the spiritists, the warriors, and the monsters from the Shimizu Well to take care of everything else. And that was discounting those outside his range of vision, attacking him from afar.

Number of Prey within Scan Radius: 2147

After destroying every single entity in the fourth to seventh floors, Lukas had leaped down to the outer courtyard, where the remnants of the army were waiting for him. He could only imagine that the soldiers had realized how disadvantaged they were in facing him in direct combat, so were now planning to overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

The strategist in him approved. Even with Blob’s protection and full-scale Kinetomancy, he doubted he’d be able to take on the entire force all at once. Had he not been storing the sacrifice, killing these men would have gained a couple of Level-Ups for sure. It would have granted him a fuck ton of firepower and an enhanced compatibility with Kinetomancy, but that was neither here nor there.

He momentarily considered transforming Blob back into the dinosaur or the bylestyr, which were likely the strongest prototypes in his array, but he doubted either would survive the onslaught of this army. If he was creative, he could potentially create three to four bylestyrs out of the aqāru he had on his person, but even that would fall short.

Especially with the army having himthursars on their side.

Tanya was probably on her way to aid Olfric and Elena. Which meant he couldn’t count on her help either.

“Surrender,” claimed Ultaf Shimizu, from behind the safety of his armored vehicle. “Surrender, and your death will be quick! Not even you cannot survive an onslaught of an army this massive! Not even you.”

That he was able to talk so soon spoke volumes about his healing skill. Or maybe he had had some healer rejuvenate him. Didn’t matter either way.

“Eh, that’s not much of an incentive, is it?” He shot back. Inwardly, he was already scanning the entire area, analyzing what it was he was about to face and what he could work with.

Let’s see. Anti-terramantic wards on the floor. Fuckers must have noticed I can terraport, and don’t want me to get past this floor. A trap? No, that doesn’t make much sense. They saw me flying earlier, but I see no wards above.

Not a trap then, more like a… precaution? A pre-established ward scheme? For what?

He ran a deeper Scan.

What are you fuckers hiding here?

Ley Line Located within Scan Radius

Downward distance: 18 feet

Eighteen feet, huh? If he could connect to a ley line, then he could use the power to blast the entire army to Kingdom Come. But, that was assuming he wasn’t pierced in a hundred different places all at once from those spear-ends.

Still, it was an avenue with a lot of potential. Only problem was how to connect it. He couldn’t terraport, obviously. But that wasn’t the only way to reach down there, was it?

Territory Creation Activated

Set Boundaries. Neutered Earth. Two inches radial diameter. Downward length eighteen feet. Expansion.

He felt a thin incision form in the wards beneath his right foot, and felt Blob slide downwards in the form of a two-inch thick aqāru pipe towards the ley line beneath.

Extending Parameters

“You have no choice,” said Ultaf, his usual smugness rolling off his features. “My soldiers captured your friends — the Bergott, and the changeling. Surrender, or they will be cut down like swines.”

Liar. Lukas thought. If Olfric had been captured, he’d have sent a signal through the gemstones. Same for Elena. Unless—

Unless they were captured before they could send a message? A simple hypnosis would do the trick. Elena might be invulnerable against that, but a smack on her head would drop her just as well. The gemstone on his little finger had exploded some time ago, which meant they had successfully gotten Zuken out. But that didn’t mean they weren’t in any danger.

Fifty-fifty chances either way.

“And what about Zuken?” He asked.

“Still in his prison. Where else?”

Liar. Lukas thought again. If he wasn’t sure earlier, all of his doubts had faded now. Ultaf didn’t have them. Perhaps he didn’t even know that they had freed Zuken.

But Ultaf didn’t need to know that he knew that.

“And… if I surrender, you’ll set them free?”

“Of course,” he said in an oily tongue.

Ley Line Connected

Capacitance Function Active

Engaging in Reverse Shift

Initiate Energy Absorption?

No. Wait for my command.

Channeling the ley line to cause explosions this close to the dungeons would likely cause damage to the wardstones and the Shimizu Well. Luckily, he had a better idea. One that didn’t involve risking his own life.

Well, any more than he already did.

“You have some power in you, Lukas Aguilar,” said Ultaf, his voice reverberating across the arena. “You are young, and powerful, but serving under me could make you stronger. You could become one of our strongest fighters.” He cajoled softly. “There is almost nothing that would be denied you.”

Lukas feigned a moment of consideration.

“Nothing you say…”

“Absolutely,” Ultaf purred. “Whatever riches and facilities Banksi has promised you, the great Shimizu Clan can give you in greater magnitudes. Richness, property, weapons, skills, coin. We are one of the Sacred Eight, after all. You would be welcome among my elite ranks.”

“And I’d get all that by serving you?” Lukas asked doubtfully, tilting his head as he examined him.

Ultaf smiled and spread his arms. “Yes. Absolutely. All I need you to do is surrender.”

Lukas tapped his chin and pretended to consider that. “Hm, but I have a quandary. If I surrender, there is absolutely no reason for you to let my friends go. So how about this? You show me where they are, and I’ll remove my armor. You let them walk out of the wards, and I’ll submit to you.”

The oily smile on the man’s face twisted into a frown of consternation. “That won’t do. I’m afraid you're deluded if you think I am willing to play silly games with you. Surrender, and hope that I will be merciful after all the damage you've inflicted on me and my castle.”

Lukas pretended to look absolutely worried, his tone reflecting that concern. “Fine. I’ll drop the armor. But you have to promise me that no one will attack me.”

A thin smile formed on the man’s face. “Of course.”

Funnily enough, he actually gave this fifty-fifty odds. Removing the armor meant he would be an easy target, at least in Ultaf’s eyes. At the same time, just killing him would gain him nothing. Having him initiated and using him to hunt Tanya down would be a far beneficial outcome.

At least, so Lukas thought.

Disconnecting Accessory from Host Body

Returning to Prime Host Configuration

Blob exploded outwards, splattering all over the floor, with not a single trace of its metal on his body. Lukas saw visible uneasiness among the soldiers, but luckily, they had enough trigger-discipline not to shoot at him out of instinct. Still, he had maintained a motion-negation barrier around him just for that.

“Do not mind that,” he said, out aloud. “It’s a liquid metal. Once disconnected, it flows out. I can recall it back once I need it again.”

The quasi-liquid slime began to spread out all over the courtyard. The soldiers looked at each other in confusion as their feet were wet by this strange metallic goo that kept spreading like a glacier on all sides. Before they knew it, the slime had covered up a little less than half of the entire courtyard.

“I see,” said Ultaf, oblivious to the danger about to befall him. “A necromancer. You use that metal to channel the spirits of dead beasts, don't you? How did such a gem fall into Banksi’s hands?”

“Fortune is finicky,” said Lukas. “Sometimes it smiles on the desperate.”

“Desperate, indeed,” said Ultaf, his eyes wrought with calculation. Lukas made it a point to ask Solana about this ‘necromancy’ business as soon as possible. From Ultaf’s expressions, it didn’t sound like something legal, and at the same time, utterly precious in the right circles.

But that was for later. For now—

Initiating Energy Absorption

He hadn’t been wrong earlier. The giganotosaurus, or the bylestyr were powerful prototypes, but they weren’t suited to fighting against an army this large. No matter how strong or how agile you were, sooner or later, you would be subdued against the might of overwhelming numbers. To win this situation, a change in parameters was necessary.

He needed an army killer. Something that would turn the overwhelming numbers into an overwhelming advantage for itself. And he knew exactly what he needed for the job.

Creating new Instance DRANZITHL

“There are a couple of problems though…” he said out loud.

Ultaf’s expression just showed puzzlement, as if questioning the sanity of the person before him.

“So I have problems with people being forced to do things against their wishes. Call it a pet peeve, if you will.” Lukas’s expression and tone went all flat, all indecision and pleasantness gone from his voice. “Especially people who use psionics to fuck with their own soldiers, and turn them into puppets to do their bidding.”

Ultaf’s eyes narrowed and a sneer was forming on his face even as Lukas delivered his final comment.

“I mean… you know how that is… what with the Initiation and everything, right?”

Ultaf’s eyes widened in surprise. Meanwhile, one of his soldiers vanished from his position.

Without anyone knowing any better.

Gathered +4890 Soul Capacity

Hmm. Not much.

“You know of the Initiation?”

“Oh yes,” said Lukas, smiling, as four more soldiers vanished from their flanks.

“You see… Tanya told me about it.”

Three more.

Gathered +14224 Soul Capacity

“Tanya told you…” Ultaf began.

“Yes,” said Lukas. “She also told me that you were a squealer, and a weakling that hides behind grand-daddy’s skirts and expects people to kowtow before him. I mean, I can’t say I’m surprised. I mean really, you’re kinda weak.”

Ultaf let out a bellow of rage and pointed a dagger like him at him, a bolt of furious energy leaping out of the weapon and shooting towards him. It hit the edge of his motion barrier and fizzled out like a wet firecracker.

“Wow,” Lukas drawled. “You didn’t have to go all the way to prove me right, but it’s appreciated either way.”

“YOU —”

“Ultaf Shimizu,” Lukas yelled back, shutting him off. “Whatever is about to happen here, is on your head. So look around, look at the snowy peak, this falling fortress, the dying men, the blood, the fire…. Enjoy these sights. I assure you, they will be your last.”

“My last?” Ultaf repeated, snarling. “My LAST? You’re surrounded by my army. Your armor is down. Your friends are in my grasp. What do I have to fear?”

“The dranzithl.”

“The… what?”

A loud yell attracted his attention. The soldiers parted, revealing a single raised leg that was slowly sinking into the liquid metal. Then another soldier. And then another. The sheer horror led to a complete breakdown of their discipline, leading to further chaos. A grotesque mix of metal and organic tissue began to form over the area. Flesh, dead and dried. Flesh, alive and writhing. The languid, arrhythmic pulsing of the corpses swallowed by the liquid slime, sounds of claws and nails on a chalkboard permeating through the entire courtyard. Bone. Flesh. Slime. Metal. And that vomit-inducing wrongness exuding out of it.

All of those things were discomforting in their own accord. But the most terrifying thing of them all was the utter feeling of satisfaction surging through his body as Lukas said his next words.

“Maximum Boundary Limit. Use Decay effect. Expansion.”

And a little over six hundred soldiers of the fortress’s army….

… were robbed of their lives in an instant.

Gathered +29,06,882 Soul Capacity