Born in Blood



A Rank 5 spell.

What those above the plateau were witnessing, was a Rank 5 spell of the water element.

Nobody moved throughout the battle.

Acolytes, Disciples, Shadows, Liam, the few Verdant Warriors that were still alive.

Most of the weaker cultivators had to retreat down the mountainside due to how devastating their fight was.

All those present watched incredulously, their eyes reflecting the enormous spear that continued to form.

At the fight's climax, the three Zeniths were visible again.

There was nothing covering them, after all. 

All the buildings had been leveled.

Iron Giant had gory slashes and holes in his massive, metallic body. 

Blood poured from his serious wounds, but the anger on his face didn't express pain. 

Jane and Verium looked worse off.

Elder Jane's mask had cracked, revealing her facial features. 

She had alabaster skin, emerald eyes and long silver hair. 

Blood dripped from her face, and patches of her robe were torn off, but her biggest injury was on her right arm. 

It was flaccid, sort of like Liam's fingers. 

Despite that, she was casting a spell, sparks of fire sputtering around her to condense into a ball of fire in her left hand.

Verium was better off, but his wrapped clothes were shredded, and his body housed several wounds.

Verium had his right hand aimed towards the sky.

More precisely, the colossal, water-made spear.

As it formed, the Giant obviously didn't remain still. 

Instead, his aura burst and grew heavier as his body circulated with dense amounts of 'Ora', shouting all the while that happened.

Also, as if his towering height wasn't enough, he grew another 3 feet.

Then, he kicked the air and exploded towards Verium.

Just then, the fireball Elder Jane had conjured intersected his flight. 

It exploded with a flash of light, deepening the cracks on the Patriarch's body.

But even that wasn't enough to stop the Giant's trajectory. 

However, hidden within the fireball was a small weapon.

In reality, the Rank 4 item Elder Jane wielded wasn't a dagger. 

It was a one-time use item. 

It was a bomb!

Another flash of light followed by a blinding explosion filled everyone's vision. 

Momentarily, it was like another sun had formed beneath the Isolation Barrier – which, due to the brunt of so many attacks, was on the cusp of shattering.

At that point, everyone expected the Warrior to die then and there.

How could he not?

But he didn't.

In fact, he was screaming his lungs out in anger as he continued on his flight to Verium's figure.

Just as both his fists were about to land flat against Verium's chest, the Elder gestured downwards. 

WhooOOSH!

Just then, the spear began descending. 

Due to its giant size, it wasn't exactly the fastest attack in the world.

But the Iron Giant had suffered the brunt of a Rank 4 item, and countless Rank 4 spells.

The spear came down on his body like a hammer to a nail, then continued pressing down on him until he reached the plateau floor.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The attack didn't stop there. 

It continued like a drill piercing the earth, shaking the very foundations of the mountain they were on.

Eventually, those sounds trailed off into an eerie silence. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the hectic sounds of battle had finally stopped.

Calling it a battle was an absolute understatement.

War would be more precise.

Meanwhile, Liam, who watched from a distance, was utterly enamored and entranced.

So entranced, he nearly died!

Several times, the giant pieces of debris from the battle nearly crushed him like an ant.

More than a few times, he changed his seat, but even as he ran, his gaze never shifted from the war ahead.

By the time it was over, his skin was charred and sizzling, while deep cuts marred his skin.

But his expression wasn't one of pain. 

It was of joy!

///

The two Elders were still in the air, slowly lowering themselves.

They hadn't confirmed the Patriarch's death, but they were a bit reluctant to.

After using a Rank 5 spell, Elder Verium was officially out of the fight.

His body, core and mental sphere were devoid of energy, and he wheezed with every breath.

Elder Jane couldn't do much either, but her body was steadily regenerating. 

Still, there might have been a defensive measure the Warrior might have taken to ensure his survival.

The two finally lowered themselves.

Where the spear had pierced, was a massive crater. 

Their mental waves reached further in, and to their relief, the Giant had a gaping hole in the center of his chest.

He was still alive, but even a Mortal Ranked cultivator could kill him at that point.

His skin was no longer metallic, either.

There was no longer any anger on the man's blood covered face, his eyes pointed to the sky. 

His expression was empty again. Regretful.

"It wasn't personal," said Verium as he neared the Warrior, his tone raspy and weak. "The Seven Clans have made these lands suffer enough."

Light left the Patriarch's eyes, and his aura steadily dimmed. 

Just before he died, he managed to sneak in a curse aimed for both the Elders.

"Should have known he would say that as his last words," Elder Jane spat to her side, before sitting cross-legged on the spot.

Verium shook his head, then started to fly over to the acolytes' side.

The Temple wasn't without their losses.

Some of the weaker Acolytes had actually died during the raid.

But victory wasn't achieved without sacrifice.

All the Temple members had gathered around the Outer Ring.

As soon as Elder Verium arrived—

CRACK!

The Isolation Barrier had dissipated. 

It simply blinked out of existence, allowing rain to pour through and wash away the stench of blood and grime littered over the plateau.

"We will remember those who died in the cause. Through their sacrifice, the Temple is stronger than ever before!"

Cries of war rang out from the group of acolytes.

"And eventually," Verium shifted his attention towards the distance east, where a vague silhouette of a lion statue was. "We will conquer them all."