On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“Sister-in-law, you seem exhausted.” I said, watching Selensha leaning on her staff, fur stiff with silvery sweat, her eyes tired. “Why not retreat? We-we are here now.” As if to prove a point, I raised my hand, feeling the delightfully intoxicating feeling of lightning element coursing through my body. As it rose, shimmering energies rushing from me, a mixture of green and yellow forming another, more subtle colour, tinged with purple, I could barely contain my excitement. Even so, it wars with my fears. No, there is naught to fear, I know this.

“I’m fine, I promise.” Selensha replied tiredly, and once more I contemplated how she was far too good for my brother. “The Moonlight Mist Realm… and my healing… I can save lives, turn the battle to a favourable one.”

“Well, I do-do applaud your resolve.” The lightning within me rose to a crescendo, and my amber gaze fixed on the tank ridden by the black-cloaked figure and several others. Wind. Feel the movement of the air. Fire, the spark to ignite the fury that smites evil. Well, I know enough to know that technically, electricity is not fire, nor is the plasma generated by the high temperatures. But… well, thinking of lightning as fire to smite evil is the Fae way. I can believe both, and both can be true. “Begone!” I flapped one hand and the lightning was released, crashing into the tank in a solid stream, arcs lashing everywhere, burning the undead horribly, superheated air scorching them. Moments later, thunder resounded, and the defensive shield one of their Candidates was wielding, protecting the tank and its riders from harm, shuddered, once more shrinking inwards, and I was delighted to see sweat on the face of a female within, her expression one of desperate concentration.

I see. She is not unappealing to the eyes, by any means. A shame. She could have made a wiser choice and found happiness. I cast glances around, at the dead and dying, the fragile, damaged Moonlight Mist Realm unable to restore Fae with truly grievous injuries, as well as the spirit lights that danced around me once more. Instead, only death awaits for this. Enemies… well, Akio still fights against it, but… the time where he allows those unworthy to live has passed. Pleased, I curled my lip, proud of his growth. He was always too soft, but I did rather love that about him. But a ruler required steel under the velvet, and now Akio was being forced to develop such steel, aided by foolish enemies such as Kondou Kazuo and these. I suppose I should be grateful, so I shall grant a merciful demise.

“Sister, I am concerned for you-you!” my brother complained, though the way he continued to shoot his arrows of wind did satisfy me. “But, I do suppose you have no intention of retreat. Instead…” the expression on his face was a gentle one I had never seen before, and it momentarily halted my attacks. “… it must-must pain you, remaining here. I know you wished to go-go with him.”

I raised one eyebrow, shocked. Such insight, from brother Shaeraggo! Wonders shall never cease. And he is right, but… “You are indeed-indeed my brother, for you know me well.” More lightning forked from my hands, but I decided to switch to wind element next, as I had a greater supply of it, originally being a Fae of wind. And I broke through my limits learning lightning. I have this too… withdrawing the pink jade bells that had served me well ever since we had liberated them in our desperate battle against the creature in Inuyama, I let my wind flow. “However…” a near invisible tide of wind blades hissed from me, battering the tank and the surroundings, mincing the undead and furrowing the ground. The fire elemental staggered, cut apart, but it quickly reformed, and I clicked my tongue. Yes, wind is weak to flame. A shame. “… I am needed here. After all…” I looked out at the battlefield. Shiro, or the spiritual being within her, was riding a flaming chariot, duelling with the flame elemental and the tank. All around them other vehicles were bring destroyed, and the enemy was running out of forces.

“… Shiro is here. I shall keep an eye on her. Akio would grieve if she falls-falls. Though she does seem stronger. Well, I trust Akio can handle matters. Those others like him from this city, as well as Master Ulfuric, they shall not-not be defeated easily. Besides, I am needed here!” I conjured more wind, focusing it down into a fine spear, sending it forwards, whistling furiously. It struck the shield of energy protecting the tank, halted, but the force continued, drilling into it, until finally it scattered, spent, yet the barrier was now extremely pale, and the radius had dropped significantly. “No barrier can resist forever. Apply enough force, and all-all shall break!” I said in satisfaction, only to frown as a different sort of barrier appeared.

A purple spray of spatial element heralded the opening of a door in space, and the fire elemental howled as one arm was swallowed up, the opening then vanishing. The elemental grew a new arm, roaring, the very ground trembling, but I did not fail to notice that the height of it shrunk a little. Clever. That woman is strong. Beautiful too. But dark. Not a fit for Akio at all. “Well, even that barrier has weaknesses.” I said, reinforcing my point. “Another spatial attack, or overwhelming it from multiple directions at-at once. There is not-not any unbeatable technique.” The slash in space opened again, lopping off a leg, and the elemental was now shorter to all observers.

“Now the second one is starting to panic.” I observed, and beside me, Haru agreed.

“Yes. And the zombie horde is slackening off. That destruction…” she looked at the grinning Hyacinth, who had turned the zombies far enough away from the flame elemental into a sea of mushrooms and mould. “… it won’t affect us here will it? I’m not worried about myself, but…”

“It shall be fine-fine.” I assured her, smiling. From an unwilling enemy, to a good friend. Haru pleased me. She reminds me a lot of Ichika. I have been too busy to spend much time with her lately, but soon, we shall have some peace and quiet for a while. I believe we shall go out. Maybe with Akio’s friends. That might be fun.

“Hyacinth knows well what-what she does. Now is your moment! Help me strike through the wavering shield! You too, brother! Ixitt, bring all your weapons to bear as well. This is not-not the time for caution, but destruction!” As I gathered wind, a devastating, swirling mass of vibrating energies, I looked at my exhausted sister-in-law. “You really should-should learn another element, or work out how-how to attack with water effectively. There comes a time when defence, healing, is not-not enough.”

Putting that aside, I threw my attack, watching it whine through the air. Arrows were impacting the shield, and they were followed by a burst of light bright enough to force me to squint, my eyes watering. Haru had focussed all of her light into a brilliant beam, and the shield had cracked. Her expression of joy was short-lived, though, as the tank returned fire, a heavy shell whirring through the air and striking her in retaliation… only for it to pass right through her, exploding harmlessly against a Defensive Emplacement, though the Emplacement was destroyed.

“I forgot I was a ghost for a second.” Haru mopped her brow, wiping away non-existent sweat. “I thought I was going to die again.”

I laughed at that, but my attention was on my own attack. The fire elemental was down to half its height now, gradually being eaten away by the spatial arts of the imperious female with Shiro. The strange female, Suzu was there too, though she seemed to be doing little, other than cheering them on. However, the being within Shiro was never going to miss her chance. As my attack slammed into the cracked shield, flowing like the wind it was, entering within, the tank was cut and scratched, deep gouges slashed into the long cannon, rendering it useless, wind finding a way inside to kill the crew within. Of course, they were not my true target…

The tangle of vibrating blades of air unravelled, lashing out like whips. Using my ability to perceive space, setting up such was a challenging feat, but one a powerful warrior such as I could handle. The one who was struggling to hold the shield was caught up in the blast and was sliced apart in a welter of gore, her limbs and head severed. Another enemy defeated. Soon I can rush to Akio’s aid…

Flames blazed, and the fire elemental vanished, as the possessed Shiro, her hair blazing a brilliant, attractive crimson, had leapt aboard the tank as soon as the barrier flickered and vanished, bathing the surviving two enemies in her hungry fires. A shame. Those scars truly are terrible. Well, in time Bintara shall remove them, and then Akio shall make her his in truth. I shall have to offer my guidance, after all, I am quite-quite the experienced female now… as I licked my lips, expecting the battle to be over, I heard a shout. Somehow, despite my attack having killed the wielder of the energy shield, Shiro was trapped within a glowing bubble, an expression of frustration on her face.

Moments later similar bubbles enveloped her comrades, and as the flames died off, my eyes went wide in anger. The cowled figure was surrounded by a glowing shield of his own, holding the severed head of the female who was operating the barrier. Despite blood, silver and crimson, dripping from the severed stump, her eyes were still moving, mouth working soundlessly, pleading, or praying, I knew not. I see. That. Such… evil.

Beside me, the others were equally as horrified. My brother spat out a Seelie curse, while Haru had turned white, quite the feat, considering how pale she was normally. Only Ixitt seemed composed, frowning. “So that is how they are doing it. Quite the dark masterpiece. I would dearly love to understand the mind of a being capable of conceiving such a mad plan.” He said, his words backhanded praise.

Indeed, it was truly vile, perhaps even equal to the horrors Duke Myrcolaxriath had wrought, and not dissimilar, in some ways. The cowl had been burned away, revealing a pale, dark figure, burns on his hands and face, one eye a milky white. He was holding a number of bone blades, no, holding was not the proper way to describe it. One was jammed into the severed stump of the female, while two more were pierced through the palms of the surviving enemy. He was grimacing in pain, but…

“I am extremely angry.” The man spat. “Having to work with such pathetic fools is tiresome. I had hoped they would be able to provide a worthy distraction, feed the being that I must overcome. I even managed all this…” he gestured to the mere handful of undead left, the despoiled dead now either destroyed by light, fire, lightning or deadly spores. “… well, no matter. Death comes to all, and I rule over it.” he smirked, his burned gums exposing charred teeth. “Well, I would have preferred a whole body, but…” in a display of horror, he bent down and kissed the severed head. “… well, she is easy to carry, at least. As for the rest of you…” I panicked, as shields started appearing. Ixitt was trapped, along with a number of his engineers. Selensha and my brother were caught too, as was the raging Grulgor, who battered the barrier with his meaty fists to little use. I leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the same fate, attacking with wind, flame, light, lightning and anything else I could muster, only for them to hammer off his new shield.

This should not be possible. Akio, he could do it, perhaps, but this monster should not have the strength to use her gift so effortlessly, especially not after controlling the undead. The ether alone… I stumbled, and howled in frustration as a sphere formed around me, trapping me, casting a dull yellow tint over everything else. But that moment of carelessness had been because I had realised the secret behind their power.

“Of course he does not-not have the aether Akio does. No, he is drawing it in endlessly from another source. The blades. And his-his body.” My mystic eyes and my experience with Chirurgery allowed me to perceive the corruption within. A vast amount of dark aether was being pulled in, transmitted by some sort of spatial energy, and it was fuelling and boosting his arts, and now hers too, trapping us here.

“… well, she never did know how to properly leverage her skills.” He smirked, running a hand over her cheek, the blade pierced within his palm laying it open to the bone. “… almost none of the fools do. Well, I am chosen by Death himself! I judge who is fit to die, and still serve! Well, her barrier, she thought it for defence, but as you see…” he ranted. “… it is a tool of offense, a prison for the unwary. Do not fret. I see there are plenty worthy of being my corpse brides. In terms of appearance and power, many of you will suit me, the Judge… no, soon to be the Emperor of Death! I shall steal all I can from the vile usurper who binds me, and then…” he stepped forwards, only a few free to stop him, his one-eyed stare on Haru, who was frozen, confused and terrified.

“… well, I believe you are the secret to setting me free. That light.” A few attacks from unbound engineers and the remaining Emplacements hammered off his shield harmlessly. “And is this not destiny? I rule Death, and you… you are already dead, no?”

As Haru shuddered, I pounded my fists impotently against the barrier, enraged. Haru. You need to fight back. Or else… my brain worked, trying to establish a way to break out, to go to her defence, as she floated there, like a mouse before a snake. “Haru, snap out-out of it!” I roared. The barrier did not seem to stop sound, as I could hear through it. Nor light, as I can see through it too. Curses, perhaps the mortal world has tainted me, for the contradictions now enrage me. If it does not stop sound, I should be able to use wind through it… “You are not-not weak any more, and this fool is not-not Kondou Kazuo! Akio believes in you! I believe in you! You believe in you! Fight! Only by fighting can you protect yourself, take-take what you want!”

Haru jolted as the dark necromancer approached. Brilliant light flared, radiating out from her, washing over everything, just as a vivid violet slash opened in space…

********

Reaching Tsukuyomi-jinja I was surprised to see a shimmering dome preventing my entrance. I could see through it, but when I tried to pass through it was like an immovable wall. Within, the scene was desperate. Cultivators, a group of rather handsome spiritual beings, and a number of enemy Candidates, they were all attacking. One Cultivator held up a Talisman and was preparing to use it against what looked like Prince Shōtoku. Annoyed, I unleashed a bolt of light, and was surprised to see the Cultivator fall, beam passing through the barrier and the back of his head with equal ease. That’s strange, so the barrier doesn’t block attacks?

Taking advantage of that flaw, I quickly dispatched several opponents, but soon I was being blocked by a massive pair of metal hands that seemed to move independently, flying through the air. One flew out of the barrier, moving many times faster than a person, but with the buffs from my enhanced Chakra Network and the temporarily higher level of Body Enhancement and Split Thoughts, avoiding it was easy. As it slammed into the ground, leaving quite the impressive crater, I swung Cutting Twilight, and the rending of space sliced several of the heavy metal fingers off. The hand shuddered, balling into a fist, and it flew at me once more, blade clashing with knuckles, sparks flying.

“Strong…” I muttered. “But… nowhere near strong enough!” I pushed back, blade slicing deep. Foehn blazed, and the hand retreated, avoiding the falling droplets, which passed through the barrier after a momentary resistance. The hand was taunting me, slowly starting to repair itself, the ground shattering and transforming to metal, and as I attacked with wind and light the hand blocked me every time.

Well, life would have been easy if I started with an ability like that. It’s like those magic hands from that famous role-playing game. Well, out here, it’s going to be hard to take it out, as it can easily evade me and regenerate, while blocking most of my attacks. Hmm…

My thoughts were taking mere moments, which was vital as within the barrier I could see the situation was finely balanced. The beautiful shrine was a mass of burned trees, shattered buildings and fallen archways now, and even the Emplacements Taishakama-san had established on the border of Tsukuyomi-jinja for added insurance were falling one by one. He was there, battling, alongside Kinkawa-san, who had called out the horrid swarm of shadowy, bald little creatures that occupied his shrine from his dark cloak. They were fighting well, using their numbers to counterbalance the Cultivators, swarming up their legs and dragging them down, wielding bone and bronze knives and even heavy stones to finish them, but then a massive golden statue three metres tall, with six arms wielding nets, spears and swords, crashed through them. Kinkawa-san managed to use his shadowy cloak to ward off the blow from a sword, but he was hurled aside, arm broken painfully.

Hakue-san was there too, the nephew of Bankei from the once-neutral shrines was bleeding, yet he was standing firm beside Prince Shōtoku and his own kami, the Kofuku Jizo, who had changed from the genial, sandal-wearing youth into a powerful stone statue with a radiant halo of light energy behind him, his fists battling against eruptions of stone spikes that were pouring endlessly from the ground. Within the circle of defenders was the unveiled Tsukiko-san, shaking, teary-eyed yet resolute, as if accepting her fate. I tried unleashing wind to help them, but again It was blocked by those damn hands.

Fuck, I need to get in there. Ulfuric is hurt badly, I can see, looks like Daiyu is in there, Bintara too, Kamaitachi, allies from Kyoto… I can’t do shit from out here. Frustrated, I considered my options. This barrier was tricky, if it was a physical one, I could easily break it, given time. After all, I’d broken Territory barriers that were Rank 2, so I doubted any personal barriers would be stronger at this stage, although my Eye did pick up a sickening amount of aether invested into it, so perhaps I was wrong on that. No, I need something that can affect the barrier itself… huh. Really… my mind went back a few moments, to when the Foehn had splattered it. For a moment it had clung to the barrier, before falling through. My Foehn had also been strengthened by the buff from Shiro, which was a wonder for another time. She’s a true Candidate now. I’m both worried and happy for her… no, think. Can it work?

I had used a lot of Foehn, but with my strengthened abilities I was replenishing it at a tangible rate so… “Come on, hungry fires. You spent god knows how many years feasting in the desert on that wind element, that must have been boring. Try… try eating this!” Foehn sprayed through, but again it lingered for a moment, as if able to touch it. A second try, and I thought the fires would take, but no, they merely sowed a blaze around me. Cursing loudly, the hand taunting me still, I supplemented the Foehn with wind, fanning the flames, and tried using aether too, imagining what I wanted. Aether flooded out of me, but I had never been so bursting with it, and the Territory was an allied one, so I had no worry regarding it fighting me. Foehn flickered, the yellow tinged with purple, and it then spread, forming a flaming doorway.

Just one problem though… the barrier was regenerating almost as fast as Foehn could devour it, so there was no way through without passing through the Foehn. But then, I’ve done that before. Idly remembering the time I showered myself in flames to face Shaeraggo, I grinned. This time I have more advantages…

Drenched in water, wind around me as an insulating barrier, I leapt through, bursting in like a fiery comet. Panicking, the hand flew at me again, a second coming from my blind side, which wasn’t blind due to my extended visual range I kept up at all times in the Boundary. “Break for me!” I roared, determined to protect everyone I could, grieving for the dead, as some of my subjects had perished here, beyond even Shaeula’s restorative powers. Imbuing my blade with a tide of light element, Cutting Twilight shone like a holy sword from the myths, and it sliced clean through the first hand. As it retreated, I spun gracefully, the second hand meeting the same fate, fingers shattering.

“No retreat!” I promised, earth element erupting into mud that trapped the fleeing hands. My sword flashed, light energy discharging, shimmering violet as it was partially converted to spatial energy, and the first hand simply exploded, remnants sucked into the mire. The second hand was slowly regenerating, but now I had a better target in mind. There. My Eye spotted a Candidate I believed was the wielder, based on what intel we could scrape up from Yasaka-san’s Book. He was huge, getting on for seven feet tall, amazing for an Asian. He had a squashed nose and a number of facial scars, and his own hands were gnarled and pitted, the fists of a fighter.

“Just fucking die!” I yelled, moving with incredible speed, upon him in mere moments. Flames blazed as Cutting Twilight cut him from shoulder to groin before he could react, my speed in excess of five times his in my current buffed state. As his eyes widened I sent Foehn to destroy the slime within him, not out of compassion or so that he wouldn’t be devoured, but merely so that I would get the gain, rather than the golden-eyed devourer. If only I had time to take out the Divine Favour… I lamented as I spun around, ready for my next target. I’d be able to get a noticeably greater reward. Well, no use wishing for that. A level-up message flared in my vision. I can always grow stronger, but I can’t replace the dead…

As I flicked silver and red blood from my blade, steaming from the heat of Foehn, the remaining hand turned to metallic sand behind me, vanishing.

My next problem was who to rescue next. The obvious first choice was Tsukiko-san, as she was being hard-pressed, but there were many strong allies there already, and while the golden six-armed statue and the earth attacks were overwhelming, her protectors were still holding their own. Ulfuric was in a bad way, having become near-berserk, though his enemies were falling around him, attacking with an unusual, desperate recklessness, as if they were maddened berserkers themselves.

It seemed Daiyu was also up against it, being swarmed by Cultivators, though in her beautiful combat stance, the Jade Yang Stance, she was giving a good account of herself, despite being attacked by many foes, some wielding esoteric arts and Talismans, the last of their Sect legacies, no doubt. I then froze, immobile. What the hell? There was a middle-aged Cultivator, his face streaked with burns, carrying a barrel-sized blob of flesh in his arms, the transparent, faintly yellow goop filled with spiky yellow bones, and ringed with dozens of open, gaping mouths, drooling slime that exuded immense amounts of dirty purple elemental energy and dark chakra, yellowing fangs curved like shark teeth. As I was frozen, a dozen tongues lashed out, seizing some of the fallen warriors around Ulfuric, pulling then in, where they… disappeared, vanishing in a blur of purple mist.

The blob laughed, making chewing noises, and I found myself wanting to throw up. My Eye blazed, and all I could get was question marks for a description, and that it was a Parasitical Clone Of ????????.

That needs to die, but first… my Eye had seen something else, a man that nobody else seemed to have spotted, creeping forwards, shrouded by a thick fog that made one want to look away from it. His eyes were burning with hatred, and he was raising up his bone sword high, ready to thrust it into the vulnerable back of the fallen Kinkawa-san, while in his other hand he held a heavy pistol, pointing it at the head of Prince Shōtoku. Gripping my sword tightly, I pushed, aether flowing from me to boost my speed, and the ground below me cratered inwards, the force scattering rock and earth everywhere as I flew forwards…