Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 528: Divine Descent

CH528 Divine Descent

***

Divine Descent.

One of the characteristics Spirits and Navi shared was that they did not normally reside within the material dimension.

To better absorb, digest, and harness faith energy, such beings dwelled in a higher-energy plane where faith energy resided— so to speak.

In many ways, one could argue they were bound there.

After all, becoming a being of faith usually meant remaking one’s existence into faith itself.

And once that transformation occurred, their bodies naturally shifted away from the material realm and into that higher plane.

There were, however, methods to bypass this limitation.

One way was to convert a portion of the material world into an area dense with faith energy—essentially sanctifying it with divine power.

Under such conditions, a Navi or Spirit could briefly manifest where worship was strongest.

For example, just as the Ancestral Spirit of the Copper-skin Orcs, Manrak, had done back at Camp Red Rock.

The second method was more extreme.

A ’miracle’ known as Divine Descent.

This process involved the Navi or Spirit descending into a suitable medium capable of bearing its divine energy.

Most commonly, that meant a statue long worshipped and repeatedly washed in divine power.

Or...

a devout believer.

Like the first method, Divine Descent was temporary.

However, by occupying something that already existed in the physical world, the faith being or entity could exert far greater influence. The restrictions placed upon them were significantly lighter.

Of course, there was a price.

Depending on the difference in strength between the divine entity and its vessel, the medium would deteriorate over time.

Eventually, it would fail.

And when it did, the host died, while the faith being was forced back into the higher dimension.

Divine Descent was also never without drawbacks.

For one, faith beings were almost always limited to a rank lower than their true might whenever they manifested.

But more importantly—

they became mortal... killable.

Spirits, whose nature was truer and more aligned with the beliefs of their followers, possessed ways to naturally mitigate the first, rank strength, weakness.

Navi, on the other hand -being the cunning foxes they were- almost always prepared methods to escape the second —true death— drawback whenever they descended.

Before Alex and his wives, the kobolds’ Ancestral Spirit had descended.

It had originally attempted to possess the kobold shaman. However, because of Udara’s sudden strike, the Spirit panicked and rushed its defence, essentially breaking the vessel before it could properly stabilise.

Left without an alternative, it had no choice but to settle into the statue.

Years of worship and careful cultivation of faith had elevated the ancestral spirit to the Saint rank in strength.

But under Divine Descent, it was confined to the Veteran level.

Alex smiled when he saw the energy signature radiating from the vengeful entity.

Then he glanced at the women beside him.

Each of them was at the Elite rank—technically weaker than the Spirit—yet Alex wouldn’t have wanted to face this hurdle with any other team.

”AHH!!!”

The Spirit roared.

Immediately, rocks of various sizes tore themselves free and shot toward Alex and his wives. They moved to dodge, only to realise the attack wasn’t meant for them.

Instead, the stones slammed together at the cavern entrance, sealing the path and locking them inside with the Spirit.

”Don’t worry,” Alex said as he walked forward, ”we weren’t planning on running anyway.”

”Speak for yourself,” Zora grumbled behind him.

Alex almost tripped.

Eleanore and Udara couldn’t help but chuckle.

[Abyssal Conqueror’s Step: First Step – Ghost Step]!

Shaking his head, Alex accelerated and closed the distance, striking first before the Spirit could organise another move.

The Spirit quickly gripped its stop club and struck out as well.

For the first time in a while, Alex was clearly overpowered.

The Spirit blocked and shoved him back with brute force.

Seemingly unconvinced, Alex rushed in again the moment the Spirit shifted its footing.

Once more— he was thrown back.

’It’s stronger than me, as expected. Its size and rank aren’t just for decoration.’

Alex narrowed his eyes.

’But it has no technique. It’s just swinging power around.’

A more experienced fighter would have used the knockback to chain into a follow-up attack.

The Spirit didn’t.

Alex dashed forward again.

It seemed, with Zora—a far superior orthodox spellcaster—present, he abandoned the idea of casting and instead committed himself to melee, keeping the Spirit occupied and limiting its room to act.

Even without a word, his wives understood Alex’s intention and moved.

Zora didn’t waste time on lesser spells. She trusted Alex to keep the Spirit occupied, so she committed fully.

From the cadence of her chant, it was obvious she was preparing a Special Warfare spell.

Eleanore immediately layered buffs onto Alex and Udara. She deliberately left Zora untouched.

Special Warfare magic demanded absolute concentration and control, empowering her now would only disrupt the delicate balance she needed to maintain.

Feeling the surge, Alex pushed further.

The Spirit stepped forward to meet him head-on once more.

But at the last instant, Alex’s strike changed.

The Draconic Baton elongated to nearly two metres and whipped low, smashing toward the Spirit’s feet. Instinctively, the creature aborted its attack and dragged its legs back.

In that retreat— an opening appeared.

And Alex immediately seized it.

[Mana Bolt]!

He snapped his hand up, and OmniRune fired the spell instantly toward the Spirit’s eyes.

The Spirit had no choice but to take it.

Mana flooded its eyelids, the coating absorbing the blow.

But the Spirit failed to realise—

it was bait.

With its vision shut, it never saw Udara emerge from its shadow.

[Weapon Coating]!

[Backstab]!

Her twin shortswords, blazing with mana, plunged into its back.

Crack!

The aura coating around the Spirit’s body shattered.

Yet the blades stalled, unable to pierce through the dense flesh beneath.

Udara abandoned the attempt immediately. The Spirit’s club was already sweeping backward in a panicked counter.

She disengaged.

And Alex moved.

Again he targeted the limbs, forcing the Spirit to defend, locking its posture, limiting its options.

’Now.’

[Lightning Lance]!

The bolt appeared in the air behind the Spirit aggroed by Alex. It screamed toward the Spirit’s exposed back.

But Alex was a fraction too late.

Mana surged again across the Spirit’s hide, the Aura coating reforming just in time to blunt the direct hit.

Or so it believed.

Skrrr!!

Even if the barrier stopped penetration, it couldn’t cancel the spell’s effect.

Electricity tore through the Spirit’s body.

Its muscles spasmed, and its movements locked— for the briefest instant.

[Special Warfare (Grade 7) Spell: Yin Ice Lance]!

A massive, human-sized spell formation bloomed before Zora.

From it, surprising, a lance only the size of an arm shot forward.

[Abyssal Conqueror’s Step: Third Step – Wraith’s Crossing]!

The moment Alex saw the trajectory, he withdrew in a streak of lightning. Udara had already retreated to Zora’s side with [Shadow Dash].

The Yin Ice Lance struck the paralysed Spirit squarely.

Its Aura Coating resisted— for only a breath.

Then Yin spread to it, rendering it frozen.

The lance then pierced through the frozen obstruction to its target.

Unlike [Ice Fall], which exploded out its energy to maximise its area of effect, [Ice Lance] compressed everything into a single, merciless point.

The spear of frost punched clean through the Spirit’s corporeal body, leaving a gaping hole in its chest before embedding itself into the cavern wall and flash-freezing it in thick layers of ice.

Even the Spirit’s... well, spirit... could not escape.

Yin froze flesh and soul alike.

The kobold ancestral spirit died without understanding how a weaker spellcaster could deliver an attack that erased both body and essence in one strike.

The cavern fell silent.

Then Alex moved.

Protected by AetherKindle’s flames, he rushed to the towering, three-metre sculpture of ice. He leapt and grabbed the frozen head—

—then the world changed.

Before his eyes, the phantom of a mystical tree manifested.

Its roots lifted.

Then plunged into the statue’s skull.

Under his wives’ stunned gazes, the tree devoured.

All the divine energy remaining within the vessel flowed out like a tide, drawn into the ancient phantom without resistance.

Even in death, the kobold spirit was stripped clean of all it had.

But then again... it really had no further use for anything.

Once finished, the tree withdrew, shrinking back into the glowing mark on the back of Alex’s palm.

A moment later— the mark vanished as if it had never existed.

Alex lowered his hand and smiled.

’It worked... all according to plan.’

But before satisfaction could bloom any further, he turned.

Three women stood there, arms folded, eyes narrowed and waiting.

”Alex Fury...” Zora began slowly. ”You have some explaining to do.”

Alex’s heart skipped.

’Damn.’

’They’re pissed.’

***