The Broken Halo

Simon dismissed the Rending Crown, refilled his wind elemental reservoir, and spent some time recovering the mental energy used to maintain the Silent Nodes.

Forming the Third Crown took longer.

The Crushing Crown rotated diagonally in the opposite direction from the Rending Crown. Since it had to cross both earlier Crowns, Simon now needed to maintain six Silent Nodes instead of two.

Its structure was also heavier.

The Gale Crown preserved movement.

The Rending Crown divided the movement.

The Crushing Crown gathered that divided force and compressed it into a single point.

By the time Simon finally formed it, several hours had passed.

The flames illuminating the room dimmed as day broke.

Pressure spread across every part of the chamber, causing the window to groan inside its frame. The bed sank slightly, and the remaining pieces of the broken cup pressed against the floor as though an invisible weight had descended upon them.

A third ring slowly closed around the Storm Throne.

It was slightly larger than two metres in diameter and rotated from above Simon’s right shoulder toward the lower left side of his body.

Its pale green current was darker and thicker than those of the other two Crowns.

It also rotated more slowly.

However, every movement carried a sense of terrible weight.

The Gale Crown stood vertically.

The Rending Crown tilted in one direction.

The Crushing Crown tilted in the opposite direction.

Together, the three rings resembled a large rotating sphere whose sides had not yet been completed. They moved across different planes, passing through one another at six Silent Nodes while sharing the same Storm Throne.

Simon sat within the calm centre.

Outside that calm area, the air no longer felt empty.

It felt dense.

Heavy.

Compressed.

Simon opened his eyes and looked at the remaining half of the shield.

He did not move his arm this time.

With a thought, the Crushing Crown gathered air from several directions and forced it into a single point in front of the shield.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then Simon released the pressure.

BANG!

The centre of the shield caved inward.

Cracks spread from the depression, and the entire piece of shield flew backward before Simon stopped it from striking the wall by stretching out his hand.

There was no cut.

Instead, the shield looked as though an enormous invisible hammer had struck it.

Simon brought the damaged shield closer and examined it.

The outer surface was bent, but the damage beneath it was worse. The compressed force had travelled through the shield instead of remaining on its surface.

Against a demon wearing heavy armour, the armour might remain intact while their bones and organs were damaged beneath it.

The Crushing Crown could also gather pressure above, below, or beside an enemy. Simon could force a flying demon toward the ground, ruin the balance of someone charging at him, or strike an opponent from a direction they were not prepared to defend.

Its compressed air could also become a temporary wall.

It would not stop every attack, but arrows, thrown weapons, and weaker techniques would lose momentum when passing through it.

The true danger came from combining the Second and Third Crowns.

Simon guided the remaining shield into the air by controlling the wind in the room.

The Rending Crown released a curved current first.

Chiiii!

A deep jagged line appeared across the metal, but the shield did not split completely.

The Crushing Crown struck the damaged section a moment later.

BANG!

The shield shattered.

Several pieces flew across the room before the Gale Crown caught their movement and pulled part of it into its rotation.

Simon watched the three Crowns silently.

One preserved force.

One tore apart the target’s defence.

One crushed whatever remained.

The three techniques were not independent.

They fed one another.

The Gale Crown gathered momentum from Simon’s movements and the surrounding air. The Rending Crown used that momentum to create opposing currents, while the Crushing Crown compressed the disturbed air into heavier attacks.

Even the fragments created by their destruction gave the Gale Crown more movement to preserve.

The foundation Vhaurak created was beginning to reveal itself.

However, maintaining three Crowns was far more difficult than maintaining one.

Simon could feel the burden on his mental energy. The six Silent Nodes constantly shifted as the rings rotated, and the pressure travelling through the Storm Throne had become several times heavier.

His body could still endure it.

His control was still more than enough to also handle it.

But using all three in a real battle while moving, defending, attacking, and watching several enemies would be completely different from sitting safely inside a room.

He had formed the Crowns but he had not mastered them yet.

Simon slowly stood.

The three rings followed him, rotating around the Storm Throne behind his body. Sections of the larger Crowns passed above his shoulders and beside his waist, but the calm centre prevented any of their violent currents from touching him.

For the first time, the vague circles behind Vhaurak’s image no longer seemed mysterious.

Simon could now imagine how the complete Six Storm Crowns would look.

The first three formed the foundation, and the last three were completely different from the first three.

’The next Crown would have the ability to leave the Storm Throne and move on its own.’

Simon looked at the rotating formation around him, then at the damaged room.

The curtains were twisted, and the window had several thin cracks along one corner. Scratches covered part of the wall, and small pieces of stone had been pulled from the floor.

Forming the Fourth Crown inside Pipeline Inn would be foolish.

Unlike the first three, it was meant to move independently. And Simon had a feeling that the effect of the fourth crown would not be so simple.

He needed a larger place. A place where he could release its power without destroying the entire building or part of the building.

He dismissed the Crushing Crown first, and the pressure inside the room weakened.

The Rending Crown followed, and the scratching wind disappeared. Finally, the distant roar of the Gale Crown faded as the last pale green ring dissolved behind him.

Silence and peace returned to his room.

Simon looked at the opened book of the Fury Tempest Art with a pleased expression.

’I guess you were not all talk, Vhaurak the Tempest Tyrant. I have a feeling that you might have been a worthy adversary if you were still alive.’

’A shame you couldn’t get to see your art bloom.’