"Say, Kaela."
"Yes?"
"We're not in Nether's capital, are we? I thought this was supposed to be a smaller, neighboring town."
"That's right."
She nodded, confirming my thoughts.
"Then why, pray tell, is 'the' king here?"
"Hah, I'd love to know the answer to that, too."
The identity of the one emitting the crushing torrent of essence was undoubtedly him.
Uneducated as I may be - this much I know.
I scanned the battlefield.
Things were in control. Until now, at least.
After we escaped the jail, we were swarmed by troops. Kaela engaged in fistfights, while I cut and chewed on my opponents.
It was fortunate that all of Nether's forces have been immobilized by the pressure, but they were bound to come to it in due time.
I walked over to Kaela with an inquisitive gaze.
"Ya think we can run?"
"No chance. He'll be a dozen times faster than us."
As I thought, escape wouldn't work. What options are even left?
I tugged on the collar of my black cloak which scavenged from one of the men I killed, feeling as if a suffocating knot were tied around my neck.
My thoughts raced. My heart raced, too.
Well, anything's better than waiting for impending doom.
And so, I'd decided to act. Whether it would be futile or not; I at least wanted to go out knowing I've done everything in my power.
"I know it's rude and whatnot, but since we may very well die here, I'll be straightforward: what's your cultivation level, Kaela?"
"Apex, just about. Only broke through recently."
Her response came without hesitation. It was to the point that I had to question whether she even cared about revealing her cards in the first place.
Apex, huh? Far from weak, though I surmised as much already. Still, it's not enough to put up even a semblance of a fight against this powerhouse of a king.
As for me… It's complicated.
Humans followed a straightforward path of ascension, and while I technically also fell somewhere on that scale, my cultivation level didn't reflect my true strength.
Being a Threadripper, there were a lot of things I could do to empower myself beyond the set limits.
But, if I had to guesstimate, my innate essence placed me roughly between Second and First Tier.
In other words, I'm just above average.
People started out as mundane, and after first awakening their essence, they would be classified as Third Tier.
Next came the Second and First Tiers - a level where people of mediocre talent tended to plateau, unable to break through to the Apex.
Apex, then, was reserved for the exceptionally talented individuals, like Kaela.
As for our current opponent - he was a level beyond even that.
Exalted. The realm of true masters. I've heard that some humans succeeded in climbing even higher, but those monsters aren't even worth worrying about.
If one shows up, I may as well kill myself to spare them the effort.
The gap was just that insurmountable.
"To summarize, we have an Apex and a Second Tier… And we're up against an Exalted. Hahahah, ain't that just wonderful?"
I could only let out a salty laugh at the absurdity; Kaela's reaction differed.
"Wait, hold up. Are you telling me you're, like, super weak? But that can't be right - I've seen you fight."
Ouch.
Though hurt by the plain truth, I mockingly wiggled a finger in the air, accompanied by a few clicks of the tongue.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Think harder, my dearest of friends. Why would the human standards apply to me in the first place?"
She responded with a tilt of her head.
"That makes sense, I guess. But, Ori…"
"Yeah?"
"Why the hell are you so laid back at a time like this? Shit's serious!"
"You're one to talk - have some shame, will you? I can feel your excitement oozing out."
My retort gave her pause, after which she mumbled out some words, laced with embarrassment.
"O-oh… I-I didn't, uhh… Didn't know you could sense that."
I smiled deviously, happy to see her flustered her for once, before continuing with a shrug.
"Well, now you know. But, that aside - I think I've cooked up a plan. Ah, but don't expect anything grand… It's more of a last ditch effort."
"...You aren't just joking, right? Really mean it?"
Kaela's eyes lit up with hope.
Sadly, I'll have to cut her excitement short.
"Yes, really. So listen up: Imma need you to run away, as far as possible at that. I'll fight the scary guy on my own."
Though I spoke with confidence, I truly doubted if it could be done.
But mama didn't raise no quitter, eh? I'll make it work... Or die trying. Either way, it's better than the alternative.
It seemed, however, that Kaela wouldn't allow me to do as I pleased.
Why's she look so pissed? I'm giving you an easy out, my friend - what more could you want?
"No way I'm letting you do that! You might think you look all badass, sacrificing your life to save mine, but this is no fairy tale. The king will catch up to me, regardless of how long you hold out."
Huh? Does Kaela think me some sort of selfless hero? Hate to break it to ya, but I'm a massive piece of shit.
Before she could spiral any further down the path of ridiculous accusations, I stopped her in her tracks:
"Who said anything about sacrifice? What, you think I suffered through Mal's mind numbing torture just to go and get myself killed right afterwards? Fuck no! Uhh, well, I still might not succeed… But you can bet your ass that I'll be clinging on for dear life."
"Huh?"
She let out a dumb sound, utterly lost.
"I need you to understand, Kaela. I'm not a good person; I'd rather pull you down into hell with me - and I mean that wholeheartedly. But right now, it's be better for me to fight alone, plain and simple."
Finally, her head cooled off enough to hear me out. Over the next minute, I hurriedly laid out my plan.
Though calling it a plan might be a bit generous.
All the while, the pressure intensified.
I could only be thankful for Kaela's unhinged thirst for battle in this moment - with Voracity on at full blast after fighting the huge wave of Nether's warriors, I would've long since lost control and jumped for her throat.
Fortunately, Kaela was as crazy as they came. She showed no fear, neither before mine nor the king's presences.
After a little more convincing, she eventually agreed to do as I asked and dashed away in the opposite direction of the king's.
I suppose now's a good time to mention that I didn't just make Kaela run for nothing; there was an important job I needed done for the plan to succeed.
With her gone, I was left alone on the battlefield.
As far as allies go.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I heard a plethora of mantles begin to ruffle with movement.
I looked around.
The warriors finally regained control, their bodies adapted to the pressure, and started shakily rising one by one.
"Heya, folks. Back to your senses? Well then… Entertain me until your Lord shows up, will ya?"
Without waiting for a response - not that I actually expected them to say anything - I dug into the depth of my soul to draw out the beast sleeping within.
My biggest weakness, and the reason I never went all out even with my life on the line, could also be a deadly tool in the right moment.
Just like now.
I quickly shot a glance backwards, ensuring that Kaela had distanced herself enough.
Perfect.
The never ending, hushed whispers of Voracity called out to me, now stronger than ever:
'Eat them. Consume them. Take their essence. It's all yours.'
Finally, I allowed the pull of hunger to permeate my mind, giving up any and all control of my body over to it.
The changes were instant. My demeanor took a sharp turn, as if I'd become a different person entirely. If before, a passerby would have thought me simply eccentric, now I must've looked like an absolute lunatic.
"Hah! Of course it's all mine. Who would dare stop me, after all? Heheh. Heh… Ahahahaha!!!"
A flood of ecstasy struck me like a hammer, causing me to clutch my stomach with an eye watering laugh.
My hunger grew deper when the warriors of Nether instinctively stepped back, a dread settling in their hearts.
But by now, I could barely even notice any of that. Only one thing remained on my mind - a single order I could not refute.
'Devour them.'