Arthur looked around. He saw nothing but snow and creatures. He expanded his sense of hatred, his mind chipping from the insane amount of hatred present.
But he focused his mind, even as his nose bled, even as his mind was in its maddened state. He searched for any humans, any, no matter ally or enemy. And as the result came back negative, a twisted grin appeared on his bloodied face.
Arthur didn't waste time, immediately raising his hands, almost as if trying to grasp the very moon. Destruction swirled around him, manifesting his armor on top of the Djinn one. Then aether gathered, the purple motes vibrant and solid. It did not form into armor; instead, it continued gathering around his form, condensing and expanding. And as Arthur saw the disgusting form of the guardian exiting the gate, Arthur stopped holding everything together.
As one, destruction and Aether combined, all of his soul cores emptied at once. Immediately, a flash of purple light shone from his position as bright as the sun itself. Then it expanded and continued to expand. Until the very gate and the creatures that came through it were engulfed in the glorious destruction.
Arthur ignored the dozens of kill confirmations, forcing his aspect not to stop until the guardian was dead.
And then Arthur felt it, an undescribable pain, greater than that of a soul core forming.
And as Arthur received the confirmation on the guardian's death, he collapsed, unconscious.
(Unknown pov).
I stared at the purple light in the distance, fear and awe mixing into one. I immediately recognized the signs, the devastation no doubt a result of the Paragon of Purity.
As soon as the explosion died down, I moved, not thinking about the consequences. I rushed through the snow- and ice-covered dirt and stone. My movements were almost frantic, and I could feel the person's soul, which was weakening, far too fast to be a normal injury. Worry gripped my heart, if the Paragon had fallen in battle, I was going straight towards my own death. Yet I persisted, I would not falter, not unless I saw proof, the said proof being the corpse of the renowned young man.
Soon I climbed up to a hill, my breathing slightly haggard. I looked around, my blood freezing in my very veins, eyes widening, fingers twitching furiously.
I couldn't comprehend what I was witnessing. Or I should say what I wasn't witnessing. Because frankly, there wasn't much to look at, except a gigantic crater, perhaps a hundred meters wide.
And in the middle of said crater lay a body, only visible due to the white cloak of the figure. And I knew that cloak quite well, most people did. I quickly slid down the crater, heart pounding in my ears. Then I disappeared into nothingness, my invisibility attribute activating due to danger.
Yet the danger wasn't aimed at me, but at the blonde man lying unconscious. My gaze shot around, scanning the area for any creatures. I saw no monsters, just a person sliding down the crater from the opposite side.
My eyes widened, disbelief flowing through my mind, but as the person summoned a weapon memory, the disbelief turned into anger. How could a person do something like this? I didn't get time to ponder, my body being enveloped by invisible blue flames. I sped forward, my form would only be blurry to those who could actually see me.
In a few seconds, I was by the unconscious body, my red longsword blocking an arrow. The attacker seemed to take it back from the invisible block, yet he prepared and shot another arrow. It is also being deflected by my blade.
The man visibly scowled, hopefully assuming the Paragon had a defense for projectiles. And he did seemingly think so as he rushed towards me and the body.
And just as he was a few steps away, my invisibility dropped forcefully due to the proximity, my blade already wreathed in blue faces, cutting through the man's neck.
Soon the body turned to ash, pieces falling to the ground.
I sighed, looked around for any more fools, and de-summoned my blade.
I just stared at the blonde man, the Parsgon of Purity, the twenty-year-old adult who was more known than saints.
I would be asking for an autograph if he weren't unconscious.
With another sigh, I picked up the man, slinging him over my shoulder and began the slow trek to somewhere safer. For once, I was glad for my attribute, as any monsters approaching did not notice me or the man because of it.
Then a blizzard started, my mood worsening by the second, and I didn't notice a person approaching from behind.
Finally, I sensed the attack coming, far too late. Only for a purple ball of flames to manifest from the man's back, hitting the man directly, his existence was erased on the spot.
My blood froze, the ability so similar to my own, yet so much more frightening and horrifying.
I checked the man, still unconscious, so perhaps he did have a defense of some sort, and if so, why didn't it attack me?
I brushed off the thoughts, picking up the man, finally finding a cave to rest in.
I lay down the man, using his own cloak to form him a small pillow. I checked for any injuries I could without undressing him, but seemingly he was fine physically.
Which meant that his soul was exhausted or inured. Both options are horrible to experience, if you even survive them in the first place. And if I was right, I knew how long it would take for the man to recover. Weeks, perhaps even a month even more, it all depended on the severity of the damage.
***
(Arthur pov).
I stood on everything and nothing, saw everything and nothing, and felt everything and nothing. I realized this was not one of my visions. No, this is very real. I could feel the Blackstone and water beneath my feet, and I felt wind and fire on my face. Everything was solid yet not, everything was ever changing, one moment solid, a second one liquid, another one gas. It was a surreal experience, my toes felt water, yet they felt dirt and lava as well.
It was horrifyingly peaceful.
I stepped forward, my steps shaky at first, but quickly getting used to the unnatural ground. I had to figure out how to get out of this place; who knows what could be happening to my body in the waking world?
And with that my efforts doubled, now sprinting across the landscape. I tried calling out to Regis, only to be greeted by silence. The implications were less than good, yet I continued forward. Desperation fueling my every move, I couldn't die here after all, I didn't even know if I had closed the gate.
Then I stopped, I tried summoning my runes, yet nothing happened. I tried again and again, but the result was the very same. I knew this shouldn't be possible; the spell was omnipresent, and you could not get away from it. Seemingly only Grey and Regis could have bypassed it.
Yet neither one was here, I was alone in this wasteland, with no living beings, human or otherwise, around me. No food or water to speak of either. And I'm definitely not desperate to drink from the ever-changing ground. At least not yet.
Finally, I tried entering my soulsea, the task far harder without the spell. Finally, I did enter, only to see Regis missing. I looked towards the guy, my breath hitching. Because three giant orbs were floating in the sky, when there should have been four.
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