The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 551: Fallen To Hell

"What happened?" Oscar blinked. The hectic storms, the bloody massacre of beasts and humans, and the fleets were gone, replaced by darkness. Everything was deathly still as the air choked him, a stifling mess of dust and dirt exiting his pained lungs in dry coughs. Soon, the pain spread over his body, or rather, he had begun to regain his senses, starting with his touch. It was like someone had driven a hammer to pound on all of his bones, the most unpleasant of lingering agony that refused to subside.

Reaching his heavy hands out, he felt a sturdy stone wall. The dark haze over his eyes lifted, a veil of obscurity returning to bright clarity. Bright might not have been the fitting word. Rows of bricks and stone welcomed him, tossing dust upon his face. From what he could tell, he was underneath a piece of a rampart; a closer inspection revealing its architecture of the same make as the towers of Orbis. He tried to remember what had happened, but his memory was blank after the blackout.

'I'm right here. Sometimes, I wonder if you're purposely ignoring my existence.' Demon whispered in his thoughts.

'Where am I? What happened?' Time was running short. Grunting, he pulled his legs together and crouched underneath the fallen rampart. He turned to see Erden resting by his side, battered and riddled with cuts and gashes. To his relief, his friend's breathing rose and fell like soft waves, calm and serene. Though Erden was not in danger of dying, his injuries needed tending to.

'Once the strange insect attacked, you lost consciousness. I had to cancel the Duality and take over. But the storms crashed us somewhere among the ruins. Your injuries were too severe, so I found this spot underneath the rubble, tucked yourself in, and drank the healing elixirs.' As Demon recounted yesterday's events, Oscar checked the contents of his space pocket. Only a few elixirs remained, but only a single grade-three healing elixir. Oscar poured the elixir into Erden's mouth, clamping it shut to have him forcibly swallow. It was not enough to clear away all the injuries. However, it covered up a good amount for him to be satisfied.

'Thanks.' Oscar placed his hands over Erden's white fur and stroked it gently.

'Orbis is in ruins now. The defenses are gone. Luckily, the beasts are hostile to all humans. The enemy can't pass through Orbis so easily.' Demon said without any regard for the fallen allies, just like the same cruel and cold person he always was. 'What's the plan?'

'Rest for now.' Oscar gripped his artificial arm. In a forceful grip, he poured out his strength. The metal plating on his arm, which had dents, grooves, and was misshapen, screeched and groaned, clicking into place, back into the familiar shape of a limb. It suffered heavy damage from the storm, and Oscar felt gratitude toward Gol-4 for the ingenious designs that kept the arm functioning in its current state.

'Then?' Demon asked, strangely talkative. He didn't need to ask, and neither did Oscar, as their thoughts and memories shared a link from which they could learn everything. Still, perhaps Demon also wished to talk and converse during these dreary moments. Even though they were polar opposites, they shared a few tendencies.

'It's the only way to ensure you don't go mad. I suggest we abandon this battle and retreat to the Pavilion.' Demon said.

'You already know without looking into my thoughts what my answer is.' Faced with Demon's silence, an act of consent, Oscar crawled out of the small opening on the side where Demon first took him through. Outside, the dark clouds brooded over the sky, not letting a single hint of sunlight seep through. Arcs of lightning crackled slowly along the storm, writhing around like serpents. Thanks to them and the fires blazing along the ground, Oscar could make out his surroundings but frowned at the destruction.

Barely intact towers toppled on each other like dominoes. Wreckages of demolished buildings rested on the land, many holding some semblance of their former shape. Scattered remains of airships, both great and small, had crashed as well, most burning in bright flames while others hummed quietly as their turbines spun slowly. Orbis had fallen, no longer standing tall over the marshes, and fallen into a forsaken wreck of a town.

"Is this Orbis?" Erden woke up and joined Oscar outside, gazing deeply at the ruins.

"What remains of it, yes. Are you healthy enough to fight?" Oscar said, turning to observe the rest of the wreckage.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I'm wide awake. Where do we begin looking for your friends?" Erden asked, licking the blood off his leg.

Oscar replied, "Flying above may be the best option, but I'm not sure about–"

A screech forced his words back into his lungs, and Oscar glanced up at the stormy clouds, shaken to the core at the gathering of thousands of beasts flying overhead. He rushed into another wrecked building, hiding in a corner where the roof wasn't caved in. The beasts, winged or not, hovered over, gliding just below the clouds. They seemed to have no intention of attacking but no intention of leaving either, simply circling their area.

"Are they patrolling?" Oscar murmured. The patterns of the beasts stayed uniform, the movements and directions cycling consistently similar to patrolling guards. Situating his body deeper into the corner, he cursed under his breath as flying was no longer an option. While he believed in his power, it mattered little against an entire horde. Oscar tiptoed out of the building and roamed from one safe spot to another, navigating through the ruins.

Faint growls and cheerful yelps slowed his steps. Four or perhaps five beasts lurked ahead, brazenly being noisy as if drunk on their victory. Oscar floated slightly up, keeping his feet above the delicate rocks. Mentally, he told Erden to circle to the other side while he observed. Erden silently floated away, weaving between the rubble and out of sight. The beasts' chatters grew louder, and Oscar thought they had found him, but no reaction came toward his end.

Holding his breath, he floated up a wall and poked his head out, quickly stopping himself from clacking his teeth in anger. Down below, several beasts, a pack of red saber-hyenas, gnawed their drool-ridden fangs into a corpse, one wearing the coat of blue with a cloak of black, a comrade and one of his own. Oscar bit his lips, careful not to draw blood by accident, and balled his hands into fists, also careful not to dig his nails into his palm. The seconds felt like an eternity. He watched as the beasts tore apart the limbs, ripped into the flesh and organs, a sprinkle of blood spewing with each bite.

The moment, the instant Erden was ready, Oscar pounced on the beasts, silencing two in an instant with his Golden Maw and Golden Drill to the heads, with very little resistance to his Eirin. Before the other three could shout, Erden swept in and punctured their throats with his antlers, burning their windpipes into ashes. It all happened in a split second. Oscar punched into their chests and pulled out red cores, tossing four to Erden and one for himself.

Oscar gulped down the core and knelt before whatever was left of the fallen comrade. It was impossible to tell whether the person was a man or a woman. He yanked out the tag around the neck and the medallion of his order and stored them in his space pocket. At the very least, the person's identity can be known through this if it was any solace to the deceased. He placed the person into one of the infernos, letting them fly above as embers to the stars and rest as ashes among the ground, a better fate than resting as a mangled corpse.

"I'm sorry. I failed you. I promised you that we would fight in the deepest perils, in the most daunting tasks. You deserved to die as a brethren and as a solider or live on into the new age, not a dog's death like this." The black cloak burned away until the aegis symbol remained momentarily longer. Oscar poured out some wine he took from Fred. "May you rest now."

"Dying by beasts is a dog's death?" Erden raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean. Master always said one should fight for oneself in one's last moments. This one did not have that chance. They were eaten while broken down." Oscar sipped some of the wine and dripped some into Erden's mouth. "Now, enough of your jokes. We need to find everyone, however many we can."

"Are you sure?" A feminine voice called out from above, carrying a certain charm to each word, laced with a provocation.

This voice was familiar. However, why would she be here? And why now, after five years? Oscar jolted and turned with his Pseudoguise already clad around his arms and legs. Above, on the wall he scaled earlier, Sirsi Volten hung and rocked her legs playfully, her short black skirt fluttering around to her kicking, barely hiding the rest of her enticing figure. The deep blond hair freely flowed down her exposed shoulders, thanks to her black shoulderless and sleeveless shirt, a healthy, rosy red complexion glowing on the supple skin.

Sirsi grinned, her violet eyes narrowing and deepening, reflecting his figure clearly by the flames. She leaped down, holding her skirt down, and floated, her short, black heels an inch away from the ground. A warning came from her red lips, "This place is far too dangerous for you to stay. I can't have the future father of my child die here. It'll be a tragedy. By the way, what do you think?" She twirled slightly. "Wore this specifically for you. How does it feel to have the jewel of the Voltens dress up for you?"

Oscar clenched his fist, driven by the desire to kill her, but thought better of it. Only fools would fight in this place unless they wished to be torn apart by a horde of beasts. Sirsi herself was also a concern, her powers and limits still unknown to her while she certainly knew everything about his prowess. Focused, he turned away, confident she had no intent to attack, and he floated away. "I have a duty to find my men."

"Hah…." Sirsi sighed, then smiled. "Saying things like that is what makes you the perfect choice. If you want to find them, the pretty princess has gathered survivors to the west."

"Is that a lie?" Oscar perked up, meeting her gaze.

"Believe it if you want to. First step is to gain your trust. Well then, regroup and leave this place." Sirsi waved goodbye and disappeared into the rubble.

"West?" Erden scoffed.

"I don't like it any more than you do. But it's our only lead." Oscar looked at his compass and pointed westward. "Demon, go scout out first."