The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 552: My Burdens Live Here

Amid the crackles of lightning and the sea of beasts above, Oscar floated silently, ever careful of his surroundings, relying on Erden's extra vision and senses to make out the way. The fresh scent of blood came from the carcasses of beasts strung along the path west, painting a red carpet on the rubble for him to follow. Despite having fifty percent of his power, Demon had no issues culling down all the beasts without a single peep or sound alerting the hordes above.

He wondered how far the ruins reached. It seemed endless, perhaps due to how slow he was moving, sneaking across from one safe spot to the next. Some beasts approached, attracted by the enticing scent of fresh meat, and feasted with high-pitched growls. Oscar aimed and fired several Golden Breakers, landing them right onto their throats, and Erden swooped in, slashing his antler wings like blades, beheading them. Quickly, Oscar and Erden cradled the fallen heads and gently placed them down.

Just how much further west? The blood path was still fresh, his vision jumping to Demon's and finding only a horizon of rubble before his alter ego. A crash from behind snapped his focus back to himself, and he turned at great speed, relaxing at the crumbling wall that fell apart, kicking up clouds of dust and forming a mound of brick. Safe for now, Oscar ate the cores, sharing some with Erden, and continued westward, darting his eyes at every crevice and hole. Surely, some others like him, or rather, Demon, had the idea of hiding deep inside a safe spot.

Regrettably, he found no one. His heart sank at the lack of survivors. The worst was the reality seen in the ocean of corpses, not just beasts, but humans from both sides. Their lifeless bodies filled every nook and cranny of this part of the ruins. Oscar averted his eyes away from the hollow stares of the few that still had their heads. The others seemed to have their heads bitten off or their whole bodies squashed underneath the weight of Orbis, nothing but their feet sticking out. He recovered as many tags as he could, whispering his apologies to those he could not get to.

The path was still far ahead, and there was no time to canvas and search every corpse. Erden nudged him in the usual comforting manner. Oscar patted Erden's head and nodded. Right…they were still alive. Speeding slightly, they turned around pillars and swooped through roofless halls, doors leading to nowhere but more ruins and the dark stormy clouds overhead. Demon had been very busy, and Oscar grew concerned, knowing the Duality would reach its limits at this pace. Spending the night was not favorable for him and the survivors.

Twenty minutes later, Demon finally relayed good news, 'I found them.'

'You have?!' Oscar looked through Demon's eyes, seeing empty ruins of a great building that he recognized as one of the large military wards in Orbis. The roof was caved in, and the walls lacked the sturdiness and sense of security it once emanated. Faint shadows moved inside, their figures trying to avoid revealing themselves in the windows, but the small traces of their shadows gave them away. Near the main entrance, where one-half of the door was missing, a flag stretched its emblem to the fullest, its pole driving deep into the ground. It stood defiantly as a beacon of hope against the storms.

'The royal emblem. Sirsi was right.' Oscar could not mistake the golden dragon enveloped in royal blue. He canceled his Duality and sprinted toward the flag. As he neared the fallen military ward, he sensed a hostile intent against him, the figures growing clearer in the windows, the flashes of light from the endlessly churning lightning reflecting the deep blue of their uniforms and armor clearly. Once they got a closer look, they fell back, and a man in battered dragon armor stepped out of the entrance. A wing was chipped off on one side of his helmet, and dents and cuts dulled the armor's golden luster.

"You're alive. Of course, you would be." Gavir chuckled under his helmet before removing it, a fresh scar extending from his forehead to cheek, crossing his eyes. "Come inside, it's not safe to talk here."

Oscar settled himself inside the military ward, surrounded by the stares of the remnants, the survivors, each one injured in one way or another, not a single one unmarred by the sudden onslaught. One by one, bow by bow, these soldiers focused their gazes on him, deep reverence glinting in their pupils and a hint of expectance, their faces brightening as he stepped past them. Did they believe he could overturn this crisis? Oscar held back his sigh. His position of hero, together with the tales of his victories, had its uses in keeping up morale and holding their hopes high, but now they felt like shackles binding him to their burdens.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

His feet slowed to nearly dragging their toes, his arms hung lower, limping as if dragged down by weights, and his face fell, hiding his expression under the cover of the dim lights. He knew no answer to give them, no words of hope this time. This time, they truly lost, and there was no victory in this hell. Turning the corner, he roamed past the hallway, lined by dozens of doors, reaching the other end where a familiar and comforting sight welcomed him.

"Oscar!" Celestina rushed in and clasped his hands. She had seen better days in the past. Her silver hair had several strands out of place, spots of dirt dirtied her armor, and her emerald eyes lost much of their luster, flaring for a moment at his return. Her shaky grip refused to let him go, and she said in a weary tone as if she aged dozens of years, "Thank goodness you're alive. Thank goodness."

"I'm glad to see you alive as well. Is there anything I can do to help?" Oscar comforted her by patting her hand.

"It's more than enough that you're alive. You should rest for now. I still have to assess the current crisis." Celestina's gaze hardened, and she removed her hands, returning to her spot by the block of rubble she used as a table.

"Is this everyone?" Oscar saw only Gavir, Celestina, and himself in this room, and counting the ones outside…only a few hundred. If this truly was the remainder of their forces, then the losses were too much to handle. Staring at Celestina, he grieved for her. She always regarded her people as her priority, her empire as her home to protect, but in one cruel massacre, this small group remained under her charge.

Celestina slightly clenched her hands, and he knew she was trying to hold back the tears, her eyes scrunching and trembling. She shuddered out, "That is still undetermined. I have absolute faith in the others. They must be hiding out in outposts like this one. They must be. Nothing else would make sense."

"I see…Gavir, are there any of my soldiers here?" Oscar shifted away from Celestina before his careless words might bring her further down.

Gavir sighed and shook his head. "So far, I have only ten percent of my Drakiri accounted for, a few remnants from other divisions, and a portion of the princess's guard. I'm sorry, Oscar. We've had no news of your men."

The words stabbed into his heart, nailing and sticking into his chest. Oscar refused to accept it and briskly turned away, marching toward the exit. Gavir clasped his shoulder, an empathic look on his face, but Oscar swiped the hand away. Right before exiting, he faced the two, staring at Celestina, "Gather the men and get out of here. I'll go out and gather whoever I can find and follow after you."

"Through the hordes ravaging our lands and sky? Oscar, we must retreat." Celestina pleaded, biting her lips. "Time after time, I've had to leave my people to be buried in who-know-where. Not everyone can be saved. I try and try, but it's impossible. We must secure what we have now and retreat to safer lands."

"And that is what you should do as the princess. I can't begin to imagine your burdens, but this is mine. I am the leader of the Black Aegis Order and a friend. My burdens are in these ruins." Oscar walked away, and Celestina said no more. It was a cruel thing to say to her since she was also someone important to him, but just as she had her priorities, he had his own, his men, soldiers, Fred and Emily. He floated away and traveled down south, searching for any other survivors, anyone.

"You are one stressful person to think about. Do you ever stop to consider how careless you are?" Unsurprisingly, Sirsi sidestepped from behind one of the pillars, garbed in her scanty skirt and shirt. She brushed her blond hair, a pair of violet eyes glaring deeply into his own. "I can imagine the worries your wife must go through."

"What do you want? You have no wish to fight me. Are you here to convince me away?" A faint breeze flew between the two, their Eins sharpening quietly along their skin, and they both readied themself for battle.

Sirsi giggled and relaxed her stance, throwing up her arms in surrender. "Geez, you are stubbornly loyal. Can't even let a chance go if your people are still out there. I truly can't have a child with anyone other than you. If it's a boy, what shall we name him?"

"Enough of your prattling, you vixen." Oscar raised his shield.

"You do find me attractive!" Sirsi lightly clapped her hands, turning his insult into a compliment.

"What do you want?" Oscar said, tired of this conversation.

Sirsi floated closer, stopping when Oscar gave her a piercing stare. She rested her index finger on her lips seductively, smiling as her eyes glinted with desire, unblinking at him. "What if you can stop this? Clear up the sky and free the land from the beasts."

"Trickery. Do you believe I'm a fool?" Oscar pointed at the sky. "That strange insect beast destroyed two armies and fleets in one attack. What can I do against that?"

"Oscar, let's just kill her. I've had enough of her insulting your wife with her antics." Erden growled.

"I forgot. Your beast companion will also make a fine protector for our child." Sirsi smirked, ignored Erden's deepening growl, and said sternly, "That insect beast is an experiment of the New Dawn."

"What?" Oscar nearly lost himself in his anger, almost lashing out. Gnashing his teeth, he growled similarly to Erden's, "What have you people done?"