《Ashes of Empires》Chapter 161 - End of the Road
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Peil had kept very detailed records of Juren's movements and what he had been doing. Latest details were also very recent. If Juren wasn't at that location with troops under him, he wouldn't be far. He was at roughly northwest from Celadon, a portion right at middle of border of Sacronan and Saint Empire.
It was a wide area where fighting could get intense. It was too wide to cover entirely so there was a lot of movements to defend or attack. Kaden had previously passed at edges of this area, but not directly at the middle where war lunatic like Juren was camping at. A priest of Daminur would always be found at middle of conflict. There was a specific path on becoming a war priest of Daminur.
Obviously part of it involved being in war, but also throwing fuel to the fire, giving oneself completely to it. It also required strength, though. Juren wasn't quite there yet. Likely at limits of Formation stage.
"He will likely need to cause a bloodbath or some other tribute to Daminur", Kaden surmised. "Then once he has blessing of his god, he will advance. This will be his downfall. Perhaps he could already, but has not done so because he has tied himself to a god."
Considering Juren wasn't yet Condensation stage, Kaden wasn't afraid of the soldiers. Their numbers, which was roughly a hundred people, that were directly involved with Juren, might slow him down, but there would at best be only a few at Formation stage. The rest would be various levels of Channel Opening.
Truly, advancing to higher stages made things easier.
Kaden had not asked how Peil lived these days. That is, the visible portion, not the cultist meetings and being a priest of God of Lies.
Considering he was able to get reports meant that he was still trusted member of the church. Had he perhaps worked hard to advance to Formation stage so that his status would rise and be able to start his own vengeance?
Kaden knew that desire. It was a good motivation to gain power.
Perhaps Peil would have wanted to complete the task himself, but he was more than willing to let someone else do it for him. Probably even more so when this someone else was Kaden who had been part of the same events, even if their paths had separated.
Along the way Kaden scattered the godless mana system a bit more, but he was far more interested getting to Juren.
As Kaden flew towards the frontline. He wasn't completely certain what he would do to Juren. Obviously his soul would be unmade, but Kaden felt he needed to humiliate and torment the pathetic man before consigning his soul to oblivion.
Having Juren's soul torn apart slowly within Vengeance would be some form of fulfilment of concept of vengeance, but Kaden desired more. He had some ideas, but he wasn't sure if that would detract from his vengeance. As he thought it more, he decided to see how it felt once he did so. He would free his desires to do what he felt to be the best way.
What Kaden discovered was an open area, with trees and all cut down and familiar style fort built. Wooden walls wouldn't stop anyone. It wasn't even good base to build formations. Its only purpose was to slow Channel Opening stage soldiers.
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It seemed Juren ruled that little fort. It was arranged more as a religious site rather than a military base. A large altar to Daminur had been built in middle of it. Also religious signs related to Daminur had been attached to basically everything. That made far more sense. If you ran into soldiers wearing the marks, you were probably dealing with someone literally worshipping war. You usually didn't want to run into such people therefore it was good way to intimidate.
Kaden stayed at the distance and observed. He didn't want any surprises.
By the time sun was going down and Kaden actually saw Juren stand up to a pedestal next to the altar in middle of the fort, he knew there was nothing that could truly cause problems to him. These soldiers were equiped to deal with saints. Not with higher beasts, Cari.
"This is fitting. He just appeared in Dashire and did as he pleased", Kaden thought to himself. "I will just appear out of nowhere and do as I please. He can only obey or die and die he shall."
Kaden let them start their pathetic sermon before he leaped in air and flew towards the fort.
"Hahaha, what is this? A circus?" Kaden shouted loudly as he interrupted Juren's little sermon. He wanted to reenact what Juren had done to him. "A couple of clowns bouncing around? Hehe."
He still remembered it all. As for whether Juren himself could recall the events, Kaden didn't care. It was likely the man had done such things or worse many times.
The soldiers who were interrupted quickly tried to put up a fight, but Kaden unleashed a Fire Burst as he landed. Many of the weaklings died instantly, without being able to put up a fight.
"Kill! Kill the beast!" Juren was screaming loudly. Juren for sure could tell how strong Kaden was. There was no chance for him, but worshipper of Daminur wouldn't really care.
This annoyed Kaden. This 'conflict', fighting, would benefit Daminur. It was equivalent of his worship. Hence, Kaden leaped at Juren and pushed aside his attempts at fighting. Then Kaden crushed Juren's limbs within his armor and tossed him aside.
Juren would not be fighting. He would live and watch, but not be able to worship his god.
The other Formation stage officers, two of them, were the next target. Kaden shot Fire Beam's at one and the other Kaden concentrated his Life Well. The man only screamed as he tried to shield himself, but Kaden pushed through and the man started dry up and soon die as he crumbled down like a pile of human shaped dust.
The weaker soldiers, seeing their leaders be annihilated in almost casual manner, started to run away. A few fire balls here and there, a few wind blades and even for a good measure Kaden tossed Devouring Flame at a larger group.
This was the power of Lower Cari or Condensation stage against those below them. Kaden let none escape. While at this Juren was crawling somewhere, but there was nowhere for him to go.
Kaden slowly walked at him.
"I killed everyone quickly", Kaden explained Juren. "There was no combat. This was butchery. Your pathetic god will have gained little to no gains from this."
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This was what Kaden had wondered what to do. He had wanted to cause torment and pain, but he ended everything quickly. He didn't want to be something that could be considered 'conflict'. At least as little as possible.
Juren sat up against some storage boxes that had not been destroyed or ignited during the short fight. Then he spit bloody phlegm at Kaden. It was easy for Kaden to release a bit of heat and prevent it from ever reaching him.
"Do what you want beast", Juren said. "I am a true servant of gods! Beasts will eventually be defeated in a great war, one fit for Daminur. I shall join his army of faithful as we descend from the heavens to cleanse the world!"
"Hahaha", Kaden laughed. Then he continued. "Beast? That might be the case", Kaden said and stood up and even put the clothes on to show he wasn't a normal one. "I don't care about your feverish dreams that gods fill your head with. They are a stain ... as are you. My problem is with you. Gods can wait. You aren't going anywhere."
"What are you!?" Juren was shouting.
"Me?" Kaden said casually and pulled out Vengeance. The blade was glowing the bright with the green light. Kaden felt enormous desire to plunge it into Juren. "Can you tell what this mana is?"
By Juren's reaction, he could obviously tell what it was.
"I am not your normal beast, as you can tell. Not a man, but perhaps not completely a beast either", Kaden decided to explain as he grabbed Juren's crushed leg, obviously causing pain. He then dragged Juren towards Daminur's altar at middle of the fort. "You set it all into motion. I know you were merely the one enforcing the orders back then, but I hate you the most."
Juren was true follower of Daminur and ignored his wounds. He tried to pick up a sword from the ground as Kaden dragged him past it. Kaden let him. After a few pathetic attacks that could not even harm him, Kaden crushed the arm completely and then tossed Juren at Daminur's altar breaking it a bit. Kaden was planning to desecrate the entire place.
"You babbled something about going to your god", Kaden continued. "Thats not your fate. Your soul will be destroyed. There is no afterlife for you. You will never serve your god. You will die without even able to put up a fight. Even if you were to go to him, he would laugh at you and toss you down to the hell realm for being such pathetic failure."
"Who are you", Juren decided to ask.
"You won't remember", Kaden replied. "There was a small village which you sacked under some so called 'holy order'. Once I grow powerful enough, Sanctus shall die too. I will destroy the churches, I will destroy the hold of gods upon this world. You caused it. Its your fault. You should want to be erased from existence for such a thing."
Juren started screaming and shouting expletives in rage.
Kaden was surprised how calmly he was acting.
"From now on until to the moment you cease to exist, your existence will be torment", Kaden explained to Juren and brought Vengeance front of his face.
"God cursed mutant! I don't matter! You will die, you will die, you will...", Juren screamed in rage. That is up until Kaden struck Vengeance right into his chest. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"
Juren screamed and Kaden calmly observed the vengeance mana flow into Juren. The mana was tearing apart his body as it grabbed and held onto him. He glowed with the green light. Unlike the previous victim with the complete process, Serin, Juren body started to torn into pieces, like he was being ground apart.
The previous time with Serin, ghosts had appeared to tear at his soul. These illusory images of angry people also appeared around Juren's disintegrating, yet still screaming, body. They did very little, but to quietly shout and rage at him, though.
*crack*
Kaden heard and even felt a slight crack from Vengeance. At first he was worried there was some damage, but with quick inspection, it seemed there was no need to worry. Instead the blade was seemingly shedding parts of itself.
"I see", Kaden realized. "Just as anything else, with extra mana absorbed, things tend to change and grow more powerful, just like people. Yet, unlike people, blade, even enchanted one, is far simpler thing. It should grow on its own, but it will speed up if I can feed it properly."
If anything, Juren was some of the purest vengeance mana involved with Kaden's vengeance. It was no surprise it was growing. It had already shown signs of it before.
Around at this time Juren's physical body had disintegrated into bloody bits all over the place. His screaming spirit, his soul, was floating above it, tied with tendrils spreading from Vengeance. These tendrils wrapped around him, pierced him, twisted him into unnatural positions and constantly moved shredding his spiritual form even more.
He was then being dragged into Vengeance where he soon disapeared. Kaden could yet again find screaming Juren inside it where he would remain doing so until his existence was erased.
Vengeance had grown in size slightly. Kaden could tell the material it had been made from had altered too. He wasn't sure how vengeance mana had affected it, but it was much tougher. Its general shape had taken additional changes too. Its edge was slightly serrated and in its handle there was vengeance mana forming into screaming faces, like reaching up from dark sludge until sinking back into it again.
Kaden felt happiness. Juren was dead ... or at least dead enough. Eventually he would be more than dead.
He had waited this day for a long time. Yet, it was over so quickly. It was fine. Kaden didn't mind. This task was complete. Its end reached. There were more, but this one was complete.
It was time to start another part of the plan. If Peil could attract yet another target, Marwen, Juren would have a companion within the blade very soon.
It was time to desecrate the entire fort.
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