[Book II Chapter 44] DYLAN: Rupture

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Dylan skipped along a mountain ridge, his mind in turmoil. While he’d eliminated another of the eight, he felt no joy this time. Bao Pan had been confident about returning to life, a feat which would negate his entire revenge plan. If ‘Bao Pan’ was its real name at all. He suspected some form of possession, but he had no idea by what or how.

<> Doehser Fang reasoned.

“True, but the others didn’t release their souls in such a showy fashion.” Dylan answered. “It’s possible it’ll be faster with her.”

Dylan grimaced. This meant Lin Xiao would eventually be in danger at the Morning Dew Sect. He’d never forgive himself if she was harmed through his ignorant actions.

He’d stopped by New Vale on his way home in hopes of meeting Gen Jiang, but found him departed. He desperately needed guidance to determine what he was facing. Dowart, despite his ageless wisdom, was of no help in this instance. His most likely bet was the patriarch of the Ghost Corrosion Sect, Yaozu Gao, who his master had approached. With his standing as prominent prodigy, Gen might’ve been able to arrange a meeting.

> Dowart interrupted his brooding.

A shining blue figure was flying towards them. Dylan recognized it as a swan made of glowing water. The Morning Dew Sect’s distress signal… God no! In an emergency, dozens of the waterfowl would rise from the sect’s lake and scatter in all directions.

Dylan scrambled down the slope and raced up the valley. Now that he concentrated, he could see smoke far off in the distance. Please, not again.

As he rounded a mountain bend, he stumbled upon a giant red lizard ambling towards him. What is a salamander doing here? The forest behind the beast was ablaze, as well as the grass everywhere it walked. Dylan made his way around the reptile, relieve it didn’t appear interested in fighting.

> Dowart said. >

Dylan sprinted through the flaming trees. Please… After an eternity, he reached an unfamiliar hellscape. Everything around the Morning Dew Sect was burning, including the island itself with several phoenixes circling above. The normally splendid surrounding lake had dropped a dozen feet. At its narrowest side, more salamanders were jumping across, hindered weakly by a few water dragon rising from the surface.

“Get away from there!” Dylan charged the invaders.

The pack of lizards turned and hissed, sending waves of fire and hurling globs of molten spit. In response, he embraced the Greater Mystery of Magma and accelerated. The attacks assaulted, singing his robes, but failed to do any damage. A layer of dark stone now covered his skin, flickering with the glow of lit charcoals, and his muscles pulsed with the power of the fiery earth. Brandishing Resplendent Delusion, he unleashed his fury, hacking off limps and knocking disabled foes into the lake.

Once several of the beasts were floundering in the water, screeching in pain, the herd withdrew and glared from a distance. Panting, Dylan’s heart sank when he saw other groups arriving from the burning mountain. I don’t have time for this.

Jumping to the Morning Dew compound, Dylan was relieved to spot an area of green deep in the smoke. Forcing his way through an unburnt bamboo grove, he emerged in a courtyard and was stunned by who he saw.

“Sulai Chen!” Dylan shouted, readying his sword.

The Red Sky Disciple gave him a tired glance before returning her attention to three approaching salamanders. One by one, she hurled them off the island. He noticed her splendid robes where as tattered as his own.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded.

“Protecting the survivors of this sect.” Sulai gestured to a mostly intact building.

“Dylan!” Lin came running out. “You’re back!”

“What happened?” He asked.

“A nearby rift connected to the plane of fire and ruptured. We barely had any warning before we were attacked.”

Dylan grimaced. Whenever the Ether’s greater realms came in contact with Enera, there was the risk of a rupture forming. These unstable mega-rifts had spheres of influence extending hundreds of miles. Until they collapsed, any of the realm’s creatures could cross over and wander at will.

Dylan crouched down besides Lin, “Can you create your mist here?” That supernatural fog would be the best defense against the never-ending tide of beasts.

“I can’t.” Lin shook her head, tears forming. “The infernal ape won’t let me. Every time I try, it gets angry and sends a horrible wave of heat.”

“Over there.” Sulai pointed to the compound’s main building. On the roof, an enormous red monkey was lounging in the flames. “It must be the sovereign presiding over the region where the rupture occurred. Fortunately, it’s content to watch while it’s underlings do the destroying, but, as long as it’s here, they’ll keep coming.”

With a shrill cry, a phoenix released a burst of fire from the sky at some distant target. “So it’s the reason they’re assaulting so relentlessly?” He asked.

“Yes.” Yanfei came out to join them. “My husband and Mei Shenmu, as well as Sulai’s companions, are fighting. Can you help them?” There was a desperate pleading in her eyes.

Dylan nodded, facing Lin again. “I am going to get rid of that ape somehow. Be ready to create your mist.”

“Of course.” Lin smiled, reassured by his confident tone.

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“Please make sure Soul Skyfell survives.” Sulai added half-heartedly as he left.

I will if I can, Dylan thought. While he still didn’t care for the boy, anyone who had come to defend the Morning Dew Sect had earned that much.

Ignoring the infernal ape, four saints were scattered across the compound, focusing on extinguishing the flames and expelling the trespassers. The damage was less extensive than expect thanks to their combined efforts. Still, with the salamanders and phoenixes continuously igniting everything, it was only a matter of time before buildings collapsed.

“You’re back!” The Morning Dew matriarch was the first to notice him.

Dylan rushed over, “Is it alright for you to be out here? Maybe you should retreat and defend the others with Sulai?” She looked strong, but he knew how little time left she had.

Mei chuckled bitterly, “At this point I won’t last the day regardless, so there’s no point. Besides…” She glared at the figure on the main building. “You’ll need my help.”

Dylan swallowed the bitterness gripping his heart. “What’s the situation?” He asked.

“That sovereign invaded two hours ago and has been drawing in demonic beasts ever since. When those three saints arrived, we tried engaging it.” Mei motioned towards Soul. “The young boy over there apparently has an attack capable of killing the immortal beast, but it was too agile. Its searing heat makes approaching difficult, and we couldn’t even dislodge it from its perch. Since then we’ve been fighting a losing battle against its underlings.”

Mei clenched her fists, “If only we could lure it to the north shore, where the magical arrays in the lake are strongest, I might be able to trap it briefly.”

Dylan glanced towards interloper on the roof. Laying lazily on its size, the infernal ape was eating strange red fruits from huge bag. Occasionally, it would hoot and holler while watching the chaos.

Mei grabbed his shoulder, “Dylan, look!”

On a distant mountain, the burning forest was being flattened by red tide. Peering closer, he realized it was hundreds of gigantic creatures moving as one.

> Dowart stated. >

We need Lin’s mist! Dylan turned to Mei, “Go ahead to the north shore and prepare yourself. I’ll bring the ape to you.”

He then shouted at the top of his lungs, “Kailen, I need you to prevent more salamanders from crossing over. Do whatever it takes.”

“Yingtai, the phoenixes are your duty. Keep them at bay, even if only for a while.”

“Soul, you and I will clear the island of these irritating lizards.”

Relieved at his presence, the others heeded his commands, and Dylan joined Soul on a slaughtering spree. If forcing the infernal ape to move doesn’t work, then we just need to lure him to us. Judging by its reaction to Lin, the beast would be enraged if they removed its entertainment. For good measure, he channeled the Greater mystery of aurora, dropping the temperature.

Soon they’d felled the last one, and most of the island was covered in frost. Only the main building was still aflame, the heat easily repelling the cold. On it, the sovereign continued munching happily. Damn, I figured that would’ve been enough.

“It’s watching Kailen and Yingtai struggle.” Soul observed. “It knows they can’t hold off the demonic beasts for long.”

That stubborn monkey… “Distract it for a minute.” Dylan said as the northern lights obscured his image. “I’ll do something it can’t ignore.”

Nodding, Soul formed an large spell circle, and a gigantic block of ice appeared above the main building. The infernal ape watched this happen, grinning broadly. It raised a finger, releasing a spinning torrent of flame. With the upward force counteracting gravity, the falling block hovered in air, balancing on the column of fire. The monkey had fun directing it left and right as it melted away.

With its free hand, the infernal ape swatted down a wave of hail and snow from Soul. It then reached to the side and frowned. A white blade was sticking out from its fruit bag. The metal glowed brightly then exploded, shooting ice shards in every direction. The monkey’s precious snacks were sent flying, broken and frozen.

“RAAAAAAAWWWWWWWR!”

Dylan jumped out of the building to escape the crushing heat. A second later, the entire structure gave way, consumed by a towering blaze. The monkey walked out of the inferno, fangs barred in a horrible expression.

“We’ve got its attention now.” Soul said joining him.

The sovereign attacked in a flash, claws of flames springing from his extremities. They blocked the furious blows with their weapons, backpedaling under their weight. Everything around them burned fiercely, and tiny embers drifted the turbulent air, searing their skin upon contact.

They fled desperately, Soul interposing himself to take the brunt of the assault, his ice armor shattering bit by bit. Dylan was ashamed to admit, but he couldn’t withstand the scorching strikes in the same way, even with the Greater Mystery of Aurora.

They dove into the lake to escape a burst of scarlet fire. When they emerged, the infernal ape was glaring at them, power crackling in its hands.

Then the lake receded around their legs, its surface undulating bizarrely. As they paused to take in the phenomenon, an enormous figure sprung from the water, shooting along the shore and cutting them off from the island. Mei Shenmu rode on the back of the serpent-shaped dragon, appearing tiny astride its mass.

“Time to meet your end, you degenerate monkey!” She shouted.

As the dragon coiled around them, uncertainty spread on the infernal ape’s face. It turned, crouched, and leapt.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Mei growled. The dragon soared in pursuit, the whole lake emptying to sustain its form. High in the sky, its jaws clamped down on the terrified ape.

“Heaven Splitter!” Soul released an uppercut aimed at the silhouette tumbling in the far off liquid. Diamonds Edge’s power stuck the dragon’s head, freezing and dividing it in two. The infernal ape torso was in one half, its legs in the other.

As the rest of the water construct came crashing down, Dylan struggled over to where Mei had fallen. The matriarch of the Morning Dew Sect had gone deathly pale.

“Always knew this day… would come,” Mei whispered, “but I never suspected… so soon…” The light faded from her eyes.

“Sorry…” Kneeling besides her, Dylan wrung his hands.

“Mei!” Kailen came barreling over, knocking him back. “No, no, no…” He clenched her lifeless body. Tears streaming down his face, he glared up accusingly. “Why weren’t you here?” Dylan winced, not having the words to respond.

> Dowart said softly. <>

Right, the galvanic rhinos. Sprinting across the island, Dylan was relieve to see fog spreading. Lin was sitting in the middle of the courtyard, Sulai and the other survivors nearby.

“She started cultivating as soon as the infernal ape yelled.” Sulai explained. “So this mist can protect us?”

“Yes.” Dylan answered. Spotting a ragged Yingtai Qiao descending from above, he approached the Rippling Tempest disciple. “Thank you for defending the Morning Dew Sect.”

“Soul is the one you should direct your gratitude towards.” Yingtai sighed. “Neither Sulai or myself would be here otherwise. He rushed over the moment he saw the swan signal, and he’s the one who fought hardest before you arrived.”

And he killed the infernal ape, Dylan admitted. Floating above, Doward commented. <>

Taking a deep breath, Dylan walked over to Soul resting against a wall. “Ask for anything.” He declared. “If it is within my power, I shall grant it.”

“No need.” Soul looked up, clearly exhausted. “I didn’t come expecting a reward.”

Dylan smirked. “I know that. This is for my sake. I must repay your aid, or I’ll never be at a peace. So please make a demand.”

He waited as the boy studied him. “Alright…” Soul said slowly. “Risk your life to save another.”

“What…?” Dylan’s brows furrowed.

“Repay my efforts today by passing along the favor.” Soul repeated. “Find someone facing certain death and save them. Do that, and we’re even.”

<> Dowart Fain laughed. <>

Part of Dylan wanted to rage at the absurd request. Instead, he closed his eyes and calmed himself. If that is what he truly wants…

He smiled awkwardly. “I promise you the deed will be done.”