Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 64

Divine Apostasy Book 12 - Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Echo meditated as the racing continued, and Ruwen considered how to handle Ash. The curse he carried seemed related to blood and Ruwen wondered if Hamma’s healing might fix it, or perhaps Lylan’s knowledge of blood magic as she’d been the first to utilize a blood node with the hydra.

Perhaps just as important was the glowing tree on Ash’s palm that marked him as Ruwen’s fifth and last Hand. It meant Uru had marked Ash and Ruwen wondered if Ash even knew about the mark. When Ruwen had learned about his Root Class just after his Ascendancy, he’d been thrilled that it gave him a second Class. Uru had revealed that five others had been marked as Hands and tasked with helping him learn and survive the lethal intentions of the other gods.

Ash had almost certainly been chosen to help Ruwen with his chakra development, which would likely benefit Ruwen right now. Two years ago, he would’ve eagerly reached for such knowledge, but his Wisdom had increased considerably, and he’d matured in many ways. Ash stood on the cusp of a critical Step advancement and Ruwen wouldn’t endanger that with the distraction of teaching.

Master Pine had given Ruwen plenty to work on. Once he’d mastered those chakra basics, he’d find Ash again and request the young man’s assistance. Until then, Ash needed to focus on his own advancement.

Ruwen’s thoughts returned to the issue that hadn’t completely left his thoughts since he’d woken up—his loot from the last leprechaun fight. He worried it would disappear or that someone else would get it if he took too long.

From experience, Ruwen knew that Sift would race for hours and it appeared Ash felt the same way. Echo was deep in meditation and wouldn’t know if Ruwen disappeared, especially if he hurried.

Ruwen used his Divine Domain to slowly rise, using Spirit to dampen any sound his movement created. He stopped at fifty feet and turned in a circle until he found Ash and the others racing in the distance. The Ducati’s high-pitched scream sounded subdued from this distance. It streaked over the track only visible as a red blur.

Without any fanfare, Ruwen created a Soul portal to the mountain location he’d fought the leprechaun king and the giant golem. He stepped through and dismissed the gateway.

Frigid air and howling wind greeted Ruwen as the rising sun illuminated the Himalayas. In the distance pristine mountains ringed the area of desolation below him.

 Ruwen had defeated the leprechaun king and destroyed the miles tall golem here but none of that remained. Instead, a massive crater and blast hewn peaks were all that remained. In the hole’s center a jagged tear stretched three hundred feet across and double that in height, its edges crackling with unstable energy.

Through the rift, Ruwen glimpsed rolling green hills dotted with crystal formations that pulsed with their own light. The dimensional wound leaked Creation essence like a failing dam, and creatures poured through in a constant stream.

But it wasn't the rift between the Material Realm and Creation Realm that made Ruwen pause. It was the war raging around it.

Hundreds of fae battled across the crater's rim and down its slopes. Leprechauns wielding picks and shovels fought pale-skinned vampires whose fangs gleamed silver and many dripped with green leprechaun blood. Vampire mages produced a thick fog that billowed outward to protect their army from the harsh sun.

A third army, slow and shambling, fought both groups.

The leprechaun zombies were Echo’s work and the undead moved with jerky, unnatural motions, their green skin now a sickly grey. They attacked everything that moved, their picks and mining tools now instruments of mindless destruction. The Grimoire of Mourning had clearly been put to good use.

The loot from Ruwen’s victory over the thousands of leprechaun warriors, their king, and the artificial golem littered the battlefield. Cards scattered like fallen leaves each catching the sunlight differently, turning the desolated landscape into a glittering field of prisms.

In the center of the crater two objects stood out from the common cards around them. The golem’s card had a surface the color of liquid gold and it flowed and shifted in mesmerizing patterns. Strange runes moved across its face, and even from this distance, Ruwen sensed the power it radiated.

Beside it lay the king's card and it appeared carved from a single emerald. Its faceted surface split the sunlight into fractured rainbows, and leprechaun runes spiraled around its border in an endless loop. Both cards were easily three times the size of the common ones.

Between Ruwen and his prizes, the battle raged with magical fury. A cluster of vampire nobles had formed a defensive circle around a pile of cards, their speed allowing them to snatch loot while fending off attackers. Leprechaun warriors charged them with picks raised and leprechaun mages summoned green rays that burned the vampires quite effectively. Zombies attacked anything that neared them, including other zombies. He wondered if they performed better when Echo was here to control them.

Above the battlefield winged fae threw crystalline spears of light that shattered against vampire shields and leprechaun armor equally. Many gripped cards but some unseen force kept the loot within a certain distance. Ruwen could make out the boundary from all the fae who struggled against this invisible wall, unable to move farther away but unwilling to release their treasure.

The fae didn’t care as much about the items, but many had still been gathered into piles. Ruwen's enhanced perception picked out several objects that clearly weren't cards. A massive war hammer with a head shaped like a mountain peak lay partially buried near the crater's edge. A crown of twisted gold and gemstones sat atop the head of a vampire noble. A set of what looked like artificial chakras glowed with residual energy. They lay half-buried under twenty limbless zombies who snapped at anything that approached with sharp teeth.

Ruwen activated his Scarecrow Aspect. The burnt orange armor had terrified the leprechaun scouts and while he never planned on holding that stupid cursed carrot again, he still wanted the color it provided. He funneled that desire to the armor and it immediately darkened to the burnt orange.

With a pulse of Spirit Ruwen created hundreds of Aspect Clones, spreading them randomly around the battlefield. Each had a quarter of his durability and when controlled most of his skill with the Bamboo Viper Steps.

Overlord? You got a second?

Overlord took control of the Aspect Clones without a word, and the confusion on the battlefield turned to chaos.

Ruwen guessed he could touch any piece of the loot and claim it all, but just in case he Blinked directly into the crater's center where the three most valuable pieces remained.

The sudden appearance of the orange-colored scarecrows across the battlefield caused the majority of the leprechauns to scream in fear and flee. Vampires hissed and recoiled, and even the winged fae retreated, their gossamer wings beating frantically as they dropped their stolen cards and gained altitude.

The zombie leprechauns, however, showed no fear. They simply turned their mindless anger toward these new target.

Thanks, Echo, Overlord muttered.

Ruwen snatched the golden golem card with his Void Band and many of the common cards disappeared, but not all of them. He felt a strange sensation from his left wrist and realized it came from his Void Band. It didn’t feel heavy exactly, but it definitely didn’t feel normal.

The retreating fae, seeing many of the card disappear, stopped. Greed warred with terror, and greed won. They frantically tried to snatch any of the remaining cards.

To Ruwen’s shock, it seemed his failed attempt at looting had released whatever lock had existed and shrieks of glee rang out as the fae realized this as well.

A Notification explained the issue.

Void Band max capacity reached: 1,000/1,000

A sudden fear that these fae might steal all the loot caused Ruwen’s stomach to clench. Maybe he did have an unhealthy attachment to treasure.

Regardless, Ruwen planned on leaving here with every piece of his rightfully earned loot.

“Overlord,” Ruwen said out loud. “Gather the loot.”

Overlord appeared next to Ruwen in the black armored form of a Fallen Lord Minion. A fraction of a second later Sivart appeared as did Uruziel, both also in armor.

“Hell’s Bells,” Overlord said.

Ruwen’s skin prickled from the massive surge of Spirit that left his core as Overlord, Uruziel, and Sivart all executed whatever “Hell’s Bells” meant.