On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Fifty-Six

Simultaneously, I acted in both worlds, brain screaming at managing the time distortion, even with Split Thoughts and Body Enhancement running. Light element was absorbed internally, making my brain and nervous system fire at its absolute limit, far exceeding human reaction times, and amber letters flared on my Eye again, one of the skills on the cusp of Ranking up pushed over the edge by extreme stress and optimisation.

Your Skill, Split Thoughts has advanced from Rank 5 to Rank 6, and has crossed the first bottleneck. Differences in perceived time and space between layers of Split Thoughts is mitigated, and your mental Statistics improve commensurately, and skills which involve calculations and perception are strengthened and are easier to Rank up. You can run several additional…

Blinking away the rest of the description, as now was not the time to dwell on it, the sudden relief was palpable, as I directed the additional instances of Split Thoughts to managing the actions of both my bodies, and it was impossible to adequately explain to someone who wasn’t experiencing it, but it was like the time flows became more in sync, somehow seeming to be far closer to each other in terms of the passage of time, even though nothing had changed at all. I suppose maybe it’s like how the brain tunes out the blind spot in our vision, so we don’t notice?

Reacting immediately, a halo formed behind me in the Boundary, a dark ring that seemed to draw in the light around it, yet was fringed with a brilliant glow. The wave of earth, mud and rocks surging towards me were drawn towards Prominence Dusk, leaving Rampage stumbling, his bright blue eyes wide in surprise as his attack and effectively his shield was drawn away, leaving him exposed. The dark, corrosive energy boiled behind me, earth element converted to dust, my own darkness element flooding and imbuing it, and with a cry I unleashed it, though not at the charging Rampage, as I didn’t want to kill an ally, even if they were being controlled.

My fist slammed into Rampage’s huge torso, his stony armour shattering, and he staggered backwards, nearly falling. “You’re weaker than Grulgor. Size isn’t everything, I guess.” I muttered, as a beam of shimmering dust element raced out into the beautiful and artistic Boundary version of the Academy buildings, piercing deep, destroying walls and Buildings hidden deep within alike. I had aimed towards the largest concentration of Buildings I could see with my Eye, hoping to get lucky and hit the Anchor, finishing things, but of course it wasn’t that easy, though the damage my attack had caused would certainly be painful for the girl who owned the Territory, and would be blaring warnings at her spirit.

In the Material, a beam of light surged, and Suk-ja squealed, ray of light slicing through her closed fist moments before she could trigger the alarm, or, more likely, the sprinklers above. It felt bad, wounding a girl, and an ally at that, but dealing with the situation took priority, and I had a lot of Healing to do after all this was done, so as long as she didn’t die, it wasn’t a problem to add some more to that list. The clean-up is going to be brutal, I expect we’ll be stuck in Korea for a few days…

“Such a brute, wounding a young girl.” Dong said disapprovingly in Chinese, clicking his tongue. “By the Buddha, you should be condemned! Be crushed!” The weight I was feeling intensified, as if a giant palm was holding me down, but I pushed back with all my enhanced strength, the difference in our League mitigating the effect somewhat. Choi Ji-ho was screaming at me in Korean, trying to grapple and punch me, but I kicked out, slamming my foot into his knee, though I was surprised that instead of his leg breaking under the blow, he was merely thrown backwards, landing heavily, before scrambling to his feet, eyes bloodshot. As I watched, my eyelids felt heavier than my body, and a voice inside was whispering to me that it was easier to just surrender, go to sleep, and when I woke up, everything would be over, and I’d be happier for it…

Damn, I hate mind affecting abilities. I’m glad Shaeula didn’t gain her befuddling winds until Las Vegas, or I’d have had no chance against her… and this one’s so insidious, as it’s merely amplifying my weariness, so it’s not something my Spirit Water sees as a curse…

More focused light flashed, punching through the seating arrayed around the music hall with the hissing of burning wood and the smell of burnt fabric. There was a gentle thud, as the Chosen I had pierced through in multiple places sagged down, unable to fight anymore. Though it’s a miracle they can, anyway, being so mistreated and used up. This Chosen was a young man, perhaps university age, but with pale, straw-like white hair and body so thin the bones were visible, it was a shock he was still alive. No, just like the other one, again he’s dying, without the strengthening effect of the berserk blood, and nothing my skills can do would be able to save him… “Not that I have the leisure to even try.” I said bitterly, turning my attention to the members of Inevitable Victory. Suk-ja was surrounded by six spinning blades, seemingly forged from glittering crystal, which piqued my curiosity, but as they spun at me, flying out like bullets, my interest was now more academic.

“Try what?” Choi Ji-ho asked, charging me like an enraged bull. “Those beams won’t hurt me like you maimed little Suk-ja!”

“Sure, but what about this?” The dwindling dregs of my earth element surged into the ground, collapsing it into a pit. He staggered, but leapt it easily, as I moved at barely half my enhanced speed due to the drag of Dong’s ability, which was intensifying as he kept his hands pressed together, sweat beading on his bald head. That was enough though, as I brought up my stun-grenade launcher, which was almost empty after dealing with the maddened army, but I still had a couple left. Both detonated as they slammed into Choi Ji-ho, and he was momentarily halted, though sadly it seemed his defence had protected him from the sound blast, but judging by the way his pupils were contracting and expanding crazily, the light had blinded him just fine. Ugh, just getting caught in the backlash from it was painful enough. Poor bastard. Oh well, he’ll thank me after this is all over.

“Bastard!” he cursed, groping blindly, only to squeal in surprise as I darted forwards, grabbing him. I spun him around, and Suk-ja, still clutching her destroyed hand, let out a cry of anguish as her spinning blades of diamond slammed into Choi Ji-ho. Two shattered, and a third splintered, a crazy spiderweb of cracks running through the blade. Two others did no actual damage, repelled by Choi Ji-ho’s so-called impenetrable defence, but that was proved a lie, as the sixth breached it, shearing deep into his shoulder like a drill before Suk-ja called the blades back, the gem now crimson, blood spilling from Choi Ji-ho to the floor below.

Suk-ja screamed with frustration and anger, calling out Korean words repeatedly I didn’t understand. What I did was that I had found the weaknesses of Choi Ji-ho’s invincible shield, as he called it. At least I think so…

“She called you a coward and a snake.” Dong said unhelpfully. “Your actions are indeed without honour.”

“Honour? What honour is here? Your minds have been clouded, and I’m trying to bring you back to your senses!” I shot back, readying my next move, as Choi Ji-ho struggled to his feet, eyes narrowed and barely able to see, one hand staunching the blood from his wound…

In the Boundary again, the reverse was happening. Rampage was on his knees, another hammer blow from me sending him flying, using the blunt edge of Storming Moonlight, else I would have cut him in half. Lightning flashed, stunning him with the crackling of actinic sparks, making Rampage bellow in pain as the forked bolts passed through him, although the lightning was dimming out, the amount stored within my blade having diminished, and it would need several days to recharge. It was then that a number of barbs extended from beneath me, stabbing into my Brigandine armour, droplets of acidic venom sizzling, beginning to melt it, though the armour was regenerating, slowing the corrosion.

In addition to Subtle’s sneak attacks, as when I hurled a bolt of flame down at him, he had vanished once more, bombarding me from several dozen metres away with more needle-like quills, another group of Dokkaebi were forming up, surprising me, as I had thought the last of them were dead. There were only a dozen of them, but they were dancing, chanting and whooping madly, and as they did so I noticed they were beside what looked like a small pond. The air around us began to chill, a cold fog drifting around my ankles, and the water began to form a series of jagged spears of ice. With mocking laughter they started to launch them at me in a constant bombardment, keeping me on the defensive.

“I’ll crush you!” Rampage grunted, barely able to move, but he could still use a little earth element, and walls rose around me, preventing my movement, leaving me vulnerable to the icy barrage and Subtle’s constant sniping, or so he thought. Spatial element surged, and I was glad that I had retained it for emergencies, as I appeared beside the group of Dokkaebi shamans, and Storming Moonlight wove a figure of eight as several were decapitated, others sliced in half. The remaining ones made the water explode, heedless of one being shredded apart by the blast, and the remaining couple of survivors cawed in triumph, perhaps having expected me to be pierced by the frozen water and fall prey to the mind control, but their laughs were cut off as they flashed into ether, my blade hewing them apart.

“Sorry, but no. Trash mobs like you should have stayed away from where the bosses battle.” I snorted. A thin layer of flame element had melted the ice around me, and as I turned away, I felt a sudden impact.

“Careless. So careless.” It was Subtle, who had also moved below the ground, before emerging to strike at me with a long spear of bone, the trident-head dripping a clear venom. He had aimed for the gap where my Brigandine had dissolved under his acid, aiming to pierce flesh. Subtle, whose Boundary form resembled a snake-man, short, lean and with pitch black scales edged with red and brown, looked at me with derision, crimson eyes unblinking. “Your arrogance will be your undoing. My venom is potent indeed!”

“Yes, I have been caught out by being arrogant before.” I admitted. “But not this time. I’ve had it all under control.” I glanced down, and Subtle found his eyes following mine, to see that the spear was held with strands of my dregs of wind element, not piercing my flesh, the tip trembling a few millimetres from my body. “Though I’m confident with my Ether Healing I’d laugh off your poison, why take chances?” I grabbed his spear, pulling, and he released it, unable and unwilling to compete in strength.

“My poison is no trifle!” he hissed, as he leapt backwards. A lizard-like crest of red fanned out around his head, and he snarled, spitting more fizzing, milky venom at me, but I was already moving, ducking down, and my hand slammed into his chest before he could escape, fingers piercing his scales, blood scattering.

“Damn.. you!” he screeched, only to collapse, writhing and contorting in agony, black steam rising from his body. As my hand pulled free, a hint of flame element purified my soiled, bloody fingers, which dripped a little water. My Eye shone, and as it did so, I nodded in satisfaction, having confirmed a guess, which would inform my actions in the Material as well.

As Choi Ji-ho’s vision gradually returned, his recovery outstripping that of ordinary soldiers by several orders of magnitude, he found himself under my attack, as I called on gleaming citrine balls of flame. I struck him with one, which he laughed off, then two, then three. As the number increased he started to dodge desperately, but soon he was taking hits, flames scorching his unsuitable clothing for a mission like this and burning the skin beneath.

“By the compassionate Buddha, you are cruel! My golden hands will crush all evil!” Dong declared, muscles in his neck standing out as he strained to hold me in place. He called out something in Korean, ending with Suk-ja’s name, and the girl sent her spinning diamond blades at me, as if expecting me to be immobile.

“Slow learners…” I muttered, then immediately felt guilty. “No, I apologise. Perhaps the mind control is making you dull.” I dodged the whipping blades even as they spun in strange, unpredictable orbits, but my Spatial Perception was excellent, so I had little trouble evading, and with small bolts of light I sent a couple careening into Choi Ji-ho, at the same time as a half-dozen fireballs struck him. The blades whined, shearing through the thin cloth of his shirt, before biting flesh, and he cried out as blood scattered. It was then that my other hand stabbed forwards, and water bullets formed and slammed into him, piercing into his body, and as he fell, Suk-ja and Dong rushed forwards, Suk-ja running over to Choi Ji-ho, wailing, while Dong confronted me with a long staff, though I noticed it seemed to be some sort of pole for opening a high window, likely something he had picked up around the school, which robbed his image of any majesty.

“You killed Choi Ji-ho in cold blood! The Queen will punish you, and the Buddha likewise!” he declared, and suddenly he was coughing blood, as he overstressed his Astral body and Divine Favour, pushing them to the limits. “Laying Down The Rod, Weight Of Ten Thousand Sinful Lives!” he called out, swinging the makeshift staff, and I saw it surging with spatial element, though it seemed to be mixed with another element as well. Catching the wooden pole, I expected it to splinter in my grip, only to find that it actually weighed more than a car. My legs buckled, only to straighten as I exerted all my strength.

“Amitabha, Amitabha. It looks like I will be dining with the Buddha today in Nirvana…” Dong said as the wood now did indeed shatter, the heavy metal hook on the end striking the floor and embedding itself deeply. “…I shall see Choi Ji-ho again there. But…” he coughed blood over me, having used all his strength. “…at least spare Suk-ja. The Queen will have you regardless of our fall, so… she will live with one hand, which is a cruel enough fate for any girl…”

“Damn, stop making me out to be the bad guy.” I frowned, my hand striking Dong low in the body, around his navel. One finger pierced him like a knife, and he suddenly convulsed. A scream was wrung from him, and to my shining Eye a black mist was rising, boiling away like ice under the hot sun. “He isn’t dead. These are water bullets. But it probably hurts like hell. Anyway, just pass out, and let me handle the rest…” Dong, his eyes slightly lucid, managed a nod, before collapsing, unconscious, just as the remaining diamond blades of Suk-ja struck me in the back.

“That hurt.” I muttered, Brigandine pierced, my flesh cut, though not deeply, and I was already healing. Grabbing one of the vibrating crystals, heedless of the damage to my fingers, I examined it, and grinned.

Winged Diamonds Of K’uk’ulkan – These replicas of the sacred Wind Gem owned by K’uk’ulkan the Great Plumed Serpent are formed from strong Crystal Element and Wind Element, and can be moved by the will of the wielder, flying as does the Great Serpent itself, and cutting as fiercely.

“Nice Favour. But would you mind calming down? He’s not dead… oh, you can’t understand me.” Seeing the younger woman glaring at me, teeth bared, as though I killed her family, tears on her face now more than when I blasted her hand, I let out a sigh. “Don’t worry, I’ll end this soon.” My hand flexed, and I channelled aether, shattering the Winged Diamond, and green and reddish-purple light scattered. I drew it in, absorbing it, and then a strange feeling overcame me. I feel it. There’s only tiny dregs, but… Feeling a sudden urge to talk to Daiyu, I looked at the wide-eyed Suk-ja, who watched me destroy her Diamond bare-handed, and I smiled. It might have been a cool move, but actually it broke two of my fingers and cut my palm up. Those blades are strong. Oh well, it’ll heal.

“So, go to sleep as well!” My other hand raised, she called back her remaining Diamonds, actually blocking several of the water bullets made from Spirit Water I had fired, though several pierced her, and she shrieked, black mist surging. Unable to see a young girl suffer, I darted forwards and placed my hand on her body, channelling aether, and cutting off her consciousness. I then placed her on one of the chairs, before dragging up Dong and Choi Ji-ho (Though more roughly, I had to admit) and dropping them in seats too. Now I just need to find something to restrain them, and finish up in the Boundary… My eyes caught sight of some minute motion up on the ceiling, but I pretended not to notice, as I began to search the music room…

Meanwhile, seeing Subtle downed, Rampage was struggling to combat me, but it was useless. He was all size and fury, but while Grulgor was big, he was also surprisingly quick, again making me thankful I took him down when he was exhausted from battling the roaming Wyrm, and with a sneak attack using his one weakness, sharp cutting blows. Otherwise he’d have crushed me like a bug. Though to be fair, Grulgor was a lot weaker then too…

“I can’t spare much more Spirit Water, but…” I leapt up, level with the sluggish, wounded Rampage, and grabbed him by the neck, wrestling him down. He hit the ground hard, his near five ton weight making the floor tremble, and as he flailed at me with huge hands, I slammed my own, much smaller fist down, shattering the remains of his rocky armour and piercing his torso. As Spirit Water entered him, he howled, thrashing, so I leapt back off him, surveying the area, which had now gone quiet, a huge gash in the palace-like Academy laying bare the interior. Wiping silvery sweat from my brow, I searched around with my Eye, but there was nothing of note to see, although… No, that’s not exactly true, is it?

I took a short break to recover some of my expended energy, stepping outside the Territory and its annoying, steady drain of my resources. The Bezoar the four-tailed fox gifted me was pulsing with strong earth element, and soon I had enough to manipulate the ground, forming shackles that bound the fallen Rampage, as well as Subtle, a much easier proposition. That was just a side project, as my real aim was to use my Eye to attempt to find the dungeon that the Territory Anchor was hiding in.

“There’s still some information distortion. It’s subtle, but… if I move towards where it’s the strongest, I’ll likely find what I want.” Taking another few minutes to recharge, while on the Material I stripped down a number of broken musical instruments for their wires, I then took a deep breath, before heading back in, and entered the Academy. Inside, lights were burning, flickering blue and orange like will-o’the-wisps. I had a feeling someone was watching me, so on high alert, I headed deeper in, sword in hand.

Meanwhile, I was tying the wrists and ankles of the Inevitable Victory with wires from the broken stringed instruments, and as I bound Suk-ja I shook my head at her maimed hand, using a little aether to stop the slow trickle of blood. Once they were secured, my Eye scanning them to see the effects of the Spirit Water clashing with the other water within, I trickled a little more into their mouths, watching it push harder, fighting against the water it saw as a curse.

After a minute, I turned away, heading for the fallen Chosen. He was fading fast, far beyond my talents to save, so again, all I could do was have his remains taken back to his family, and make sure his death wasn’t in vain. To that end, I performed Chirurgery, rapidly removing the Favour from his body.

Aergia’s Indolent And Restful Embrace: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????. The wielder can lull those around into a state of sleepy laziness, where the only thoughts will be to rest and be idle. If the affected person is attacked the effect will be weakened, though those with weak minds or already exhausted will often be unable to shake off the effect regardless. Just as Aergia dreams of a world of relaxing, effortless bliss, so too will your life be made easier, as your foes fall under the spell of slothful idleness. Class [Imperious]. Type [Principle]

The Favour had absolutely no compatibility with me, not that such was unexpected. I was as lazy as anyone my age in my spare time, enjoying reading manga, watching anime, playing games or getting drunk, but I also worked hard to make a living, and since that day Ortlinde appeared, I had barely a moment where I wasn’t working, training or planning. I mean, shit, I’m even in two places at once nowadays, doubling my workload!

“Shiro, can you hear me?” I reported in.

“Yeah, got you loud and clear. What’s the situation, Aki?” her voice came back, without worry, as if she expected me to be all right. “There was a lot of shouting and noise, but we couldn’t hear properly over the wireless communicator. There was one bang that nearly blew my damn ears out!” she complained, making me smile.

“Yeah sorry about that, had to deploy a flashbang, an Ixitt special.” I apologised, tapping the earpiece, impressed it was still functional after the battle. “Anyway, I’ve neutralised the Inevitable Victory, here and in the Boundary. No sign of the Anchor, but the Chosen that makes people fall asleep and weakens them… he didn’t make it.”

There was a pause, and Shiro spoke softly, her tone melancholy. “Got it, Aki. I see. A shame. So, it was as you feared, right?”

I explained the situation and what had happened, only to hear Kang Da over the earpiece. “I see. If they are alive, like Bora-noona, it’s all we can hope for. We’ve been pathetic. Really. So much for the Hunters of Korea.”

“Hey, don’t be so down on yourself. Like you said, we’re all alive.” I left the auditorium, the drain on my adherence now accelerating due to the third Favour I was carrying, though I could certainly break Aergia’s down safely if required. “And they had some pretty neat skills. Like I said before this, it’s the difference in experience.”

“It isn’t like we haven’t fought plenty in that other world.” Kang Da complained, only to yelp, as if struck, and Shiro was once more on the wireless.

“Don’t listen to his self-pity.” she sighed. “It’s the difference in experience, as we’ve said before. Our preparations were far more thorough. And comparing yourself to Aki is stupid anyway. He’s the best. But if you don’t like it, learn from this. Anyone can get to where Aki is. Hell, if you saw Eri, Motoko and Natsumi, who don’t even have the Favours we have, your jaw would drop at what people can achieve if they have the guts and the drive.” Lecture given, she continued, as proud as if their achievements were hers. “Aiko is in the Boundary, so I’ll pop in and get her to send over any Golden Warriors she’s managed to resummon. With Ginneka here we can get the spare cameras and laptop there so she can remote them.”

“Sounds good.” I agreed. “The Boundary is a bit of a maze, and it’s trapped too.”

“No kidding. Seems like the weaselkin have run into a few out here as well, but with the last of the problems we know about dealt with, other than the girl who controls the water, they should be able to sweep everywhere else for survivors. So… where do you think she could be?”

Covering my mouth with one hand, resisting the urge to glance up, I muttered my answer. “Judging by the floor plans, there’s a number of choices, but if I had to pick one… the broadcasting room.”

“I see. Yeah, makes sense. That or the principal’s office would be my guess, and they are in the same block. So, Aki, you’ve got this, right?”

Looking back at the now-closed door to the music auditorium, I nodded. “Yeah, as long as nothing else truly unexpected happens, my trump cards should be more than enough. So…” I took a deep breath. “it’s time to bring this warped, nightmarish game to an end.”