On the Path of Eternal Strength.-Chapter 82 - 80 The Guardian’s First Strike

The pillar continued rising toward the indefinite as if the sky itself had been pierced by a root of spiritual energy too ancient to belong to the human world. It had not changed its shape or its visible intensity, but the environment surrounding it was no longer the same as at the instant of its birth. The fractured ground had finished settling into deep cracks that drew dark lines between the broken slabs of the devastated park, and the air of the Veil vibrated with a constant pressure that did not diminish, it only became familiar to those who had survived long enough beneath it. The manifestation of the Elazria remained behind the pillar with its six pairs of translucent wings extended in a stillness that was not rest, but absolute permanence. Its white expressionless mask had not moved a single millimeter since its form was completed, and yet its presence continued to be the dominant force of the place, a silent affirmation of hierarchy that kept the entire surroundings subjected to its scale.

Sebastián remained seated in a meditation position in front of the pillar, the palm of his right hand still adhered to the spiritual current that rose without pause. Time had passed, not in exact minutes but in visible accumulation of changes upon his body. The skin no longer had the ashen tone of the first phases of the process; the indomitable body had generated new blood, and although the color of his skin remained pale, it now showed a more vivid shade than before, as if the regeneration had managed to recover part of what the spiritual pressure had torn from him. The dark lines that once marked the transit of energy through his veins had slightly faded, and the constant bleeding from nose, ears and the corners of his eyes had been reduced to dry traces that descended along his face like temporary scars of a wear that had not yet ended. His breathing continued to be deep and heavy, but no longer irregular; each inhalation and exhalation maintained the same rhythm, a respiratory discipline that sustained the balance between pain and concentration.

The six stars of the endless Void remained anchored in his back like a dark constellation that rotated slowly under controlled tension. Their reddish vertices no longer showed cracks expanding without control; the combination between the Void Qi refined by the Inverted Origin Core and the spiritual energy that he had learned to stabilize through the Crimson Baptism had created a fragile but functional balance. The absorption continued, constant, silent, devouring the spiritual energy that emerged from the pillar and redirecting it toward the core for its transformation. It was not a comfortable or safe process; it was simply sustainable for now. Each beat of the core continued scraping his soul with a slow friction, but it no longer tore it apart with the same initial violence. The Crimson Baptism, hidden in the depths of his soul, pulsed with a new density, as if the resonance reached in the previous Chapter had turned that mass of accumulated pain into a structure that could sustain part of the pressure without collapsing.

At his side, Narka remained standing in his complete form. His mineral shell still showed open fissures that ran across some plates like black scars upon ancient rock, but the incandescent red glow of the internal veins had stabilized with the passage of time. The spiritual pressure of the manifestation of the Elazria continued weighing upon his essence, but his soul had learned to endure it without each instant feeling like an imminent fracture. It was not absolute resistance; it was adaptation. The Qi he had deployed to guide Sebastián in the internal process now remained around him like a light layer that did not interfere with the absorption of the pillar, but that served as containment against any irregularity that might arise. His golden eyes observed the surroundings without haste, knowing that the process had not yet finished and that any interruption at that point could destroy the balance Sebastián had managed to build with so much difficulty.

During a time that neither of the two tried to measure, the only sound present was the constant murmur of spiritual energy ascending through the pillar. The Veil around them remained filled with remnants of destruction: trees disintegrated down to the root, fragments of ancient structures shattered by the initial wave, deformed corpses of malignant spirits that had been incapable of enduring the pressure of the manifestation. Some of those bodies had already partially dissolved into dark currents that seeped into the ground, silent reminders that the energy released by the Elazria did not distinguish between enemies or witnesses. The park that had once been a human space was now an open wound in the landscape of the Veil.

It was in the midst of that prolonged stillness that Narka felt something different. It was not a vibration of the pillar nor a variation in the presence of the manifestation. It was a distant movement, a violent disturbance of the spiritual environment that advanced toward them with increasing speed. His eyes narrowed slightly while his perception expanded toward the direction of that anomaly. It was not a subtle presence; it was something that crossed the space of the Veil like an object thrown with brutal force.

The impact arrived seconds later.

The ground shook with an explosion of stone and earth that raised a dense cloud of grayish dust a few meters from where Sebastián meditated. Fragments of rock rose and fell again with dry blows, and a new crack opened in the terrain as it extended from the point of collision. Sebastián’s absorption did not stop; his concentration remained anchored to the flow of the pillar, but his eyes opened slowly as he felt the vibration of the impact crossing the ground beneath his body. Narka stepped forward immediately, placing himself between the point of impact and Sebastián’s motionless figure without the need for words.

The dust began to dissipate.

First a massive silhouette was distinguished emerging from the center of the newly formed crater. It measured nearly three meters in height and its form was an unnatural mixture of reptilian traits and brutal musculature. The head was that of a gigantic crocodile, covered in black and violet scales that reflected the light of the pillar with a dark shine. Two curved black horns rose from the upper part of the skull, tilting backward as if they had grown to pierce flesh and bone. Its torso was broad and muscular, recalling the structure of a war oni more than that of a wild beast, and its arms ended in large hands with thick claws capable of tearing stone. From its reptilian back emerged four serpent heads, two on each side, that moved slowly upon long flexible necks, observing the surroundings with cold eyes that did not blink.

On each side of the main creature, two other figures moved when the dust finished falling. They were smaller but no less unsettling. The lower half of their bodies was that of giant spiders, multiple black legs piercing the ground with quick and silent movements. The upper part was humanoid, but covered in green scales like those of great lizards, with long arms and fingers ending in curved claws. Their yellow eyes shone with a predatory intensity as they observed the surroundings. None of the three creatures spoke. They simply remained there, absorbing the scene before them.

The four serpent heads on the back of the crocodile being moved first. Their forked tongues extended into the air as if tasting the energy that permeated the place. Their eyes stopped on the pillar. Then on Sebastián’s motionless figure. Finally on Narka.

Narka did not attack. He only remained firm, his cracked shell reflecting the reddish light of the pillar while his presence expanded slightly to mark his position. He did not need to move more; his posture made it clear that any advance toward Sebastián would have to pass through him first.

Sebastián, for his part, did not remove his hand from the pillar. The spiritual current continued entering through his palm and descending toward the Inverted Origin Core while the six stars of the endless Void rotated on his back with constant rhythm. He knew that interrupting the process at that point could destroy the balance he had built within his soul. His eyes, still tired but clearer than before, lifted enough to observe the three newly arrived figures.

The crocodile-headed being took a step forward.

The sound of its foot striking the fractured earth echoed in the silence of the Veil.

The silence that followed the step of the crocodile-headed being was not natural; it was the brief pause that exists before something irreversible begins. The Veil remained saturated by the spiritual pressure of the manifestation of the Elazria, the pillar continued piercing the sky like a column of impossible energy and Sebastián continued seated in front of it with his palm adhered to the ascending flow, the six stars of the endless Void slowly rotating on his back while the Inverted Origin Core devoured spiritual energy with constant discipline. None of that stopped when the three creatures arrived. The process continued advancing with the same silent inevitability, as if reality itself refused to recognize the interruption.

Narka advanced a single step forward.

It was not a hurried movement. It was the measured displacement of someone who knows the weight of what is about to occur. His black and gray mineral plates reflected the reddish glow of the pillar while his massive body placed itself between the three creatures and Sebastián, forming a living barrier whose mere presence marked a clear line on the fractured ground. The incandescent veins between the cracks of his shell shone with greater intensity when his Qi began to extend around his body, not in a violent explosion but in a slow expansion that filled the space with a heavy and deep pressure. His golden eyes fixed first on the main creature.

“Profanes.”

The word came out of his mouth with an ancient weight, as if it had been spoken too many times throughout encounters like this. The four serpent heads on the back of the crocodile being moved upon hearing it, their forked tongues tasting the air loaded with spiritual energy. Narka barely inclined his head, observing them with a mixture of recognition and silent contempt.

“Abominations of the same cycle they intend to devour,” he continued with a deep voice that resonated across the broken ground. “It is always the same with your kind. Hunger. Noise. A constant desire to consume the life you cannot create.”

The spider legs of the two smaller creatures moved slowly across the ground, as if evaluating the distance separating them from the wall of stone raised by Narka. But none advanced yet.

“This time,” Narka finally said, his voice descending to a lower and more threatening tone, “it does not matter what you attempt.”

The spiritual wind surrounding the pillar vibrated slightly when Narka roared.

The sound was not only a cry from the throat; it was a release of Qi that shook the ground around his body. The energy emerged from him like a compressed wave that descended toward the earth, and for an instant the existing cracks widened before the ground itself began to respond. Fragments of rock rose from the fractured terrain, moving under the pressure of his will, and in a matter of seconds an irregular wall of stone rose around Sebastián. The rocky plates interlocked with one another until they formed a thick barrier that surrounded him completely, leaving only the pillar rising from its center like a needle of impossible light.

Sebastián did not move.

His eyes remained half closed while the spiritual energy continued entering through his palm and descending toward the Inverted Origin Core. The appearance of the stone wall barely altered the flow of his concentration; the Crimson Baptism continued resonating in the depths of his soul and the six stars of the endless Void continued rotating on his back with constant rhythm. Interrupting the process at that point could destroy the balance he had managed to build within his soul. That is why he remained motionless.

On the other side of the wall, the crocodile-headed creature tilted its head slightly to one side.

For an instant it seemed to study the improvised wall, then it slowly raised one of its muscular arms. Its black and violet scales reflected the glow of the pillar while its gaze returned to Narka.

“A very beautiful speech.”

His voice was deep, rough, with a strange echo that made it difficult to know if it came only from his throat or if the four serpent heads on his back participated in it in some way. He spoke with a calm that contrasted with the evident violence of his body.

“But for him,” he said, referring to himself in the third person, “failing is not an option.”

The two hybrid creatures at his side remained silent, but their multiple legs dug more firmly into the ground.

“The leader of the assault group of the ruler Akula,” the crocodile profane continued, “does not have permission to return empty-handed.”

The four serpent heads on his back raised their necks at the same time.

“If to accomplish his task he must crush thousands of inferior creatures that stand in his way... then so be it.”

Magical energy exploded from his body.

It was not an ordered flow like Narka’s Qi. It was a brutal release of power that emerged from every scale of his skin like a compressed storm. The pressure expanded in all directions, pushing the air of the Veil outward with a violent vibration. The black and violet scales began to emit a dark glow while the four serpent heads opened their mouths in a prolonged hiss.

On each side of him, the two hybrid creatures responded at the same time. Their reptilian torsos tensed and a dark green energy emerged from the cracks between their scales. The spider legs sank deeper into the ground while their yellow eyes shone with increasing intensity.

Narka did not retreat.

His golden eyes narrowed as he felt the density of that energy collide with his own presence. He evaluated it coldly, measuring the spiritual weight that each of the three projected onto the environment.

The leader was in his same rank.

The pressure he released was comparable to that of a level twenty cultivator. The other two creatures were slightly below, but they were still dangerous.

Narka inhaled slowly.

Even if that being could face him on equal terms.

None of that mattered.

The incandescent veins of his shell shone with renewed intensity while his Qi expanded around his body like a silent storm that weighed upon the fractured ground.

His eyes did not leave the crocodile-headed creature.

“Not one step further.”

His voice fell over the field like a rock.

“As long as I remain standing...”

Narka lowered his body slightly, adopting a combat posture.

“...you will not touch either Sebastian nor the pillar.”

The silence of the Veil broke the instant Narka moved.

It was not a wide displacement nor a preceding roar. It was something more precise, colder. The energy of his Qi gathered around his massive body while his golden gaze remained fixed on the three creatures in front of him. For a brief instant the spiritual pressure of the place seemed to compress around his presence, as if the environment itself understood that the first movement of the combat was about to be born.

Three spheres of Qi appeared in front of him.

Each one was surrounded by two rings of energy that rotated vertically around its core, moving with increasing speed while Narka’s Qi kept them compressed into a stable form. The spheres vibrated with a contained tension that made the nearby air ripple.

Without wasting time, Narka launched them toward the sky.

The three spheres ascended barely a few meters above the devastated terrain before dispersing in a minimal fraction of time. In a matter of microseconds the energy contained within them expanded into the surroundings forming an invisible field that began to alter the gravity of the space around the spiritual pillar.

The ground responded immediately.

Fragments of loose earth, dust and small stones began to slide toward the center of that altered zone. The gravitational attraction was neither weak nor gradual; it was a sudden force that deformed the natural balance of the terrain.

The three profanes felt it at the same time.

The two creatures with spider bodies were the first to react. Their multiple legs dug into the earth trying to maintain stability, but the gravitational pull began to drag them toward the area formed by the three dispersed spheres.

The crocodile-headed profane reacted with greater force.

His muscular legs sank into the fractured ground as he tried to resist the attraction pulling his body toward the zone of altered gravity. The four serpents on his back tensed at the same time, opening their mouths while their forked tongues tasted the air charged with energy.

He tried to move to one side to escape the zone.

He did not succeed.

Before he could complete the movement, Narka made his second gesture.

Qi descended toward the ground.

The fractured terrain responded as if an invisible will had pierced it from below. Great boulders began to emerge from the earth, breaking the surface violently as they rose around the gravitational field.

One after another, the blocks of rock were propelled by Narka’s Qi toward the three profanes.

The first rocks struck the space where the two spider creatures were trying to resist the attraction.

In response, both released their mafic energy.

The dark green energy burst from their reptilian torsos and expanded around their bodies forming protective structures. Their defenses took the form of dense cocoons of energy that completely enveloped their upper parts while their legs remained dug into the ground trying to resist the gravitational pull.

The boulders collided against those cocoons.

The first impact shook the defenses.

The second impact fractured them.

The third destroyed them.

The mafic energy that formed the cocoons exploded into dark fragments as the rocks broke the defenses of the two creatures. The blow hurled them backward, and the gravitational force generated by the spheres finished dragging them toward the center of the altered zone.

Their bodies slid across the earth while they were pushed toward the gravitational field.

The crocodile profane responded differently.

When the boulders approached his position, the four serpents on his back opened their mouths at the same time.

From them emerged a corrosive ray of magical energy.

The attack took the form of an acid laser that tore through the air with violence. The ray struck the boulders that Narka had launched, piercing through them and destroying them before they could reach him.

The rocks disintegrated into fragments while the ray continued advancing.

The attack neutralized most of the boulders before they could strike his body.

The gravitational field continued pulling at him.

But the profane still maintained his position.

At that instant, Narka was no longer on the ground.

The enormous mineral body of the guardian rose into the air with a powerful leap. His presence pierced through the spiritual pressure of the place as he ascended above the gravitational field.

From that position he raised his Qi again.

The ground responded once more.

A colossal rock emerged from the terrain under his control.

The block of stone began to spin with increasing force while Narka’s Qi made it rotate in the air. The rotation speed increased until the sound of the wind around the stone became a deep hum.

Without stopping the movement, Narka hurled the rock toward the crocodile profane.

The rotating mass descended violently from the sky.

The serpents reacted immediately.

Their mouths opened again and the acid laser emerged from them with greater intensity than before. The ray struck the colossal rock as it descended.

The acid began to melt the surface of the stone.

Incandescent fragments broke away while the ray continued piercing through the rotating mass.

But it was not enough.

The size and speed of the rock exceeded the capacity of the attack to destroy it completely.

The stone continued descending.

The impact arrived an instant later.

The crocodile profane raised his arm to stop the blow.

The colossal rock collided with him with a brutal crash. The ground fractured beneath his feet while his arm received most of the force of the impact.

His body leaned backward.

Despite the impact, he was not knocked down.

Whirlwinds of magical energy began to form around his body as he tried to redirect the mass of the rock to send it back toward Narka.

But Narka was no longer in the sky.

At the instant the profane began to generate the whirlwinds, the guardian had already descended.

His body appeared in front of the profane.

The distance between them disappeared in a single movement.

Narka opened his mouth.

From within it emerged a storm of earth.

The attack expanded forward like a violent rain of fragments of rock, earth and spiritual pressure. The mass of material struck the crocodile profane with brutal force.

The impact broke the balance he maintained.

His body was pushed backward.

The whirlwinds he was forming destabilized.

The force of the attack launched him directly toward the zone where the gravitational field was still active.

The invisible pull caught him in full retreat.

His body was dragged toward the center of the field.

The two spider creatures were already there.

The three profanes were trapped inside the gravitational zone created by the three spheres of Qi.

Narka descended to the ground in front of the field.

His mineral shell shone with the reddish glow of the spiritual pillar while his Qi continued extending around his body.

He did not advance.

He simply observed the three creatures trapped within the gravitational zone.

The combat had just begun.

_____________________________________________

END OF Chapter 80

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