Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 733: Astrid's Chance At Revenge

Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 733: Astrid's Chance At Revenge

Waiting in Metures's throne room, Oscar snapped his gaze up, still unable to see past the craggy ceiling of bumps and crevices, but he could sense the powerful Eins clashing far, far above, yet so clear all the way down here. He wiped off the sweat beading down his chin and suspected the two opposing Eins to be Gilbert and Lysander. Lysander's Ein was still fresh in his memories, having faced it head-on in a duel an hour ago, and he had experienced Gilbert's long ago in the library, the first taste of a Grade Nine's power that suppressed him in front of Celestina. It seemed the 'bastard' Lysander mentioned was Gilbert, who somehow drew the hostility of the Shattered Scion.

"Two Grade Nines clashing. That has not happened in ages; very few are born to Talos and even rarer since its gradual waning." Metures said, also looking up. "I can see the young one, Auren, the boy you have chosen for your plan. He has allied with the Grade Nine of Shattirma and is creating his formation. Your two adopted children are there too, safe and protected by the warriors of your home."

"Celestina and the others are there?" Oscar exhaled, relieved to hear that. After the short meeting, when he saw Celestina's exhausted appearance, he asked Serit to reach out and message her, asking her to fight alongside them. No response came, but it seemed she made up her mind, thankfully. With her and Lysander, there should be no more issues on Auren's end unless another variable messed up the balance. Emptying his mind of fear and doubt, he honed in on the two Eins, the Grade Nines, engaged in a violent clash, his torn body heaving in pain as simply grasping onto them worsened his wounds.

"Incredible. Aren't they? The foremost of the Exalts. The pinnacle of mastery of Ein. If that shard of mine, Lelith, had intended to kill you all swiftly, then there would be no contest. Pitifully, that shard lost all sense of logic and reason, wanting to sharpen itself through fear and pain. She enjoyed the torture and left you all alive to keep struggling." Metures grunted. "It was an enemy, but its loss is my own."

'Who in the blazes cares about your feelings, you metalhead?' Ignyres ignited in high flames. 'Your other precious candidate ran off with your shard? Why can't you clean up your own mess?'

"Technically, I will. Oscar will be the new me. Thus, he will recover the shard. In a way, I will recover it." Metures flipped the logic.

'Oh, I wish I could melt you down, but I don't see any good quality left in that rusted form of yours.' Ignyres spat a mouthful of magma and fiddled with his rainbow-flaming fingers.

.......

"Not even an introduction?" The man, whom she already knew to be Aiden Volten, the swordsman and former New Dawn, complained, yet his arm swung lazily, ending her strike in a single slash. The Equismus snorted and trotted forward with a yawn, spreading its wings. The feathers burned, and an inferno raged on in a red tide. They mocked her strength, and she'd make them pay for it.

"There is nothing to say to New Dawn," Astrid stomped her foot, turning the area around her into a frozen wasteland, the geysers and cinder cones shut and buried under several feet of ice. Frigid winds lashed at the inferno and scattered it as embers that flickered out of existence.

"Former. I'm no longer with them. I parted years ago with my...Well, I guess you can say she's a friend, though that term loses its meaning quite often. We can be allies if you're seeking revenge. Other than that, I have no wish to fight needlessly." Aiden said, looking composed and relaxed, not a hair out of place nor a bead of sweat on his brow. The sheer confidence with which he carried himself was insulting and irritated her. She clenched her hands into fists and breathed out a white breath that spread like a cloud and covered her figure.

"Former, you say? First, you were a New Dawn, and now you're a traitor. One I despise, the other I despise even more. A two-fold mix of scum, with a smidge of a foul bloodline." Astrid didn't relent on the insults, having heard of the Voltens and their ancestor from Oscar. These miscreants went against their ancestor's wishes and believed themselves to be better while committing the most vile acts for the sake of their progress. 'Foul' was the only way to describe the cursed blood in their veins. Aiden's face darkened and seethed hatred out of those scarlet pupils. Astrid smirked and said, "Really? Why is it that my Lord attained the one thing you all wished for? Perhaps your blood has become too muddled and tainted that he was chosen instead?"

A red arc closed in, the burning slash near her eyes. Astrid dodged and spun, scattering snowflakes that clung onto Aiden and the Equismus, slowing their movements. But their flames surged around their bodies and melted away her snow. Half of her frozen land bubbled and seeped into the blackened earth before hot magma plumed up. She couldn't allow her territory to be taken or else be constricted by the fires. Intensifying the chill, she froze and reclaimed part of her lost land, only to be melted and forced back to the halfway mark.

The endless seesaw game ensued between them, and they clashed in the middle. The burning sword plunged into her chest, pain striking her heart. She dodged their strikes by transforming into snowflakes and regathering herself, but the flames burned in her and melted parts of her snowy flesh. Of all the enemies she could have encountered, it had to be the one with fire. Frowning, Astrid layered sheets of ice, a hundred layers, and blocked the sword. The Equismus charged in and pierced her defenses with its two horns, flames exploding and forcing her back.

'How annoying. This is the worst environment against this enemy.' Astrid wondered how her string of bad luck never seemed to end. And it did end. A sharp caw shook the air in a powerful shockwave, and a black crow with six wings glided over, ramming right on the Equismus's flank. She recognized it before. It was the crow that was a good friend of the Lord's steed. Its name was lost to her, but she nodded and thanked it for its timely aid, and it perched itself by her side, lifting its beak in clear pride.

'At least this takes care of the numbers disadvantage.' Astrid sighed in relief and gathered her frost into a sphere in her hand. It exploded in great frigid gales and froze nearly half of the room, trapping it in her winter, the snow piling on and under her control. She looked at Aiden and scoffed, "I'll keep you as a nice sculpture."