Chapter 422: Lunisolar Blaze

Chapter 422: Lunisolar Blaze

When Rakna woke up, he was lying down on something soft. He snapped his eyes open and found himself staring at a carved moonstone ceiling. He groaned and sat up, instantly getting used to his current form as a Nine-Tailed Werewolf and the abundant supply of lunar energy in the air.

"So, physically, I'm the exact same as when I came here the first time," he muttered to himself. "But my skills, soul, and magic have carried over. Good to know. With my current strength, I could easily subdue Ramsa if we fought again."

With that said, he looked around the room he was in. Based on the materials and the large bed he was on, which looked more like a big pile of blankets and feathers rather than an actual mattress, he could tell he was still inside the capital of the Lunar Kingdom.

The carvings in the walls were also too 'edifying' to be a random house, so he was either inside the Shrine that previously sealed the Moon God or some other sacred structure.

"Though... what the hell is she doing?" Rakna deadpanned at the woman sleeping on a chair next to his bed at a fair distance. The long black hair, the slightly pointed ears, and the red orbs he knew hid under her eyelids; this was indeed Lilith.

"...hey, Yamul," the werewolf raised his voice and the demoness breathed quietly, still asleep. With a roll of his eyes, he stood up, flexing his limbs and tails. He approached her and placed two fingers in front of her face before snapping them.

"Yah--!" The sound, accompanied by a small burst of mana, instantly woke her up. She yelped in fear and fell off her seat, though quickly recovered herself by performing a cartwheel.

The beautiful woman hastily looked up when she noticed a shadow being cast over her and pursed her lips as the tall werewolf gazed down at her with its daunting purple eyes.

"Good dreams?" The Sentinel asked with a raised eyebrow and she blushed a little.

"That's... ahem," she cleared her throat and straightened herself. "I'm sorry. I must have been a bit too tired," she continued more calmly. "I was watching over you at the request of the Moon God."

'Watching over me? Did I faint at the end of the First Act?' Rakna frowned and she stiffened. "Putting aside the reason why he would order a demoness and why you even listened, how long have I been unconscious?"

"...four days."

"And I suppose a few things happened in the meantime?" The werewolf scoffed and walked toward the door, with her stepping in line behind him.

"That's correct..." She nodded with an unreadable expression.

"Is Ramsa alive at least? I hit her with quite a vicious anti-divine spell, after all."

"The Sun God is alive, yes. The Moon God stabilized her after you fell unconscious," she said. "When the seal over the Shrine was lifted, he flashed away and returned with both of you unconscious. He also used his powers to repair the half of the moon that had been destroyed by your battle."

"I see." Rakna wasn't that surprised. For a Heavenly God, rebuilding a moon was a simple feat, not to mention it was his Domain. And it was good to know that his 'mother' was still alive. It might just have been a scenario setting, but killing her would have left a bad taste in his mouth.

As he thought that, he walked out of the building and ended on a main street of the city, which had seen better days for sure. The earthquakes and energy upshots caused by him battling Ramsa had caused some significant damage.

Though... "What is that thing?" Rakna asked, looking up at the gigantic form looming over the city like an endlessly tall mountain. It had a spiky carapace, almost like a turtle, with a curved shape that fitted its body, and a lion head with fur colored like his scales; light shades of brown.

It also had a pair of massive black wings, four pairs of forward-facing horns, and four legs of which two had extremely large claws. It had two tails that initially separated at the base but then joined as one at the tip. Bone-like spikes were inlaid in the inner part of said tail and if contracted would certainly be as threatening as any beast's jaw.

"That... is the Tarasque," Lilith said with a sigh. "He's our hidden card, created by our God long ago, even before he fell to corruption and became a Demon God."

"Riveting. But what I would like to know is why it's here."

"Mino," she answered succinctly. "He's our King's butler. Apparently, he had been sent here in case the Sun-Dwellers caused any issues, such as indirectly damaging the Shrine or stopping us from lifting the seal. He summoned Tarasque to protect the city from the chaos of your battle."

"..." Rakna squinted his eyes at the creature. '...it's strong. And it has a similar aura to Fiora. A beast born from celestial concepts but not divine itself. Well, as long as it's not hostile...'

"Ah, the big bad wolf's awake?" A male voice sounded from his left and a demon wearing a mage's robe approached them with a lazy stride. "Remember me?" He waved his hand. "Norio, lightning mage and formation expert, at your service."

"Yes, I remember," the werewolf responded and inspected his surroundings, observing the Moon-Dwellers as they worked on several construction sites, both with magic and manually. They would respectfully bow to him whenever they crossed him. The thing though, is that there were demons helping with the repairs too.

"I suppose this is a good time to ask..." Rakna uttered. "What happened in the last four days? Why are you not clawing at each other's throats anymore?"

Norio sweatdropped. "You almost sound disappointed... you're not worried?"

"No," the werewolf retorted blankly. "I don't really care about what either of your races do."

"...right."

"It's because of two things," Lilith decided to explain. "We achieved what we came here to do and have no desire to do anything else, especially with the Moon God being capable of decimating us if he wanted to."

Rakna scowled. "That hardly explains anything," he uttered. "My 'father' has talked to you, hasn't he? Did he give you an ultimatum? Why are you not returning to Earth now that your precious God you did all of this for is returning?"

"..." Norio and Lilith both fell silent at that and lowered their heads.

"What is that reaction—"

"Rakna." The werewolf was interrupted by someone calling him.

He widened his eyes and turned around, standing face to face with an absurdly beautiful man with silver eyes and hair, who had sneaked up behind him without triggering his senses.

'No, it's not that I couldn't sense him... Heavenly God or not, my sense-stat is reaching numbers even the highest-level Hosts might not have. But... he's the Moon God standing in his Domain, in the middle of the capital of the kingdom that worships him and looped by even more moons. He is Lunar Energy given form, so of course he would be able to blend in with the ambient one...'

"You look startled," the Moon God smiled. "I used to do this a lot when you were younger. You hated it quite a lot now that I think about it."

Rakna's eye twitched. "Then don't do it."

"Haha, I will try," he joked good-naturedly.

"Lord Soma," Lilith greeted with a cold but polite bow and Norio huffed, merely nodding.

"Ah, Marquess. Thank you for watching over my son."

"It was no trouble, sir."

Rakna stared at them. "Mind explaining what's going on? Why are the demons not going on an unholy crusade against you? Aren't you supposed to be a selfish bastard who refused to help the Earth God in a time of need?"

Soma's mouth curled upward in amusement. "It seems you've adopted quite the language."

"..."

"Haha, no need to look at me like that," Soma shook his head and his smile turned a bit sad. "There is not much to explain. I merely revealed the truth to them."

Rakna didn't react to the praise. Some part of him felt warm, having used Clairvoyance to make the life of the 'Sentinel' his own. But at the same time, the fact that this was 'fake' weighed on his mind too much for him to appreciate it.

"Give me your hand and release your soul power," Soma abruptly requested.

The werewolf furrowed his eyebrows but complied nonetheless. He extended his arm and released his purple flames, the embers dancing along his fur. The Moon God smiled at the flame and reached for it, holding his palm parallel to Rakna's.

"This is my gift to you," he said and the Soul Flames began to be infused with a silver-white color starting from the outermost parts. "The power that was supposed to be yours to begin with."

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Philosopher's Ardent Soul is being stimulated!

Solar Energy & Lunar Energy are being imbued into your soul power at a rapid rate!

Soma, The Moon God, is awakening your Path further!

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Rakna gawked as the purple flames became wholly white and silver, erupting into a stronger form and shrouding his entire arm. Its light was absurdly pure and bright, but not blinding. The heat it produced was considerable, but it somehow felt like a refreshing breeze.

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❮ ◈ ❯

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The Ten-Tailed's Mystic Stars are influencing your Path!

The Philosopher's Ardent Soul is influencing your Path!

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You have learned a new Path Skill, Lunisolar Blaze of Absolution!

You have learned a new Path Skill; Sun Shine of The Ten Suns!

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Lunisolar Blaze of Absolution

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The Sun and Moon are two sides of the same coin and to a werewolf, that coin is their life's gambit at power. But to a Ten-Tailed, whose every existence pushes the limits of all things, it would be a disgrace to only bet on one side.

Moon Reflects Sun.

It is only natural for a Ten-Tailed Werewolf who wields Stars to control even the Sun.

By igniting the Obsidian Star's Flames with Solar and Lunar Energy and borrowing its power to act as a transmutative container, the user can wield the Lunisolar Flames edifying the cycles of Day and Night, Light and Dark, Future and Past, Hope and Fear, Life and Death, Truth and Lie...

The Sun and Moon form the pair of celestial forms orbiting the most living creatures in the entirety of Existence. They have witnessed and granted life more than any God has ever dreamed of doing.

They burn naught and all at once and often whisper the Truth from the ashes.

The Lunisolar Blaze shall burn even greater on those who go against the Innate Order and erase the offenders with ultimate absolution.

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Cost: Soul Power

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Sun Shine of the Ten Suns

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This skill grants absolute control over Solar Energy according to its cycle, with midday being the greatest and midnight the weakest. Just like Lunar Energy, it can be used as raw energy, but the passive effects it offers are different.

The sun shines for all, rising proudly as the flag of a new dawn. When under the sun at different times of the day, all forms of regeneration will be enhanced. Whether it be injuries, Mana, Soul, Ki, Intent, Psyche, etcetera. The effects can be accumulated up to a tenth level depending on the number of suns present.

Cooldown: None. Sub Skills: [Solar Ascendant, Solar Howl, Solar Drop.]

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"Now, you're ready," Soma said as Rakna was still processing the 'gift'. "All that is left is to immolate all that stands in your way... you are the answer."