Chapter XLIV – Day 23 – The Homunculus

Chapter XLIV – Day 23 – The Homunculus

I looked across the battlefield at the thing in front of me. It was neither human nor monster. It was something else. Its shell looked quite fragile. A fake person, a homunculus. The Astrologer should have been named Fleshcrafter instead. My army cowered behind me, completely useless. It was up to me to once again deal with everything myself.

It had been using rings to unleash devastating energy type attacks. But it could only have so many of them and I did not see a sword of any of the Valkyries. “Divine Empress, shall we speak first.” No, I would let my Kung-fu do the talking for me.

I kicked off the ground and went straight for this thing. I would crush it beneath my fist and then hunt down the original. “Tor mall!”

Pain radiated from inside my head and I slammed into the ground, unable to manage my footing. “Shatter! Shatter!” I forced myself to move.

Rolled to a stop and tried to stand. My left foot was gone. The stub of my left foot was smoking, the stump seared shut. I rose up to one foot. That was all I needed. The homunculus appeared worn.

“Don’t push me Divine Empress. You won’t get so lucky a second time,” I paused, and we stared at each other. Why not push the advantage and kill me?

“Why not come after me and kill me if you could do that before?” I asked loudly. My voice carrying across the wrecked battlefield.

“It is a gamble each time. How close you get, to if I can hit you. But I wish to talk.”

“And where is the Astrologer?” I asked, anger seeping into my voice.

“Busy. I am his proxy in all things.”Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.

“A clever trick. But I don’t think I will stop or back off.” I was still getting used to missing my left foot, which was the only reason I was still talking to this thing as it floated in the air.

“Divine Empress Hei Long, I may not be able to win, but I can drag you down with me.” I wanted to object, but a moment of carelessness had cost me my left foot. I cursed in my mind.

It was a type of curse damage. Another type was energy that lingered behind, contaminating oneself. I could easily force out energy that was not fine from my body. Perhaps that was how the Astrologer had done it.

I knew he had altered my body with what he had done. Masking his own energy inside a piece of my flesh. I had already found and purged the piece he had used to disable me in the fight with his Homunculus.

The real trick was finding the pieces left behind when they were dormant. The last one had been on my spine, not my brain. They could be anywhere. I would have to investigate more people. I had already asked the Chief Diviner, but he had been useless and lacking in motivation.

If he wanted to send a proxy to fight me, then so would I. The Divine Children were finally ready in large numbers. It would be good practice. I considered ordering my army back East. No. That was a distraction, what I needed to find was the Astrologer himself.

“Divine Empress,” my Envoy had returned and kow-towed before me. I had been thinking, but he would not have bothered me unless it was important. To come here outside of my palace, he truly was in a rush.

“What is it my Envoy?” I asked.

“I have located the source of the Calamity. There was a terrain shift involved. The land itself has been shattered through the bedrock. Bubbles of darkness and a landscape of flesh were present. There was a great pressure on my mind as well,” my Envoy told me.

“And you are sure it is the Calamity?” I asked.

“There were no records of this before. And the area did not have those terrain features.” I nodded slightly at this.

“We will wait and leave the area alone. I will not risk angering the Heavens or the cause of the Calamity.” I was strong, but one did not go against the Heavens themselves and expect to escape unscathed.

“You have a new task. To find the Astrologer. Wherever he had hidden. I want to know what he is doing and how he plans to overtake me,” I said.

“Yes, Divine Empress.” My Envoy left. It was time to work on my Kung-fu. A single stumble was the difference between life and death. I was done with the mediation and introspection. I would find my answer in combat. For the Heaven’s awarded my determination once before and I would not disappoint them.