Ourami’s expression darkened beneath his visor as he set his gaze above.
“Today is the day we pry the world from the tightened grip of you pillars!” Astratis declared as he descended and landed opposite of Tal’Nis.
With Tal’Nis at his front and the Son of Thunder at his back, Ourami was left with nowhere to retreat. However, the thought of fleeing had not once crossed the pillar’s mind. After all, it was he who ruled over the Fourth Heart of the World. What face would he have left if he fled from his own territory in the face of enemies?
Nevertheless, Ourami’s mood quickly soured with the arrival of Astratis.
“If he’s here, then Yia…” Ourami thought to himself as he came to terms with Yia’s fate.
Ourami knew that if Astratis was present, it meant that Yia’s defeat had already been carved in stone.
“Answer me, Son of Thunder. What have you done to the Pillar of the East?” Ourami inquired solemnly.
“What have I done? Don’t tell me that form of yours reduces your intelligence. You of all people should know what fate awaits those destined to leave this world. He has already been cast into the eternal pits of the Na’Ei Cha.” Astratis stated without remorse.
“Ignorant fool! Do you know what you’ve done?!” Ourami lashed out.
The Na’Ei Cha was not an actual pit, but rather a special presence that resided everywhere and yet also nowhere in the Secret Realm.
This special presence was said to be one of the Protogenos—a being who assisted in the creation of this Secret Realm.
However, even though the Na’Ei Cha was a presence, it was also a place.
There was no known entrance or exit to the Na’Ei Cha and no one knew its true form.
What they did know was that celestials and pillars alike would be drawn there upon their demise.
This was due to one simple fact. The laws that existed in the Secret Realm made it so that they could not die!
When Izroth first discovered this fact during his time exploring the Hidden Celestial Abode, he was not too surprised. After all, when he visited the Shadahi Realm, he ran into something similar where the shadahi there were virtually immortal due to the rules of their realm. Therefore, it was not impossible for other realms to have their own unique set of laws.
Though what Izroth did not initially understand was the point of a war where neither side could truly defeat the other. It was at that time he learned about the existence of the Na’Ei Cha.
The Na’Ei Cha acted as a seal that trapped the demised inside. And, according to the celestials, this seal was impossible to open from the inside.
Of course, there was a way to temporarily lift the seal and free someone; however, it was one of the deeply hidden secrets of this realm that only a few knew. Though neither the pillar nor celestials possessed this knowledge.
“I have done what is necessary. Though you should not worry too much. Since you will be joining them soon.” Astratis said boldly as he bolted forward with his hand held outward.
Crrrckle! Clap!
A thunderclap sounded as five streams of lightning left Astratis’ fingertips.
At first, each stream was separate. But, as the streams approached Ourami, they merged together, forming a single powerful burst of lightning!
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Ourami called back his tail fragments as they snapped back together, reverting his metallic-like tail to its original length.
Swoosh!
The instant Ourami’s tail was back in one piece, it whipped out and crashed into the stream of lightning, dispersing it in every direction.
“All of you celestials are the same. A bunch of shameless cowards who only know how to rely on others. Involving outsiders in the affairs of our world—did you ever stop to consider the possibility of external threats?” Ourami said calmly.
“Do you think I don’t know what you’re up to? Want to call us shameless? That’s alright by me. If it means ridding this world of you and those like you, I am not afraid to be shameless or cowardly. External threats? Even if that were true, do you believe our world could survive and thrive under the current internal threats? If so, you pillars are even more naive and arrogant than I imagined.” Astratis responded.
Astratis was no fool. He knew that Ourami’s words were simply a means to rile him up and get him to act recklessly. If it were under normal circumstances, perhaps his taunt would have worked. However, the Son of Thunder was aware of how much was at stake.
“Is he acting cautiously because he is unable to grasp her strength?” Astratis internalized as he glanced over at Tal’Nis.
During his fight against Yia, Astratis held the upperhand. That being said, Yia was still a pillar and would not fall so easily. Even if Astratis had the upperhand, putting Yia out of commission was still a mountainous task.
But, right when Astratis was becoming concerned about a drawn-out battle, Tal’Nis appeared and tipped the scales in his favor.
With her aid, Astratis was able to successfully suppress Yia and cast him into the eternal pits of the Na’Ei Cha.
Needless to say, Astratis was taken aback by Tal’Nis. Although he could not sense any Ethos from her, the power she displayed was by no means inferior to his own. He had an abundance of questions; however, he understood that now was not the time to explore them. At the very least, she appeared to know Izroth and did not seem to be an enemy.
Given their current circumstances, that was good enough for Astratis.
Woosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Out of nowhere, nine swords encircled Ourami as Tal’Nis’ voice sounded, “Nine Cycle Cloudburst: Seventy-Two Frenized Cuts.”
One moment, the nine swords were perfectly still. Then, before one could even blink, a frightening scene emerged.
Zeeeut!
Each sword moved at blinding speeds as Ourami was caught at the center of an onslaught of attacks!
The pillar used a combination of all his Epithets to combat the incoming swords.
With his Epithet of Scrutiny and Divination, Ourami was able to predict the trajectory of each sword as well as uncover a blind spot. And, by utilizing his Epithet of Force, he repelled many of the attacks. But, even then, the pillar could not avoid being struck. That’s why he used his Epithet of Seizing to “seize” a good portion of the force behind the strikes that did reach him.
In this way, Ourami was able to reduce the damage he received as his scale-like armor provided ample protection. Unfortunately, there were still several cuts that he could not prevent as parts of his “armor” were chipped away.
“How is this possible? There should not exist a blade with this level of sharpness in the world.” Ourami thought to himself as he inwardly frowned.
What surprised the pillar more than anything was the sharpness of Tal’Nis’ sword. No, sharpness was not the correct word. He did not know how to describe it, but it was as if the sword cut because that was merely the purpose behind its existence.
