For the first time, the Elementalist felt what absolute satisfaction truly meant.
He had long since heard about the champion of Destiny who had managed to evolve into a true and pure aspect of existence, and that meant that he could do it too. And yet, as that higher roof appeared above the infinitely high construct that were his aspirations, all the Elementalist could think about was not how to achieve what had already been achieved, but how to surpass it.
Many other champions of Destiny had shared this mentality, but only he had a path laid out for him that would allow him to do just that.
Even before he learned about his kind’s true purpose, he had created a path that would place him not only above every other champion of Destiny, but also above the lazy queen ants that dared lord over him.. And treat him as a pest to exterminate.
And now, thousands of years later, he had finally succeeded. He had the perfect body, his system, and a hunger for power and conflict that would put any other being to shame. He was ready. All the patience, all the humiliations.. Everything had paid off.
The start of the rest of his life began here.. With a headbutt straight to his noggin.
Dumbfounded, he immediately grabbed his aching head. The headbutt had shaken his brain, and slightly cracked his skull. His eyes lost focus, as the silhouette that hid being the blur struck him again.. This time, on the nose.
As his body was sent flying backwards, the two armies, which had been patiently waiting for their generals to give the order, immediately began their charge. But before the two could clash, Der shouted to the top of his lungs, “IMMORTAL ARMADA, DO ALL YOU CAN TO STOP THEM WITHOUT KILLING THEM!”
An order that left the cultivators beyond confused.
Their Warlord had already spoken his intentions. He had declared their purpose, which to them, meant that they were there not to subdue the enemy, but to exterminate it. Yet, now it seemed that their leader had changed his mind, and that was something they had never witnessed before.
Nevertheless, while many did not agree with the Warlord’s change of heart, his words were still absolute, and they trusted him blindly.
Those who wielded weapons immediately sheathed them, and fought with their blades hidden, while those who employed formations and the elements used them for constriction, instead of destruction.
While this happened, Der continued what he was doing. He would constantly chase the Elementalist, who was now inhabiting Roley’s body, and before his mind could get clear enough for him to defend himself, he would strike his head once more, erasing any idea of resistance from it.
When it seemed that the Elementalist was about to lose consciousness, however, layers upon layers of elemental constructs formed around his body. Soft snow at first, then fertile earth followed by thick layers of stone and electrically charged metal.. A passive protection the champion of Destiny had purchased from the Elemental System, and that would activate the moment his consciousness was at risk.
This ability was the first ability the Elementalist had ever upgraded to its maximum level, for it gave him a lease on life not unlike Daniel’s own Second Chance. Yet, it was not as efficient.
As the Elementalist managed to gather his bearings, he quickly saw the layers of defense being chipped away by the powerful blows of his middle-aged opponent, who, with sword in hand, slashed and hacked, pierced and chopped.
The metallic barrier which buzzed with the power of lightning was the first to fall apart, cleaved off by Der’s immense power. Followed by the layers of diamond almost indistinguishable from the ice they were embedded into.
One by one each element was stripped away in front of the eyes of the Elementalist, who was desperately trying to recover from the multitude of head traumas. Luckily for him, it did not seem that Der’s assault could outpace his recovery.
By the time the Warlord’s sword had come dangerously close to his new body, the Elementalist teleported out of range, and reappeared just out of harm’s way. Then, he turned his palms upwards while staring at his opponent with hatred.
Around him the prevalent powers of light and darkness began to condense, forming two orbs of impossible might. One as brilliant as a star, capable of wiping a weaker person’s mind with its sheer shine, the other as threatening as a black hole.. Quiet and lethal.
The two powers kept condensing to the size of two nail-sized beads, but before their surface could smoothen fully, a voice pierced the Elementalist’s mind. “Cease your resistance at once!” The voice said, compelling him to immediately let go of the power he had accumulated.
His reaction to the voice was instinctive and visceral, not unlike that of a young boy being caught by their father doing something he was not supposed to do. The voice’s solemnity was absolute, and it had full authority over the Elementalist’s mind.
“What in havens..” the Elementalist muttered as he looked with confusion at what he had just done. “Why did I follow his orders?” he wondered as the figure of the Warlord floated in his vicinity.
“Is Roley still alive?” The middle-aged man inquired furiously.
The man’s attitude seemed to strike a chord in the Elementalist, who looked back at the ant with disdain. “How dar-“
“ANSWER ME!” Der interrupted.
Once again, the Elementalist was shaken out of his mindset, and with obedient eyes he said, “Not for long.” As he finished, he immediately plugged his ears and bolted away, hoping to avoid whatever devilish trick the middle-aged man had been pulling on him.
Unfortunately, that was pointless. Der’s cultivation far surpassed the Elementalist, who had been forced to act coy and weak for the past several centuries.
Der approached him quickly, and in a few seconds, he was once again in front of him. However, this time, Der did not attack him. Instead, he grabbed him by the shoulder, not unlike the way he had grabbed Roley minutes earlier, and stared deeply into his eyes.
The Elementalist, unable to break free, could not help but stare back.
Soon, thick veins started to appear on Der’s reddened skin, and his seven orifices began to ooze blood. It was clear that whatever he was about to do, was taking an extreme toll on his body.
After one last desperate yet futile attempt at breaking free, the Elementalist heard two words.. “Relinquish control.”
Suddenly, the Elementalist found himself back into the elemental world within Roley’s body, and next to him, was the figure of Roley himself, whom he had left trapped not too long again.
As the eyes of the two met, Roley immediately realized that something had gone wrong. He could see it in the Elementalist’s confused and angered expression.. And without thinking twice, resumed the clash he had just lost.
The fight did not last long, and the Elementalist defeated Roley the same way he had before, managing to regain control of the body. However, as his physical eyes opened, and he once again found himself in space, a mighty blow landed squarely onto his jaw. Not powerful enough to injure him, but enough to rock his brain.
“Relinquish control.” He heard as his consciousness slipped away and he found himself back into the elemental realm.
—-
This cycle went on for what felt like decades.. An illusion caused by the constant fighting and loss of consciousness.
In this time, the Elementalist had begun to feel mentally exhausted, and before long, during one of the dozens of fights against Roley, he was not able to gain the advantage, and lost control over the body.
Roley woke up back in his own body, and was met by the same strike that had pummeled onto his sore face many times before, but right before Der’s fist could hit, he noticed the difference in expression on the young man’s face. Anger and disdain were now gone, replaced by worry and relief.
The punch stopped just a hair away from Roley’s face, but as Der expected his old friend to ask him to stop, the former grabbed him by the collar of his armor, and said, “Keep doing what you are doing!” then once again fell into a catatonic state.
For the following hour the Elementalist and Roley battled for the control of their shared body, while Der awaited for them to wake up before either striking them unconscious, or allowing them to rest before they would be inevitably pulled back in.
Throughout this hour the Elementalist could do nothing but watch as Roley grew more confident, while he became more and more restless. His physical powers were still as strong as ever, for he shared them with Roley, but his mental power was steadily declining. Who was to say when the next time he would have gained control, would have been the last.
He needed to do something, and he needed to do it fast..
When hope seemed to be lost, the Elementalist finally had an idea. With all the might he could muster he once again defeated Roley, gaining control over his body. But when he woke up, he showed no signs of anger or restlessness. “It’s working! Keep going!” The Elementalist said to the middle-aged man with the swollen hand.
But then, just as Der stopped his fist, just as he expected Roley’s consciousness to once again be dragged into his body, the young man reached for the tattered pants that covered his lower body.
As Der looked at the young man fiddling with his pockets, he started believing that the nightmare was finally over.. But unfortunately, his hopes were shattered soon after, when the young man pulled a small transparent bead from his pockets.
Immediately Der tried to strike his head, but as his fist reached his face, the young man shifted out of the way and dashed towards the interdimensional portal. “Relinquish-gack!” a mouthful of blood erupted from his mouth as he once again tried to use his power.. failing. He was too tired for it, but still did not give up.
With all the power he had left in his body Der chased the Elementalist, barking weaker commands that only allowed him to gain ground before being shaken off once more.
Their speed was unmatched in the universe, breaking the barrier of light many times over.. And soon enough, they both found themselves in the proximity of the sealed interdimensional portal.
The Elementalist stopped, and focused on the small bead. Then channeled its power to affect the barrier.
Just a few seconds away, Der approached the young man like a meteor, striking the back of his head with a powerful strike of his elbow, and causing his opponent to immediately lose consciousness.
But, alas, it was too late..
—-
When the Elementalist was once again pulled into the elemental world within their shared body, Roley immediately noticed that something had changed. The former lacked the feelings of disdain and anger that had marked his expression for the past hour, and in their place only dejection remained.
He also noticed that his mind power had become fickle, and was on the verge of falling apart.
Convinced that this was the best opportunity to end his enemy once and for all, Roley once again lunged at him, but the Elementalist did not give him a chance. Like a pangolin, the champion of Destiny surrounded himself in scales of elemental power, and then, he fell unconscious.. Or more precisely, he went into hibernation.
The moment the Elementalist’s consciousness went dormant, Roley felt any form of blockade that impeded him from controlling his body disappear, and once again woke up next to Der.
When he saw his face, however, he did not see the stern expression he usually carried, but a look of sheer horror, for next to him, the enormous formation was slowly falling apart. “No.. No!” Roley implored, right before finding himself holding the treasure of primordial spatial essence.
Without thinking twice, he immediately began channeling the full extent of the treasures’ power into his body, and with great burden to himself, desperately tried to patch the now damaged formation.
Cracks started appearing on Roley’s skin, which soon evolved into open wounds. The primordial power, unmatched by an equal and opposite competitor was wreaking havoc into his body.. Yet, for as painful as it was, it appeared to be working.
In front of Der’s eyes, the dome of golden rules and spatial treasures was reforming, bit by bit. But as he kept looking in relief, a grim sight robbed him of any positive emotions.
A black spike, followed by a gray colored finger of pure and unadulterated horrific power gently pierced through the weakened formation, breaking it apart.
