I wasted no time and charged straight into the fray, lightning and Frenzy flying.

“[Wrath of a Thousand Slain Souls]!”

My technique went off with a boom! that echoed the thunder in the sky. A hundred skeletons exploded in a chain reaction of detonations that sent bone flying like shrapnel. Behind me, Blue Rose took to the air and targeted one of the lumbering elephant skeletons with her daggers.

Most of them went flying straight through the thing, but a couple pegged it right in its massive skull, causing it to crack open. The putrid stench of Dark Frenzy spilled from the monster’s skull, but the damage did little else to slow it down.

A piercing war cry came from above me and I looked up to see Mal’Kira flying through the air with her Phalanx Glaive raised high overhead. She slammed it down full force on the fractured skull and the entire thing shattered, forcing its tusks into the sand. The huge skeleton of the beast upended, and the rider was thrown off, landing close to Sergeant Xu Chow and his men.

Dark Frenzy wafted through the air, not concentrated like a Bloodmoon aura, but enough to cause the infantry men to freeze in place as the rider slowly rose, using its massive, rusted axe for support.

“Take it down!” Xu shouted and his men reacted despite the Dark Frenzy, launching at the giant skeleton in a practiced formation. Their spears bounced ineffectively off of its armor and exposed bones and in that instant I realized they were no match for what they faced.

“Xu, fall back!” I shouted and flew with a lightning charged backflip towards them.

Before I could reach, the giant skeleton reared up and stomped in the midst of them. The soldiers scattered, but a horrid cry rang out as one of them was pinned by the creature’s massive foot. He was torn in half, his legs and pelvis stomped into the ground, leaving only his torso flailing with wild screams.

My frenzy triggered with [Fury of the Fallen], and I channeled the technique into a [Lightning One chop Cleave] that shattered its armor, cutting it in half with a boom! Bone and rusted metal flew as I unleased my fury in a series of Lightning Axe strikes that rendered the twenty-foot-tall skeleton to a smoldering heap of bone and decay in just a few seconds.

In the brief reprieve, I looked down at the soldier. He was still alive and wailing in pain, but there was little his comrades or anyone else could do for him. I looked back to the horde still charging at us. Mal’Kira was cutting through a swath of the man-sized skeletons, trying to make her way to another one of the giants. Hun Wu had joined her and was doing much the same by using her flaming vortex techniques. Blue Rose on the other hand had switched tactics, luring the giants away from the drop ship instead of outright trying to kill them.

If they even could be killed.

Even now, the smoldering remains of the giant I had sundered were beginning to reform with an earie purplish glow that was a telltale sign of the Chainmaiden’s regenerative powers.

Shit, I thought.

This could quickly turn into a battle of attrition we couldn’t win. But win, we must.

“We’ll take care of the giants,” I said to Xu. “You and your men defend the skiff against the normal sized ones.”

“Aye, Marshal!” Xu responded, and with remarkable professionalism he rallied his team into a new formation despite their loss.

I charged back in with [Ride the Lightning], shredding hordes of skeletons along the way as I targeted two more of the giants. I transitioned into [Lightning Drill of Fury] and sent the monstrosities flying apart with more explosions of bone.

Despite how easily I was able to dispatch them, the creatures were strong. Not Star-Born Demon strong, but at least S-Tier or better. Were just one of the giants in a normal city, they could tear it apart. Still, if this were one of the online games I was thinking about earlier, these would be only the trash mobs, nowhere near the level of the true boss to come.

I’xol’ukz—the monster causing all this mess.

The thought of that caused fresh Frenzy to spew from my Flame.

I had finally reached my enemy’s doorstep, and this putrid fodder was in my damn way. I channeled my anger and irritation into more bursts of lightning and [One Chop Cleaves], decimating the undead horde.

It took us another twenty minutes, but between me destroying the larger skeletons, Blue Rose distracting them and Hun Wu and Mal’Kira cleaning up what was left, we leveled the entire beach full of death.

An eerie silence fell as we regrouped.

The reek of death mixed with the smoke and flames from Hun Wu’s techniques, causing a nausea to turn my stomach. When I got back to the skiff, Sergeant Xu and his men were all crowded around something, and when I joined them, I saw it was the soldier who had been crushed.

But he wasn’t screaming anymore.

His eyes were dilated and fixed, his mouth ajar and his shredded torso sat in a pool of his own blood now seeping into the black sand. His comrades held a silent vigil for him, standing at attention with salutes.

Finally, Sergeant Xu spoke. “Secure him in the skiff. We’ll bring his body back to the ship for a proper burial.”

“Aye, sergeant,” his men said, and they immediately began to wrap what was left of him in a blanket. He looked younger than I was. Much younger, considering I was now some five years older than I even looked.

“It’s alright, marshal,” Xu said, perhaps reading the remorse on my face. “He died with honor.”

I nodded. Still, it brought home the reality of the risks we now faced.

I looked back to the battlefield where the sickly popping and crunching of bone now filled the air along with a purplish glow blanketing the ground. A stench of Dark Frenzy came with it. I’Xan’dra’s power.

“These things are going to come back,” I said. “That’s what gets people killed down here.”

“What’s our next move then?” Blue Rose asked.

I took one last look of what was left of that kid on the ground. They would all end up like him, if we stayed here indefinitely. Which meant I needed to get my task done quickly. It would make far more sense to leave Hun Wu here to defend the skiff. Her fire techniques seemed especially potent against the smaller undead.

But that wouldn’t work for a number of reasons. One, she would never agree to being left behind and missing out on the opportunity of meeting her god. And two, I needed to get her alone anyway. Hun Wu wasn’t coming home from this trip, but before she turned into a damn monster there was something else I needed from her.

Knowledge.

I didn’t know much about this jail or prison I’xol’ukz was in, but she might. Was it going to be another portal into the Spiritual Realm? Or something else? Plus, she would be good backup for whatever dangers we might encounter along the way.

There was no other option.

But it wasn’t going to make sense to everyone else.

“Blue, Mal’Kira…I’m going to need you to hang back here to support Sergeant Xu and protect the skiff. Hun Wu, come with me.”

Blue Rose scowled like I’d just insulted her, and perhaps I had.

“You’re taking her instead of me? I’m a damn legionnaire too, you know?”

Hun Wu smirked at her. “Do not question his judgement. There are things you do not understand. This is clan business.”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Hell’s that mean?”

“It means it doesn’t concern you.”

“Who do you think y—?”

I was just about to step in to diffuse the argument when a cry rang out.

The infantrymen who were dealing with their fallen brethren were suddenly on the defensive, spears out and yelling. At their feet something was scurrying around with savage snarls at preternatural speed.

“He’s become a demon!” one of them yelled.

The half torso of the kid I’d just seen had transformed into a monstrosity. It was as if he’d been dead for years not minutes. His skin was gray and his eyes milky. The sight must have been even more unnerving for his fellow soldiers who knew him.

Something zipped through the air and struck the creature in the head, pinning it to the ground. When I looked, it was one of Blue Rose’s daggers.

Blue Rose herself then let out a scoff. “You really think she’ll be able to handle this kind of stuff without losing her shit?”

I sensed a spike of anger from Hun Wu at the backhanded insult, but I ignored it with [Indifference].

“She’ll manage,” I said, and stepped past the both of them.

As we all approached what the poor kid had become, it was clear that even a head wound could no longer ‘kill’ it. The half torso zombie was spinning about and nearly freed itself before one of the infantrymen stabbed him more firmly into the ground.

It hissed and screamed, a relentless hunger in its savage cries.

“By the nine hells,” Sergeant Xu said. “The stories are true.”

“Is this what will become of all of us?” one of the soldiers said, fear in his soul.

The pause that came next was filled with even more fear and uncertainty.

Stories were one thing, but when you saw the reality up close it was a different ball game.

“Not if I can help it,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “I’ll be back before the skiff returns.”

Blue Rose glared at me after a quick glance at Hun Wu. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Trust me. This is the only way. Focus on killing the undead as soon as they rise. Or before even. If you stay on top of it, they won’t overwhelm you.”

“You can count on us, boss” Mal’Kira said.

I looked back to Blue Rose, but she merely shook her head.

“Just don’t come back an undead chun, Chun.”

* * *

I took to the air with Hun Wu as the rest of the team began spreading out across the beach and putting down the undead mid-resurrection. The Dark Frenzy in the air was still subtle. I didn’t know how strong I’xan’dra’s influence was here, but hopefully they were experiencing the least of it, being as far away from the source as possible.

My theory was proven correct as Hun Wu and I made our way deeper into the rain drenched forest of death and decay. The place reeked of mold and rot and with each mile the essence of Dark Frenzy Grew stronger.

In between the blackened trunks, more skeletal forms roamed aimlessly about the dead forest, until they somehow sensed us and charged in our direction. I didn’t waste time trying to fight them. It’d be pointless anyway. We increased our speed instead, keeping ahead of the huge swarm of undead creatures that eventually trailed behind us like a wake of destruction. We eventually found the river and began following it instead of cutting through the forest, bouncing atop the dark, putrid water with [Lightning Walk] and Hun Wu’s [Flaming Vortex] technique.

I kept a close eye on Hun Wu as we travelled. Her insides were a mixture of fear and excitement, the Dark Frenzy of her own demonic Qi resonating with the place like a damn tuning fork. An hour went by and the conditions grew even worse. Rain fell from the sky in a constant annoying drizzle and the Dark Frenzy grew even more palpable. The monsters in the forest began to change too. Skeletons that were perhaps the native inhabitants of the planet were replaced by things that seemed immune to the decay…or perhaps part of it. I spotted something that looked like a walking tree and another that resembled a giant turtle with mushrooms growing out of its back. As we got even further, there were things that resembled spirits. Ghostly images with no true bodies at all.

The Dark Frenzy was getting close to Bloodmoon levels by now and Hun Wu Suddenly cried out from behind me confirming it.

“Brother, my seed!” she shouted. “It’s blooming!”

I was so shocked by her referring to me as ‘brother’ that I nearly fell out of the sky. I engaged my [Sacred Soul Shield] technique and caught hold of her robes as she began floundering in midair. I looked for a safe spot to land and touched down on the riverbank amidst a copse of dead trees.

Hun Wu collapsed to the ground and curled into a fetal position, shuddering. Her body was still reacting to the stirring of her demonic Qi, but then finally it all subsided. She looked up at me from the damp forest floor, her eyes peeled in wonder.

“How are you doing this? How are you resisting this temptation?”

I shrugged with [Indifference]. “Just practice like I said.”

But in truth, I could sense the Dark Frenzy hitting my protective barrier as lightly as the rain falling from the pitch-black sky. If she was reacting to even this level of exposure then I could only imagine what it would be like when we got closer to her true god.

“Make sure you stay close to me from now on,” I said. “Don’t want you blooming prematurely.”

Hun Wu sat in lotus position and began to cultivate. “The essence here is slightly different than what I’m accustomed to. More pure. We are surely on the right path.”

“Can’t disagree with you there,” I said and then studied our surrounds. “The river looks to be picking up speed, I think its sloping towards the valley. We should arrive there soon.”

“You sound so certain.”

I chuckled. “I was a wilderness scout in another life. Learned how to pick out the lay of the land pretty good. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” she said and continued her deep breathing with her eyes shut. “Just give me a moment to recover.”

I sat on a hollowed-out log across from her and waited.

I honed my senses and kept watch for any movement in the darkness.

“Who is that woman to you, by the way?” Hun Wu suddenly asked, eyes still closed.

I chuckled. “Which one?”

Her eyes then flashed open with a scowl. “You know which one.”

“Blue Rose?”

“What is she? A friend? A lover? Why does she feel so entitled to be by your side?”

I could almost laugh. Nearly two hours later and she was still pissed off about her little spat with Blue Rose?

“Look you probably wouldn’t get it. We go a long way back. We met in prison and—.”

“Prison?”

“The Academy. Du Gok Bhong. We’re… comrades in arms. Mal’Kira too.”

“You treat them better than members of your own clan, you know that?”

Her hint of indignation wasn’t lost on me. It brought back the moment of her calling me ‘brother’. It made me feel bad in a way. She actually thought of me as brethren while I considered her an enemy. Even her sister was the same. Completely ignorant of the fact until the very end. It made me wonder if the both of them were more victim than villain. Maybe the whole empire was when it came to the true intentions of the Cursed Stars.

But that couldn’t change how things would eventually have to play out here today.

She’d eventually turn into a demon and I’d turn into…well…me.

And then our positions as enemies would become clear.

Nothing personal. Hun Wu seemed okay, but she followed the wrong Flame.

Still, it reminded me of the reason I’d brought her along.

Information.

“Tell me what you know about this prison our master is in,” I said. “How do we free him? You said in the book, the narrator was the empire and Wu Shu was our master, correct?”

Hun Wu chortled. “At least you seem to have retained something. Yes, that is correct. The chains are clearly not literal if that’s what you are thinking. But our master, like all enslaved demons, will be bound by the traditional means of a holy artifact.”

“And we just need to destroy it?”

“If you’re strong enough to yes.”

Then did that mean I needed to do the opposite?

Go inside the artifact and kill him in there?

I began contemplating what that might be like.

Another spiritual battle perhaps?

It seemed so. But would that alone get me across the threshold to breakthrough into the Lesser Deity Realm? I was so deep in my own thoughts that I barely sensed the ‘killing intent’ until Hun Wu’s eyes flashed open with a cry.

“Brother, behind you!”

I reacted with five years’ worth of honed martial instinct, flipping from the log while materializing my axe and slashing behind me all at the same time. My blade cut through the torso of a translucent figure the shape of a man but that was ten feet tall and had the head of a tiger. It had twin-cutlasses in its own hands and a double-bladed swipe cut the air where I’d just been sitting.

I backflipped away to gain some distance and Hun Wu jumped up from her seated position to stand by my side. The tiger-ghost-thing roared, and my Flame quaked with a sudden understanding as words formed directly in my mind.

“[Claw of the Wild]!”

It spun and crescents of glowing energy flew from its blades. I parried each one with precision, but they passed straight through my axe and stopped only when they reached my [Sacred Soul Shield]. Hun Wu caught on a bit quicker than I did and unleased her [Sacred Soul Form], creating a blazing phoenix that engulfed her entire body.

“[Breath of the Nine Hells]!”

She reared back and unleashed a torrent of ethereal, purplish flames that quickly enveloped the tiger. It roared again and I sensed some form of pain come from it. I used the opportunity to strike and saved from shifting into my Sacred Soul form by using a [Lightning Cleave of the Struggler] instead.

My spectral axe formed over my true weapon as I struck, cleaving the ghost in half. It wailed as it quickly dissipated, consumed by Hun Wu’s flames. When she stopped, nothing was left of the thing. I waited for a moment to see if it might reform or return, but I had no idea how all this crap worked.

I looked to Hun Wu who was pulsing with Dark Frenzy now. “What the hell was that?”

She withdrew her Phoenix Form and settled her aura. “A revenant, I think.”

“A what?”

“A hungry ghost. The Sacred Soul of a Cultivator slain. It spoke in the sacred tongue, did you hear it?”

I assumed she was talking about the words that formed in my mind. It was indeed the same way I’xol’ukz and the demons communicated.

“Yes,” I said. And then I added a bit more as a test. “Did you understand what it said?”

Not surprisingly, Hun Wu shook her head.

Knowledge without Insight, I thought again. The folly of the demonic cultivator.

It made me wonder how she would react when her god ‘truly’ spoke to her.

“It must have been a cultivator who tried to conquer this world from before,” she said. “And if that’s what a Sacred Soul Realm cultivator becomes, then I can only imagine that any Lesser Deity Realm Cultivators who fell here would now be roaming in their Lesser Deity forms as well.”

That thought gave me pause. “Shit… I might be headed into my trial match early now.”

“What?”

“Nevermind,” I said. “One problem at a time.”

I looked back to the river and sensed the strength of the growing dark Frenzy downstream. I’xol’ukz was waiting at the bottom of that valley and it was time to get this job done. Time to free my son of its damn curse forever. And shit, who knew? Maybe even Hun Wu might be freed from his curse once I killed his ass as well.

“Come on,” I said. “It’s time to go free our master.”