R-a - Volume 4 - New Chapter added ~(20-30ish) (Patreon)

R-a - Volume 4 - Chapter (20-30ish) (Next release on or before Feb 25.)

In the midst of a small mountain range, a grove of tall, black trees jutted from the ground, like proud, dark daggers stabbing upward against a somber sky.

The quiet, pitter-pattering of rain echoed softly through this small forest, silencing the early morning cries of birds.

Orion Thunderfist ignored the gloomy rain as he walked through the grove of Blackleaf Trees, his steps steady and methodical. The Byren warrior was dressed in a set of black robes, with a long, gray coat covering his shoulders. On his feet were a pair of black leather boots, enchanted to make his footsteps as silent as the dead.

In his right hand, the First Lord carried a small bouquet of azure flowers, wrapped together with a long stalk of grass. The beautiful Aurial Roses, as they were traditionally called, swayed gently in the wind, small droplets of water sliding down them as if they were crying.

After walking for a few minutes, Orion came to a small clearing, hidden within the small forest. There wasn’t much inside this clearing, save for several bushes full of beautiful Aurial Roses, and two stone headstones.

The First Lord stopped in front of one of the two graves and knelt down, placing the bouquet of azure roses before it.

“Hello, Maria.”

Orion stepped back a few feet as he spoke, sitting down on the ground with his legs crossed and placing his long coat to the side. As he settled in, the Byren tapped on a High-Tier Spatial Ring he had acquired from the invading Humans, pulling out a large alcohol gourd.

The First Lord took a deep draught of the liquor, feeling the burning sting on his throat.

“It’s been a while.”

The pattering rain seemed to come to an end as silence embraced the clearing, only the faint motion of a breeze disturbing the moment.

Orion donned a sad, half-smile as he looked at his dead wife’s grave, his back hunching forward.

No longer was he the proud, undisputed leader of the Divine Might Sect, the First Lord who’s sway covered virtually the entire world. Now, he was a man lost in sorrow, sitting alone.

“Tell me, Maria, do you resent me still?”

He received no response.

Orion took another swig from the gourd, setting it down slowly on the ground next to him.

“You would be right to.” The First Lord spoke softly, reddened eyes gazing at the stone headstone.

“I abandoned you… and our child.” The Byren warrior’s gaze turned to the gravestone next to the one he was in front of, marked with the simple name ‘Mia.’

“To die alone.”

Orion closed his eyes and took a deep breath, before slowly exhaling. He raised the alcohol gourd to his lips once more, taking a large gulp of the burning liquid before setting it down.

Several minutes passed by quietly as Orion sat there, contemplating.

“I can tell myself I was making the logical choice, that only a fool would try to fight a God, that our people stood no chance against the Torens after they became Deities.”

The First Lord’s eyes glazed over as he reminisced, memories of a war fought centuries in the past filling his vision.

“But that isn’t the truth.” Orion’s voice took on a harsh, cold edge.

“I was a fool, a wretch who fled in fear. I left you all because I lacked the resolve to die.”

A poignant silence settled over the gravesite as the First Lord brooded to himself, folding his hands together to support his chin. Several minutes passed like this, only muddled by the quiet drops of water falling from rain-soaked trees.

“But I am a coward no more.”

Orion’s deep voice echoed out, resounding in the still air. His eyes burned with emotion, his hands trembling against his will.

“I cannot change the past… but I promise you this Maria.”

The First Lord got to his feet, his back straightening, his posture like a blade unsheathed.

“I will grasp the future…” Orion uttered as he threw his coat back on, turning away sharply from the graves of his dead family.

“Or I will die trying.”

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Deep within the headquarters of the Divine Might Sect, the rumbling tides of change have begun to spring forth.

In the central Great Hall of the Divine Might Sect, the First Lord sat upon a simple, raised stone dais. His coat and hair were still damp from the downpour outside, something Orion ignored as he barked out orders.

Standing in front of Orion was the Sect Master of the Divine Might Sect, a Master Class Swordsman and one of the few Supreme Warriors that existed on the Second Layer, Beilo Redblade. A famed warrior in his own right, Beilo’s power represented the peak strength of any Martial Artist below the 6 Lords.

Belying his legendary prowess, Beilo’s appearance was that of a portly, middle-aged Byren warrior, dressed in a simple white robe, with a long, golden sword strapped to his waist.

Next to Belio were the 4 strongest Elders among the Divine Might Sect, the Great Elders.

Like Belio, each of these 4 Elders were Master Class Warriors, able to control and utilize Master Tier Ki to devastating effect. They represented the entire upper leadership of the Divine Might Sect.

“How many among the First Rate are still debilitated by the plague?” Orion queried, leaning his chin against the knuckles of his right hand.

“The impact has been minimized as much as possible. The death count of First Rates from the plague remains at 3, while only 5 are still undergoing symptoms.” One of the 4 Great Elders, the sole female Great Elder, Cana, spoke up, her voice voice clear and measured.

“3 dead, and 5 sickly… so be it.” Orion nodded slowly.

First Rate Warriors represented close to the peak of strength on the Second Layer, just below the level of Master Class Warriors like the Great Elders. In any other Sect, the loss of 3 First Rate Warriors would be an immense loss, let alone having 5 additional First Rate Warriors suspended due to illness.

This was not the case for the Divine Might Sect. Despite being known as just 1 among the 6 Great Sects, under the First Lord’s leadership, the Divine Might Sect had secretly grown to astounding heights.

In sheer terms of numbers, the Divine Might Sect commanded 34 elite First Rate Warriors, more than triple that of the next strongest Sect. Several of these warriors were publicly recognized as the Inner Elders of the Sect, but many more operated furtively under the commands of the Great Elders.

“Beilo.” Orion turned his gaze towards the Divine Might Sect’s Sect Master.

“Yes, Lord!” Beilo saluted respectfully.

“Update me on all operations. Leave out nothing.”

“At once.” The Sect Master nodded.

“3 of the 4 Rakkonian Great Wizards have been assassinated. We believe the last surviving Great Wizard is currently within the territory of the Farians, discussing plans to form an alliance.” Beilo spoke, motioning towards one of the Great Elders.

The Great Elder, a dark haired man dressed in black leather armor, stepped forward and handed several documents to Orion.

The First Lord leafed through them before turning his gaze to the Great Elder.

“...when did the Humans get so many noteworthy figures? And these are unrelated to the Beasts of Providence?”

“Yes, Lord!” Great Elder Ganfo, the warrior in charge of infiltration and observation of the Human Race, spoke, his voice silky smooth.

“While all signs of the Beasts of Providence have completely vanished, only four Humans remain as highest-priority targets for elimination.”

Orion turned his gaze back to the sheafs of paper in his hand, reading through them aloud.

“The new leader of the Purgatory Church, the Nirvana Saint. Possesses widespread influence among humanity, keen intelligence and investigative prowess, and suspected of possessing great individual strength.”

“A legendary figure from Humanity’s First Layer, a warrior known as Director Prime, suspected to have received one of the unclaimed Inheritances from the Draconic Twelve Tombs. He’s accompanied by an unknown Transformation Type User in the form of a Celestial Silverback.”

“An unknown Human Master who is believed to have clashed with the Beasts of Providence, and is related to the massive explosion that took place near the Farian occupied territory North of the Dragon Mountains. Also believed to have opened dialogue between Humanity and the Farians.”

“And, finally, the last remaining of humanity’s Four Barons, Baron Fortuna, who has combined the Syndicates into the newly formed Human Alliance. All other members of the Four Barons have died or vanished.”

The First Lord frowned as he finished reading through the papers, shaking his head with a faintly amused look.

“These humans are like cockroaches, crush one and the next day you’ll find 3 more in its place.” He chuckled quietly.

“The other Races?” Orion turned his gaze over to the remaining 2 Great Elders, a pale skilled warrior wearing a white robe and a dark skinned warrior dressed in a set of yellow scaled armor.

The pale skinned Great Elder spoke first,

“Lord, the Orkals have been entirely contained. All of their upper leadership has been eliminated, and all targets of all priority have been successfully removed.”

“Excellent news, Lorban. Danor?” Orion nodded, turning his gaze to the dark skinned Byren.

“Lord Thunderfist, the Farian Tribes have fallen into partial disarray thanks to our disinformation campaign. The Kowalsi Tribe, in particular, has split off from the other Farians and fractured their alliance by ‘traveling upward’ through the Layers.” The dark skinned Great Elder began,

“However, their Lord Justiciar and their Wise Lady remain alive, and while these two figures are present, full collapse is likely impossible.”

The First Lord tapped a finger on the stone dais he sat upon before nodding again.

“I will personally deal with their Lord Justiciar after we conquer the Sanctum. Any other reports of note?”

“Yes Lord.” Sect Master Beilo spoke up, his words calm.

“While we can’t be certain, we believe that a group of the high-priority Humans, the Farian upper leadership, and the remaining Rakkonian Great Wizard have come to an agreement on forming a temporary alliance.”

“They have?” Orion’s brows furrowed,

“When did this take place?”

“Extremely recently. We are still not certain entirely on the details, but we believe they have become aware of our actions and our targeting our operations.”

The First Lord’s eyes grew cold when he heard that.

“When are they planning to take action?”

Sect Master Beilo immediately replied,

“We aren’t sure how they found out, but we believe they are aware of the importance placed on our Sanctum operation. We expect their allied forces to converge upon us on, or soon after, that day.”

A grim smile appeared on Orion’s face when he heard that, small lines of electricity peeling off from his body and setting the air to trembling. His eyes flashed white with energy as he replied to the Sect Master,

“Perhaps this is fate. Belio, Great Elders. Prepare everything.”

The air around Orion shuddered, twisting with energy as his words rumbled out,

“On the day of the Sanctum raid, we go to war.”

.