Chapter 784 unedited unmemed (Patreon)

Got a little sidetracked trying to come up with the best way to slot all the pieces together, but here it be. Read a lot of speculation on how this would unfurl, which was lots of fun, so hope it lives up to they hype.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1D6-5ZO0U1eksxYp-s0HKwuXjHlmoykFB5RMHbV7mnNQ/edit?usp=sharing

Record scratch.

Freeze frame.

You see that guy? No, not the hulking Chad of a Demon Divinity with his creepy shell of a bald head about to unleash hell and break the world. The other guy. Pan down. A little more. Almost there. Stop. That guy. The lean, sinewy young man with his mid-length hair pulled back in a neat little bun. That’s me. Don’t judge. I just woke up from a two-month coma and found my hair like this, though I do have to say I pull the look off pretty well. Anyways, I bet you’re wondering how I got here, huh? Well, it’s a long story, and I mean long, full of angst and apprehension as you follow the journey of a rambling idiot as he struggles to find his place in a savage world where the strong thrive, the weak survive, and bloodshed is just a way of life. Beset on all sides and caught in perpetual conflict, peace was a luxury few can afford here in the Azure Empire, but then everything changed when the Defiled nations attacked.

…

Seriously… what is wrong with me? No one loves memes more that I do, but this is too much even for me. They just keep coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming.

Wow. Okay. I need help. Serious, professional help.

In more ways than one, I’d say, considering I now have an unhinged and unleashed Demon Divinity to deal with. Not gonna lie, I totally didn’t see this coming, since I really thought Zhen Shi would want to keep this one for his collection. That stuff about being unable to control the Demon is all bullshit, but it gives Zhen Shi plausible deniability to claim he’s not responsible for its actions. Not that it’ll matter, because I’m gonna go gunning for him the second I finish dealing this calamity here, but I can’t help but feel disheartened knowing I’ve failed everyone here in Meng Sha. Even as I stand here stewing in defeat, the Demon Divinity is gathering his strength to unleash an attack that will raze this harbour to the ground and kill everyone here. A select few will survive, thanks to the efforts of my allied Divinities already booking it as fast as they can, but the vast majority of will die as soon as the Demon strikes, their lives lost and bodies vaporized in the metaphysical equivalent of a nuclear strike.

There it stands in all its unholy glory, a caricature of everything the Brotherhood truly stands for. This is a perversion of Vyakhya’s misguided truth, this ‘Monk’ Demon Divinity here, holding its spade and string of skull in sickening mockery of the same pose Mahakala took up at my wedding banquet with Luo-Luo. Though still as a statue, I can sense it exerting its Will upon the Heavens and the enthusiasm with which they respond as metaphysical storm clouds herald the coming avalanche of Heavenly Energy bearing down upon us. To make matters worse, the Demon’s focused Intent is not directed towards me, nor to Taddy, Hua Lie, or any other possible threat. Instead, it fixates on the weak and defenseless, those soldiers and Irregulars still standing with weapons ready even as the Defiled army flees the fortress in droves, their vile leaders like Mataram YuGan having long since left them behind to die. And die they will, even the Peak Experts Cloud Stepping away, for the Demon Divinity has locked on them all and intend to end their lives here today.

Even though the Demon should by all rights be contesting against Vyakhya’s Will for ultimate control, their goals are aligned in this act of destruction, the human seeking to bring his twisted vision of peace to the world he so abhors, and the Demon vicariously indulging in his host’s rage and despair. As such, there is no conflict between them, an uneasy ceasefire as they work to fulfill their parallel desires, resulting in an unfortunate harmony of Wills and Souls that makes this monster just human or Balanced enough to render it impervious to my Devouring Talents and unpalatable to Blobby’s predatory tendencies.

Which is just… the worst news possible…

With my aces neutralized, there’s nothing I can do to stop the Demon from attacking, and nothing I can do to save the heroes of Meng Sha. It took a full two seconds to gather up enough Will and Heavenly Energy to strike Vyakhya down while he stood there with his thumb in his ass, which means any attack I deliver will arrive just under two seconds after the Demon unleashes its deadly strike. That’s assuming I not only survive its initial attack of course, which at this point in time is still up in the air, because even though I’ve Shattered the Void, I haven’t really finished refining my body just yet, much less my mind and soul.

Yea… about that… See, I know I said I was ready and willing to take the next step, but while ruminating in the sheer agony of my mangled soul, I had something of an epiphany. Call it Insight or Inspiration or Heavenly guidance if you will, but everything just sort of came together in the moment and I knew what I had to do. Rebuilding my Spiritual System was fairly simple, since between me and my Natal Souls, I’d seen enough flawed examples here in Meng Sha to know what not to do, as well as a general inkling of how it should be. Together, this was enough for my Will to direct the process without the Energy of the Heavens going hog-wild, meaning what I was doing was in line with what the Heavens expected. A good thing too, because I was not looking forward to seeing what the spiritual equivalent of unchecked tumours would be, but then I was left with the same dilemma as always. How do I improve upon my body, mind, and soul? How do I refine my entire being into a Spiritual Heart?

In keeping with the theme of taking the complex and making it simple, the answer came easily enough. I don’t.

See, all this time I’ve been agonizing over the how, when in truth, I don’t really need to know it. Like seriously, Mama Bun is in the process of Refining a Spiritual Heart, so as complex as the whole procedure might be, it can’t be all that difficult to do considering my sweet bicorn bunny is… intellectually challenged. More to the point, Kukky, Rakky, and Tai Tai all succeeded in less than a hundred years from their birth, and I doubt they’re smarter than I am, so surely I can do it too. Even though all three of them are exceptional cases, their success proves that it’s possible to direct the Refinement of a Spiritual Heart so long as you have the necessary requirements. What requirements might those be? Well, first off is a source of usable Heavenly Energy, which in their case came from either Spiritual Plants or dead Defiled, or possibly even the flesh of a Divinity perhaps, as the Abbot does seem like the type to cut off his own flesh to feet his pets. The cost must have been staggering, as I know firsthand how difficult it is to heal a body that’s been refined, so it much be a hundred times worse for someone who has actually ascended to Divinity. That being said, I had plenty of usable Heavenly Energy thanks to my Natal Soul’s valiant sacrifice out there in the Void, allowing Blobby to Cleanse a whole host of Spectres in one quick go. As for the rest? Much as I would have loved going in with both eyes open and a checklist of things to do, I was kinda in a rush and figured I could wing it as I went.

What really tied it all together was the sheer agony of my soul. No pain, no gain, something I tell myself often and was the answer staring me in the face all along. How do you refine a physique without incurring the wrath of the Heavens? By doing it naturally, duh. And what’s more natural than a bout of self-inflicted suffering followed by rest and recouperation, or as everyone else might call it, good old-fashioned exercise.

Yea. That’s right. Spiritual Beasts become Refine their bodies through exercise and exertion. Rakky went out hunting in the Arid Wastes and Refined his skeleton to raise his chances of survival, while Kukky Refined his voice-box to put predators to sleep, and sweet Tai Tai Refined his fangs so he could better munch on Spiritual Bamboo and get all that sweet Heavenly goodness inside. In the same vein, Mama Bun is Refining her neckbones because she’s injured it so many times headbutting things she probably shouldn’t, in a process so natural she doesn’t even know she’s doing it. It’s just like doing cardio, lifting weights, or having two people beat you with iron poles to create microfractures in your bones. After incurring minor damage to the bones and muscles, the body’s natural response is not just to repair the damage, but build everything back even stronger and tougher than before, assuming you have a suitable source of nutrients and protein. Martial Warriors take it a step even further by utilizing the Energy of the Heavens to mend what ails them, not through Healing, but restive meditation, a process I’ve been using for years and years.

Since the day I first set foot on the Martial Path, I have been steadily progressing towards Divinity using the patented Falling Rain method of great effort for minimal gains, and just like sweet, stupid Mama Bun, I had no idea I was doing it.

Of course, this doesn’t really explain why Spiritual Beasts end up remaking their bodies to become Ancestral Beasts, or Divine Beasts in the case of Ping Ping and Pong Pong. Assuming I’m on the right track however, then there’s no reason the same process can’t be applied to refining the mind and soul, and wouldn’t you know it, I have spent every waking moment of the last ten or so years and most of my non-waking ones too immersed in a daily regimen of self-inflicted mental anguish, one which has left my mind a complete and utter mess. Also convenient is the fact that I’ve been mutilating my soul ever since I first Formed my Natal Palace, what with all the remodelling I did and Natal Souls I created, all of which I believe was only possible for a number of reasons. Ignorance for one, since I never would have done any of it if I’d known what I was doing, but also the fact that my mental age does not match the age of my body and soul, allowing me to more easily adjust and adapt to this new life while also providing me with a more mature perspective to work with inside the confines of my Natal Palace.

Or maybe not, since calling myself mature is a bit of a stretch, but I digress. The how doesn’t matter, not until I have a better grasp on the what.

So with all that in mind, I figured the only thing left to do was meditate and let the Energy of the Heavens fix what ails me. Why didn’t it just bring me back to my saved state? Because just like the human body, the Heavens sees all the damage done and decides we need to be stronger in order to endure our subsequent trials and tribulations, in a process as natural as breathing. Or maybe there’s a more scientific reason to explain why, but the why doesn’t matter just yet. No, the interesting thing to note is that I’m pretty sure the Forms are a standardized method of Body Refinement, but a partial one at best, missing several crucial elements that would lead to a more complete success.

So why spread an incomplete method? Well, call me crazy but I think it’s so that the Eastern Province can retain Martial superiority.

That’s a conspiracy to delve into on another day though. The important thing to take away from all this is that even though I’ve started the process and made some progress, I have yet to wholly Refine my body, mind, and soul into a Spiritual Heart. There’s no way to rush it any more than I have, as it will take more time than I had on hand and more Heavenly Energy than Blobby could provide. While I intended on doing some more Devouring and Demon killing to help further me along, I’m not sure if I’m my current stats are high enough to take on a Demon Divinity. This isn’t to say there’s been no improvement, as I’ve come a long way in so short a time. Physically, I’m stronger than ever, and my thoughts are moving so quickly I can think up all this in the split second it takes for the Demon Divinity to attack. As for my soul, well… I don’t really know enough about it to comment on any improvements, but I’m no longer in crippling pain, so there’s that. Oh, also, I’m pretty sure the whole Chi working slash temporary Keystone slash metaphysical Rune thing requires a powerful mind and soul to pull off, though I’d have to run some tests to be sure.

Alas, Rome was not built in a day, and I have a long ways to go before I finish my Refinement and prepare to tackle True Divinity. This is a process, one I’ll have to take step by step, and though my current physique is a step up from before, the results speak for themselves. Vyakhya broke my arm by catching my punch, though to be fair, he cheated by reflecting the force of my strike back at me through some combination of Deflection and Reverberation. In the end, the only reason I was able to kill him so easily was because he literally stood there and took my attack on the chin, because he could only sense the Heavenly Energy contained in my attack, and not the massive metaphysical weight eagerly chasing after it.

All this means I’m still not entirely sure where I stand on the sliding scale of strength. No longer do I tread the Martial Path, and instead forge a Path all of my own, so it’s difficult to compare myself with Peak Experts or Divinities. I am stronger than even Divinities in some ways, namely in the tools I have at my disposal thanks to my understanding of Heavenly Energy, yet weaker than even a Peak Expert in other aspects, such as my lacking experience with combat and familiarity with Chi in comparison to the veterans who’ve been fighting and training all their lives. As for speed, power, durability, reflexes, and all that, I don’t really know just yet since I have no basis for comparison. I was fast while fighting Vyakhya, but he kept up without any real effort, so it’s difficult to say how I’d compare to Dad or even Alsantset.

And now I’m about to go head-to-head with a Demon Divinity, and this time he won’t play nice.

“Get everyone to safety,” I send while initiating my attack, but to my surprise and chagrin, Taddy Sends me more or less the same message at the exact same time. While my new and improved brain is faster than it was before, the same old rules of physics still need apply, meaning there’s a limit as to how fast I can process and react to new information. In terms of actual time, it’s not actually all that high, as even a base human’s reaction time is fairly impressive, but under the State of Enlightenment, the split second I’ve already committed to Pierce the Horizon feels like a veritable eternity. Honestly, it’s probably a better idea for me to run, considering I already gave the Demon Divinity my best shot and didn’t even scratch it, not to mention the fact that Taddy won’t leave without me, but I can’t. Much as I fear death, I only recently discovered that I fear living in regret even more. When it’s a choice between life and doing the right thing as dictated by my conscience, I cannot help but gravitate towards the latter, every single time.

And my conscience is telling me that I will never be able to live with myself if I don’t even try to stop the Demon Divinity from killing everyone in Meng Sha.

Praying I haven’t harmed my loved ones with my actions, I full send on the offensive and barrel stuff the Demon Divinity’s crotch with Unity. Only because it’s more or less the closest target to aim for, rather than out of any intention to shoot him in the dickless nether regions, but it doesn’t matter. The rushed Chi bullet impacts against the Demon’s Domain and glances off without so much as a grunt, and its empty eye sockets fixate on me with what I swear is smug satisfaction. Even though he surrendered, Vyakhya is still stubbornly clinging to his awareness whilst a feeding frenzy of Spectres ravage his soul, wholly conscious of what he is about to do and all-too pleased about it, which makes him even more of a monster than the Demon he’s become.

And when they unleash their attack, reality unravels before my eyes.

A pulse of raw, unmitigated Destruction emanates from the Demon’s left hand, the one clutching its rosary of skulls. Invisible to the human eye, this energy radiates with a malignant malevolence I’ve encountered before, a dread aspect of foul loathing for all existence derived from Vyakhya’s focused Intent to kill and destroy. I once believed the Caston Trading Group was purposefully abusing slaves in order to create Spectres to process into Anathema, but I see now I was wrong. Spectres were merely an added bonus, but their true goal was the creation of Demons instead, for Anathema is a by-product of the energies released during the creation of their physical forms. That’s why I was thrown into a pit of bodies and no one noticed one missing. It wasn’t a mass grave I crawled out of all those years ago, but a Demon feeding pit, leading me to wonder just how many of my fellow slaves truly died, and how many turned Demon instead. Mataram YuGan’s armour held a Demon within, so what if Gen’s armour did too? Perhaps the Butcher Bay Bandits weren’t making all their armour in house, but being supplied by the Canston Trading Group as well, showing just how thorough Zhen Shi was in planning his invasion of the Empire.

Not for the first time, I realize just how close the Northern Province came to sharing in the Western Province’s fate, and I puff my chest in pride at the minor role I played in fucking up his best laid plans.

That being said, this Anathematic Energy is unlike the black gunk I’ve encountered before, for the physical incarnation lacked the Will of a Divinity to propagate it. In practical terms, the black gunk Anathema was… well, soulless, for lack of a better word, or rather lacking the same quality that Spectres lack which makes them delicacies in Blobby’s eyes. On the other hand, this Demon Divinity’s attack is driven by it’s Will and propagated by its Domain, which is still unpalatable to my Elemental Spirit thanks to Vyakhya’s lingering presence of mind. Or perhaps that’s not the case, and Demon Divinities are just built different, but even if I’m right and I’ll soon be able to Devour and Cleanse it out of existence, it would only be after its attack kills everyone in Meng Sha.

Which is less than ideal.

Nothing is ever easy, and with my two trump cards are rendered useless, all I can do is watch as the Anathematic Energy crashes over me and eats away at my Domain. No, eats is the wrong word here, for that implies consumption or absorption, and it would be more accurate to say it unmakes my Domain, stripping it of that which makes it mine and rendering it back into the raw Energy of the Heavens. Then it unmakes even that, breaking it all the way down into the core components of reality, base building blocks of matter and energy so tiny and imperceptible even my Spiritual Senses are unable to perceive it in any detail, but I know it is there. I also know that those base building blocks are supposedly indivisible, the smallest unit of matter in existence, yet the Anathematic Energy seeks to unmake even that and shatter the bonds holding a single individual block together. This process is not simple and requires more force than all of the steps before it combined, but after a brief, miniscule moment of effort, the block crumbles and splits in twain with a trivial burst of energy.

A pitifully meager burst of energy, all things considered, but once that first block crumbles, the two free-floating components make it laughably easy to shatter more blocks in quick succession, which will, if left unchecked, set off a chain reaction which will destroy all of Meng Sha and a considerable portion of its surroundings while rendering the land uninhabitable for decades, if not centuries to come, all in the blink of an eye.

Time comes to a standstill as the pieces all come together in my mind, and I almost laugh at how obvious the answer appears once I’ve figured it out. I’ve been calling Divinities walking nukes for as long as I can remember, but only now do I see how apt the comparison has been. Without the ability to control the Energy of the Heavens, Divinities are beholden to its whims, so when they strike with the Intent to kill, the Heavens takes no chances and launches a literal nuclear strike. That’s what this Anathematic Energy is, a working of pure Destruction capable of splitting fucking atoms, which is the same principle behind an atom bomb.

A Divinity is literally a walking nuclear bomb, which is just… all sorts of terrifying.

Atoms. The base building blocks of matter.

Atoms have protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Positive. Negative. Neutral.

Heavenly Energy is the power of Creation and Destruction, kept in Balance by forces beyond my comprehension.

I’m sensing a pattern here.

Sort of. I think. Maybe? I dunno.

Whatever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

The question of how to apply my newfangled knowledge is quickly answered by Taddy’s actions as he Deploys his Domain around me to counter the Demon’s Anathematic Energy. Though unable to perceive the full extent of what he’s doing, I instantly recognize his Healing efforts as he wields countless needles and threads to keep the tapestry of reality from unravelling. A valiant effort, but it is much easier to destroy than it is to create, meaning my dear sweet teacher is fighting a losing battle and it’s only a matter of time before the Anathematic Energy reaches critical mass. “Run along now, Rain my boy,” he Sends, sounding none too strained by what must be a phenomenal effort of Will. “You’ve done more than enough here today, so survive to fight another day. Or don’t. Fight that is. No need to concern yourself with petty matters like vengeance or guilt. I do what I do because it pleases me to do so, the same motivations which drive you. We are kindred spirits the both of us, I knew it from the first moment I laid eyes on you, so do not mourn my passing. I only ask that you be happy, because you are deserving of it.”

That’s my Taddy, so laid-back and free-spirited. To hear his tone, you’d think he was heading out for a trip to the city for a week or two rather than sacrificing his life to see me to safety, even taking a moment to advise me not to blame myself for his death. I won’t, because he’s not going to die, not today.

Rather than run, I Deploy my Domain and push past Taddy’s, because it’s faster to show him than explain. He’s going about it all wrong, countering Destruction with Creation, which seems like the right move, but really isn’t. Even the Anathematic Energies can’t easily split atoms without effort, because each one is bound by a myriad of different forces working in concert packed within the smallest of spaces, but putting them back together takes even more work. It doesn’t seem fair, for Destruction to be so much easier than Creation, but that’s the way life is, so in order to counteract the Anathematic Energies, what we need is not Creation, but stability.

Or, Stability, with a capital S.

This is the force I focus on while Deploying my Domain, Stabilizing reality even as the Anathematic Energies seeks to destabilize and destroy. My efforts bear no fruit as reality continues to unravel before me, and I realize there is still so much more I am missing. Focusing on my Domain once more, I Reinforce reality, giving it more strength to endure the Demon’s efforts to unmake it, but this is still not enough, and yet what more is there to do?

Balance.

A memory springs to mind, of beloved Mila’s contented expression as she leans against my shoulder and searches for the words to answer my question regarding Blessings and affiliated Chi skills. “The Four Primal Blessings are generally associated with two Chi skills each,” she begins, looking so cute and defenseless I’m tempted to gobble her up right then and there in the middle of Taddy’s bamboo garden. “Water Blessed Warriors are supposedly gifted in matters of Deflection and Resonance, while Air have advantages in Lightening and Guiding. Fire is Honing and Amplification, while Earth is Reinforcement and Stability.”

She went on to say there wasn’t any proof that the skills were tied to each Blessing, but also reminded me that the Primal Blessings were not really all about Earth, Fire, Air, and Water in a physical sense. Instead, each one represented a subset of the myriad of unique forces in the universe, all of which were broken down into four broad but distinct categories. Earth isn’t really earth like dirt, but rather the forces associated with Reinforcement and Stability, something I only sort of understand even now.

What I do understand however is that according to Taddy, the world, and reality itself, was not created with Earth alone.

Armed with little more than instinct and intuition, I exert my Will and apply all eight basic Chi skills to my Domain, Deflecting, Resonating, Lightning, Guiding, Amplifying, and Honing alongside Reinforcement and Stability, eight categories of forces which come together in what can only be described as a natural and organic manner. The Energy of the Heavens surges embrace my Will in exchange for what I have to give, but I offer it nothing and everything all at once. I am, and the Heavens are, and together, we are One as my Domain manifests into reality and solidifies it in place. This is not an act of Creation or Destruction, but merely an effort to keep Balance in place, which is by far the strongest force in the universe, for without it, there would be no universe for life to inhabit.

Seconds stretch into eternity as the Anathematic Energies crash into me time and time again, pounding away at the barrier I have placed to keep it from unmaking matter, but it will find no purchase here for my Will to protect is stronger than Vyakhya’s to destroy. It’s only natural. Vyakhya has nothing to gain from his efforts, but I have everything to lose, so of course I come out stronger for it. On the outside, all the audience sees is the Demon Divinity standing with spade and skulls in hand, while I lean on Unity jammed up against its smooth, ken-doll crotch. Hardly the most inspiring of sights, but even the Irregulars can probably feel the tumultuous storm of Heavenly Energy raging all around us before it finally dies out without warning and we all can finally breathe again. For a single, quiet second, all of Meng Sha watches on in confused wonderment as the Demon Divinity stares into my eyes and I stare back at its empty sockets, unflinching before the cold hatred and seething fury hidden in those dark, fathomless depths.

Then I offer it a tiny smirk of smug satisfaction, the very same smirk Vyakhya offered me earlier, and its rage knows no bounds.

Rage isn’t even good enough to describe it, this bitter, burning resentment which washes over me, tinged with so many different emotions its impossible to pick them all out. Regret features prominently, as does anguish and despair, and let’s not forget the hefty helpings of loathing and remorse, but it is all too little too late as the last vestiges of Vyakhya succumb to the weight of the Spectres bearing down upon him. Gone is the calm and stoic Monk-like Demon Divinity, and in its place is place is something that looks exactly the same, but far more feral and ferocious in demeanour. The ghoulish smile twists into one of murderous rage as it exerts its Will to destroy once more, but reality holds firm within my Domain, held together by my Will to protect as the Energy of the Heavens flocks to me rather than it.

And then the Demon Divinity slaps me upright the head with a string of blackened skulls, and the world goes dark for a moment.

Coming back to my senses mid-flight, I discover Taddy’s Healing energies mending the shattered fragments of my skull back together, as well as the remnants of his Plated Domain which took the brunt of the blow for me. Leaving him to his work, I set my mind back to keeping a grip on reality as the Demon Divinity tries to nuke Meng Sha a second time, and it howls in rage as its efforts are denied. Then it is upon me, striking with skulls and spade both as I rally a pitiful Domain Plated Defense which shatters time and time again before my foe’s prodigious might. Taddy’s valiant efforts are the only thing keeping me alive as he places himself both figuratively and literally between me and the Demon. Though clearly capable of blocking the Demon’s blows head on, Taddy only does so as an option of last resort, much preferring to dodge and Deflect as much as he can. Grabbing me by the back of the collar, he cautions me to relax and not resist as he leads the Demon up and away from Meng Sha to take this fight to the wispy white clouds overhead, having rightly discerned that it is wholly fixated on me.

And here in the skies, my teacher reigns supreme, for he is of the lineage of the most illustrious creature of all, a Cloud Chaser Hare.

Dazed and distracted though I might be from the head trauma and my efforts to keep reality from unravelling, it’s difficult not to notice Taddy’s physical movements, which are wholly natural yet comically absurd at the same time. Holding me in one arm, he hops, skips, and generally hauls ass in the most efficient manner possible, without a care for grace or dignity at all. This isn’t to say he’s not graceful, because his movements are sublime to the extreme, but the manner in which he executes them can only be described as ‘cartoonish’. Ducking under and slash is all fine and good, but rather than dipping his head, he goes full squat and hunches down with his free hand on top of his head, flattening his hare ears to avoid the blow. Then he jumps, except not with a graceful leap into the air, but rather a frog-legged hop that sends him up and over the Demon before coming down head first. Not so much of an issue when you’re fighting in mid air, yet Taddy takes it to the next level by not bothering to right himself again and just running away while still upside down as he jostles me about in an effort to get a better grip on my limp frame.

I’d help him out and hold on tight, but I think the Demon’s slap shattered my spine, or at the very least broke my neck and left me unable to move anything under my chin. Not a problem, for even as Taddy Heals my injuries, the Energy of the Heavens flowing through me senses the damage and reinforces my teacher’s efforts to make me even stronger than before, a most refreshing and exhilarating discovery which has me yearning for a beating once more.

Contrary to what the rumours and my actions would have you believe, I’m no masochist, but these gains are just too sweet to pass up...

Putting aside my plans for a more strenuous work-out regimen, I focus on Taddy’s efforts to defeat the Demon Divinity and come to a startling realization. Dodging and Healing is but the least of what Taddy is up to as he battles the Demon in the skies, his offensive efforts going wholly unnoticed by me until now. Though he has yet to launch a single punch or kick, his Domain has engulfed the Demon’s and repeatedly counteracts its efforts to Cloud-Step with any real force. Rather than zipping around through the clouds at inhuman speeds, the Demon Divinity is barely able to keep itself afloat in the skies by stomping its feet again and again as if riding an invisible bike. This is not how I expected a battle between Divinities to go, with one side going through the overexaggerated motions of avoiding the other side’s slow and ponderous attacks, all the while working its legs at hyper-speed just to keep themselves from plummeting out of the skies.

Hilarious as it all is, I remind myself that not only do both combatants possess enough strength and skill to kill me a hundred times in the blink of an eye if they should so choose, Taddy is literally risking his life up here to keep me and Lin-Lin safe. Eight seconds is how long it takes for me to regain feeling in my body, the first and foremost sensation being pain, but in those short, eight seconds, Taddy avoids more attacks than I can count without retaliating even a single time. Not because he’s unable to, but because he’s building up to a counter-attack that will actually do some damage, for the wispy white clouds have transformed into dark, ponderous thunderheads just brimming with power and potency.

The how is beyond my understanding, but Taddy makes it look all too easy as the dark clouds converge around him like a fluffy, coiling dragon. No longer does he need to dodge, for those clouds now protect him by absorbing the force of the Demon’s attacks time and time again. Not like a wall or hard barrier, but rather like trying to punch through molasses, the speed and force siphoned away by the dense yet permeable surroundings. Huffing from exertion, my teacher takes a moment to breathe and I use this time to take in his calm and lovable smile, so serene and relaxed you’d think he’d been out for a run instead of fighting for his life and mine. Every time the Demon strikes, the dark clouds move in to intercept, but they are not consumed in the process of blocking. Instead, the shift away from Taddy’s body and transfer over to the Demons, encircling it in weightless and unrestrictive bonds. Were this Vyakhya still, he might have some concerns about the growing mass of storm clouds affixed to his body, but the Demon ignores it as it has to cause any harm, but only because my Teacher is a merciful soul who cannot bear to hurt even a fly.

Which is why he intends to put this Demon Divinity out of its misery in one, fell swoop.

The time to act arrives, and without warning, the storm cloud thickens and engulfs the Demon entirely, blocking it from not only sight, but also Spiritual Perception. The Energy of the Heavens surges to heed his Will, and I feel Taddy… lessen in some way. Not physically, since he looks the same, but metaphysically, the equivalent of having just lost a whole bunch of weight and looking all weak and sickly in spirit.

Because…

Because energy can neither be created or destroyed. Eager and pliant as the Energy of the Heavens might be, a Divinity must still pay the price to harness it directly, a price paid in what I now believe is the soul. Remembering how Guan Suo died while looking healthy as could be, I hug my teacher close and ask, “Will you be alright?”

“Nothing to worry about, Rain my boy.” Patting me on the head, he beams and wiggles his eyebrows because he still sees me as a baby who will laugh at his silly faces, and credit where it’s due, it works. “Your Teacher still has life in him yet.” Gesturing at the Demon Divinity still embroiled in the storm clouds, he adds, “That being said, I assume there’s a reason you didn’t just Devour the Demon or set your Heavenly Droplet upon it, yes? Too soon after the merging, most likely, but how about now?”

“Right.” Sensing Blobby’s eager desire, I Cloud-Step over with Taddy supporting me from behind. The dark storm clouds dissipate as we approach, revealing the cracked and scoured corpse of the Demon Divinity. A web of curved fractures are etched all across its frame, and the frozen mask of its face sits broken in twain inside the empty cavity of its head, all of which Taddy kept suspended in the air so as to ensure Blobby could Cleanse every last drop. The eager Elemental Spirit dives in as I study my Teacher’s handiwork, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was impressed. It seems like he used some form of Lightening and Stability to squeeze the Demon and a combination of Deflection and Honing to scour it until it broke from the inside out. In other words, imagine if someone walked up to a body builder, place a hand flat on their chiselled peck, and ripped the meat off the bone with using only pressure alone.

Wax on. Wax off. Except the wax rips the fucking window apart.

Not the easiest way to kill a Demon, meaning that if Taddy really wanted to, he probably could have killed it much easier, but he’s too kind for his own good. As soon as Blobby returns from his feast, I transfer the Heavenly Energy over to my Teacher until he closes himself off and refuses to accept more. “Keep some for yourself, Rain my boy,” he says, pulling me close for a hug. “I don’t know what you’ve done with yourself, but I can tell you’ll need it more than I.” For a second, there’s only me and him as we both forget about the trials and tribulations of the world to appreciate each other’s company. Then, he pulls back and cocks his head to ask, “What didyou do, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Welp,” I begin, not really knowing where to start, “It’s a long story, so I’ll tell after we clean up in Meng Sha and head out on our way.”

“Oh? Where to now?”

Turning south to stare out at the horizon, I sense my foe’s hateful presence lingering within the Void, hidden from all except me because he still holds a severed piece of my soul within. “Shi Bei,” I answer, taking his hand as we descend back down to the harbour. “Where we can end this once and for all, just as soon as I tie up a few loose ends.”

Life is trial and tribulations aplenty, but now it’s my turn to play the part of calamity and bring the pain to Zhen Shi.