Fates Parallel Chapter 408 - Relent (Patreon)

Just when Yoshika had thought she was ready to take a more active role in helping her friends again, everything started going wrong at once.

The flow of time between the physical world and her new soul realm were finally synchronized. While that eased the mental burden of trying to maintain the impossibly complicated formations that allowed them to differ in the first place, it also meant that there was less time to react to things happening outside.

Longyan had already broken through. She could feel his domain trying to worm its way into her realm—a horrible sensation that embodied subjugation, tyranny, and fear. The demon lord knew only himself, and those that he could use. It was almost as vile as Yu Meiren’s.

Ja Yun’s defenses were holding him, for now. Yoshika was still getting a feel for the way things functioned in the soul realm. It was a complicated intersection between the dreamlike logic of her soulscape, and actual physical laws.

The barrier held Longyan because it was between her and him, because it represented her will to deny him entry, and because it was fortified by the trust she had in Ja Yun.

In the end, though, it was still her power against his, and even limited to an avatar as he was, Sovereign Longyan was a god with eons of experience against a few young women in their early twenties who’d only just ascended.

If it was only Longyan, Yoshika would have been confident that she could at least hold him at bay until the others could finish their magic, but he wasn’t alone.

There were others trying to break through now that Chou was gone. That his influence was enough to keep such powerful figures at bay for so long was an impressive legacy, but Yoshika couldn’t help but wish it had lasted just a little longer.

Could she let some of them in? Were there any among the invaders that she could trust?

It was a dangerous gamble to make, but the worst option was already beginning to manifest. Longyan had assembled enough of his power to form a weak avatar, which one of Melati’s drones was engaging while the rest of her friends retreated towards the inner areas of the realm.

Again, it was enough for the time being, but Longyan was gaining ground fast.

Yoshika wished she could tell which invader was which, but it took all the focus she had just to hold them at bay. Longyan’s domain had only become apparent after he’d broken through.

But surely none of them were on his side, at least? Would she be better off against Longyan alone, or if she introduced a rival? Two enemies pitted against each other would still be two enemies.

It didn’t matter. She didn’t have the strength to keep them all back forever, and the sooner she made a decision, the sooner she’d be able to focus on one of the other ten thousand things demanding her attention.

She picked one at random and allowed it a tiny opening. Yoshika wasn’t about to just let them in entirely, but it was enough to form a foothold and match the demon lord. She just prayed that fortune was on her side.

—-

Yue shuddered as the air changed again. Now she knew how Yang Qiu had felt. Thankfully, they’d arrived at the lecture hall.

“We can add my father to the list of enemies nipping at our heels. Let’s find the core of the formation before it’s too late, hm?”

Heian immediately ran toward the entrance.

“This way!”

Magus Hyeong began to follow, but paused to give orders.

“Yuan Xing, we’ll handle anything inside and prepare the formation. Please guard the entrance to keep anything from interrupting the ritual. We’ll only get one chance at this, but if we succeed, then we’ll have successfully retaken the academy.”

“Very well. Best of luck, Magus.”

Yue ran to follow behind the Hyeong Daesung, but Yang Qiu stayed put, glaring daggers at the Silver Orchard commander. Yue paused and sighed in exasperation.

“Yang Qiu, I’m sure you’ve every reason to hold a grudge against him, but this isn’t the time.”

The demon scowled.

“Fuck off, rich girl. I don’t care about what happened to my sect, but I know this man’s a snake in the grass. You go do whatever you need to do, I’m keeping an eye on him.”

“Fine, do as you will, but unlike Yoshika I won’t hesitate to shatter this core if you so much as think about turning on us again.”

Yang Qiu smirked.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Yue left the bizarre little gremlin to her own devices, rushing to catch up with Hyeong and the others. She found them gathered at the entrance, and barely had time to wonder what the delay was before seeing the answer for herself.

Within the lecture hall was a scene of utter chaos. Floorboards had been torn out, the dais where the elders—mostly Hwang Sung—would give lectures was completely destroyed, and the tiered rows of seating for students had been carelessly tossed aside.

As Magus Hyeong had predicted, the formation’s core was beneath the lecture hall, and the demons hadn’t bothered to preserve the building in their own attempts to access it.

“Well at least it wasn’t difficult to find. How was it meant to be accessed normally?”

Hyeong Daesung crossed his arms and frowned.

“It wasn’t. Magus Hwang Sung could perform whatever rituals he needed from the lectern. Direct extensions to the formation weren’t necessary, and in the event we needed to add defenses, the common military modules could be drawn near the edge of the barrier.”

“And Do Hye decided to have students gather directly above the most important point in the academy on a daily basis...why?”

“It’s the safest place to be in the event of an attack or a partial failure of the barrier.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Then how come nobody’s here now?”

“I imagine because before they left, it was where Yu Meiren and the other xiantians could be found. Perhaps even Longyan himself.”

“Speaking of whom, I’d rather not have another run in, so let’s get to work, shall we?”

Hyeong nodded and jumped into the pit that had replaced the lecture hall’s floor.

“The extensions we need to perform are going to be very difficult. Xin Wei and I will handle the physical portions of the spell, the rest of you are going to have to coordinate to precisely replicate the elemental and spiritual equivalents within your realm.”

Xin Wei paled.

“Wait—me?! With respect, Magus, I don’t think I stand a chance at keeping up with you on this. Shouldn’t you have had the princess take my place?”

Hyeong shook his head.

“No. Seong Eunae has a background in arcane arts, but I can cover that portion entirely on my own. You’ve got a unique perspective—coming from a spiritualist background and then studying magic. You were the only student from Qin who took arcane study seriously back in the academy.”

Yue cleared her throat.

“Excuse me, but who was the first person other than Yoshika to unite their cultivation?”

“Your mana sense and aura strength aren’t in question, Miss Yan, but Yoshika takes a rather cavalier approach to the arcane arts, and you learned most of what you know from them. Besides, you’ll be the one coordinating with Xin Wei from your side.”

Fair enough, Yue supposed. She conceded Hyeong’s point and gestured for him to continue.

“For the arcane portions, I’ll handle things on this side and coordinate with Miss Iseul. Heian, I’m not certain of your capabilities, but anything you can contribute to the spiritual side of things would be appreciated, otherwise please keep us apprised of any developments with Miss Yoshika.”

Zheng Long frowned.

“And me?”

Magus Hyeong sighed.

“This formation is going to require an absolutely incredible amount of power. I can’t even make quantifiable estimates, but it should be more than all of us together could amass in a century if not more. As a xiantian cultivator in proximity to the Sovereign’s Tear, you’re our best hope for making it work.”

“I see. I have no idea whether I’ll be able to tap into the power you seek, but I will try.”

The air shifted again, and Yue felt a cold sweat develop on the back of her neck. She wasn’t certain who the new invader was, but if Yoshika’s defenses were failing, it didn’t bode well for the rest of them.

“You’d better do more than try, Zheng Long, or we’re all doomed.”

—-

Yoshika was getting frustrated. After letting Yan De, of all people, through, he and Longyan had been completely ignoring each other despite supposedly being enemies. Now came Do Hye, a man she absolutely couldn’t trust, whether he was on her side or not.

At least Ja Yun and the others had managed to make it safely within the shield, but with Melati’s drone now dead and two xiantian enemies focusing their efforts on the outer defenses, Yoshika wasn’t sure how long she could keep holding.

If they made it within the shield formation, then all hope would be lost. Even if she managed to move the soul realm, she’d just end up bringing them along in the process. The outer portions were expendable—Chou’s realm had been designed such that anything outside of the first threshold was actually formed from outside essence.

In a disturbing way, it could be compared to her aura—while it was still part of the realm, it didn’t come from within the realm, and could be easily replenished.

Before Yoshika took over, the first threshold was the massive gate that had given them so much trouble. Now, it was the outer perimeter of the academy’s shield formation.

Inside the formation, the realm underwent a qualitative change. It became more like her body. Damage there could be healed, but only slowly and with great effort. Anything that breached that deeply would have to move with her, or she risked irreparable damage to the realm and, she suspected, herself.

Then there was the inner sanctum. The little house in the girls dormitory that she considered her home. If the outer and middle parts of the soul realm were her aura and body, then the inner portion was her soul.

It was a dangerous place for her enemies, and safe for the people she could trust, but that was a danger that cut both ways. While the inner sanctum was the place in which Yoshika was most powerful, it was also where she was most vulnerable.

She held no illusions. Her foes were too powerful to overcome by herself. If any of them made it as far as her inner sanctum, she would be dead.

At least the Snake wasn’t making any attempt to destroy her defenses. Instead, he was just distracting her with his persistent attempt to get her attention. His domain prodding at hers like an insistent child begging to ask an inane question when she had better things to focus on.

It wasn’t the only one, either. The mysterious spirit in the barren plane that her soul realm was anchored to kept trying to explore, and while she didn’t feel any malice from it, she wasn’t ready to blindly trust it in the middle of a crisis.

Eventually, however, Do Hye’s persistence won out, and Yoshika allowed a tiny portion of her mind to respond to him.

“What do you want?! I’m busy!”

The voice was Eui’s, but it wasn’t even Eui’s entire mind—just the bare minimum that Yoshika could spare.

“No need to get snippy, young lady! I’m here to help.”

She’d have rolled her eyes if she had any.

“Then stop the others. Bye!”

Yoshika tried to rescind her attention, but he was quick. His reply came before she could redirect her focus.

“I wouldn’t stand a chance against those two on my own, and neither will you. I’m pleased to see that you’ve taken to my stronghold so much—I was quite proud of it, myself. I assume that by now my apprentice is hard at work helping you fuse the immaterial space you now control with the real world equivalent?”

How did he always know?! Eui hated him so much.

“None of your business. If you’re not helping, get lost!”

“As much as I’d love to, I’m in a bit of a bind. The Dragon Lord is understandably quite upset with me, and I have no further utility to Sovereign Longyan. I’m rather surrounded by people with the means and motive to see me dead, and I’ll need your assistance to escape.”

“Not my problem, idiot! You deserve it!”

He chuckled.

“Perhaps, but it’s not just me you have to consider. Are you willing to abandon Lady Ienaga as well?

Yoshika hesitated, and Do Hye jumped on it like a snake snapping up its prey.

“We can both help each other, Miss Yoshika! Let’s make a deal.”