Previous | Table of Contents | Next
“Old Man Zoose,” Ouyang Feng said as Vur shifted his gaze away from the prostrating Frost Lord and onto the Martial Lord. “Dirt Lover. If the three of us work together, there’s still a chance we can win.”
The Earth Lord frowned upon hearing how he was addressed, but he didn’t have long to remain discontent. His eyes widened as the ground beneath him split open. He barely had time to leap to one side to escape falling into the gaping fissure that had appeared out of nowhere. Earthen hands rose out of the ground and grabbed his legs, but the Earth Lord grunted and clapped his hands together. As the vibration from the clap traveled through his body and down to his legs, the earthen hands lost their grip, and the Earth Lord dashed away from the still-growing fissure.
Ouyang Feng’s expression darkened when he saw the Earth Lord scrambling for his life. “Never mind,” the Martial Lord said. “Zoose, let’s work together. I’ll stall him for three seconds guaranteed.”
“Are you sure you can do it?” the Lightning Lord asked, standing on top of his golden sheet. Even though he didn’t receive a positive response, he held out his hand, and a golden halberd appeared. Its shaft was thrice as tall as an average person, and its blade was just barely long enough to behead a dragon with one sweep.
“I said I’ll do it, so I’ll do it,” Ouyang Feng said and narrowed his eyes at Vur. “Listen up, Vur Besteck! You might be a dragon, but you’re still mortal!” He dashed towards Vur and leapt into the air. “Zoose, now!”
The Lightning Lord gripped the butt of his halberd with both his hands and turned into a bolt of lightning. The halberd flew through the air in a giant arc, aiming at Vur’s neck. At the same time, Ouyang Feng eyes glowed with a white light, causing his irises and pupils to disappear from view. The light shone on Vur, and Ouyang Feng shouted, “Soul Annihilation!”
The Martial Lord’s body went limp, making Tafel wonder why in the world he had leapt into the air in the first place since he was going to fall back down like a ragdoll. Ouyang Feng’s soul traveled out of his body through the light coming from his eyes and flew towards Vur. As long as the Martial Lord struck Vur’s soul, the dragon would be stunned for a few seconds. Ouyang Feng chuckled as he passed through the dragon’s scales. Vur Besteck might’ve been tough on the outside, but everyone knew the weaknesses of large creatures was their innards, soul included! …Right?
Ouyang Feng furrowed his brow as he scanned the meadows in front of him from left to right, eventually turning in a whole circle. This…. “Where the hell am I?” This wasn’t his first time using Soul Annihilation. In fact, he was very proficient with the technique. Whenever he used it in the past, he’d be transported to a temple: sometimes it’d only have one room; sometimes it’d have multiple floors; however, he’d always be indoors with his opponent’s soul.
Outside of Vur’s soul, the ocean-blue dragon furrowed his scaly brows, watching as the Martial Lord’s limp body flew through the air before falling face-first onto the ground. Then, he raised his head, blinking at the incoming halberd. He raised his paw and narrowed his eyes. With precise aim, Vur slapped the shaft of the halberd down, sending it clattering against the ground, ringing sounds echoing through the air. After neutralizing the threat, Vur turned his attention back onto the Martial Lord. Vur’s claw poked Ouyang Feng’s body a few times, but there was no response.
Vur scratched the back of his head and looked off to the side where the Earth Lord was busy fighting the ground for survival. Vur turned his head to the left where the Lightning Lord’s body reappeared as flesh and blood.
Zoose coughed out a few globs of phlegm as he clutched his stomach where he had been struck by the shaft of his own halberd. “In what world is that three seconds?” the Lightning Lord asked no one in particular and gasped for breath. He winced as his torso expanded from the action. A rib must’ve been broken.
Vur walked over to the Lightning Lord before pointing a claw at the Martial Lord. “He said Soul Annihilation,” Vur said. “Did he annihilate his own soul?”
“I don’t know what that moron did,” the Lightning Lord said, spewing curses at Ouyang Feng with his eyes. If the Martial Lord was going to kill himself, why did he have to take his friends down with him? Zoose exhaled, and his gaze shifted onto Vur. “You win. It’s clear you’re stronger than us, the lords of the tower. You can have our authority; I just ask that you spare the lives of our subordinates.”
“Who the—!? Wait, aren’t you that guy from outside?” Stella’s voice echoed out of Vur’s stomach. “Chompy! It’s dinner time!”
Vur and the Lightning Lord glanced at Vur’s stomach. A few seconds later, Ouyang Feng’s translucent figure staggered out of Vur’s torso and clawed at the open air. He grasped the air and pulled while wiggling his body and kicking his legs, doing everything he could to swim through the air to reach his own body.
“That’s his soul, right?” Zoose asked.
Vur grunted.
“Is it normal for souls to bleed?” Zoose asked, his eyes trained on Ouyang Feng’s limbs. It looked like he had been chewed up by a pack of wolves.
Vur shrugged, and the two watched as Ouyang Feng’s soul slipped back into his body. The Martial Lord gasped for breath and sat up, his face turning pale as shivers wracked his body. He hugged himself, wrapping his hands around his shoulders and rocked back and forth a few times while slowly turning his head towards Vur. “You, what in the world are you? You’re not normal!”
Clunk.
Mary knocked the top of Ouyang Feng’s head with her sword’s pommel. “That’s rude,” she said as the Martial Lord’s eyes glazed over, his bodying tilting to one side before collapsing in a heap. The armored woman squatted by Ouyang Feng’s side and tapped her root bracelet against his, transferring his wealth over to herself.