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Chapter 311: He Arrives
🕑 Added 2023-11-14 17:36:01 +0000 UTCThe battlefield froze. Even the most heated of fights paused as people took in the person who had just arrived: a young brorilla, barely reaching a grown man’s chest and carrying a stone staff that had just broken the nose of Alexander Petrovic.
Brock stood before Vivi, staring down the fallen form of Alexander. His gaze was cold and murderous. This man had humiliated his father, and Brock was here for revenge.
However, Brock’s arrival meant much more than the addition of one more combatant to the alliance forces.
“Wait,” someone said. “Isn’t that…the brorilla of Jack Rust?”
“Could it mean that he is here!?”
“Jack Rust is here!?”
Everyone looked around, searching for any sign of Jack. The alliance and Ice Peak forces disengaged, understanding that this entire battle might take a new twist.
Suddenly, the clouds split above the battlefield, and the planetary overseer appeared in all her glory, radiating majesty and undeniable supremacy. “Jack Rust is a wanted criminal of the Animal Kingdom,” she said. “Capturing him supercedes the grace period. This brorilla will be apprehended and interrogated to help us trace his whereabouts.”
“No need for that, overseer.”
A new voice filled the sky, echoing from horizon to horizon. It was calm yet resolute, carrying an indomitable intent. The moment this voice resounded, everyone felt their hair raise. Their spines tingled. They knew this voice. It was the voice that had challenged and killed Rufus Emberheart in the Integration Tournament. The voice that had dominated Earth and beyond. The voice that had dared insult the Animal Kingdom in their own home. It was the voice of a superstar, a hero, a legend.
As people looked at the sky, eyes widening to the limit, space burst open a mile ahead of the overseer to let a man walk out. His purple robes were fluttering in the wind. His piercing eyes were clear. His hands were clasped behind his back, which stood ramrod straight, symbolizing his refusal to bow to tyrants. But everyone knew that those hands, which were now peacefully clasped with each other, could form into the planet’s mightiest fists.
Jack Rust smiled slightly. “I am right here. If you wish to capture me, go ahead and try.”
The entire Integration Starship shook. People cheered without even realizing it. The hero they had been waiting for, their beacon of hope, had just arrived!
“Wait,” someone in the alliance army said, “isn’t he only at the D-Grade?”
As this question was uttered, the surrounding people paused. They inspected Jack; though they couldn’t see his Level, they could see he was only at the D-Grade. How could he challenge the C-Grade planetary overseer? Everyone knew it was impossible.
Did he have allies?
Yet, no matter where they looked, nobody saw any C-Grades backing up Jack Rust.
“So, you did show up,” the planetary overseer said, furrowing her bushy brows. “Is the Black Hole Church really willing to go to war for such a tiny planet?”
Jack raised his chin. “This is not a battle of the Church. This is the battle of Earth against the Animal Kingdom. It is freedom against the tyrants, justice against injustice. It is me versus you, Galicia Lonihor—and you are not prepared for what is about to happen.”
She snorted. “You sure can run your mouth. Why are you even trying to lie about this? You’re only a D-Grade. Nobody will believe you came here by yourself.”
“And yet, it’s true.” Jack’s smile was violent. This was the battle he’d trained for; the reason he’d pushed himself beyond his limits for a year and took all sorts of reckless risks. He was the galaxy’s strongest D-Grade, or at least close, and he was here to go a step further.
He would challenge a C-Grade. A mid C-Grade, too.
“I swear on my Dao,” he declared, raising his voice so everyone could hear, “that I will duel you alone. Nobody will interfere in our battle. As long as you don’t touch the people below, then even if I die, the Black Hole Church will have nothing to say. That, I swear.”
Though the sky was clear, thunder resounded. The sun shone brighter for a moment; the air tasted of crimson vinegar. Then, all was normal again, but Galicia’s eyes were wide in shock, as were those of everyone below.
“You swore on your Dao,” she muttered in disbelief. “How can you not be lying? Do you really think that you, a measly D-Grade, can challenge me, a mid C-Grade Elder of the Animal Kingdom?”
“I do, and I will.”
She blinked a few times, trying to process what she was hearing. She looked around and spread her perception to the limit but sensed no other C-Grades. “You are a lunatic,” she said. “This is absurd.”
“The future will tell,” Jack replied smilingly. “I know what you’re thinking. The Church will not interfere, but they have already destroyed all teleporters on this planet. We are alone, Galicia. Even if this battle is broadcasted, nobody will show up to save you.”
“Save me!?” Suddenly, her voice was more angry than shocked. At this point, she believed him. He really had come here with the intention to challenge her.
But who was she? She was Galicia Lonihor, an established Elder of a B-Grade faction! A mid C-Grade! Just the mere fact that she was challenged by a D-Grade was a blemish to her honor, an insult to her inherent supremacy. To make matters worse, she had to accept, too! There was no one else here who could capture Jack Rust.
“Shut your mouth!” she shouted with a snort. She reached out with her hand and made a grasping motion. “Come here!”
The entire world came alive. Everyone on the battlefield below lost control over their Dao, hearing it cry supremacy. Radiance shone from the sky above, and a massive hand of light appeared to close around Jack Rust, capturing him in an instant. This hand alone was wider than the entire Integration Starship.
Suddenly, space rumbled. The ambient Dao, that had been singing hymns to the planetary overseer, stumbled. Deep, primal violence filled the air, an unstoppable, righteous menace. Purple lightning crackled. Stars flickered into existence. A Dao Domain burst out of Jack Rust, sinking the entire world into the might of his power and clashing directly against the hand of light.
Suddenly, the entire battlefield had been transported into the middle of a starry sky, where the Fist reigned supreme. The feeling was so lifelike that the F-Grades present really thought they had been teleported into space.
The only discordant note was the hand of light, which still tightened around Jack Rust. The very air resisted it, slowing it down. A purple meteor came from somewhere above and dove into the hand’s grasp, followed by a titanic explosion.
People screamed and covered their ears. The shockwave rolled over the surface of the battlefield, forcing the cultivators to duck to avoid getting swept away. The far-off ships wobbled on the ocean surface, and waves spread in a circular pattern around the Integration Starship.
The golden hand burst into motes of light, revealing Jack Rust clad in purple. One of his fists was clenched and outstretched. His body was still, his smile faint, his gaze sharp. “I do possess the power to challenge you, overseer,” he said slowly, retrieving his domain before she could release hers—otherwise, that clash might create casualties.
Meanwhile, the overseer’s face was a mask of anger. She had tried to capture Jack Rust quickly to wipe away the insult of his challenge, but she had failed! A peak D-Grade had stopped one of her moves!
So what if she had only used a small portion of her strength? She had still been blocked! Moreover, this was broadcasted across the planet and soon—no doubt—across the entire galaxy!
Finally, she could understand the Warden’s helplessness from when Jack Rust had insulted him. This man was just unbelievable. What could she even say?
Her face was ugly as she snorted. “Fine,” she replied, taking the loss. “Your games can alleviate my boredom. Let’s take this higher.”
Jack smiled.
It was customary for D-Grades to fight in the sky, lest they ruin the terrain. Likewise, C-Grades fought in space outside planets, as some of them had the power to upturn entire continents.
Galicia Lonihor stepped through space and disappeared. Jack sensed her reappear eleven miles above, higher than the limit of Earth’s atmosphere. He did not follow immediately—instead, he looked at the armies below.
He met the tearful eyes of Edgar and the professor—who’d stopped utilizing her powers when the battle stopped—the resolute stare of Brock, the immensely relieved gaze of Vivi. To his surprise, he saw Vlossana, too, though he had no time to ponder her existence here.
“Everyone,” he said, “I will handle the planetary overseer, but the way of the Fist is not one of coddling. Defeat your enemies. Let us all achieve victory together. And I promise you, after this battle is over, we will be safe. Trust me, and fight like the warriors you are.”
The alliance cultivators roared in cheers. Brock nodded. Edgar swallowed a lump in his throat, Vivi couldn’t believe her eyes, and the professor immediately closed hers, diving back into her Class. Her instructions spread to her soldiers again—and, as one, they charged at the Ice Peak again, fueled by the presence of their hero.
The Ice Peak charged right back. They did not believe in Jack Rust defeating the planetary overseer. He would die, and they still had to finish off the alliance.
Jack Rust nodded as he saw the battle restarting. He could not solve all the problems in the world—his job was to defeat the planetary overseer, and even that would demand every shred of power he ever had. As for everything else…his people should be able to handle it.
He look at the sky again.
“You come with me,” he muttered, reaching for one of the floating projection stones. It flew into his palm, and then he stepped through space and disappeared, reappearing eleven miles above to match the overseer.
“What is that?” she asked, sneering.
“Just a little show,” he replied, opening his hand and letting the still-active projection stone fly out to a safe distance. “If I’m going to do the impossible, the world deserves to see it.”
She snorted again. “Ridiculous. Tell me, Jack Rust, do you cultivate the Dao of Mockery? You are the most annoying man I have ever met.”
Jack laughed. “I am far more than that,” he replied, clenching his fists. Instantly, his entire aura shifted into one of power—of a warrior. His eyes sharpened and deepened. “I am a Fist. And I am here to kill you and claim Earth for myself.”
At the same time, Jack reached into his mind and asked, “Are you sure, Sage?”
“I’m absolutely positive,” a telepathic voice replied from somewhere far away. “Nobody will interfere no matter what. Go all out. Use everything you have. Just make sure to win, and we will handle the rest.”
He grinned to himself. “You know it.”
***
As the battle restarted in the battlefield below, the individual fights restarted as well. Vlossana, who had paused, hardened her gaze and threw another psychic assault Edgar’s way. He screamed as he tried to resist.
On the center stage, Vivi stood up, nodding to Brock. “Thank you,” she said. “We can group up—”
“No,” he cut her off. His voice was iron. “He is mine. Leave.”
“Are you sure? He—”
“Mine. Leave.”
Only now did Brock turn around to glance at her, and the steel in his eyes shook her to the core. She couldn’t believe it. Was this really the baby monkey that had been throwing poop around during the Integration Tournament? He had been so cute back then, and now…
Now, he was a man. A brorilla.
She nodded. “Fine. Good luck, Brock.”
“Thanks.”
She flew off to assist her army in the main battlefield, leaving the brorilla alone on the concert stage with Alexander Petrovic. Brock turned his eyes back at the ice man. He twisted his staff once. “Stand up,” he said.
Alexander snorted, dusting himself off as he stood. “You are as delusional as your master,” he replied, “but so be it. You will be neither the first nor the last monkey I kill.”
Brock’s eyes sank even lower. “Correct,” he replied. “Because you never kill again. Come, and die.”
Then, he charged.
In another corner of the battlefield, Gan Salin was suffering the combined assault of the eagler and elef scions. Bladed feathers flew around him, green spheres rained from the side. He did his best to dodge everything, but nicks and cuts still opened on his limbs, and his bones groaned like they were about to grow outside of his body.
Brother Tao was also there, but his power wasn’t enough to meaningfully help.
Suddenly, a flaming arrow fell from the sky, detonating on the ground between the two enemy scions. They both jumped away, pausing their assault.
A woman landed next to Brother Tao. She was beautiful in a wild way, what with the fur garments covering her privates. Her blond hair fluttered over her pale, muscular back, and the bow in her hands was half-drawn, a shimmering cyan arrow on its string.
“Piss off, weakling,” Nauja said, unable to contain her excitement. “This is my battle now.”
“Took you long enough,” Salin said with a smile, to which she snorted.
“I didn’t think you’d struggle so much against these idiots. Did our spars teach you nothing?”
Brother Tao was about to give a seething reply, but seeing that these two knew each other, he held his tongue. Besides, what could he say? He really was outclassed here. He would be much more useful elsewhere—and, with any luck, this scantily-clad barbarian woman would help the canine man prevail.
Where do they even find these people? he asked himself, running over to the main battlefield. Before he could reach it, however, he ran into another approaching man.
“Brother Kane!” he exclaimed, running side-by-side with the metal singer. “Are you joining as well?”
“What can I do? Those guys kicked me off the stage!” Vanderdecken replied. “I didn’t even have time for my guitar solo!”
“I thought everything was a guitar solo.”
“You thought wrong.”
Tao laughed. He and Vanderdecken had actually maintained a friendly relationship since the tournament—they were on pretty good terms. “Are you ready to spread death, brother?” he asked as they approached the mass of warring cultivators.
“I was born ready,” Vanderdecken replied with a smirk, placing his fingers on the guitar strings. “Oh, this is going to be so metal.”
Comments
Cryfdwr
I though the same
Samatar
"Her dark hair fluttered over her pale, muscular back" I thought Nauja was supposed to be blonde? It was even mentioned when she last appeared couple of chapters back.
Greg Lambert
Yes - good lead in. 311 chapters into the series, and we reach the pivotal moment. Can't wait.
