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Chapter 373: The Victoriad Ends
🕑 Added 2022-02-11 18:00:05 +0000 UTCARTHUR
Cadell stiffened at the sight of the relic armor, taken aback by my transformation. I could see his jaw working as his teeth ground together, the frustration he felt emanating from him like heat from a flame.
“Your tricks are a mockery to the asura, boy,” he said scornfully as his form crackled with energy.
But his voice was muffled, smothered by the sound of blood rushing to my head. The world blurred and my eyes locked onto Cadell—the first true monster that I had laid eyes upon in this world.
I hurled myself into the air to meet him as Cadell fell from the sky like a bolt of dark lightning.
A wave of black fire roiled out from his hand. I countered it with an aetheric blast before slashing at his throat with my aether blade. However, Cadell’s body dissipated like smoke, vanishing into the flames still filling the sky.
My arms blurred as I slashed around me, shredding the flames like silk curtains.
But when Cadell reappeared, it was from behind me. His hand, wreathed in fiery claws, plunged into my side, through the armor and aether, and curled up into my ribs. Ignoring the pain, I reversed the aether blade and stabbed back and down, barely missing his chest as he flew away from me.
I willed myself to follow, to fly, to simply ignore the restraints of this world as the djinn manifestation had instructed, but gravity pulled me back down.
With a roar of frustration, I flung the aether blade after him, which immediately began to dissolve after leaving my grip.
I hit the ground with another weapon already conjured, and threw myself after the Scythe, swinging with abandon, carving through the cloud of soulfire. But my weapon never found purchase, and again Cadell coalesced from the blaze to strike, this time raking fiery claws across my arm, nearly severing it at the elbow.
Dismissing the aether blade from my injured arm and conjuring it again in the other, I thrust at Cadell’s chest with the full force of my momentum as I careened like a catapult stone through the air, but he burst into black flames and vanished back into the burning cloud.
I landed in the midst of the ruined arena floor fifty feet away, cursing loudly.
Cadell’s form warped in my vision—the afterimages of how he had looked before he massacred the people in the castle, before he killed Buhnd, before he killed Sylvia all overlapping. He was responsible for so many deaths, including what was supposed to be mine had Sylvie not sacrificed herself for me.
Death wouldn’t be enough for him. I needed to crush him, to make him feel weak and helpless, just as I had felt. Here, In front of all of Alacrya, Cadell would suffer.
Blood and aether rushed through my limbs as the emotions I had been suppressing all this time threatened to overwhelm me. It wasn’t Destruction this time trying to overtake my sense of self. It was me.
The cloud of fire dissipated, revealing Cadell hovering over the battlefield, a blade in each hand. One was the same black iron that Uto and Nico favored, but the other was void-black, like a piece of night sky carved into the shape of a longsword.
“You are a lesser to the end,” Cadell spat.
Letting loose an aetheric blast for cover, I burst across the ground before leaping at him, my blade poised.
We crashed together.
Black and purple sparks flew as aether impacted against his soulfire-sheathed weapons. I slashed and stabbed, but each furious blow was deflected. A dozen new wounds opened up across my body, but they hardly mattered.
Then I was hurtling away in the air.
The tip of the void-black weapon was embedded in my chest, and it was growing, carrying me along with it. Ten feet, twenty, fifty, a hundred, until I slammed high against one of the huge shield walls that protected the crowd of onlookers.
But the lance continued to expand, growing through me, pressing into the shield so hard that it began to quiver. My armor was peeled away as the lance grew wider, ripping a hole in my chest.
My aether blade lashed out, but the void-black material shifted, moving and reforming around my sword. I hacked at it wildly, like an untrained boy trying to split a log. My head began to pound, my pulse racing, each beat of my heart sending blood pumping out around the edges of the lance.
Then an icy coldness was pouring from my core, washing over the hot rage, dousing it in a focused kind of detachment.
A shadow loomed over me.
Regis, in his pure Destruction form. Huge wings of black shadow kept him effortlessly aloft. His massive, fang-filled maw opened and a gout of Destruction blazed across the lance. The violet flames raced in both directions, devouring the lance. I felt, for an instant, the hunger of those flames dancing in my open chest cavity, licking the inside of my wound, reaching downward toward my core.
Then I was falling.
I hit the ground on my back, collapsing in a heap.
Regis floated above me protectively, and I could see his clash with Cadell, holding off another attack with a blast of Destruction.
‘After patronizing Nico… look at you.’ His voice was an inferno in my head. ‘Get a hold of yourself.’
I spit up a mouthful of blood as the hole in my chest slowly grew back together, bones fusing, organs reseating themselves. Finally, I was able to take a deep, heady breath. And through each breath after, I realized, through these last reckless exchanges, I had channeled too much of my aether into my attacks, ignoring my wounds and neglecting my armor.
Despite where I was and how the situation was unfolding, I laid in the ash and rubble for a moment more and let the rage that had overtaken me fizzle into frustration and embarrassment.
What had been the point of growing stronger, learning aether arts, obtaining relics, if all I was going to do was hack blindly in rage?
Yeah. I’m good now, I sent Regis with a sobering sigh.
Clearheaded but still incapacitated, I continued to draw in aether from the atmosphere while studying the battle above.
Purple flames erupted from Regis’s jaws as a barrage of void-black missiles swarmed like a flock of corrupted ravens, spinning and darting around the purple flames, but not fast enough.
Destruction leapt from one to the next, burning Cadell’s Decay-attribute magic to nothing, then chasing Cadell up into the sky, forcing him to retreat. Patches of purple flame burned in the arena and over the shields, but they were quickly doused by my companion.
I’d faced both soulfire and the black metal before, but the changeable, gusting black magic was a different attribute, likely wind, which meant Cadell could control at least three different elements. And he could combine them, like his ability to fuse soulfire and wind to meld into the atmosphere.
His power was more versatile than mine, but mana didn’t offer strong protection against aether. All it would take was a single decisive blow to defeat Cadell, just as I had Nico.
The sky above grew dark. Cadell flew at the center of a hurricane of blustering Decay-infused wind, which coalesced like an impenetrable cloud.
He jerked his hand downward, and a rain of black spikes and soulfire was launched from the cloud like a downpour of ballista bolts. Coal-black lines of infernal wind chased the burning spikes, pushing them faster and faster as they fell.
The coliseum trembled as the black spikes slammed into the ground around the edges of the ruined stadium floor, some glancing off the walls or punching through the shield protecting the closest seats. A black sphere momentarily wrapped around the high box, and any spikes that struck it dissolved, the soulfire flickering out like expired candles.
But over Regis and me, a shield of Destruction devoured everything that came in contact with it, keeping us both safe.
‘I know you've got your deep physical and psychological injuries to sort out, but I have a limit you know,’ Regis thought with a mental grunt of exhaustion.
I noticed the shimmering, smokey apparition before Regis did.
Cadell solidified from the gloom still cast by the clouds overhead, swinging down with a burning black blade. Activating God Step, I appeared just before him, catching the attack with an aetheric sword.
I was just waiting for you to tap out, I answered, straining under the force of Cadell’s blow.
The shadow wolf dissolved, becoming immaterial and drifting into my body. ‘Since you’re back to making crappy jokes, I assume you’ve got it from here?’ Despite his banter, I could sense the fatigue setting into my companion. He was near the end of his strength.
Black metal spikes burst out of the ground between us. My sword swept cleanly through them, but it gave Cadell time to step back and bring up his own sword. “Your new bond is a rather crude excuse of a beast.”
“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘majestic’,” I quipped, hurtling forward and unleashing a flurry of cuts and jabs, pressing him further back. He tried to fly up into the air, but God Step allowed me to cut him off, pushing him back toward the ground where we were on more even footing.
Cadell may have been more versatile, but I was the better swordsman.
Driving the aether blade into his ribs, I tried to slash sideways and cut him in half, but his hands closed around my arm, holding me there.
Our eyes locked, and I took in the snide, cruel expression that seemed permanently affixed to his pale gray face. His chin jutted out proudly between the serrated horns that curled around below his ears. But the air of absolute confidence he usually exuded was long gone. He was worried.
And he was afraid.
I noticed the shadow almost too late.
God Stepping away just as a spike several times the size of my body would have struck me, I watched from above as, instead, it crashed into the arena floor, dragging Cadell down into a huge crater.
Cracks snaked out from the crater, running beneath the stands and making the entire coliseum shift and tremble. Somewhere, metal sheared and wood snapped, and two sections of the stadium seating began to separate.
The forgotten audience screamed as the shield protecting them flickered and vanished, only to be replaced by dozens of smaller shields as the mages leaped into action.
The underworks collapsed, opening fissures in the coliseum walls and causing large portions of the seating to sag. A few people had the wits to run for the exits, but most were still frozen where they sat or stood. I noticed Seth, Mayla, and some of my other students hunkering together beneath a clear panel of mana being cast by an older mage, their mouths agape, awe etched on their distant faces.
Something shifted in the shadows as I caught myself along the edge of one of the hundreds of black spikes sticking up from the floor. A creature, more shadow than man, crawled out into the light and stretched long, thin limbs tipped with jagged claws.
The shadows around Cadell twisted and bit at the air like flames. “Enough.” His voice grated like teeth shearing through bone. “There are no dragons around to save you this time, boy.”
Cadell’s shadow-clad arms spread wide, and black fire began to boil out of him. His corrupted magic spilled like burning tar into what was left of the arena and splashed against the shields protecting the staging areas, the light of which crackled inconsistently as the shields reached the end of their capabilities.
I felt an icy claw clutch at my insides as I remembered the last desperate moments of my battle against Nico and Cadell, racing away from this same hellfire conflagration with Tessia, desperately exhausting the last of my strength. Only this time, Cadell wasn’t holding back.
Regis emerged beside me, fiery hackles raised but only barely able to hold his normal form.
My brows furrowed as I glanced down at my companion. Regis. You shouldn’t—
‘Relax, Princess. I’m no martyr; I’m your weapon, remember?’
Flashes of instructions blazed in my mind like a branding iron, showing me glimpses of Regis in a dark forest clearing.
This is…How did—
My vision darkened as Cadell’s shadowy form barrelled toward us.
‘It’s not perfected, but it’ll probably still work. Just do it!’
As the flood of hellfire was almost on us, Regis closed his eyes, his lupine body growing shadowy and see-through as it became incorporeal. I raised the aetheric blade in my hand, but rather than attacking, I reeled back and…
I plunged the aetheric blade into my companion.
His body flared before enveloping my sword until the aetheric blade grew larger and was sheathed in dark violet flames.
“It doesn’t matter how many more tricks you pull out, lesser!” Cadell roared as his shadowy, demonic form neared.
My grip tightened around the Destruction-clad sword and a shared sense of a cold, emotionless void wiped my senses clear of anything other than Cadell. His long, taut limbs of flickering obsidian, his jagged horns that had grown twice in size, and the aura of soulfire wrapped around him like wings—I took it all in.
Cadell unleashed his arsenal of spells with abandon—a volley of blood iron, a maelstrom of void wind, a barrage of soulfire—but it was useless.
The dark violet sword in my hand arced in jagged flames as my body blurred. Concise, wasteless movements carried behind the small openings carved out by my new sword.
Arcs of violet tore through every spell spat out by the Scythe, and his gleaming red eyes widened in fear more each time.
Ignoring the icy grip around my core, I let God Step carry me right in front of Cadell’s distorted visage. I raised my sword over my head, Destruction blooming in a blaze of violet. His ghoulish black arms crossed in front of him, wreathed in soulfire, black metal spikes materializing like shields.
The blade came down, passing through the black spikes as if they were nothing but mist. I struck him with the full force of my strengthened body, flooding every muscle with aether. He was crushed to the ground, and a shockwave rippled outward from us, toppling the thirty-foot-tall spike that jutted up just behind Cadell.
Screams filled the stadium as part of the coliseum collapsed, dragging down the thousands of people seated there, swallowing several private boxes, and filling the coliseum with a thick cloud of dust.
Cadell struggled to regain his feet. His arms were flickering with soulfire and Destruction. He flailed desperately, like he could shake the purple flames away. His body flickered in and out of incorporeality, but the Destruction clung to him, his own outpouring of mana the only thing keeping him from being consumed.
The Scythe’s face was pale as he shivered, and the shadows clinging to him melted away as he returned to his normal form. His scarlet eyes were full of fear, his usual snide face a mask of desperation. Turning away, he stared up at the high box, perhaps hoping the other Scythes or even the Sovereign would appear to save him.
As I looked down on him, I felt only the cold acceptance of justice finally fulfilled. “This is for Sylvia.”
The violet flames flickering jerkily around the aether blade grew even more agitated as I thrust forward. It plunged through his chest and burst out of his back. Destruction leapt across him, devouring Cadell from the chest outward. There was no blood, no gore of internal organs spilling out, just the cleansing flames of Destruction wiping him away as if he had never existed.
No, I thought, not quite like that. The stain of Cadell’s existence would always be on this world, visible by the holes he had left in it.
“Sorry it took so long,” I said, watching in my mind's eye as Sylvia’s draconic eyes shined with tears as a portal drew me in, her last words echoing in my mind: “Thank you, my child.” My guilt for what I couldn’t do then lessened, but I knew it would never leave me entirely.
I pulled the sword from Cadell’s chest and swept it over his head, shearing off both horns. Regis, sensing my intention, withheld Destruction, leaving them whole.
Then he was gone, nothing but the severed horns remaining.
Regis drifted out of the sword as it disappeared, moving back into my body near my core, his aether exhausted, no words necessary to express how either of us felt in this moment.
I bent down to retrieve the horns and stowed them in my dimension rune. A deep, crushing fatigue settled over me as my gaze swept across the broken coliseum.
Dozens of mages swarmed over the collapsed section, working to pull survivors from the rubble. The shields, those still functional at all, were flickering in and out. The rest of the audience was in shock, their eyes either following me or boring into the place where Cadell had been.
There was movement in the high box—one of the only untouched spaces in the entire coliseum—and my attention settled there.
A huge man with ornamented horns thrusting forward from the sides of his head moved into the dust-filled light. He was wearing a loose-fitting robe and a hungry smile. Though suppressed, his aura was heavy enough to bend the heads and shoulders of every Alacryan in the stadium. This was a Sovereign, Kiros Vritra of Vechor.
He was underwhelming, compared to the likes of Aldir, Kordri, and Lord Indrath.
I kept my eyes just slightly averted, not downcast or in a bow like the tens of thousands of Alacryans around me, but I didn’t meet his eyes.
The slow, resounding clap that came from the high box caught me by surprise.
Kiros was applauding. His smile widened to a grin as his hands came together faster and faster. A confused and mistimed smattering of applause followed from the audience.
“Amazing!” Kiros said, his voice projecting effortlessly through the coliseum and silencing the weak applause. “A beautiful display of power. Such unexpected death! And delivered with—”
A pearlescent oval opened over the arena floor, twenty feet in front of the high box.
Kiros frowned.
Two figures stepped through.
The first was someone I had never seen in person before, but I knew him instantly, and the mere sight of him was enough to sober me from my fatigue.
Agrona’s horns splayed out from his head like an elk’s, the dozens of sharp black points ornamented with chains and rings. He had strong, sharp features that reminded me uncomfortably of Sylvie.
The second, I was less prepared for.
Tessia looked exactly as she had when I’d last seen her, speaking to her people from a balcony in Elenoir. She wore form-fitting battlerobes, similar to the dress worn by Seris, except the individual “scales” were emerald green and shaped like little leaves. The battlerobes left her arms bare, showing off the faintly glowing runes I’d noticed in my vision.
Although she looked the same—gunmetal gray hair draped down her back and over her shoulders, braids tucked behind her pointed ears, shining teal eyes—she was immediately and unequivocally not Tessia.
Tessia…
Tessia was a princess. She’d grown up in the royal palace in Zestier, been tutored in the manners of customs of elven, dwarven, and human nobility. That grace extended to the way she held herself, the resting expression of her face, the cadence of her walk…
But all that was gone now.
Instead, this person masquerading as my oldest friend moved with aggressive confidence—not the Cecilia of my youth, but not far removed from the young woman I had battled in the King’s Tournament. Whatever harm that experience had done to her mentally, clearly it had carried through into this life, no doubt fostered by Agrona, just as Nico’s misplaced rage had been.
Logically, I understood what I was looking at.
But the cold, distrustful look Cecilia gave me from Tessia’s eyes still drove a knife through my chest.
Agrona’s appearance wasn’t unexpected, necessarily, but Tessia—Cecilia…
I had buried her too deep, labeled her a problem that could only be resolved in the future when I’d had more time to consider…
Could Tessia even be saved? Was she still in there, somewhere? And if she could…was protecting her more important than depriving Agrona of the Legacy?
I hadn’t been ready to face these questions.
I still wasn’t.
Regis tugged at my core. ‘This is dangerous, Art. If we push ourselves much farther…’
I should have been afraid. There was no way I could fight Agrona. I wasn’t even sure that I could fight Cecilia, knowing nothing about her powers in this world. But I wasn’t frightened. If anything, Agrona’s willingness to appear here in person simplified things greatly for me.
It meant there was only one path forward, that I was free of the burden of deciding what to do after the Victoriad.
Kiros’s voice boomed, shaking the already unstable stadium. “Vechor welcomes the High Sovereign. All hail Agrona Vritra!”
People fell on their faces to properly bow throughout the stands, their voices echoing back: “All hail Agrona Vritra!”
“I guess I finally got your attention,” I said into the silence that followed.
Agrona smirked. He rested one hand on the small of Cecilia’s back, and her arms came up in a complicated gesture.
Something happened in my core. It felt like a pinprick of light, burning right in the middle of me. Cecilia’s hands went wide, and that pinprick expanded into an orb of white light that completely surrounded and encapsulated me, pushing away the dust and dirt. Little eddies of wind and bursts of flame manifested around the outside of the sphere, with moisture condensing against it to drip down, like the outside of a window on a dewy morning.
Clear crystal bars thrust up out of the ground in a square with me at the center. The crystal had a liquid smoothness to it, turning just above my head so the bars all ran together, forming a cage.
Uncertain, I took hold of the bars. They were cold as ice and vibrating with energy. I pulled. They didn’t break.
‘It’s some kind of mana nullification,’ Regis thought with a sense of exhausted wonder.
Though I couldn’t sense the mana she’d just displaced, I was pretty sure Regis was right. Cecilia had pulled all the mana out of the atmosphere, even out of my body…If I still relied on a mana core, this single spell would have left me powerless. I couldn’t even begin to wrap my mind around how such a thing was even possible.
Agrona’s smirk sharpened. “Was this all done just for me? I’m flattered, Grey. For a lesser, your over-inflated sense of self-importance is astounding. But you seem to have tried very hard to get my attention. And, well, now you have it.” Agrona’s head cocked to the side a fraction of an inch, sending the tinkling of golden chains rustling through the deadly-silent coliseum. “I find myself quite eager to see how your new abilities function. I’ll take great pleasure in dismantling you piece by piece to find out.”
‘We should go,’ Regis thought.
I glanced around the stadium. First, my gaze landed on Mayla, Seth, Deacon, and the others. Though still bowing, Seth was staring at me, his eyes wide with confusion and fear. I wished suddenly that I had been kinder to him. He had a warrior’s heart, and didn’t deserve the hand life had dealt him.
I found Valen and Enola, their bloods’ private boxes close to one another. Though kneeling to their High Sovereign, both students were practically pressed against the transparent shields protecting them, staring down at me just like Seth.
I was surprised to see Caera with one foot on the scorched dirt of the combat field, fallen into a kneel at Agrona’s appearance, which must have interrupted her rushing out to check on me. She, too, risked lifting her head just enough to watch me. There was genuine terror in her scarlet gaze as her lips moved in some silent prayer.
Hopefully, she wouldn’t hate me for what I had to do. I regretted not telling her who I was, but even now I couldn’t say what her reaction would have been. It could be that she would have turned against me, and I would have ended up regretting telling her instead.
She had been a good friend to me, if a true friend could be based on a foundation of lies. I could only hope my gaze properly expressed that sentiment.
While I’d been gazing around the coliseum, the Scythes had flown out of the high box and maneuvered around the arena floor to box me in.
Seris’s face was unreadable, her thoughts carefully hidden. Melzri had left Nico’s side, and was staring at me with open hatred. Dark energy writhed like wet tentacles around Viessa, though her gaze was on Agrona instead of me, waiting patiently for his command. Last was Dragoth, frowning down at the dark stain that had once been Cadell.
One thing was consistent through all of their expressions, even Seris’s—an edge of uncertainty undercutting their usually unshakable confidence.
Before following Regis’s advice, I again met Cecilia’s eyes, searching within them for something. Some sign. I had made a promise. But I didn’t even know if the woman to whom I’d promised myself was alive in her own body.
Agrona waved for the Scythes to take me. “I’ll admit, I’m ever so slightly disappointed. I expected you’d have yet another trick up your sleeve. Still, even if what I’ve witnessed from you so far is the extent of your abilities, I’m sure I’ll find dissecting you a useful distraction.”
I had to decide. It was time to leave. I could go without her, turning my back on the question entirely, trusting that there would still be a chance to answer it in the future.
Or I could try to take her with me, try and find some way to pull Cecilia out of Tess’s body, bring her back…
Or…
I grew slightly sick at the thought.
But it was the clearest path forward, the most decisive measure. I could assure that Agrona couldn’t use Tessia or Cecilia, that whatever power the Legacy had couldn’t be controlled.
I felt my eyes grow wet, but I hardened my heart.
Forgive me, Tessia.
Bracing myself, I channeled aether throughout my exhausted body. Every muscle and joint protested angrily, and I struggled to focus on the complex interweaving of aether and physical form required to use the Burst Step technique.
Remembering what it had been like struggling to teach myself in the forests of Epheotus, I knew what might happen if I wasn’t precise, or if my strength failed…
The cage bars were unnaturally strong. But my armor and asuran physique protected me as I crashed through them, sending crystalline shards spraying in every direction. Mid-step, I conjured the aether blade, drew it back, aimed for her core.
Her teal eyes followed me every inch of the way, as if she were able to trace my progress even when using Burst Step. When the tip of my sword was pressed against her sternum, her eyes widened and flashed green. Mossy green veins spread out across her face beneath her skin and, for an instant, she looked…resigned as a strained smile graced her painted lips.
Her body trembled, her hand rising not for the blade—not in defense—but toward my face. A caress. “Art, please…”
It was Tessia’s voice.
I released the aether blade. She held my eyes for a heartbeat, two, then…
The green veins receded, her eyes returned to their natural color, one hand went to the tear in her battlerobes where my sword had nearly pierced her. Tess—Cecilia took a step back, giving me a look of deepest loathing.
“Oh, that was close, wasn’t it?” Agrona said, amused. “You really thought for a second you could do it, didn’t you?” Agrona’s arm snaked around Cecilia’s shoulder and pulled her to his side. “You’re only cold-hearted and calculating when it’s easy, Grey. In reality, you’re weak, emotional, and rather prone to attachment.”
I looked down at my empty hand, my mind blank except for Agrona’s words.
What should have been a moment of victory instead rang hollow and empty, filling my mouth with the taste of cold ashes.
“Take him,” Agrona ordered. The Scythes closed in.
Agrona’s confident smirk finally slipped away as I activated God Step. He reached for me, his power suddenly unleashed, the weight of his intent making even Kordri’s King’s Force feel amateurish in comparison.
His look of astonishment was the last thing I saw as the aetheric pathways took me far away from the coliseum and the Victoriad.
A/N: FOR DISCORD USERS, PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS THIS IN CHANNEL #NOVEL-TALK AND KEEP TO PATREON-ONLY CHANNELS UNTIL THE CHAPTER IS RELEASED ON TAPAS TO PREVENT SPOILERS. THANK YOU. <3
Comments
this chapter makes me hate cecilia so much she has always been born better and grey an nico were there for her at the start but she lets herself get pushed around and brainwashed so easily it makes me wanna kill her so bad
Not going to lie, the first part of the chapter has me pissed... Like really are you doing the same shit Nico failed with...was going to demote as an MC.
Man, these last few chapters practically give me adrenaline rushes.
I’m upset he didn’t take cera lol hope they meet up again and Arthur tells her the truth
Frankie
Definitely one of my favourite chapters ever, I’m absolutely blown away at this! Good job TurtleMe, you never fail to surprise me
Rei Yalotrab
Ngl this chapter had such a big jump .. Can't wait for next week 😩
Tess always trying to find ways to get herself killed, and failing to do even that xD
I don't understand. Sure, she has mana. That doesn't mean she should be able to trace the movements of someone who's re-developed his martial abilities in a second lifetime, while she's basically got what she had in the first. Plus, the movement is aether-assisted... This is just asspulling at this point. :/
I love you turtleme, made my whole damn week
Xandralas Chaos
I just had a little thought.... since mana core fragments are not vanishing into nothing (Art's did cause of Aether) shoud Cecilia not hold the means to grant Nico a new one/repair his mana core, if he is not completly gone but only in pieces?
OneTastyBagel
Holy shit what a chapter
Charles Jones
Good night, that was an amazing chapter. I have read the last 3 chapters probably 7 times since Friday. Need more lol
Does anyone else feel like that wasn’t really Tess speaking?? But was Agrona puppeteering Cecilia through her corrupted beast will?? It was kinda odd how fast she was able to react with her eyes.. and even move her hand to caress Arthurs face.. i mean.. wasn’t that happening within a fraction of a second?
Kevin Catambay
I want to say that it was probably a combination of a few of things: 1) it would be more aether efficient given the short distance; 2) he could conjure a sword mid-stride giving less time to react compared with conjuring the sword up after teleporting; 3) better chance at stunning/surprising the enemy through breaking the cage compared with godstepping where people would be on guard as soon as he disappeared
Why did Arthur use Burst Step instead of God Step when he was in the cage? Was there some restriction?
Leadslinger2019
Epic
Keezes is totally gonna use Caddell's death as an opportunity to try and attack Agrona
Aaron
Arthur llewyn or king grey. You will address me as either giving me full respect. Even if my army is only one, it is as much as yours or kazess."
Klaudia Roszak
Ew Tess you should’ve shut your month if you wanted to die. But tbh it would be vicious of Cecilia if she used the emotional side of Arthur against him
Fletcher Green
you know what I would love to see following this chapter is either Arthur/Grey finding a way to get back to dicathen and then using that relic to come in and out of the tombs to train or stay in alacrya and permanently stay in the relic tombs till he knows his ready
Corbin
Phenomenal chapter
A Z
Actually I disagree. Once Arthur calmed himself down, Cadell was a cake walk. While I’m now 100% sure of him winning, I’m sure right now he can give Kezess a run for his money
A Z
Bitch ass Agrona thinks he’s the shit
Wow, triumph followed by the MC experiencing hardship. Come on Turtle 🤦🏽♂️. Can Art get a break?
Seamus101
Wow, that chapter was amazing! I hope Tess fights Cecilia more and let’s her know this ain’t her body. And poor caera I hope we see more of her soon I do think that her and art have a good romantic chemistry
Chad
Imagine when gray gets back realmheart. He likely won't even be strained using it anymore because of his asura body. He will be god tier at that point
Bernardo De Cabrio
While we are at the topic of Cadell's horns. What are the chances that Sylvie's stone doesn't just need aether but also an abundance of mana. After all, she is an asura, a being that needs mana to survive with the little extra of being a half-dragon, meaning she can make use of aether too. And Cadell's just so happened to be an abundant mana source but also Vritra horns, which completes the bloodline traits of half-basilisk half-dragon.
AJS
I believe TurtleMe have at least fancied this idea before he decided the one we’re all read in this chapter, we’ll have to believe in TurtleMe that this path is the most fruitful one…
I think that arthur will use the mana in Cadell's horns somehow to activate the relic he was given that needed mana to be used. Hopefully he gets a new godrune. Great chapter all round, contender for best chapter in the series
Thanks again Turtleme for an awesome chapter! It's clear that Arthur is not quite there yet if he wants to oppose Kezess or Agrona. Maybe what the relic wants to teach him is how he can control mana through manipulation of aether. I believe that is what will let him dominate his enemies
But he learned how to use this cone of aether when he was first time in relictombs. It was used in last 2 zones.
Ossif
Aagrona certainly did not expect that what a chapter my god that was crazy
Why does everyone still think he has something to learn from that last keystone?? I thought it was pretty obvious that the cone of light he used to cancel out spells was what he gained.. if Aether is the cup and mana the water, he should be able to manipulate Aether to affect spells after they’ve been cast and negate them.. possibly more in the future
Mandalomaster
The huge wings were not for Regis but for Cadell's weapon which change its form to keep Regis away.
Sad for Caera, to what looks Turtle has no plans for a romantic development between art and her :(
It made me remember when Regis first turned into a wolf and he said "Check me out I'm majestic as fuck!" 🤣
Fletcher Green
Can we just appreciate how Arthur said to cadel that Regis was magistic
Charles Jones
Lol got Naruto vibes when you said power of friendship
levi aclao
In this chapter we could already know that the Indraths are the final enemy of Arthur, they are the only one who can create a field and manipulate Aether, with them manipulating Aether in the surround Arthur will be having a hard time God Stepping in the battle.
Parker
Excited to see what comes next for Arthur, feeling like we won’t see him next chapter.
Hellasz123
Specifically destruction could most definitely kill the strongest of them all if he has the reserves to use it, and land it.
Kevin Catambay
This chapter is nearly 4.9K words we have truly been blessed by Turtle-sama
Fingers crossed. I just want a Caera and students pov chapter I want to see the reactions from the citizens. Even if it cuts away to Art or someone else for a while, please don’t deprive us of those sweet sweet reactions 🤞🏼
Kevin Catambay
Okay why is no one talking about Regis having shadow wings now?!!! Arthur riding Regis (assuming Regis’ pride would allow such a thing) would be truly majestic!! Can already see Sylvie and Regis comparing wings and racing each other around
Homer L Sanchez
Ellie pov is such a running joke lmao I love it.
This would be cool but doubt it
Cross your fingers for no Ellie pov this seems like the perfect opportunity
Kevin Catambay
She would be an asura killer for sure as asuran bodies need mana just to exist and live So i agree that only the higher asurans with the right aether arts for defence could counter her
holyfk
Aaron
Oh and some with huge aoe attacks could also wear his reserves down while moving and shooting.
Aaron
I dont think mana can block destruction at all. And I suspect aether can block it the same way mana can block the soul fire...buy using more to block than it cost to cast... so right now most asuras dont have a means to seal his movements, since he can god step... and most wont have a way to block his destruction blade. SOME could probably out maneuver him to try to out last his reserves while hitting him with move-shoot mana attacks. And some with edicts could fight him as well.
Kevin Catambay
Based on chapters of the previous few novels we should actually still have a couple months to go There is still a lot to get done and the fallout of the Victoriad will be extensive
Before y’all say that grey is weak remember that he wasn’t fighting full strength at first he only started getting serious at the end of the fight where he cut off his emotions and remember that cadell also injured an actual asura and the one he injured was one of the strongest.
Aaron
Art notes how he wasted all his aether reserves being an emotional idiot. Once he controlled himself, he was able to defeat cadell just as efficiently as he did nico. Considering he almost never used god step and also only used destruction in this precise and efficient way for the first time, I think he CAN defeat middle and weak assuras.
Mandalomaster
He needs mana to unlock his relic and gain a new insight into aether. Now that he won't have the help of his students or Caera, he will use the mana remaining in the horns.
Amtro
A runaway experiment, a rogue vritrablood. Your imagination is the limit.
Axel Karlsson
Up next: Caera and co. is set up for public execution for knowing/ helping Grey and in swoops Grey to save them (just god steps in and out of there) and starts to organize the rebellion
Beautiful chapter thts all I can say
Not true, Seris knows quite a lot about art. Enough to give Caera an idea on where he might go and how to find him.
So I’m guessing there’s a good chance that he’s gonna try and use Cadell horns and duplicate what he did with Uto’ s horn. See if it works or not being mana based and not aether. For some reason I think that was Agrona using powers through Cecelia when he placed his hand on her back. He could have been testing Arthur to see if he could go through killing her. We have to wait and see I guess
I fear this will be the last time we hear from Caera... especially since she has no way to find Art after he gave her medallion back 😞
I FUCKING NEED MOREEEEEEEEEE
Peak Fiction
Next chapter Caera, Cecilia and Grey's students POV🤩
Anyway, now that Nico's mana core is gone, I wonder if he will try becoming an Instiller. Back in his previous world, he did kept inventing useful stuff.
GAAAAAAAAH. I need mooooore.
King Grey
Oh my GOD! Let’s freaking gooooooooooooo! So hyped. #GodTurtleMe delivering the best chapter in the entire novel. Thank you Let’s get to 6k already
Chad Caera is just slightly as immature as Tess in certain ways as well as they were raise different ways and people are different
Caera and Seris better start beating feet to Grey. After witnessing first hand the power of Agrona's Legacy that no doubt wrecked everyone's mana cores in the arena, a battle weary Grey subjected to the same experience slips away. Side arcing for Caera to meet the asuras as first contact to find Grey would make an excellent side arc.
Top Tier
This is so true and also imagine what Indrath’s party will do and think.
The Alacryans here just saw one man, not even Vritra blooded, maim one Scythe in one hit, then kill Scythe Cadell while regenerating, nullifying Vritra Decay magic, teleporting and fighting along a giant flying wolf "summons". Then Agrona himself came for this man and I bet none of them, not even the Highlords have seen Agrona in person before. Cornered by 4 Scythes and Agrona himself and sentenced to 'be experimented on', he vanished. They all failed to catch him. This will spread so fast all over Alacrya, sending the message that there's someone able to oppose the Sovereigns. And I bet Seris will know how to capitalize on it, whatever her plans are. I also bet this will reach Dicathen.
Sean Defrank
In just these two chapters, we got more than pretty much any other two consecutive chapters, FINALLY, vengeance for Sylvia and Buhnd. My satisfaction Is Immeasurable.
Tess should have died and Caera becomes the new best girl
sparticus_37
I’m starting to get a lot of Gurren Laggan flashbacks. Still holding out hope that Tessia’s fate doesn’t follow Nia’s 🙏. My heart won’t be able to handle it
Brasidas
Considering Cecilia used a mana based drain and contain, it's safe to say they have no idea what his power is based on now. Just that he has one. I suspect further investigation will give them clues, but that is all. I do not believe anyone besides Regis and the Djinn remnants know that he as an aether core.
Jason
I believe it is safe to assume that nico is not dead. I wonder if agrona is going to further experiment on nico(who now has a destroyed mana core) to attempt to see how he can replicate Arthur’s progress with his aether core.
I think he was cause not everybody get the nickname “Slayer of Dragons”. And also I think he was the only one sent to retrieve Sylvia who is one of the strongest asura albeit she was injured.
Dillon smith
That's be boring bro
Aroa’s Requiem only works on non living things. The mana core is seen as an organ and although not needed to survive in humans it’s still living.
THE SNELK IS OFFICIAL
BottleofJhin
peak fiction
Evan
Same for me. #TeamTess
What if grey uses Aroa's Requiem to heal Nico's broken core in able to get him to join his side to help save Cecilia?
I think she took control of the body to let Arthur kill her. Cecilia was able to follow Arthur's movement with Burst step and possibly defend herself. Tessia wanted Arthur to finish it there, that's what the 'Art, please' was for. (Un)fortunately it backfired.
You know damn well it's gonna be an Ellie chapter
Jon Chefitz
HOLY SHIT THIS CHAPTER WAS INSANE. I am so happy Art didn’t kill or break Tess’s core. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and can’t wait till next week. Thanks turtle as always ur amazing. #teamtess
Evan
Awesome Chapter btw!
Evan
I was hoping Grey could and would have used God step and took Tessia/Cecelia with him then sort things out after.
Mark
Tess ruins the day once again. Putting herself before the lives of millions. She knows her body is being used as a weapon.
Truhalo
I'm so happy we got the line that's for Sylvia and so happy Regis power as a weapon was not the power of friendship
Justin Garcia
Petition I want a 5 person point of view next chapter. I want to know what caera, Seth, Ect think. I need to know.
Bravo
Keaton
That was an amazing chapter omg
Fluxxx
I mean it's teleportation xD
Amtro
From smoothest operator and dead certain that he was going to trounce Cadell, to snivelling, crying, flailing boy in the span of one chapter. Talk about a 180. And another thing did anyone notice how Seris reminded us of the asuras special mana-powered battle form in the previous chapter and in this chapter Cadell uses one after he calls Arthur's tricks a mockery of the Asuras? Was Cadell just much more powerfull than the other scythes?
Fluxxx
I do not approve of this comment
AJS
Yeah, now it’s bad news for everyone who had been near or close to Grey, especially when the High Sovereign himself is angry because he got away. Not just Caera, but also the Denoir, and those who helped him to get a job at Central Academy. Worse case scenario; even his students also got the harsh treatment. Grey knew this too… That’s why TurtleMe dedicated a small but special section of this chapter to express Grey’s sorry feeling, even though only mentioned to Caera, it can also applies to everyone who had been close to him at Central Academy. Please be merciful TurtleMe, don’t go break our fragile heart anymore. *fingers-crossed*
No way was Caera built as a character and Grey's companion for >100 chapters only to be left aside. Through her connection with Seris, I expect them to work together in some way or form. There's even a promise between Caera and Seris that Seris will bring her to Dicathen once, unrelated to Grey.
Thank you at least someone noticing this too, this is actually a major issue he should be Kiros lvl and if not, he shouldn't be drained down by only taking down one scythe wtf ? He one shotted Nico so I'm not even counting him Nico isn't even scythe lvl at that point he is more retainer lvl let's be real. Also wtf agrona can't keep up with his god step but other people he fighted can, so wtf ??????????????????? I mean the chapter is nice but the power lvl are completely messed up no offense. Let's also put in light that he won against Cadell by chance, if Regis had not unlocked this new power it was game over wtf ? He should have been at least able to take down Cadell without the help of Regis
As much as it's a shame Arthur didn't reveal his name here, I hope at this point Caera can finally figure out he's not Alacryan. The guy is enemies with Agrona, but he's not asuran. What the hell else can he be but Dicathian?
Well, if he's going back to Dicathen like some people think, a Ellie chapter would be better than an Art chapter. Since she doesn't know that he's still alive.
Ezekiel2517
Cecilia without a doubt. Tess was affectionate whereas Cecilia with Agrona's manipulations is cold. That being said Art didn't kill her, will she remember more as a result?
AJS
Aww… I was hoping Grey can keep being a professor at the Central Academy, right when things finally going somewhere with Caera, and when now his students finally realized how strong their professor actually is. But TurtleMe really pulled a twist plot here, now Grey is going to be alone again… No Caera, and no Tessia either. My heart is broken, I hope Grey will find solace somehow, it’s been a very long and hard road for him.
Ezekiel2517
I would have liked the same but Art has a way to go. Darrin and the other members of the Shadow society including Caera's professor and Cylrit /Seris now know there may be an alternative. I think this Alacryan arc has been book 9.
First off: awesome chapter. As other said worth every penny I’ve been waiting eagerly since last week. Now a couple of my thoughts. I thought it was interesting that art could’ve ended Tess/cece but saw that it’s still an internal struggle. Secondly, I feel there still some wriggle room for ceara to be part of the story. After all Seris knows a lot about art that she could possibly chase after him. Lastly, I’m pretty pumped for art to potentially make his way back home to his sister and mother. That’s gonna be quite the chapter 👀
WetCarrot
I’m kinda disappointed in Grey, I thought he was much stronger.
Justin Garcia
Noooo… will I ever see the students again!!!! I want to know there reactions.
Caleb Mandrake
Thoroughly enjoy this victoraid arc. It took a lot not to comment on this arc and it was worth it waiting for the entire reveal. A phrase that came to mind at the end was "If you could make God bleed, the people will cease to believe in him". And no its not a quote from Ivan Vanko from Iron Man 2 (2010). Its' origins go back to ancient Greece - look up Ichor and became more prominent when men of science wanted to break away from Religious control (A goal of the Illuminatti) I really was hoping Grey/Arthur would crush Argona' face with an aether punch or cut his horns off before he escape but damn this was still a good chapter. There will be interesting times in Alacrya for sure after this. How will the paradigm shift evolve here? For sure it will only be limited to one's imagination. Is anyone aware when book 9 will be released? It seems like we have accumulated enough chapters for another book
Aksel Dyhr
okay so real quick the loathing face would that have been Tessia or Cecilia?
Aksel Dyhr
bro what... not sure why im feeling depressed all of a sudden xD
Cherish
holy man, so much went down this chapter, went from jumping up and down in my seat to crying tears man
Imo the absolute winner of the Victoriad is Kiros. My guy had the most fun evening since the time he made Vechor and Sehz-Clar go to war.
Aaron
Gj turtleme! Great arc!
Tim
Possibly, but mana exists in everything, he just lacked the mechanisms to manipulate it. And maybe drawing out the residual mana lets his aether core become completely purified.
Sorry boss, can't focus on work for the rest of the day. This chapter is living in my head rent free for the rest of the week
20/10 chapter holy shot!
Carth
Is that it then, no more interactions with Caera? Seth? I really have no clue what’s in store for the people he had to leave behind in the stadium. Just hoping and praying that nothing horrible happens to Caera and her family :c
By the way, given how close they were with Grey and it’s a well-known fact at least in the Academy, things might get complicated for her. Acting on his astonishment, I believe Agrona will most likely launch a thorough investigation into Grey/Art to uncover his abilities and whatnots.
Wait. If Arthur felt that something was drawn out of his core, then it had to be mana. So eventually Art still posesses the ability to controll mana just like in the past.
That wad amazing!!! He needs to teleport back To his mom and sister now!!!
I love how god step is just incomprehensible speed that even gods find impressive.
Anrike
Amazing amazing chapter. Worth everycent I spend on here. Great writing as always keep the good work👍👍
sparticus_37
Darth TurtleMe: I’ve been waiting for you Master Storyteller. We meet again, at last. The circle is now complete. When I left you I was but the learner. Now, *I* am the master. Master Storyteller : only a master of cliffhangers Darth! *aether swords ignite* *epic music begins* *john-williams-piano-on-fire.jpg* Seriously though. Each one of these chapters has been filled with more excitement and dramatic tension than the New Mexican desert in July 1945! #TakeMyMoney
Ezekiel2517
I don't think so, really felt that Tess broke through (she seems to now be one with the beast will of the Guardian), but not sure if she just wanted to hold him or was asking him to kill her like Cecilia wanted on Earth.
Bernardo De Cabrio
Oh boi. I think I need some time to process this chapter before I write my serious thoughts about this one. If the end of last chapter was all power fantasy, then this one is definitely emotions.
I wonder what happens to caera, I just hope she doesn't end up like Lilia or be experimented on
Fast Lance
Sweating from the king force unleashed by TurtleMe throughout this chapter
Irakli Jishkariani
Caera pov would be best I think
On the one hand, I think that Agrona referring to him as Arthur would be more impactful, on the other hand, cannot but admit that probably Grey is still his original and hence true name after all.
Jim Payne
Woof... Hell of a ride. Thanks for another great chapter!
LETS GOOO. Easily one of my favorite chapters
This comment honestly nails it. No more Alacryan games.
I doubt he’ll go back to Dicathen before exploring the last relictomb that Sylvia told him
Tim
Im hoping his God Step has evolved through the latest relic and "far away" is actually back to Dicathen. It would make sense since he can literally wnter the relic tombs from ANYWHERE.
Does TurtleMe usually take breaks between different volumes/books? Or the releases will go on as always?
ariel lima
I wish he had gone through with it, for the greater good.
AntiMatterDynamite
“I think the word you’re looking for is ‘majestic’,” possibly my favorite quote of the entire series
Holy
insane chapter, i just hope he goes home to dicathen soon, the people there need hope
Carth
I don’t know what or how to feel
Dragoth and Melzri showing their humane sides, caring about Cadell's death and Nico's loss, respectively. Only Viessa doesn't care about either of them, just awaits her orders. No wonder Seris is most wary of her.
Tim
Well, I think we can assume this is an END chapter of either the next book or the book after.
Sam
I am looking forward to the next chapter more and more after catching up,
BowlOfSoup
this chapter... no this whole arc since Arthur came to alacrya has left me speechless, time after time. the hundreds of euros spend have not been wasted and i would gladly spend it again
I hope now he focuses on the relic tombs and finishes gathering his strength before returning home and dealing with the asura
Wow! You gave Art some hope to save Tess but at the same time what will happen to cecillia if Tess comes back? For now, though, I am eager to read the next chapter, will we have another Art POV or go back to Seth POV of the aftermath and see what everyone is thinking. (Second option is my guess)
His blade couldn’t cut Cadell because it was reaching him.
I think its time for our boy to go home. At least for a short while
Kenneth Evans
I didn’t cry definitely didn’t cry.
Your writing is phenomenal! Especially when it comes to capturing the emotion of the reader, and painting a scene. Remarkable job!👏
LETS GOOOOO
what does "blade never found purchase" mean?
Varday Jacobs
so Cecilia true power is to control all mana? even inside of someone else? if thats true she's going to be stronger then most asuras
Reddd
This was such a good chapter like the cliffhanger was good and the fight and confrontation were also really good!
GOD DAMNNN that was hype!
I wanna cry...
Lmao!!!
Ezekiel2517
I personally think Dicathen in preparation for final book taking down Epheotus to free the lessers of both continents.
Bernardo De Cabrio
Ah, yes. "Check me out. I'm majestic as fuck!" Still the best line.
Ezekiel2517
Totally agree! Art now knows she's still there and will do everything to get his love back. Agrona you can't possibly fathom what you've unleashed
Murdog
Yep, this Chapter can only be Titled as 'Majestic'.
Hi Its Fire!
Turtle I just have to say you have been doing an AMAZING job on these last several chapters. Everyone of them is more hyped up then the other and I cant thank you enough for the amazing read so far, and I cant wait to see how much better it gets from here on out. I'm so happy I stumble upon this story a year ago the journey has been amazing . TY TURTLE <3 <3
No more tricks he said. God Stepped out of there. Lol
Lorwus
That was awesome ! (Please Art saves Tess...)
Cadead 💀
Thats stupid
Bro....
AntiMatterDynamite
the last 3 episodes each have been my favorite in the series so far when they came up.... im crying and laughing at the same time... thank you turtleme this was a better victoriad than i could ever hope for !!!! also: next week definitely ellie right? im ready for a little break
ExtraSwivy
The best chapter in this book so far. I swear it only gets better and better.
Survivor397
Worth… every… cent!!!!! Vengeance oh so sweet. It was bittersweet at the end but at least there’s hope for tessia. I think the only way for art to get his mind focused is if he gets closure with tessilia
What a freaking beautiful chapter omg 😱 im so happy he got to see her again but now i have so many questions!!!
Ezekiel2517
Holy shit....am dumbstruck...so freaking amazing. I am going to read this over and over again. So happy that Cadell was a huge challenge and despite that Art and Regis kicking ass. Agrona is a bloody self deluded egotistical prat and will fall (I guess Kezess is really the final boss?) Did Agrona not watch Destruction unleashed nor understand that Cecilia's mana nullification failed? Is Art back in Dicathen now...or Epheotus?
Also, even in this chapter Art confirms that he sees her only as a friend but not to the extent to open his real identity.
Daniel Canales
Wait, I thought tess talking was Agrona just manipulating art 🥺🥺🥺 God I want art to have his army of students. Watch Seth be the one to hide him Also Thanks TurtleMe!!!!! Your writing amazes me
Flagestis
Man i was so looking forward for him being exposed as Arthur Lewin a Dichatian. Still epic.
Agrona doesn’t know what’s coming!
Charles Jones
WHAATTT! amazing.. I have to read it again!
Evankhell
Literally at a loss for words. Well done!
Is that the end of v9?
Grey is no more, welcome back Arthur
Liam McBride
Idk guys I’m a fan of Caera but after going back and rereading the earlier books it’s hard to leave Tess
The victorad might be my favorite arc in all of TBATE because it’s just that good
Damn, it felt pretty short :( Yet another cliffhanger. I wonder if he will try to hide somewhere in Alacrya or return directly to his continent. I guess he still has some unfinished business here in Relictombs. Now we also have a confirmation that Tess is still inside so our ship has not sunk yet.
Holy shiiiiiiii bro
That chapter got me feeling a different type of way
Holy shit
Yay, Tess is still there somewhere
Jackson Vitorovich
Oh my
noooo I want more
Carth
So glad it’s an Arthur pov 🙏🏼
Chickita Banana
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOO😈🥵 Big daddy turtle blessing us again❤
Here we goooo
Chris Chelette
Let's gooooo
Edd R
sheesh
Carth
I’m here
Chris Chelette
Yes!!!!
Friendly consumer
Nice
Cory Crowell
Frist
SouperRiskyyy
nice
Hi Its Fire!
WOOO
