The battle quickly started, but thanks to our preparations, it didn't cause chaos to erupt on board. All civilian Delves had been moved closer to the center of the ship, allowing previously empty or unused Delves to be moved to the periphery. Because of that, when something were to invade the ship, they would enter those first rather than places filled with civilians.
In addition to that, the terrain in those empty Delves was modified into a battlefield that fit Cloud Knights the best, filled with defenses and traps. But even if any of those were to be overrun, the enemy would have to either break them from inside, something that wasn't that easy, or follow a passage to the next Delve, where another line of defenses was waiting for them.
There were three layers of such defenses in total, the outer ones mostly filled by automatons, while the central ones were manned by elite Cloud Knights. The whole installation was disconnected from the rest of the ship's Delves; their last passages led directly to the Ambrosial Arbor, which was the enemy target. That way, we hoped to avoid involving civilians in the battle while also possessing the advantage of the terrain.
Of course, for this plan to work, we had to occupy the enemy that was capable of breaking the Delves' defenses with ease. And that was the role of Teng Xiao and Jingliu, who had already started their battle with Shuhu.
But while the plan was working as we intended, some troubles also started to appear. First and most important was the strange barrier surrounding Luofu. We expected something like it, isolating Luofu from the outside world, as the same thing happened to Cangcheng back then, but it would appear that this barrier possessed more than just that power.
While I couldn't feel it much, from my observation of others, the barrier seemed to affect one mind, especially those affected by Abundance. This already resulted in a few people being afflicted with Mara, so I needed to stop it. Destroying the barrier would take some time, so some stopgap measure was necessary.
Luckily, achieving this might be the only thing my avatar was capable of. Shattering into countless crystal feathers, each of them flew toward a Cloud Knight fighting on the front. While they couldn't assist them in a fight, it was enough to shield their minds from the effects of the barrier, using their own memories to strengthen their will. But this also left me with no eyes on the inside, so now I could only hope that our plan would be enough.
-"Ready for a last ride?"-I looked at the previous General standing on the Starskiff next to me.
-"Still trying to persuade me otherwise?"-He answered, but his eyes never left the battlefield before us.
-"You all can still stay in this world for at least the next two years; why rush to your death again?"
-"There is no need for that. We bid our farewells to loved ones and families; we taught our successors what needed to be taught; even Yuque is safe with you and those Valkyries there; we served our role, so now it's time to rush into the battle once more."-He showed a smile filled with satisfaction and relief.-"Not to mention, it's not like we are disappearing, right?"
-"Why do you insist on turning into Shadows of my Wild Hunt?"-I sighed, not able to understand his and the rest of the summoned Cloud Knights' thinking.-"Those things are not like you, with sapience and self, just pure instincts and power. It's like a snapshot of you, never changing, only fighting."
-"But those are able to help you, right? Our strength can be used again and again; what else could Cloud Knight wish for?"-He finally turned his eyes to me.-"Rather than 'peaceful' memory storage of Ten-Lords, I prefer my soul to serve you on the battlefield. Or am I unqualified to do so?"
-"No, you are more than qualified; rather, you are overqualified."-I shook my head.-"I won't say anything more, as I won't be able to convince you otherwise."
-"Good. So what are your orders, Your Excellency Qīxīng-Jiāngjūn?"
-"Break that barrier and kill Shuhu."-I manifested my standard in my right hand, raising it into the air.-"Take revenge for Yuque and Cangcheng! As clouds that cover the heavens, will the warriors protect the Xianzhou and soar eternal!"
-"As clouds that cover the heavens, will the warriors protect the Xianzhou and soar eternal!"-The Cloud Knights responded, steering their Starskiffs to the battle.
I leaped out of the previous General's craft, standing in the void of space while overlooking the battle. With Shuhu occupied by Teng Xiao and Jingliu, the barrier was left vulnerable from the outside; the enemy never expected such a swift arrival of reinforcements. So it could only passively defend itself, forcing the hordes of Abominations it brought with it to attack us.
But this was enough to slow down the progress of the siege inside, buying time and reducing the pressure on the defenders. As such, the only thing left for me to do was to strike with my full power to shatter that barrier. Summoning my Phoenix, I had it use my full power of Emanator of Hunt to attack the barrier, while I stayed back and focused on using my other abilities.
This was the biggest advantage Emanators and Pathstriders possessed over any other world I visited; Imaginary Energy is infinite, the only limiting factor is how much a person can use it at a time. While Mages of Azeroth and Artoria's Earth need to worry about mana and people on Terra have to care about Originium and Oripathy; here you just use it with no care.
Combining my magic and sword formations, I dominated the battlefield, killing hundreds of Abominations with every attack. But even that speed couldn't keep up with their numbers; with every second, I could feel how another Pseudo-Heroic Spirit got killed, Starskiffs one after another plunging into the enemy horde and exploding.
In just an hour, only a handful of my forces remained, while the barrier still stood. As such, I could indeed only resort to using my strongest methods. Not wasting more time, I unleashed both my Authority and Divinity, causing the divine aureole to behind behind me as the Moonlight marks appeared on me and my Phoenix.
~"Know that there is no mercy for you, you will only perish. I am the heaven that you imagine. ~ Univers Immortel Metatron!"~And without stopping, I continued.~"Anar'elore'dor kal'ethil finel ana'tole adore, dalah'surfal ana, Nar'va, dorini-shor en talah elen."
If I were facing Shuhu, then using Rhongomyniad would be best, but as in its sealed state against the endless horde of Abominations, I turned to my other strongest ability. I quickly chanted and summoned eight Angels before directly invoking the Choir of Seraphim.
~̸͕̬̫̻̹̼̏̔̏̃̅̚̕̚"̴̨̢͈̪͎͓̝̄̍̈̀͠S̴̡̝̥̙͆͂͒ͅe̸̹̬͙͎͓̪̕͜r̴̪̻̮͆̊̃͠a̴̜̚p̴̢͇͙̥͐̓̃ḩ̵͚̗̘̭̠̜̟̌̀̈ͅi̵̞̐̽̈͝n̸̛͙̬͉̺̤͆͆̈́͆̽̓ ̷̡̳̓̄s̴̢̗̠̬̟͇̺̲̉́̇̓̀̕͜ṱ̵̢̼͙͇̞̀͘a̴̻̪̲͖͐ḇ̶̡͍̝̙̱͒̐̄́͂̋͝͝á̸̗̪̭̼̠̭̟͂͑̆̈́̀̅̚͝ͅn̶̥͇̉̐̄́̌͗̕t̸̜̭̹̰̰̤̹̝͓͌̂̏ ̶̗̳̳̗̹̪̅̍̈́̔̐͒̀̈́͗͜s̸̮̥̣̘̱̣̿̓̇͜͝ü̶̯̥̋̈́͋̚ͅp̷̢̛͆̊͋̏̏̈́̈́̈́ẹ̴͇͇́̾̎̈͒̈̿̿r̶̛̲͍̮̘̠̲̍͋͗̒͆͛́ ̷̖̞̩͌̀͊̾̓̂̚i̷̡͇̤̰̝͓̱̮̒ͅl̷̼͈̩̄͗̐l̸̞̪̙̪̣̎̃̿̋͛̊̾͑ư̴̜̜̿͂̃̓̿̓d̷̢̛͖̩̳̝͋̐͗̾̕̕͜:̸̹̊ ̷̛̳͔̞͚̯̠̇̇͝ͅs̵̛̱̗̋̅̈́̾e̸̢̞̦̖̠̣͎̩̽̄̾͘x̶͖̩͇̙̗͈̙͗͋̓͆̇̓̌͋ ̶̧̩̦̳͔̗̯͚̎͂̎͐̓͊͜a̵̻͈̝͈̲̳̹̎͌̐̋͜͝ļ̴̢̈̅̀̓̋̑̅̇͝ͅæ̷̡͓̗̩͔̦̖̥̽ ̶̢̗͙̙͂̈́͐̚͝ͅǘ̶̧̳͓̣͒̽̈́͌͠n̸̛̜͈̬̳̩͙̱̮̏̾̅͐͛̚͝͠i̸̟̳͉͚̫̪͑́͋̋̈́͝͠,̵̼͓̳̹̹̈́̃͗̔̅͆̋̕͝ ̶̛͖̖̥̝́̒̈́̇ḛ̴̡̗̭̠̱͔̀̋t̴̨̠̯̜̩̭̥͊ ̷̨͓̘͓̗̲͎̈̉̑͆͊͒̑̌s̶͕̅͑͐́́͠e̸̠̲͖̻͉̹͆̓͐̆̒̕͝͠x̷̨̻͉̾͋̉͋̎ ̵̡̘͚̪̯͈̬̬̆a̸͇̜͍̋̅̈́̄̕l̷̡͈͙͚̳̞͈̄̇͒͛̾͌̃æ̴̬͓̫̖͈̤̖͂̔̓́͂͘ ̴̺̲̺̄̾͌͋̏̍a̸̩͇̤͖͈̥̺̺͕̽̏̊͌̊̓̇͂l̴̦̪̠̰͍̘̪̥̝͊͑́͆͠t̶̢̳̝͇̓͜ȩ̶̗̫̄̏r̷͖͚̘̫̥͕̬̈̾͘i̵̛̻̫̘̐̏̅̀͠͝;̶̨̜̙̟̝̈͑̀̀̅̅̚ ̸̡̛̬̜͖̎̋̉̂̍͌̚͝ḑ̵̙̜̪͙̺̫̾͆̈̌ͅư̴͙͓̮̙͔̝̮͛̓̆͐̅͌͝͠a̸̮͓̩͕̠̩̓̇͝ͅb̶̨̖̥̗̦͖̕ū̷̢̇̆̅͗̄͜͝s̸̼̙͕͚̈̓́̇̎̏ ̶̝̻̪͈̳̳̼͖̺̽̄̅̾̈́̂̔v̷̨̦̗̖̺̗͎̑̽̌̿͛͘͜ͅe̸͚̻̪̪̱̝̩͗́̃͌̇́͌͗͝l̴̪̪͐̐͌̌͐̉́̚ạ̶̲͈͇͎̑̆̄̾̐̀̄͂͆b̸̝̻̃͑͊a̷̛̲̝̺̓̂ṇ̴͎̄̅̓̄͐͂̃̓͝t̸̠̝̞͑͝ ̷̢̧̹̺̗̳̈́͘͝f̷̛̛̺̻̙̖̱̓̈̌̃͝͝ͅa̶̭͈͆̈́͋͜c̴̛͋͜ͅi̶̝̘̫̣̩͙̳̺̓̀̓͗̄͒̈͜e̴͙̙͍͕̞͋̒̏͊m̷̯̳͗̎̈́̑̇͗͒̑ ̷̼̤̮̯̐̓̊̄e̸͔̳͛͊̂͋͑̆̏͝͝i̴̤̣̾̏̕̚͝ṵ̷̧͚͚͕̺̌s̴͉͎͇̜̲͖͌̈́̃̚͝,̵̬̓̍̆͐̆̂̈́̾ ̴͙͚̓̃̅̆̊̚͜͠ͅé̶̪̩̏͆̇̉̓͘t̵͈͓̤̫̉͂ ̴̻̠̃̽̂̈́̃̽̈d̷̡̡̙̳̗̜̝̗͌̄̽͝ù̷̦̘̆͜a̶̺̫̮̫̜̭̭̥͚͂̃̈́̉͊̃́͗͘b̸̧̛̫͇̦̥̈́́̄́̊̊͊̚ǔ̷͇̬́̈́͗̇̕̚s̷̡̧̰̝̹̟̯͚̬̆̀̂͐̇͑͑̓̕ ̷̮̗̻̰͔̑͂̌v̵͓͈͙́́̑́̏͆̀͛͘e̶̠̙̳̳͍̠̞̣̔̀̅͌̓̑̎̽̓͜l̷̢̧̨̲̻̗̰̗͐̊̉̆̍͝ǎ̴̬͔̫̈́̉̉̀͂b̷͈̘̞̺̍̎̕͠ą̵̊̓̈́̉̑̎̕n̵̡̪̜̠͖̲͖̎͘͝ť̷̛̩̈̂́̕̚͜ ̴̰̺̲̹̓̓̓̈́͑͗̕p̷̨̼̼̗͇̝̗̔͒ȅ̸̤͙͕̹͎̼͙͛̑̂͋̊́͝ḑ̸̪͔̻̜̱̿̑̇̈́̿̒ȅ̶̺̬̱̄̈́̈́̍͜͠s̴̮̀̃̀͂̽̔̕̕͠ ̶͙̟̘̣́̽́̈ͅĕ̴̲͙̦̿̋̈́́̀͘̚͝ͅi̷̥͇̗̯̭̰̞̊͑̄u̸̧̳̮̝̘̱̣̯̔̀̋̆̎̿̈́͝s̷̩̪̋̿̐̅̐͗̀͝ͅ,̴̛̭̈ ̶̫̜͔͓͇̹̼͆̽e̴̢̫̬̪̗̿ţ̸̛̱̫̫͂͂͌͑̿̾͊ ̸̱̮̝͊̊̒̌̉̽̉̔d̸̨̡̘͕̲̺̅̃̂͝u̴͎̬̲̼̻̖̣̻̿̿͜a̷͖̕b̸̧͓̼̠̲͈͈̲̾ͅȕ̶̧̘̦͕͚̲̝͜s̸̡̢͕̝̭͊̊̇̾͘͜ ̵͔̹̗̘̹͚̗͂v̴̢̩͔̦̲͌̓͐͒̎̀̇ǫ̴̠̪͍̟͉͔̉́͋͛̓̑̈́̌̚l̵̛͉̆̈́̀́̌̚͝a̷̢̢̡̘̞͖̰̋͑͂̂̏͆͝ͅb̴̯͍̹̯̟̤͊̂̋ǎ̶̡̻͉͖̗̤̘̈̓̒͊̀̋̕ṋ̴̢̢͎̳̔̑̐̏̈́̈́̋̄̔͜t̸̮̉̂̎͂̐̂̒͐͝.̴̧͎̙͈͚͌̔͗̓͐̈͘ ̵̛̻͒̅̿́̔̐͑̿~̷̫̰͈̓̏̿̈́͆͝ͅ ̷̗̖̖̬̫̹̂́̐͘͝M̶̩͚̻͙̰͇̪̮̭̓͑̓͛̂͒́͑͛e̵͓̠͆̇͝t̵̠͊́̔͐̚͝͠a̴̦͐̿̂̈̃t̷̢̪̺̣̯͓͛͐̈̈̐̄͠r̸̛͕̭̦͚͖̩̓̑̃̿̎̍͊͝o̸̭͕̫̠̫͊̿͑̐͆̋ņ̷̦̖̈́!̸̯̘̠̽̈́"̵̧͌̓̎̈́̐͊͑̍͝
With no need for words, I pointed my standard forward, causing them to move. Like eight comets, they rushed into the enemy lines, annihilating everything in their path. Their involvement quickly stabilized the battle, causing a state of impasse, where I could defeat almost as many incoming enemies as could arrive.
The problem was, such a battle of attrition was inherently in Abundance's favor, so it was still me who had to break this stalemate. With my mind affected by the Divinity, all my previous concerns disappeared and so did my apprehensions. I once again started chanting, my voice still melodious, but there was no emotion in it; like a machine reading from instructions.
~̵̡̫̼̩͚̮̲͒̄̀͗̿͆́̕͘͝"̵̨̭͙̫̲̝̻̅̐͛͘Ė̸͖̹͍̲̉͒t̵̢͔̗̊̆̎̋̊́ ̷̣̈́a̷̛̗̪̘̍̌̈́̓̈́͘̕͝͝s̷̞͇̖͋̋̽̈̈̋͜͝p̸̰̘̲̥͓̒͆͆͆̔̾͒͝͠ḛ̶̛̛̯͖̟͂͐̃̓̿̀c̸̨̼̻͈̳̜̙͖͋̎̋͆̚t̶̢̨̪̳̱̺̭̣̣̀͛u̷̢̺̺̲͌͑̈́̌̓̃͐̕͜͜͠s̵̫̹̹͉̞̲̔̅̌̂͌͘̚͝ ̸̨̙̼͛͛̽̈́̂͂̈́r̸̫̺̪̹̯̀̄̉̅͗̄͘͝͠ȍ̸̦̜̘̤̻͕̺̒t̴̩͚͕̝̦̼̲̺͆̊̒̚ͅa̸̖̣͇͉͓̣̺̓̇̊͗͌r̷̢̛̻͔̰̟̰̪̽͆u̴̦̪̦͗m̵̛̻̜̬̭̞̑̄̄̔͜ ̴͈̗͕̤̣̯̜̀̀̒ȩ̶̢̝͚̠̘͍̟͎͍̃t̷̡͖͎͓̠͇̓́̂̉̋̓̌̚͠ ̶̥͖̔͑̌̀ǫ̴͇̜̖̖͕̠͔͚͋̽͆͝p̶̢̧̢̫̹̯̻͍͋̋͌̈́u̶̜͒̉̿̾̅̊̽͋̊͘ş̴̠͓̇͊̽͌̆͛̒̈́̊̎ ̶͓̙͙̣̅̿̋̾͒e̶̖͍̿̈́́̽à̴̛̹͌͠͝r̷̢̛̗͍̟̪̪̖̩͎͍͆̀́͊̚ǔ̵̧̗̲͓̀̊̈́͑͠ṃ̷̲͂̋̃́͑͛͒ ̷̤̜̤̑͆̄̑͛̏̓̓̐̕q̶̞͙̗̤̙͋̂̈̃̌̄u̴̫̻͈̥̮̯͊̄͒͝͠a̵̢̧̡̹̦̝͇̤͑̂͠s̵͔͔̤̟͎̯̽̊̀̓͌̏̆̕͝i̵̧̛͓͙͓̭̠̟̭͇̋̾̉̄̆̏͝ ̶̙̮̰̳̼̄̀͊̽̀͝v̸̯̄̉͜ī̶͈͛̒̿s̶͕͖̳̺͍̼̜̣͌̑̐̈̎͌̒͗͝͝ͅį̵̪͓̗̬̫̐͂̀̍̽̆̃ͅo̸̡͖͇͓̘̯͈̟͌̑̍̄͐̔̎͑̀͜ ̴̥̓̒̂͆̀̓̐̉̚m̸̢͚̞̮̰̮̼̜̍̓̅͜à̵̱͓̥̟͚͔̯̪̳̚͠r̴̝̘͔̻͍͙̓́̏̈̃̽͑́͌̚į̸̡̬̲̣̮͓̭̬̣͛̽̑̅s̶̨̧͚̳̩̗͙̖͍̗͊͂̑̈̓̉͗͗̕͝:̶̼̟̑̈́ ̴̩̫͉̙̍̽̈́̉͜e̵̡͙̻͖̩͍̱̦̮̋͂͑̐̽̚ẗ̶̢̮͈̞̠̝̯̙̳͕͐ ̴̭̜̺͇͍̙̑̎̇̂͋̀̚͘͜͠ū̸̫̲͔͎̭̪͈͌̓̏͋͆̚͠ṋ̷͔͕͎̪̹̟̱͚͌̐͛̅̾̔̋̕a̴̟̗̖͚͑͑̑̂͊͝ ̴̧̛͍̹̺̣̈́̔̉̀͑͋͋͜s̸̙͔̰̫͋̃̒̔̔̆̔͘͝͝i̶̢̬̣̗̜͉̊͑̂͋͝m̸̡̘͖̬̺͌̍͆̿i̷̡̼̙̬͐̌l̴̨̳̗̣̥͔͔̰̺̝̀̿͘i̴̦̯̭͕͈̱͗͆͂̏t̵̢͔̥͉̺̞̤͙̱͛u̷̬̳̭̫͌͛̑̇̑d̸͚̺̝͛o̷̡̜̠̦͖͙̝̻͇͈͑̓́͘ ̷̹̦̥̦͗͒̊̚i̸̢̧͈̬͇̖͕͖̥͋p̵̧̢̩̒̄͝s̵̨̰̖̹͇̪̝̭͙̟̓͌̑͝â̷̰͕̩̱̗͇̘͜r̸̙̩̲̞̂́u̶̦͓̫̙͌̾͑m̵̨̤̰̪͕͋̾̉̊̏ ̷̢̩̟̺͒͒̒̃͝q̴̨̙̫͉̗̦̤̒͗̈́̚ű̶̡̜̝̓́́̄͑̐͝a̴̯͇̽́͆̒ţ̵̰̮̱̜͒̋u̸̦̰̐͝ö̸̻̺̺̲̘́̽́͛̉͘ͅr̴̡̠̹̱̆̓̿́̈́̽͋͜:̷̨̩͂̽͌̿͐̕ ̷̧̢̡̳̻̲̘̼̞̽̀͗͋̊͒̈́̕͠ẽ̶̛̛̖͈̩͕̲̺̙̟͕̓́̊̈́͋̕t̵̗̟͇̜͗̎̓̊͗̍̀̏ ̸̡̛̱̞̙̜̟̱͙̜͎̿͒̎̂́̌à̶̧̹͈͕̼͎͉̬͖͋̅͐͋̊͗́͠͝s̷̛̩̟̫̦͆̉͗͆͠p̶͙̬̱̤̞̓̉̍͐ȩ̸͇͖̹̠̤̳͗̆͆̚͜c̵̨̨̨̫̦̙͇̦̈͋̉̄̾̓̑̚ẗ̶̫̻̖́̿́̕ų̷̙̥͕͙̫͐͑͌̐̋̓͝s̴̨̢͙͇͑ ̸̨͈͍̫͇̙͠ẽ̵̢̙̖̉ą̶̼͚̜͖͚̟̞̩̿̒̅̽̏̿͛̅̚ŕ̵̜̭̣͔͂͝u̴̥̱̭̪̙͇̜̪͒̔̇́m̵̢̮̣̝͙̈ ̸͙͕͙͓̺̀͊̀ę̷͕̱̀̿̔ţ̵̡̠̭̟̯̫̄͋ ̸͎̮̠̩͇̝̝̯̓̈̃͜͝o̸̢̧̩̦̬͓͗́̋p̴̡͓̻̲͚̭̘̀͜ę̴̞̣̖̼̥͌̅̈́̎̎́̍r̴̹̱̮̫̟̟̽̉͜ǎ̵̪̺̣̞̳̃͜ͅ ̶̮̹̼̓͘q̸̮̻̋͛ų̸̟̲̬̩̥͆̊̉̃̕͠a̴̜͙͈̩̭̜̘̫͒̒s̵̡̧̝͈̲͉̲̜͂̄̔̋̓̽̕͠͠͝ͅí̴̫͊̌̑ ̶̨͉̱͊͝ş̷͎͇̬̪̹̤̼̙͉̿̒i̸̢̯͖̠̭̟̮̝̩̎̄͜t̶̠͂͝ ̶̲̹̝͉̦̲̭̓̽̓r̵̛̮̙͈̠͈̗̣̭͑̃̑͆̂͆͜͝͝͝o̴̯̹̹͙̕ṫ̶̻͎̤̞̟͗́̊́͝å̷͕͉̤̐ ̶̨̖͓̹̦̜̔͠i̷̘̳̩͈͕͚̥̯͓͌͌̈́̇͆ņ̴̗̘̖̀̈ ̶̢̯͇̙͕̪̘̔͒̀̋͛̐͛m̸̢̛̯̹̻̾̑̇e̷͕͎̊̌́̾͐̓͠d̸̡̛͍̮̪͎͙̃͑̍̕ḯ̴̤̘̈́͊̈͆͛͘̕ͅo̶̭̩̐ ̷̨̥̠͔̜̯̥̱̝̊̀̈́͒̃̈́͗̿͘ͅṙ̸͝ͅő̵̢͇̪͓̭̻̓́̃̓̊͗̕͠ͅť̴̡̲̬̌́̽̿͋̍̚æ̵̨͍̰͚͈̖̻̼̊̀͛̉͒͜ ̴͈̟͎͝~̴̩̍͒͛̾͐̚ ̶̢̏̍͠Z̵̬̹̝̭̪͍̟̫͐̾̈́̕a̶̻̹̬͈͒͗̇́͋̂́p̷͇͚͓͍̠̀̈́̅̊̿̚h̶̞̊͐̀͋̊͑̾̋͝k̴͚͇̻̓̐̒́̓͋̀̆̄i̵̡̛̫̫̭̩̘̥̹̜͗͆͘͝ͅe̸̛̲̪̘̽̿̋́͌̊̉l̴͕̙̣̩̲͌̇̓̒͗!̵̡̡̢͇͇̞̠͌̈"̷̳͇̂
Quickly, another eight Angels appeared behind me; they were part of the Choir of Thrones; as such, they didn't join the battle directly, instead starting to sing, their divine voice spreading through the empty space even though there was no air for it to do so.
Their song caused countless angels made of light to manifest; they were exactly the same as my Wild Hunt, the only difference being the medium through which they were manifested. While previously I summoned the Wild Hunt by drawing upon the Divinity of my Patrons, now I used my own Divinity connected to the identity of Metatron.
This Angelic Legion absorbed all willing souls into its ranks, turning all previous Pseudo-Heroic Spirits into them. With an average strength of a Cloud Knight, they were a force to reckon with; definitely enough to turn the battle's situation in our favor. Yet, even that power, easily capable of destroying planets if not entire star systems, barely managed to defeat part of Shuhu's power, showing how great an enemy they were.
Now, I returned my attention to the barrier. My Phoenix already almost broke it, needing only a small push to finish the job, so I sent a few Glintstone Comets its way. And so, with an indescribable sound between flesh tearing and something breaking, the barrier shattered, revealing the tattered Luofu.
Teleporting directly inside, I found the space where Teng Xiao, Jingliu, and some Herrschers were fighting Shuhu, and appeared there. With a quick glance, I could see that everyone was mostly fine; at least there were no casualties. My arrival made everyone turn to me, but before their faces could light up with joy, they noticed my state.
I was wearing my Raiment, already looking rather imposing, but now it was covered by marks of Night Warrior, glowing with Divine Moonlight, invoking both a feeling of sacredness and indifference. My eyes also shone with Divinity, a white glow mixing Moonlight and my own light. Even my hair shimmered slightly, especially the purple endings that appeared to merge into the starry sky.
-"Eno! Let's deal with this monster."-Teng Xiao rushed forward.
His words made me focus on the Shuhu, my Phoenix already rushing at them. I, meanwhile, planted my standard in the void I was standing on, my emotionless voice echoing around as I chanted the Thirteen Strictures.
~"The enemy must not be an elemental."
~"Approved."
~"The battle must be one against evil."
~"Approved."
~"The battle must be for truth."
~"Approved."
~"One's comrades-in-arms must be courageous."
~"Approved."
~"The battle must not be against one pure of heart."
~"Approved."
~"The battle must demonstrate one's ideals."
~"Approved."
With six seals undone, I couldn't use Rhongomyniad's True Name, only its power as an A++ Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm, but it still was something to fear, especially with the amount of power I was imparting in it. Raising my crystal hand up, I slowly lowered it as I chanted.
~"Split the heavens and tether the earth, anchor of the storm. O'light, may you be released from the ends of the world."~My hand pointed at Shuhu being held back by Teng Xiao.~"Rhongomyniad."
From the space above, a pillar of light descended on Shuhu, enveloping its twisting form entirely. But it couldn't destroy them instantly; instead, it slowly annihilated them. No matter how it screamed or twisted, they couldn't escape Rhongomyniad range; their suffering only intensified. As they slowly disintegrated, I felt Bianka approach me.
-"Eno?"
I turned to her, but didn't speak; my glowing eyes telling her what she wanted to know. She put her palm on my cheek and leaned forward, touching our foreheads. Instantly, I felt an influx of emotions from her: worry, happiness, relief, and love that overpowered all those before. Even in my Divine state, such intense feelings caused me to be dazed, my own emotions rapidly returning to me.
-"Bianka?"-I blinked a few times.
-"It's me."-She smiled, glad that her power could bring me back.
Not speaking anymore, I kissed her, ignoring the situation around us. We separated a few seconds later, various gazes still focused on us. Mei and Ana were mostly revealed, but also a little jealous; Veliona, Misteln, Rin, and Kiana had no relief, only pure jealousy over the relationship I had with Bianka. Other girls such as Bronya, Maria, Angelia, Rita, or Seele showed looks of mostly happiness or slight teasing; our relationships were still more like friends than anything else.
There were also Jingliu and Teng Xiao. Jingliu watched me with a slightly blank stare; I could feel that her state of mind was somewhat chaotic after such an intense fight, but I could also feel real happiness from her. She finally achieved the revenge she longed for. Teng Xiao situation was more complicated; his eyes held pure teasing, but this was only to cover a profound exhaustion hidden beneath.
Using the power of Emanator for so long is not easy, and with his age, it was even harder to achieve. His previously black hair had now turned mostly grey; his face was covered in wrinkles; and even his posture was no longer straight, but he had to lean on his blade.
-"Well, well, well."-He laughed.-"It's good to be young. You should learn from your students, Jingliu."
-"We'll see."-She nodded lightly, still feeling a little lost.
-"But it would seem that your predictions aren't always so accurate, Eno."-Teng Xiao addressed me.
-"I hope so."-I showed a slight smile.-"If we truly can change something that is a predestined fact, then I'll be truly elated."
-"What else could possibly…"-He started speaking but was interrupted by a loud rumble.
Everyone instantly turned their attention toward the Ambrosial Arbor in the distance. There, a previously clear sky turned into a tempest; the rain fell so intensely that it seemed as if it was trying to drown everyone.
-"You jinxed it."
-"Shit. Dragon's Delirium?!"-Teng Xiao cursed, his eyes burning with anger.
-"Dan Feng?!"-Jingliu also understood what was going on, rushing there directly.
-"You are in no state to continue fighting."-I stopped Teng Xiao, who tried to follow.-"Focus on restoring order and commanding Cloud Knights. I'll go and help."
He nodded, but his face was grim.
When we arrived, the situation wasn't beyond saving, but it was bad; no, it was outright tragic. Most of the Cloud Knights stationed here were injured, but with no deaths, they would recover. But the problem was not them.
The problem was the figure in the center of the ruined surroundings, the familiar Foxian, Baiheng. Her body was battered, with many cuts and injuries, but the real issue was the wound to her head. With blood pooling beneath her, I teleported to her side while taking Seele with me. She didn't object to me picking her up; instead, she fully focused on saving Baiheng, but her face soon turned gloomy.
-"She…"-She looked at me with tears in her eyes.
-"Heal her."-I just told her, Divinity appearing in my eyes once again.
Using everything I could, from the power of my Emanatorship and divinity, to burning the memories of my Samsara cycles and overdrawing power from Azure Dream at risk of harm, I forcefully brought her soul back to her body. Yet this tragedy was far from over.