The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"The butcher?" The envoys all turned pale, struck by the fear of the very mention of that name. They all retreated a step away from Adam, his gleeful smile still wide across his face. Oscar never knew how much fear the reputation of the butcher had on the people of the Burning Valley until seeing these proud envoys lose their wits. It was as expected of the one who had even the Four Lords up in arms and vigilant.

"Young lord. Is this the backing you mentioned?" Fenu whispered from behind; his voice trembled even more than when Oscar told him his goal of dethroning the Four Lords. The old wolf's reaction was funny to behold. "I never imagined you were with the butcher. I've heard all the rumors of the massacres he's done, offending the Four Lords. I can smell the thick presence of blood surrounding him."

"You know him well. Yes. I am with the butcher, but I would not have the confidence with just him. There are far more terrifying people backing us." Oscar unmounted Erden and faced his ten captains and Fenu. Their faces were a mix of awe and fear. The fear wasn't toward the envoys anymore as their stares were fixed on Adam. Oscar crossed his arms and lifted his chin. "Do any of you have any more doubts or second thoughts? I told you before. Follow me and witness the new change."

"But, Boss. Is our victory certain?" Desmond asked.

Looking at his first captain, Oscar gestured toward the envoys and Adam, who were about to start fighting. His sight passed over to Arc, the second captain, and the rest. He leaned on Erden and relaxed, watching Adam and the envoys. "Watch the battle and see. Judge for yourself if our victory is set or not."

He said so for his captains and Fenu. But, truly, he had the same misgivings as them about the chances of their victory. The leader of any group could not afford to show signs of weakness or hesitation, so he continued to bluff. This battle was important to get a read on his chances. Seeing Adam's relaxed shoulders and wide smile, Oscar wanted to see what could make this man get serious and what Adam's true powers were like.

'If a time comes when I have to fight Adam, I need to know everything.' Oscar nodded to Avril, who also kept her eyes on Adam. Two observers were better than one. Finally, Adam took a light step forward.

"Why is the butcher here? Are you truly the butcher or someone taking his name?" An envoy asked, pointing at Adam with a frown. "We are the envoys of the Lord of Brightburn. You dare to block our way?"

"Hah…how boring. Just fight." Adam scoffed, shrugging his shoulders from the boredom, his face a mix of anger and disappointment. He put on a pair of brass knuckles, heavy metal stamps lining his clenched fists. Their flat and broad surfaces appeared deadlier than a thousand blades and spikes in Adam's hands. "I fought many people in the Burning Valley but never an envoy. I wonder how strong or special envoys are for them to be granted the responsibility of the outer regions. Will you fight or run?"

"Butcher or rebel, you've crossed the line several times. Your head will be a great gift to the Lord of Brightburn." The envoys took out their weapons and summoned their animas. Two had spear animas, one had a whip anima, one had an elephant anima, the size was staggering, and the last had a praying mantis anima, large as a human. The elephant Exalt took out an arrow while the praying mantis anima wielded two swords.

"Oh! Not bad. How nice! It seems this battle won't be as disappointing as I thought." Adam's smile deepened, curling up into his cheeks, making his face contort. Oscar wanted to shout as his Prinstyct foresaw a movement, but the action already went out. A series of Ein arrows flew out toward Adam, and the elephant anima released a sudden gust from its trunk, increasing the speed of the arrows.

Adam didn't lose his smile as his fist released a countering Ripple Shroud, sounding like thunder, which dispersed the empowered arrows. Oscar couldn't believe how much impact the Ripple Shroud had. Adam's limbs were coated in the Pseudo-Guise to block the next blow. A powerful force of wind blasted from the elephant's trunk.

Crossing his arms, Adam withstood the wind without a scratch, the defenses of Pseudo-Guise holding on well. The others surrounded Adam, an all-out assault from all angles. The whip user had a beast companion, an armadillo. The beast rolled itself into a hardened ball, which was wrapped by the whip and tossed with a snap. The two Middle Knight Exalts who wielded swords attacked with all of their Ein concentrated into the tips, fierce slashes of flames and light raining on Adam. The praying mantis anima and its master moved as one, a strange four-sword style empowered by the element of earth.

Various spells tore through the air and erupted from the earth, all converging on Adam. Oscar lost his breath at this spectacle, this amazing scene of powerful spells and overwhelming Ein mixing. Yet, within this deadly combination and encirclement, Adam's smile never lost an inch, shining within the chaos. His laughter echoed as Pillars of lightning descended.

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What happened was unbelievable. Even with his Prinstyct, Oscar found it hard to understand. In that small instant, before the spells and attacks could reach him, Adam blurred and punched out several times, letting some attacks through for him to redirect. Gasps could be heard as the dust settled, revealing several envoys falling several steps back and one clenched tightly in Adam's grip. Adam's other hand was stretched behind him, grasping a flaming sword between the fingers.

"Pretty good. You realized you couldn't retreat. So, you controlled your sword to fly around to the back of my neck. Most impressive, but still too dull." Adam leaned in with his maniacal smile, overwhelming the envoy in his hand. Oscar noted how the fighters of the center region were vastly better in tactics during a battle. He sighed, wondering if his training was on par with his forces to match theirs.

"Don't be too pleased with yourself!" The envoy choked through his words. Set aflame, the envoy's body let out a burst of golden flames from the frontside, head to toe, facing Adam. The sword behind Adam had fiery glints along its edges before a pure concentrated slash of fire, closer to magma, expanded to attack from behind.

The large explosion quaked the earth and sky. An expanding column of ash and soot flowed upward to the clouds. Yet despite the rumbling of the earth and hissing of fire, Oscar heard the clear snap of something being broken. Under Oscar's widened gaze, Adam stepped out from the back clouds as if taking a leisurely walk in the park. Adam was terrifying, holding the envoy whose head was angled weirdly from the rest of the body.

Adam coughed and dropped the envoy to the floor. The envoy's neck was bent out of shape and bleeding profusely. Streaks of lightning covered Adam as he yawned while fixing his wild hair. "That's right. It isn't worth a battle unless you have someone as crazy as that. Still, how annoying, he ruined my hair."

"Bastard!" An envoy shouted.

"I gave you your chances to attack first. Now it's my turn." Adam laughed. Lightning churned under his feet, increasing the speed of his invisible movements. He appeared right before the second Middle Knight Exalt, who put up multiple screens of light as a defense. Adam punched before the poor envoy could even move away, a thunderous shockwave shattering the light. His lightning brass knuckles dug into the envoy's chest and burst out the other side.

"That's the lesser ones down. Now, it's your turn. My fellow Greater Knight Exalts." Adam blocked and deflected the armadillo, arrows, elephant trunks, four swords of the praying mantis user, and whips. He seemed like an impregnable fortress. Lightning condensed in Adam's chest and exploded into a spreading storm, encompassing everything within his range. The armadillo was locked into place, and Adam easily crushed it between his hands, a choked squeal coming from its mouth. He pulled the whip and smashed his fist in the wielder's skull, a mess of blood, skull, and lightning splattering everywhere.

The praying mantis user continued his onslaught with his four-sword style. His face was contorted with trembling eyes, the same face of fear Oscar saw on his captains before the battle started. Adam dodged the many twisting and powerful winds of the elephant user as he grappled with the four swords. Initially, the swords seemed numerous with the many slashes, but Adam fought faster, his fists and legs multiplying within bare sight. Such speed put the praying mantis user on the backfoot despite the spells of earth targeted at Adam's footing.

"How are you not affected by the gravity increase?!" The envoy cried.

"Lukewarm. Next time, use it a thousandfold. That might make my shoulders ache." Rather than being slowed, Adam struck faster. His movements blurred until he suddenly stopped. The praying mantis anima cracked apart, and the envoy's head flew off his body. Adam turned to the last envoy. His maniacal smile sent chills down Oscar's spine.

The last envoy focused all of their Ein into a final spell. A hurricane came forth, surrounding him and the elephant anima. The ground was diced and sliced into nothing from the harsh winds. To make it worse, the envoy filled the hurricane with Ein arrows, a deadly combination. He made a last desperate charge to everything concentrated, spiraling around the elephant's tusks.

"That's the spirit! That's how it should be!" All of the Pseudo-Guise focused and concentrated on Adam's brass knuckles. Adam stomped and readied his fist. At his release, all the Eirin exploded out in a wave of calamity. The winds were halted, the arrows turned to dust, and the elephant broke apart. The envoy couldn't muster a scream, their mouth still trying to widen as their body was torn to shreds.

"Geez. They didn't last too long. Their reputation was exaggerated greatly. They had some good moments but were ultimately trash who hadn't had to fight real battles in a while. You can loot them and keep their possessions." Adam fixed his bow tie and redid his hair. He turned to face Oscar. "So, are we ready? Maybe the only ones who can satisfy me are the Four Lords."

"Come on in. We'll review our plan." Oscar sighed. The envoys were a mix of grade fives and sixes, yet nothing compared to Adam. It was a shame that they didn't manage to pull out Adam's anima. What was Adam's grade? Seeing the content look on Adam's face, Oscar scoffed and turned around to face his captains. "Is everyone onboard?"

"Yes, Lord Demon!" The captains and Fenu bowed. "Welcome to the butcher."

"Then, tomorrow, we set out to Brightburn City. We will change the Burning Valley." Oscar led Adam inside the fortress. The eleven months of preparation were finally over. His heart quickened in anticipation. Tomorrow would make or break everything.

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