337 Rest
Delia fought hard, even to the point of becoming as bloodied as Ri was on the outside.
She lost count of how many wind blades she had narrowly dodged and how many times her arms had threatened to shatter under the might of the saber, rod and hammer that constantly bombarded her.
And yet, she stood firm.
The truth was that Delia still had no idea whether her god level constitution was of the top three or of relatively normal stature… Without having awakened it fully, or even to a great enough extent, there was no real way to tell.
However, the way she fought now, anyone would be hard-pressed to label her as anything normal.
It seemed like she was awakening her own ferocity with every blow she parried and every strike she withstood. She thought of how much she wanted to see her dad become the man he used to be. She thought about how she wanted to bring her mother back under her very own power. She thought about how she wanted to be as mentally strong as someone she always thought of as her elder sister – Madeleine.
With every thought, her ice path slowly raised itself up, resonating with her constitution.
There were many paths to every will, each as important as the next. However, when one found the perfect path for them, the ease of progression was something to marvel at…
The Infinite Ice Hell constitution was within the top three without a doubt.
The Goddess’ Disposition provided unmatched purity and elegance. A wielder of such a constitution would reach the epitome of grace and gentleness. They would be caring and loving, but also soothing and gentle.
Elvin Queen’s Reign was slightly different. This was a path of sovereignty. A domineering and unyielding path. But, it also contained an undoubtable righteousness and fervent passion for good. A wielder of this constitution would be demanding but would have a heart as soft and delicate as the clouds.
However, Infinite Ice Hell was something completely different. It was a path of rage and endless permeation. A cold to the core mentality that refused to allow anything to escape it. This constitution allowed the ease of a path that many found unattainable within the ice wills… The path of the absolute.
The seeded geniuses began to shiver as the suddenly realized their wills and cultivation weren’t shaking off Delia’s ice as easily anymore.
Their actions had sealed her heart to emotion. The only thing Delia saw was an endless white that coated her vision… It was an endless white that she attributed to the death of her enemies. Her will was dominant and her ice was absolute.
**
Outside the maze, Ri was struggling on her own as well.
She tried to spur on her void will and tap into a next level like Delia had, but the truth was that Ri had been fighting much harder and the stress of the battle was much tougher on her than anyone else.
Not only had she carried the worry of Dyon with her for days before he relieved her of that, she had also pushed herself far past her limits afterwards.
The demon generals were essence gathering experts and demonic will cultivators. Their bodies had access to far more stamina than Ri’s did. However, much of the problem lied with the fact Ri had to fight at her best constantly to be of good use.
Although beating 6th and even 8th level meridian formation experts from their universe was very much easy to Ri, the experts of the same level from the Uidah universe were simply too much better… Ri had only just awakened to faith seed fully, she had stifled her will progression trying to follow a path that just wasn’t hers, and now she had to fight enemies of much higher cultivation than herself. It was simply too taxing…
So, when Ri noticed an essence gathering expert rushing toward her with a despicable grin playing on his features, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly to herself.
Her soul strength was already tapping out after a few minutes of using the Acacia family technique, her improved stamina was dropping even faster than that, and it seemed like even lifting the sword in her hand was too much effort.
Aeson watched from afar, trying to spear his way toward Ri much like the demon generals and Arios were. But, it seemed like the Uidah army only willingly opened up space for their comrade, and soon, he was right on top of Ri.
Knowing she was finally cornered, the basilisks finally took in a deep breath, pulling back to allow the Uidah soldier to deal with the rest. If Ri tried to teleport away now, there was no way the Uidah warrior would give her time to. There was simply too much of a difference between their cultivation and their stamina.
Ri breathed hard, her chest heaving through her reddened silver armor. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Everything on the battle field seemed to pause… This was probably the most important turning point. If Ri died, the alliance would fold. The Elves would lose a princess. The demon generals would lose another commander. The big sects would see their central figure… gone.
Evelyn watched this scene with a slight smile playing her features. It was as though what was happening was something Ri deserved. To her, what was the need to get involved? Her hatred for Dyon had clouded everything, even when she thought he was dead.
Akash tried to use her double headed spear to make her way over, but the Uidah army was simply out of her league.
Aeson, Arios and the demon generals weren’t fairing any better…
Everyone could only watch.
But, suddenly something odd happened. A smile spread across Ri’s face as she lifted her sword for her last stand. “Sacharro’s don’t lose…” She whispered to herself.
Yet… Despite her words… Ri’s stamina gave out.
Under her constant fighting, she had been able to distract herself from the fatigue. She ignored the pain of her sliced flesh and her crushed bones. She ignored the searing pain of her heart as is pumped wildly, trying to keep her upright. She ignored the fact she hadn’t even produced a single drop of sweat in days… Her body was tapped out.
And now, in this rare moment of pause and relaxation, it all hit her at once. All the pain, all the fatigue… Everything. And suddenly, she couldn’t stand anymore.
The elves and demon generals watched in horror as Ri’s eyes closed and her body fell forward.
“NO!”
No one had any concept of who uttered those words, but it seemed to be the thoughts of everyone.
They had watched their princess fight with her everything for months. And even now, her sword was raised high as she lost consciousness.
Ri’s greying tails retracted completely, her darkened hair returning to its previous blue-silver color.
But, she never hit the ground.
Everyone watched in shock as a handsome young man seemingly appeared from thin air, his back to the essence gathering expert.
Something had changed about him so fundamentally that it felt as though they were witnessing the appearance of a God amongst men.
The tattoos on his back glowed faintly with a golden hue as black flames slowly circulated around him, permeating such a scorching heat that even the Uidah army backed up, unwilling to get close.
Dyon’s heart shook in anger as he held the fragile Ri in his arms. Her face held such a peaceful smile that one could almost forget the damage she had sustained.
Picking her up, Dyon nestled Ri into his chest, circulating his celestial will and aurora as he slowly healed her.
Before, the battlefield had only held the semblance of silence – it was a state that had still held the clanking of swords and the raging of battle… It was just much quieter than before. But, now? Everyone seemed locked in place. Even the big sect members had turned from their battle with Delia to focus on the appearance of this young man.
Dyon lowered his head, kissing Ri’s forehead softly as she shifted in her sleep to lie more comfortably in his arms. His actions couldn’t have been more gentle. He treated her so delicately that it was impossible to conclude that she was anything but extraordinarily precious to him.
“You’ve done enough. I’m here now… I’ll handle the rest.”