The journey toward the Ironhart settlement took considerably less time than I expected.
The token Gerald had given me proved far more useful than it initially appeared. It never revealed a destination directly, nor did it project maps or pathways through the Soul Sea. Instead, it simply continued pulling me forward with unwavering certainty.
Whenever I drifted off course, the fragment of light trapped within the crystal adjusted itself. Whenever I changed direction, it corrected me. The farther I traveled, the stronger the pull became.
Eventually the token led me toward a section of the Soul Sea that appeared completely ordinary. There were no islands. No hidden formations visible to perception or any signs of life whatsoever.
Only silver waters stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
I slowed to a stop. The token immediately brightened. Then a circular symbol emerged from its surface.
Runes.
They spread across the crystal before extending outward into the surrounding space. The water beneath me trembled slightly and space itself seemed to shift.
A portal appeared in the place.
I smiled.
"I suppose this is it."
Without hesitation, I stepped through. The transition lasted less than a second. When my vision stabilized once more, I found myself standing within an endless grassland.
For several moments I simply looked around.
The sky above was bright. The grass stretched endlessly in every direction. A gentle breeze moved across the landscape, causing waves of green to ripple toward distant horizons.
There were no mountains or even any other structure.
Just grass. Endless grass.
The place felt strangely peaceful. My first instinct was to extend my perception but nothing happened.
I frowned.
Then tried again.
Still nothing.
The familiar connection to my soul force remained absent. Immediately my expression changed. That wasn’t normal. Ever since arriving in the Prime Territory there had been locations capable of suppressing abilities to varying degrees, but this was different.
The connection hadn’t weakened. It had disappeared. I attempted to summon soul force directly but there was no response. It was as though somebody had reached inside my body and disconnected an entire part of my existence.
For several seconds I stood there silently.
Then I laughed.
"Well."
The situation suddenly made considerably more sense. The Ironharts weren’t hiding because nobody could find them. The Ironharts were hiding because anybody who found them had to get through this first.
The realization had barely formed when movement appeared within the grass.
I shifted immediately. A dark figure burst upward from beneath the ground where I had been standing.
The blade cut through empty air as I shifted sideways at the last possible moment. Its owner landed smoothly several meters away, barely disturbing the grass beneath his feet. Black robes concealed the figure from head to toe while a deep hood hid every visible feature.
I couldn’t see a face, couldn’t determine whether I was looking at a man or woman, and couldn’t even identify the species beneath the cloak. Whoever these people were, they had gone to considerable effort to ensure that nothing about them could be recognized.
Before I could study the first attacker further, movement rippled through the grass surrounding me.
One figure became three.
Three became five.
Then eight.
The seemingly peaceful field erupted with activity as additional hooded figures emerged from concealment. Some rose from beneath the ground itself while others appeared from distortions hidden within the grass. Within moments I found myself surrounded by eight silent opponents arranged in a loose circle.
I looked around slowly.
"Friendly welcoming committee?"
Not a single person responded.
I sighed.
"I’ll take that as a no."
The moment the words left my mouth, the entire group moved. Four advanced directly while the remaining figures spread outward, immediately establishing angles that prevented simple escape routes.
Soul force surged around them. Mine remained completely inaccessible. The realization was mildly irritating.
The first attack didn’t come from a blade.
It came from the ground.
Roots exploded upward beneath my feet, twisting together into thick black tendrils reinforced by soul force. The attack wasn’t meant to injure me. It was meant to hold me in place.
At the same moment, a beam of crimson fire erupted from one of the attackers positioned further away. The attack crossed the battlefield almost instantly, transforming the air into a burning tunnel aimed directly at my chest.
But even without my soul force, my body and soul itself were strong enough to see their attacks in slow motion.
I stepped forward planting one foot on the rising roots and using them as leverage. My body launched into the air just as the fire beam crossed the location where I had been standing. The attack sliced through the grassland for hundreds of meters before disappearing into the distance.
Unfortunately, avoiding one attack simply placed me directly in the path of another.
A hooded figure appeared above me with a soul-force reinforced blade already descending toward my head.
I met the strike with my forearm. The impact echoed across the field. Pain shot through my arm immediately and directly hurt my soul.
Without access to soul force, I could feel the difference. The attacker felt it too. But I grabbed his wrist before he could retreat.
Then I pulled.
The figure flew toward me. My knee rose. The collision folded him nearly in half before launching him downward into the ground.
The remaining attackers adjusted instantly.
Soul blades began appearing from multiple directions. Beams of fire crossed through the air. More roots erupted from beneath the earth while another hooded figure formed dozens of floating spears above his head and launched them toward me.
The battlefield transformed into chaos.
One attacker thrust forward with a spear of condensed soul force. I shifted slightly, allowing the attack to pass my shoulder before grabbing the shaft and yanking the wielder forward. The second attacker attempted to exploit the opening, only for his companion’s body to crash directly into him.
Both figures lost balance.
A single punch sent them tumbling through the grass. Another barrage of attacks arrived.
This time I didn’t bother dodging everything.
A beam of fire rushed toward me. I simply punched through it. The explosion consumed my arm and shoulder momentarily before dispersing around me. Heat washed across my skin while the attacker responsible stared in disbelief.
I reached him before he could launch a second attack.
The strike lifted him completely off the ground and sent him flying across the field like a stone launched from a siege weapon. The battle continued for several more exchanges, but the outcome had already been decided.
Unfortunately, Transcendent rank opponents remained Transcendent rank opponents. Within less than a minute, bodies lay scattered throughout the grassland.
Some struggled to stand. Others remained unconscious. Several stared at me from craters they had personally introduced themselves to.
I remained standing in the center of the battlefield while the wind moved lazily through the grass.
Then I looked around.
"So."
My voice carried across the field.
"Who exactly are you people?"
None of them answered. I decided to give them some more treatment but before I could act the atmosphere changed.
The pressure arrived first. The grass bent outward as though something immense had suddenly entered the area.
Six new figures appeared.
Unlike the previous group, these newcomers didn’t emerge from hiding. They simply materialized.
The difference in strength was immediately obvious.
Soul force flowed around them in visible currents while the surrounding space subtly distorted under their presence. They were Saints.
"We can talk like civilised people. No need for such violence." I said. But they did not react again.