Chapter 215: Return to One, Broken by Two
Laughter erupted from my chest, wild and thunderous, as I watched Marcus crash through the trees like a broken javelin. Branches snapped. Bark exploded. Dust and leaves scattered in a chaotic storm of his descent.
“That looked like it hurt,” I muttered, grinning wide.
Silver screeched beneath me, wings flaring out.
I leaned forward and gave the mental command. Instantly, he caught the wind and rose, our crimson mist swirling violently behind us. The higher we soared, the stronger the gales became, and soon we were circling like vultures above the crash site, the mist trailing us in a bleeding spiral.
Below, Marcus stirred, debris tumbling off his body. He stood up slowly, blood streaking down his chin, eyes burning with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at me and bellowed, “What kind of man hides behind a beast?! Fight me on your own, coward!”
I chuckled and crossed my arms, standing effortlessly on Silver’s back.
“Old man, you’re already out of breath and now you’re senile too?” My voice carried clearly in the air. “Try not to break your hip charging at me.”
Marcus roared like a beast himself and bolted forward, his feet skimming the forest floor. He gathered speed with terrifying precision, and then, in a flash of essence, his body shot straight upward, a blur of silver steel and momentum.
I narrowed my eyes. “Here he comes.”
As he neared, the air split open with the scream of his blade. A whirl of sword light spun around him. Dozens—no, hundreds—of slashes layered on top of each other, forming a single devastating arc.
“Return to One,” Marcus growled.
The slashes fused mid-air into a wide, silvery crescent slash that tore through the sky with tremendous speed.
Silver screeched and flared his wings. Four sharp wind vortexes exploded around him and launched countless wind blades forward like a horizontal storm of knives.
But it wasn’t enough.
The crescent slash carved through the wind as if it was paper. Every blade shattered on contact. The attack didn’t stop—it came straight for us, glowing brighter with each foot it closed.
“Shit.” I snapped my fingers and extended my palm. Essence surged through my spine, and the air shimmered.
[Spatial Shield].
A wide, translucent barrier expanded between us and the slash, layers folding like glass walls.
The attack hit a moment later. The shield rippled, cracked, held—and then shattered in a cascade of fractured light.
Silver banked hard to the side, letting out a screech. I staggered from the turbulence and then—
The edge of the slash slammed into Silver’s side.
A roar of pain echoed across the sky.
Crimson mist splattered across the air as a deep gash tore across his left flank. I gritted my teeth, my vision flashing red as our bond transferred a sliver of that pain directly into me. My muscles spasmed, a searing ache running down my ribs.
“Damn it,” I hissed, voice trembling.
But Silver didn’t stop.
His wings flapped once—twice—and then we surged upward again, flying higher than before. From above, we turned like a diving hawk, wind ripping at our bodies as we fell in a spiraling descent straight toward Marcus.
My feet crackled with lightning. I bent low, my knees glowing with charged energy as I funneled Essence into them. My staff rotated in my hand as I spun it once, and channeled Essence into it to increase its weight.
I directly transferred 40 units of Essence to Strength making the stat cross 550 at once. My body adjusted to the new changes as i felt my body heat from the sheer lightning, compression and strength surging through it.
The staff grew heavier in my grip, its form pulsing with volatile arcs of lightning. Sparks wrapped around my shoulders and streamed from my hair, which floated like it was submerged in a thundercloud.
“Let’s end this,” I growled.
Silver screamed as we closed in, his entire form glowing crimson. Just above Marcus, I launched myself off Silver’s back—lightning propelling me forward like a human bolt.
I raised the staff high, lightning spiraling across its length, the air humming with unbearable tension.
“[Blitz Hakai]!”
I brought the staff down.
From below, Marcus glared at me, blood streaking across his jaw but eyes full of fire. His blade swept across his body in a defensive arc. Slashes formed in layers—a web of steel.
“[Hundred Folds]!”
Dozens of sword strikes layered atop one another, creating a net of energy between us.
And then we collided.
The crash was apocalyptic.
Lightning and blade struck, the explosion sending shockwaves through the canopy. The net held—glimmering with overlapping slashes—but it buckled under the pressure of my descending strike.
Then, with a piercing screech, Silver unleashed a crimson beam from above. The blinding shot of concentrated wind and Essence slammed into the net just as my staff descended.
The combined force was overwhelming.
The sword web shattered like glass under a hammer.
My staff carved through it all like divine punishment, the lightning coiling in arcs as it struck Marcus square in the chest.
The impact split the ground open. Earth ruptured. Trees fell away. A crater bloomed at the center of the impact zone.
Marcus was embedded in the dirt, unconscious, sword buried a few feet away.
I landed swiftly in the crater, staff still crackling, body scorched with steam.
Silver landed beside me a second later, limping, his wing tucked close. But his eyes gleamed with pride. We had done it. Together.
My eyes scanned his body—specifically the wound on his side. It was already knitting itself back together, the red mist coiling around the torn flesh like sentient gauze. Despite the damage he’d taken, Silver looked majestic. His massive form was cloaked in swirling crimson mist, giving him an almost ethereal presence.
I smirked and called out, “That was awesome, wasn’t it?”
But he didn’t respond. His eyes remained locked onto Marcus.
My smile faded. I furrowed my brows, feeling something strange and… dark, rippling through the bond. A sharp, unfamiliar emotion pressed against my awareness, like a whispered urge trying to crawl into the front of my mind.
And then it clicked.
He wanted to devour Marcus.
I blinked, confused. What the hell was he thinking? The urge didn’t feel mindless—it was deliberate, focused. Almost instinctive.
“Silver,” I called out, more firmly.
Finally, he turned his head toward me. Our eyes met and just like that, the devouring intent vanished. Snuffed out like a candle.
I exhaled slowly, unsettled.
So this was part of the bond too… It wasn’t just power and connection. There were instincts—urges—that bled into each other. I didn’t understand all of it yet, but one thing was clear:
I’d need to be careful.
I rolled my shoulder and approached Marcus. He was unconscious, sprawled in a crater of his own making. I grabbed him by the collar, stuffed his sword into my storage ring, and hauled his body over my shoulder.
Without a word, I hopped onto Silver’s back.
“Let’s go.”
His wings flared, and within moments, we were climbing high into the sky. The wind howled past as Silver banked upward, cutting through clouds with ease. I directed him to stay above the cover of clouds, just in case any more Holts or scouts were nearby.
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!