Chapter 191 The Unfulfilled Promise (1/2)

Up high in the thin atmosphere of Frie Mountain, dozens of flying beasts rained down elements upon the clan under siege. Pincered on all fronts, the valiant fighters of the Frie Clan used all that they had to push back the ten thousand strong Spirit Beast horde at their doorsteps. Protecting all that they held dear, the warriors fought on and on, until their hands turned red as blood flowed out from their veins and onto their weapons.

Slash. Hack. Slice. Stab. Burn. Rinse and repeat. The Frie Clan, which had been turtled in for nearly fifteen years, had once again returned to their roots as a battle clan. The flames of war burnT savagely through their eyes as they reverted back to their ghastly selves. However, this time, instead of killing thousands of innocent souls, they were slaying vicious beasts that hungered for their scrumptious meat.

Among those that were being protected by the warriors of the Frie Clan, Ariel and the orphans were seeking refuge in the Second Elder's safe house, as per Linus' request. Naturally, when the youngsters of the Second Elder's division first saw the orphans barging into their place for protection, many of them scowled in irritation, and some of them had even heckled for the orphans to leave. Unfortunately, Linus didn't appreciate any of those comments made, reprimanding those who dared to speak their minds. To him, protecting the orphans was a much higher priority than respecting the opinions of those who discriminated against them.

With the Second Elder's grandson and Ariel, the most famous junior in the Frie Clan, on the orphans side, there was nothing much that the dissidents could do but frown in frustration.

”Sorry for that, sister Lily… If there's anyone who tries to cause trouble with you, feel free to let me know!” Linus reassured the leader of the orphans, tapping his chest twice.

”Y-Yeah… Thank you...” However, before Lily could express her full gratitude, a massive tremor shook the teenagers off their feet as a shockwave caused the entire safehouse to tremble.

Falling to the floor, the teenagers braced themselves for the possible impact, but the sturdiness of the safehouse proved to be too good. At that moment, there was no distinction between the orphans and the members from the main bloodline, as everyone huddled together. Only after the shaking had stopped, did they begin to separate.

”What happened?” Ariel curiously asked, her eyes sparkled akin to that of an inquisitive cat. Moving forward from her crouched position, the young girl opened up the stone door, only to reveal a humongous mushroom cloud that resembled a dying rose.

”The Clan Master's Final Petal!!!” Leon exclaimed in horror.

”Brother Leon, you know what is that?”

”Yeah, the Clan Master's most powerful ability… It is said that anyone unlucky enough to be targeted by that ability, they would be instantly vaporised and anything within a kilometre radius would be utterly burnt to a crisp! To think the Clan Master would use it now...” Leon patiently explained to those present. Evidently, he knew much more about the Clan Master's abilities than the average person.

”The battle is really getting out of hand… Look! There are even flying beasts circling around the mountain!” Ariel watched the skies, careful to pick out the menace that had been terrorising the Frie Clan.

”We should return… There's no point in us being out here… We're too weak to influence anything.” Linus sorrowfully sighed. As the Second Elder's grandson, many expectations were being mounted upon him. The pressure to succeed in his grandfather's steps, the pressure to be better than Ariel, and finally, the pressure to mend the broken relationship that his grandfather had with the orphans. If he were stronger, if he were as strong as Lady Seph or any other Spirit Emperor, perhaps he would be able to inflict change upon the now torn clan.

”Linus is right… Ariel, let's return.” Lily shook her head as she pulled on the sleeves of her dear friend.

”Yeah… Wait! Lily, watch out!!!” Noticing that something had gone awry, Ariel summoned out her Lava Warhammer in a split second and pushed the blue-haired girl away from her body.

~~~

”Damn it!!! Damn it!!! DAMN IT!!!!! I CAN'T FIND LILY AND THE OTHERS!!!!” Junius screamed out in his head. After circling the mountain a few times, he was unable to even find a single clue about the whereabouts of his precious family. During the one and a half years that he was missing, Junius had been desperately training, so that one day, he would be able to reunite the bloodline of the Awter Clan. However, to do so, he needed to snatch Shin from the mighty Spirit Emperor that was Lady Seph, and he had to somehow rescue the orphans from the heavily guarded Frie Mountain.

The first part of the puzzle was completed when he sneaked into Chilyoja Waypoint and lured Shin into the sewers, where the Black Masks knocked him out. The subsequent part though was the more onerous task. There was no way for him to bring out the orphans, especially when they were under such tight surveillance in the clan. With no means to bring the orphans out, all he could do was bide his time and wait for the perfect opportunity.

And the perfect opportunity came.

Of all people, the Allfather ordered the rescue of the orphans from Frie Mountain and had even supplied the resources that the survivors of the Awter Clan needed to retrieve said orphans. When Junius first heard the news, he was beyond elated. The day that he had dreamed about for so long was finally becoming a reality. Once all the survivors of the Awter Clan were recovered, they could all bond together and grew stronger in the organisation that gave them a second lease in life. Yet, in his current state, he was unable to even find a single trace of where his loved ones might be at.

And the clock was ticking.

If Junius did not find the remaining orphans within the next few minutes, the order to retreat would come, forcing him to leave the mountain empty-handed. After this event, there was not a doubt in Junius' mind that a such a godsent chance would repeat itself. Should they fail this mission, the Frie Clan would double their defences, and might even call in forces from the Himmel Empire to protect them. Not to mention, after Vellan had revealed his identity as a remnant of the Clan that they had once eradicated, the Frie Clan might do unspeakable things to the orphans that lived on the mountain. To prevent that from happening, Junius desperately sought to rescue them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he searched, the viridian-haired teenager couldn't find even a single trace of where they could be.

”Junius… It's time… We have received the order to retreat...” One of the Black Masks finally worded out the news that Junius had no interest in hearing. ”The First Elder has returned and the Second Elder will be reaching within moments. Our mission to rescue the orphans has to be forfeited.”

”No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!!!! Just give me a few more minutes to find them. Just a few more minutes!”

”Junius! Give up! We can't be selfish! We aren't just free Awter Clansmen anymore… We… We are in the Black Masks… The Allfather's orders are absolute.” Although he too was reluctant to leave without saving the orphans, the Black Mask that Junius was with knew that disobeying orders in the organisation was tantamount to insubordination, which carried severe punishments.

”Please… We can't just leave them here… We can't just...” Fearing the worst for the remaining orphans living on the mountain, Junius' eyes overflowed with tears. Once the battle was over, there was no way that the Frie Clan, which had already been discriminating the orphans, would simply leave them be. After all, the people that caused them to lose this many lives on this day were the same people that shared their blood. Just imagining what horrors the Frie Clan might put his beloved Lily through, sent shivers up Junius' spine.

In his wallowing grief, the young teenager looked down from his flying mount one last time. Overwhelmed with anxious emotions, he realised that he had been over the Second Elder's abode this entire time. Junius eyes turned red as he gritted his teeth. Remembering the injustices that the Second Elder had inflicted upon the orphans and himself, the disquietude that Junius possessed soon transformed in raging hate. Many grievances that the orphans had suffered from could be traced back to the senile old man that held one of the highest position in the clan.

Of every member from the main bloodline, only juniors from the Second Elder's division were sent to bully the orphans. Furthermore, during the Harvest Festival Mission, the person behind the attempt on Shin's life and the cause of Junius' severe injuries back then, was the Second Elder. Finally, to keep the peace in the clan, Shin and Junius were exiled to Chilyoja Waypoint, where they barely got to meet with the ones they cared for the most. Nearly every bad memory that Junius had could be traced back to the Second Elder and his deplorable followers that terrorised his childhood.

”Before we leave… Can we just do one last thing?” A darkness that Junius had hidden away for his entire life began to emerge, as he hatched a sinister plot. His eyes turned muddied as the tears dried up and all that remained was a seething hatred, one of the likes he had never felt before. 'If the world won't do any justice, I will enact it myself.'

”What is it?”

”You know how the Frie Clan murdered our kin in cold blood? Not even sparing the those that are unable to fight?”

”Yeah?”

”Let's do the same…” As if turning into a different person, Junius coldly stared at the numerous safe houses that lay under him.

~~~

”Huh? This mana signature is...” On top of the enlarged Bingbing, Lady Seph felt a peculiar mana source heading straight in her direction. From a distance, a bright red light was speeding right towards Frie Mountain, not willing to stop for anything. ”Hoho, that's why the Black Masks decided to attack huh?”

”Master?” Noticing the same exact red light, Shin tilted his head in confusion.

”Have a good look as he comes closer...”

”Hmmm?” Taking heed of his Master's advice, Shin waited for the bright red light to come closer to the flying Bingbing.

When it finally noticed Shin and Lady Seph, the light steered from its original course and stopped right beside the Tier 8 Spirit Beast. From within the light, an elderly man, who seemed to be one step in his grave, emerged out and gave Shin an empty stare. Once the black-haired youth noticed who he was facing, his jaw dropped in shock. Throughout the time where he was trapped in the Black Masks' lair, he had heard many stories about the relationship between the Frie Clan and Awter Clan. Furthermore, the First Elder also had explained the story from his perspective. However, no matter which side he heard it from, they all painted the Second Elder as this bitter individual who only wished to utterly annihilate the Awter Clan.

The Second Elder absolutely loathed the orphans. Especially Shin, the person who carried the bloodline of Errol Awter, the man who murdered his only son. Watching as the black-haired youth slowly hid from his line of sight, the Second Elder scoffed as he spat out a mouthful of saliva to the side. As much as he wanted to kill Shin, with Lady Seph and Bingbing in his way, there was no chance that he could even lay a single finger on the poor youth.

”Ash, do you really think this is the time to intimidate my disciple? Your clan is under heavy fire!” Lady Seph squinted her eyes in disgust as she watched the actions of the battle-hardened High Elder. Being a Spirit Emperor that specialise in healing, she was far from being a decent match for the Second Elder, who was the champion of a thousand battles. Nevertheless, if he were to start a fight just so that he could kill off Shin, there was no way that Lady Seph would sit there and do nothing.

”...” Clearly not amused by Lady Seph's poisonous words, the Second Elder resisted a tantalising temptation to strike. He wasn't a fan of how Lady Seph backed the First Elder and Clan Master so dealing with her and Shin would be killing two birds with one stone. However, deep down, he knew that Lady Seph's words held some merit.

”...” Shin, on the other hand, hadn't moved a single inch since the Second Elder's arrival.

A mixture of fear and guilt weighed upon his young heart, as he recollected the bitter memories that he had of the Second Elder. The Second Elder was nothing short of a terror during his childhood and had been the perpetrator for many of his saddest days. Yet, after learning the truth, Shin could somewhat understand where the Second Elder was coming from. Of course, Shin still hated the bloody old man to his absolute core and the fact that the Second Elder was still trying to kill him made Shin want to stab the retard in the stomach a million times over. However, even if it was just a little bit, Shin could understand why the Second Elder would try to kill the son of his worst nemesis.

”Tskkk!” Realising that he was just wasting precious time, the Second Elder decided to continue on straight to the mountain, which was just a stone's throw away. At this distance, even Shin, with his low cultivation level, could see the damaged houses littered all over the place he once called home.

However, before the Second Elder could continue his descent, multiple crimson lights rained down upon the helpless abode, terrorising the lives of those who stayed in it. For some reason, the Second Elder simply levitated mid-air, his eyes trembling as his body failed to listen to his orders. Tracing the direction of the Second Elder's gaze, Shin found out what had caused such a drastic change in the elderly man's demeanour.

Linus, Leon, Ariel and the rest of the orphans, were busy protecting themselves from the skyborne flying mounts and the Black Masks that were raining down hell upon them. Ella and Emma, the twin Ice Bows users, were shooting out elemental arrows at a frantic rate, hoping to shoot down the beams of elemental energy that was bombarding the buildings. Ariel and Lily were responsible for protecting the weaker Spirit Practitioners such as Elyse and Max; and finally, Linus himself was putting his body in grave danger by protecting the orphans that he pulled into his safe house.

'Why are Elyse and the rest with Linus?! Why is Ariel not in her own safe house?!' Numerous questions flowed through Shin's mind at the time. In his current state, he didn't care about the Awter or Frie Clan. All he cared about was the safety of his loved ones.

Coming back to his senses, Shin attempted to urge Bingbing to rush forward. However, before he could do just that, a particular hooded figure caught his eye. In his hand, there was an obsidian water blade that gleamed with the darkest of shadows. Beside him, many Black Masks were preparing to launch a final attack that would decimate everyone who stood below them, regardless of their affiliation. Although his face was concealed, Shin could clearly tell the identity of the hooded figure.

”JUNIUS!!!! NOOOOO!!!!”

~~~

”Ariel! You saved me!” Watching as a concentrated spiritual attack brushed past her body, Lily thanked the scarlet-haired girl for her quick reactions.

”Sister Ariel! What's going on?!” Linus came out with a concerned cry.

”Looks like they're coming for us… The Spirit Beasts in the air are preparing to blow away this entire estate!” Ariel exclaimed in horror.

Above the entire Second Elder's abode, there were dozens of flying mounts that were concentrating their mana to deal one final blow to the clan. In fact, the Black Masks that were on some of them were doing the same.

”What are we going to do?!” Max shivered in fear as his face went as pale as a sheet. Among the orphans, only Max, Fionn, Elyse and Jacob were still at the Spirit Practitioner realm. For the weaker Spirit Practitioners that were emotionally immature, when faced with the possibility of imminent death, all that they could do was watch as power was drained from their entire bodies.

”Seek cover! Us Spirit Apostles will try to deflect as many attacks as we can!” Ariel hollered out, as she gave a suggestion on the best course of action. Readying her Lava Warhammer, all the remaining Spirit Apostles followed her lead and brought out their indomitable Spirits to fight off the deadly threat.

”Ariel… If things go wrong… Save yourself! I can't let the orphans drag you down!” Lily was well aware of her bosom friend's loyalty towards the orphan division. If push comes to shove, Ariel might abandon her safety, just so that she could save a single orphan, and that didn't sit well with the blue-haired maiden. ”You're the pride of the Frie Clan! I can't have you losing your life here.”

”Sister Lily… One more word of filth out from your mouth, and I'll sew it shut myself!”

”Ariel!!! I'm serious! You can't risk your life for us! You are...”

”Stop underestimating me, Lily!” For the first time ever, Ariel dropped the honorific when addressing Lily, stunning the teenaged girl in the process.

”I am Ariel Frie! The future Clan Master of the Frie Clan! If I abandon my friends just so that I could save myself, I wouldn't be that much of a Clan Master would I?” Wearing the most radiant smile that Lily had ever seen, Ariel answered back.

”Ariel… Hah, looks like you're a hopeless cause huh?” Raising her Spirit up, Lily grinned bitterly as she prepared for the inevitable attack of the Black Masks.

”The same goes for you...”

As the youngsters retreated into safety, all of the Spirit Apostles gathered their mana as they watched the hailstorm of spiritual abilities come hurling down onto the concrete floor. Ella and Emma shot their elemental arrow, piercing through many fireballs that came crashing down while Ariel and Lily used everything that they had to protect the weaker members. Linus and Leon, who were both proficient in using speed, dashed from person to person, helping them evade as many bullets as they could. For a time period, it seemed that they would be able to hold on until help arrived.

Alas, destiny wasn't that kind.