Chapter 144 (1/2)

Shal opened his eyes, putting his thoughts to the side. It was nearly time. It was impossible to see what was happening through the thick formations that choked off all outward sources of Aether, so it was possible that the disciple had foolishly spent his Aether early on, and had since died. His body would be perfectly preserved, but the spark of his life...

It would be a disappointment now, as Shal had spent this time gathering his thoughts for how they could manage to pull this off. And how he could convince Divveltian to lend them his aid. With his help, it was possible to pull it off…

For the first time in a long time, Shal felt a pang of regret that so many bridges had been built and then burnt by his father. Very few of their older allies remained well disposed towards them. They would effectively be on their own, without the aid of any local powers…

Sensing time was up, Shal prepared to lower the formation.

*****

“Thank you senior,” The male spear attendant said, bowing. “It was truly helpful to see your strength.”

Divvit snorted. “No need to flatter. But fine, I suppose I could give you some pointers from time to time. Assume a stance.”

Excited, the male spear attendant did so. Very carefully and slowly, Divvit explained what he knew of the Iron Spear Style, its strengths and weaknesses, and what he saw in the male spear attendant. Honestly, the amount of information and insight that he so casually displayed was incredible.

Then, even more incredible, Divvit began describing an image and movement that could possibly turn into a great skill, if he had a spare skill for it.

The male spear attendant nodded excitedly.

“Then all that remains,” Divvit said. “Is to strike. Focus on the image. Feel its truth in your body. And move. If you want it enough, the world will respond.”

The male spear attendant raised his spear, but then hesitated. These past few days… everything that shook his confidence, he had pressed it down tightly, binding it into a ball. Then he maneuvered that ball of tight emotion and put it in the tip of his spear. An iron defense, and impenetrable strike…

A split second before the male spear attendant moved, a very peculiar thing happened. A strange, chaotic burst of energy came from below, thick and wild. It rampaged upwards and everywhere, sinking into the bodies of everyone on the ship almost immediately, filling them up with a powerful ferocity and focus.

Eyes bright with confidence, the male spear attendant struck, his spear smoothly rushing forward. For whatever reason, with that energy filling him, he could feel the image. A fortress of invulnerable iron. Although many have tried to raze it, they would only crash against it and fall away.

“Bulwark of Iron!” He shouted, his cry clear and bright.

To his surprise and joy, after his strike surged outwards, a notification popped up in front of him.

“Ahahahaha! Finally!” He said excitedly. “This is just proof… this is just the proof I need..! My strength is without equal! A move has been created by I, Ro-”

The deck of the ship was blasted upwards, knocking the male spear attendant unconscious.

****

Helen paled, seeing the ground explode underneath them. What the hell were those idiots doing!??! And this energy… could it be…?

But then she saw two unconscious bodies tumbling through the air. One was her fellow spear attendant, who was an idiot. The other was the Ghosthound. Without a second thought, she rushed across the boat, and leapt up, catching the Ghosthound, cradling him in her arms as she dropped onto the deck of a nearby boat..

As she landed, she was almost surprised by how light he was. It was easy to forget that although the was tall, and his eyes seemed to burn with an intense light, he was still just a spear user their age, albeit with an ideal body for the spear. His hands were large, and his limbs were long. His shoulders were much wider than hers, and his stance was exceptionally low and strong when he attacked.

He was, Helen admitted to herself, a good source of genes for her children, if nothing else. So Helen had followed an impulse and became his spear attendant.

Returning to the boat, Helen laid him lightly down on the ground, very gently. This asshole was probably responsible for the explosion, but she studiously controlled any anger she felt. It would be simpler if she didn’t display her more… extreme side around him.

How strange it was that she ran away from home to avoid being tied down by a family as part of a merger between two leatherworking empires, but now she found herself with prospects that made her seriously consider seducing him.

But then those thoughts fell away as she straightened and summoned her spear. Because right now…