Record scratch.

Freeze frame.

You see that guy? No, not the hulking Chad of a Demonic Divinity with his creepy empty shell of a bald head about to unleash hell and break the world. The other guy. Pan down. A little more. Almost there. Stop. That guy. The lean, sinewy young man with his mid-length hair pulled back in a neat little bun. That’s me. Don’t judge. I literally just woke up from a two-month coma and found my hair like this, though I do have to say I pull the look off pretty well. Anyways, I bet you’re wondering how I got here, huh? Well, it’s a long story, and I mean long, full of angst and apprehension as you follow the journey of a rambling idiot struggling to find his place in a savage world, one in which the strong thrive, the weak survive, and bloodshed is just a way of life. Beset on all sides and caught in perpetual conflict, peace is a luxury few can afford here in the Azure Empire, but then everything changed when the Defiled nations attacked.

…

Alright, no one loves memes more than I do, but I need to dial it back a bit. This is too much even for me. They just keep coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming and they don't stop coming.

Wow. Okay. I need help. Serious, professional help.

In more ways than one, I’d say, considering I now have an unhinged and unleashed Demonic Divinity to deal with. Not gonna lie, I did not see this coming. I really thought Zhen Shi would want to keep this one for his collection. That stuff about being unable to control the Demon was all bullshit, but it gives Zhen Shi plausible deniability to claim he’s not responsible for its imminent, Treaty violating actions. In all likelihood, he’s planning to have his Demon attack, destroy Meng Sha, then retreat so he can study it, a greedy scheme in which he hopes to have his cake and eat it too. Too bad for him, but if he’s willing to take things this far, then the Treaty be damned. He wants to play apocalypse chicken? Well I never liked this shitty world to begin with, so as long as my loved ones are safe and sound, I’m more than willing to hit the big red button and kick Armageddon off with a bang. Soon as I finish dealing with this calamity here, I’m going to hunt down Zhen Shi and show him he done fucked up for messing with me and mine, but I can’t help feeling disheartened knowing I’ve failed everyone here in Meng Sha. Even as I stand here stewing in defeat, the Demonic Divinity gathers its strength to unleash an attack that will raze this harbour to the ground and kill everyone within. A select few might survive with help from the various Divinities already booking it as fast as they can, but the vast majority will die once the Demon attacks, for the massed destruction of an unchecked Divinity is this world’s version of a nuclear strike.

There the creature stands in all its unholy glory, a gnarled caricature of everything the Brotherhood truly stands for. This is a perversion of Vyakhya’s misguided truth, this ‘Monk’ Demonic Divinity here, holding its spade and string of skulls in sickening mockery of the same pose Mahakala took up at my wedding banquet with Luo-Luo. Though still as a statue, I sense it exerting its Will and the enthusiasm with which the Heavens respond as the metaphysical storm clouds gather to herald the coming avalanche bearing down upon us. To make matters worse, the Demon’s focused Intent is not directed towards me, nor to Taddy, Hua Lie, or any other possible threat. Instead, it fixates on the weak and defenseless, those soldiers and Irregulars still standing with weapons ready even as the Defiled army flees the fortress in droves, their vile leaders like Mataram YuGan having long since left them all behind to die.

And die they will, every last one of them, even the Peak Experts already Cloud-Stepping away, for the Demonic Divinity has locked onto them all and intends to end their lives here today, so that it might feed on their corpses to grow even stronger.

The real frustrating part is that in your standard Demonification, the amalgamated Spectres would be contesting against Vyakhya’s Will for ultimate control, but their goals are aligned in this act of destruction, the human seeking to bring his twisted vision of peace to the world he so abhors, and the Demon vicariously indulging in his host’s rage and despair. As such, there is no conflict between them for now, an uneasy ceasefire as they work in concert to fulfill this singular, matched desire, resulting in an unfortunate harmony of Wills and Souls that makes this monster just human or Balanced enough to render it impervious to my Devouring and unpalatable to Blobby’s predatory tendencies.

Which is just… the worst news possible…

With my aces neutralized, there’s nothing I can do to stop the Demon from attacking, and nothing I can do to save the heroes and villains of Meng Sha. It took me a full two seconds to gather up enough Will and Heavenly Energy to cut Vyakhya down, and I only managed it because he stood there with his thumb in his ass waiting for me to attack. Were I to attack a second time now, my strike would connect just under two seconds after the Demon unleashes its attack, assuming I survive and it doesn’t dodge. At this point in time, my ability to survive a Divinity’s attack is still a matter up for debate, because even though I’ve Shattered the Void, I haven’t really finished refining my body just yet, much less my mind and soul.

Yea… about that… See, I know I said I was ready and willing to take the next step, but while ruminating in the sheer agony of my mangled soul, I had something of an epiphany. Call it Insight or Inspiration or Heavenly guidance if you will, but everything just sort of came together in the moment and I knew what I had to do. Rebuilding my Spiritual System was fairly simple, since between me and my Natal Souls, I’d seen enough flawed examples here in Meng Sha to know what not to do, as well as a general inkling of how everything should come together. All this meant that I could use my Will to direct the process of carving out my Spiritual System in my body, mind, and soul without the Energy of the Heavens going hog-wild, meaning what I did was in line with what the Heavens expected. A good thing too, because I was not looking forward to experiencing what the spiritual equivalent of unchecked tumours would be, but then I was left with the same dilemma as always. I’d fixed my flawed Core and Spiritual System, but how was I supposed to improve upon my body, mind, and soul? How do I refine my entire being into a Spiritual Heart?

In keeping with the theme of taking the complex and making it simple, the answer came easily enough. I don’t.

See, all this time I’ve been agonizing over how to go about the next step, when in truth, I don’t really need to know how. Case in point, Mama Bun is in the process of Refining a Spiritual Heart, so as complex as the whole procedure might be, it can’t be all that difficult to do considering my sweet bicorn bunny is… intellectually challenged, to put it nicely. More to the point, Kukky, Rakky, and Tai Tai all succeeded in less than a hundred years from their birth, and I doubt they’re smarter than I am, so surely I can do it too. While all three are exceptional cases, their success proves that it’s possible to direct the Refinement of a Spiritual Heart so long as you meet the necessary requirements. What requirements might those be? Well, the obvious answer is a source of usable Heavenly Energy, which in their case came from either Spiritual Plants or dead Defiled, or possibly even the flesh of a Divinity perhaps, as the Abbot does seem like the type to cut off his own flesh to feed his pets. The cost must have been staggering, as I know firsthand how difficult it is to heal a body that’s been refined, as there’s more required than just Heavenly Energy and nutrients. I would imagine it’s probably a hundred times worse for someone who has actually ascended to Divinity, though I suppose I’ll find out eventually. That being said, I had plenty of usable Heavenly Energy thanks to my Natal Soul’s valiant sacrifice out there in the Void, allowing Blobby to Cleanse a whole host of Spectres in one quick go.

As for the rest of the requirements? Much as I would have loved going in with both eyes open and a checklist of things to do, I was kinda in a rush and figured I could wing it as I went. I mean seriously, this is Mama Bun we’re talking about, a bunny who still thinks Zabu is afraid of her, rather than being too well behaved to eat one of my beloved floofs.

That wasn’t the only reason I jumped in feet first, because what really tied it all together was the sheer agony of my soul. No pain, no gain, something I tell myself often when training, and it turns out, that was the answer staring me in the face all along. How do you refine a physique without incurring the wrath of the Heavens? By doing it naturally, duh. And what’s more natural than a bout of self-inflicted suffering followed by rest and recuperation, or as everyone else might call it, good old-fashioned exercise? Yea. That’s right. Spiritual Beasts Refine their bodies through exercise and exertion. Rakky went out hunting in the Arid Wastes and Refined his skeleton to raise his chances of survival, while Kukky Refined his voice-box to put predators to sleep, and sweet Tai Tai Refined his fangs so he could better munch on Spiritual Bamboo and get all that sweet Heavenly goodness inside. In the same vein, Mama Bun is Refining her neckbones because she’s injured herself so many times headbutting things she probably shouldn’t, in a process so natural she doesn’t even know she’s doing it. It’s just like doing cardio, lifting weights, or having people beat you with iron poles to create microfractures in your bones, totally normal and not at all crazy training regimens. After incurring minor damage to the bones and muscles, the body’s natural response is not just to repair the damage, but build everything back even stronger and tougher than before, assuming you have a suitable source of nutrients. Martial Warriors take it a step even further by utilizing the Energy of the Heavens to mend what ails them, not through Healing, but restive meditation, a process I’ve been using for years and years.

Since the day I first set foot on the Martial Path, I have been steadily progressing towards Divinity using the patented Falling Rain method of great effort for minimal gains, and just like sweet, stupid Mama Bun, I had no idea I was doing it.

Of course, this doesn’t really explain why Spiritual Beasts end up remaking their bodies to become Ancestral Beasts, or Divine Beasts in the case of Ping Ping and Pong Pong. Assuming I’m on the right track however, then there’s no reason the same process can’t be applied to Refining the mind and soul using the same principles, and wouldn’t you know it, I have spent every waking moment of the last ten or so years (and most of my non-waking ones too) immersed in a daily regimen of self-inflicted mental anguish, one which has left my mind a complete and utter mess and ripe for fixing. Also convenient is the fact that I’ve been engaging in the self-mutilation of my soul ever since I first Formed my Natal Palace, what with all the remodelling I did and Natal Souls I created, all of which I believe was only possible for a number of reasons. Ignorance for one, since I never would have done any of it if I’d known what I was doing, but also the fact that my mental age does not match the age of my body and soul, allowing me to more easily adjust and adapt to this new life while also providing me with a more mature perspective to work with inside the confines of my Natal Palace.

Or maybe not, since calling myself mature is a bit of a stretch, but I digress. The how doesn’t matter, not until I have a better grasp on the what.

So with all that in mind, I figured the only thing left to do was meditate and let the Energy of the Heavens fix what ails me, something I’ve been avoiding because… well, I thought there was no value in meditation. Stupid, I know, but I have seen the error of my ways, and even if I was barking up the wrong tree, it wasn’t like meditation would keep me trying something different later on down the road. That’s what really sold me on giving this method a go, the complete and utter lack of downside. Either it would work and I’d be crowned a verifiable genius, or it wouldn’t work and I’d have wasted Heavenly Energy to get myself back in working order. Win-Win.

Why didn’t the Energy of the Heavens simply restore me to my saved state? Because I wasn’t Healing, just Channelling the Energy of the Heavens, and similar to what happens with the human body, the Heavens saw all the damage I’d taken and decided I needed to be stronger in order to endure my subsequent trials and tribulations, all in a process as natural as breathing. Or maybe there’s a more scientific reason to explain why, but same as the how, the why doesn’t matter just yet. No, the interesting thing to note is that I’m now pretty sure that the Forms are a standardized method of Body Refinement, but a partial one at best, missing several crucial elements that would lead to a more complete success.

The real question is why would someone go to all this effort to spread an incomplete method? Parts being lost to time is a possibility, but the whole Empire has the same standardized Forms and Movements, which makes this unlikely. Call me crazy, but I think the outer provinces only have a partial method so that the Eastern Province can retain Martial superiority.

That’s a conspiracy to delve into on another day though, some real deep state shit that I intend to blow wide open. The important thing to take away from all this is that even though I’ve started the process of Refining my body, mind, and soul and made some progress along my Path, I still have yet to form a Spiritual Heart. Much as I would have loved to accomplish so stunning a feat, there was no way to rush it any more than I have, as it would’ve taken more time than I had on hand and more usable Heavenly Energy than even the generous amount Blobby could provide. While I technically could accomplish this without usable Heavenly Energy, having it really speeds up the process as it is more malleable to my Will and therefore more responsive to my needs both conscious and subconscious. Another reason why I wasn’t able to wholly Refine myself is because my appetite was too big, aiming to get the whole kit and kaboodle done in one go instead of focusing on one area at a time like animals do, which together really shows that there’s plenty of room for improvement in my newfangled method, but for a first trial, I’d say it’s not half bad.

To remedy my lack of useable Heavenly Energy, I intended on doing some more Devouring and Demon killing to help further me along, but then Vyakhya happened, and while he is technically a Demon, I’m not sure if my current stats are high enough to take on a Divinity. This isn’t to say there’s been no improvement, as I’ve come a long way in so short a time. Physically, I’m stronger than ever, though still weak enough to break my arm punching Vyakhya. To be fair, he cheated by reflecting the force of my strike back at me through some combination of Deflection and Reverberation, but that’s not the only area in which I am lacking. Even though I feel like I’m faster, stronger, and tougher than ever, Vyakhya he kept up without any real effort, so it’s difficult to say how I’d compare to a Peak Expert like Dad or even a stand-out Martial Warrior like Alsantset without sparring with them first. As for my mind, not only are my thoughts and reflexes lightning quick, allowing me to parse through all these thoughts in the split second it takes for the Demonic Divinity to attack, I also sense something constantly guiding my thoughts and actions, a form of basic Insight nudging me in the right direction. As for my soul, well… I don’t really know enough about it to comment on any improvements, but I’m no longer in crippling pain, so there’s that. Oh, also, I’m pretty sure the whole Chi working slash temporary Keystone slash metaphysical Rune thing requires a powerful mind and soul to pull off, though I’d have to run some tests to be sure.

So when you look at the cold, hard facts, I can only conclude that the reason I was able to kill Vyakhya so easily was because he literally stood there and took my attack on the chin. He underestimated my strength and misread the power behind my attack because he could only sense the Heavenly Energy contained within the Movement itself, and not the massive metaphysical weight eagerly chasing after it. All this means I’m still not entirely sure where I stand on the sliding scale of strength. No longer do I tread the Martial Path, and instead forge a Path all of my own, so it’s difficult to compare myself with Peak Experts or Divinities. I am stronger than even Divinities in some ways, namely in the tools I have at my disposal thanks to my understanding of Heavenly Energy, yet weaker than even a Peak Expert in other aspects, such as my lacking experience with combat and familiarity with Chi in comparison to the veterans who’ve been fighting and training all their lives.

And now I’m about to go head-to-head with a Demonic Divinity, but I doubt he’ll play nice and help me get acclimated to my newfangled strength.

“Get everyone to safety,” I Send while initiating my attack, but to my surprise and chagrin, Taddy Sends me more or less the same message at the exact same time. While my new and improved brain is faster than it was before, the same old rules of physics still need apply, meaning there’s a limit as to how fast I can process and react to new information, to say nothing of change actions mid-movement. In terms of actual time, it’s not actually all that high, as even a base human’s reaction time is fairly impressive, but under the State of Enlightenment, the split second I’ve already committed to Pierce the Horizon feels like a veritable eternity. Honestly, it’s probably a better idea for me to run, considering I already gave the Demonic Divinity my best shot with the gun and didn’t even scratch it, not to mention the fact that Taddy won’t leave without me, but I can’t. Much as I fear death, I only recently discovered that I fear living in regret even more. When it’s a choice between life and doing the right thing as dictated by my conscience, I cannot help but gravitate towards the latter, every single time.

And for once, the Heavens are in agreement with my conscience which are both telling me that I will never be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try to stop the Demonic Divinity from killing everyone in Meng Sha.

Praying I haven’t harmed my loved ones with my actions, I trust Taddy to get everyone away to safety while I full send on the offensive and barrel stuff the Demonic Divinity’s crotch with Unity. Only because it’s more or less the closest target to aim for, rather than out of any intention to shoot it in the dickless nether regions, but it doesn’t matter. The rushed Chi bullet impacts against the Demon’s Domain and glances off without so much as a grunt, and its empty eye sockets fixate on me with what I swear is smug satisfaction. Even though he surrendered, Vyakhya is still stubbornly clinging to his awareness whilst a feeding frenzy of Spectres ravage his soul, wholly conscious of what he is about to do and all-too pleased about it, which makes him even more of a monster than the Demon he’s become.

And when they unleash their attack, reality unravels before my eyes.

A pulse of raw, unmitigated Destruction emanates from the Demon’s left hand, the one clutching its rosary of skulls. Invisible to the human eye, this energy radiates with a malignant malevolence I’ve encountered before, a dread aspect of foul loathing for all existence derived from Vyakhya’s focused Intent to kill and destroy. I once believed the Canston Trading Group was purposefully abusing slaves in order to create Spectres to process into Anathema, but I see now I was wrong. Spectres were merely an added bonus of the process, but their true goal was the creation of Demons instead, for Anathema is a by-product of the energies released during the creation of their physical forms, the foul gaze of the Father above, as it were. That’s why I was thrown into a pit of bodies and no one noticed one missing. It wasn’t a mass grave I crawled out of all those years ago, but a Demon feeding pit, which seems so obvious in retrospect considering the Empire burns its dead. This leads me to wonder just how many of my fellow slaves truly died, and how many turned Demon instead, and where those Demons went. Mataram YuGan’s armour held a Demon within, so what if Gen’s armour did too? Perhaps the Butcher Bay Bandits weren’t making all their armour in house, but being supplied by the Canston Trading Group, showing just how thorough Zhen Shi was in planning his invasion of the Empire.

Not for the first time, I realize just how close the Northern Province came to sharing in the Western Province’s fate, and I puff my chest in pride at the minor role I played in fucking up his best laid plans.

That being said, this Anathematic Energy is unlike the black gunk I’ve encountered before, for the physical incarnation lacked the Will of a Divinity to propagate it. In practical terms, the black gunk Anathema was… well, soulless, for lack of a better word, lacking agency as well as the same ineffable quality that Spectres lack which makes them delicacies in Blobby’s eyes. On the other hand, this Demonic Divinity’s attack is driven by its Will and propagated by its Domain, which is still unpalatable to my Elemental Spirit thanks to Vyakhya’s lingering presence of mind. Or perhaps that’s not the case, and Demonic Divinities are just built different, but even if I’m right and I’ll soon be able to Devour and Cleanse it out of existence, it would only be after its attack kills everyone in Meng Sha.

Which is less than ideal.

Nothing is ever easy, and all I can do is watch in sinking horror as the Anathematic Energy crashes over me and eats away at my Domain. No, eats is the wrong word here, for that implies consumption or absorption, and it would be more accurate to say it unmakes my Domain, stripping it of that which makes it mine and rendering it back into the raw Energy of the Heavens. Then it unmakes even that, breaking it all the way down into the core components of reality, base building blocks of matter and energy so tiny and imperceptible even my Spiritual Senses are unable to perceive it in any detail, but I know it is there. I also know that those base building blocks are supposedly indivisible, the smallest unit of matter in existence, yet the Anathematic Energy seeks to unmake even that and shatter the bonds holding a single individual block together. There’s an element of Creation too, nestled deeply within layers of Destruction, though I cannot say what purpose it serves, for whatever is created is promptly destroyed in a process which is not simple and requires more force than all of the steps before it combined.

Then, after a brief, miniscule moment and a tremendous amount of unsee effort, this tiny, indivisible block breaks and splits in twain with a trivial burst of energy.

A pitifully meager result, all things considered, but once that first block crumbles, the two free-floating components make it laughably easy to shatter more blocks in quick succession, which will, if left unchecked, set off a chain reaction that will destroy all of Meng Sha and a considerable portion of its surroundings while rendering the land uninhabitable for decades, if not centuries to come, all in the blink of an eye.

Time comes to a standstill as the pieces all come together in my mind, and I almost laugh at how obvious the answer appears now that I’ve figured it out. I’ve been calling Divinities walking nukes for as long as I can remember, but only now do I see how apt the comparison has been. Without the ability to control the Energy of the Heavens, Divinities are beholden to its whims, so when they strike with the Intent to kill, the Heavens leave nothing to chance and launch a literal nuclear strike. That’s what this Anathematic Energy is, a working of pure Destruction capable of splitting fucking atoms, which is the same principle behind the atomic bomb.

A Divinity is literally a living, breathing nuclear bomb, which is just… all sorts of terrifying.

Atoms. The base building blocks of matter.

Atoms have protons, electrons, and neutrons.

Positive. Negative. Neutral.

Heavenly Energy is the power of Creation and Destruction, kept in Balance by forces beyond my comprehension.

I’m sensing a pattern here.

Sort of. I think. Maybe? I dunno.

Whatever. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I need to stop this, but the question of how to apply my newfangled knowledge is quickly answered by Taddy’s actions as he Deploys his Domain around me to counter the Demon’s Anathematic Energy. Though unable to perceive the full extent of what he’s doing, I instantly recognize his Healing efforts as he wields countless needles and threads to repair the damage and keep the tapestry of reality from unravelling. A valiant effort, but it is much easier to destroy than it is to create, meaning my dear sweet teacher is fighting a losing battle and it’s only a matter of time before the Anathematic Energy reaches critical mass. “Run along now, Rain my boy, and bring Lin-Lin and Yan with you,” he Sends, sounding none too strained by what must be a phenomenal effort of Will. “Hua Lie has the others in hand, so it’s long past time you left. You’ve done more than enough here today, so survive to fight another day. Or don’t. Fight that is. You should definitely survive, but there’s no need to concern yourself with petty matters like vengeance or guilt. I do what I do because it pleases me to do so, the same motivations which drive you. We are kindred spirits you and I, a Truth I uncovered the moment I laid eyes on you, so do not mourn my passing. I only ask that you be happy, because you, my boy, are deserving of it.”

That’s my Taddy, so laid-back and free-spirited. To hear his tone, you’d think he was heading out for a trip to the city for a week or two rather than sacrificing his life to see me to safety, even taking a moment to advise me not to blame myself for his death. I won’t, because he’s not going to die, not today.

Rather than run, I Deploy my Domain and push past Taddy’s, because it’s faster to show him than explain. He’s going about it all wrong, countering Destruction with Creation, which seems like the right move, but really isn’t. Even the Anathematic Energies can’t easily split atoms without effort, because each one is bound by a myriad of different forces working in concert packed within the smallest of spaces, but putting them back together takes even more work and effort. It doesn’t seem fair, for Destruction to be so much easier than Creation, but that’s the way life is, so in order to counteract the Anathematic Energies, what we need is not Creation, but stability.

Or, Stability, with a capital S.

This is the force I focus on while Deploying my Domain, Stabilizing reality even as the Anathematic Energies seeks to destabilize and destroy. My efforts bear no fruit as the world continues to unravel before me, but it’s not that I’m having no effect. I’m just not doing enough, meaning there is still so much more I am missing. Focusing on my Domain once more, I Reinforce reality, giving it more strength to endure the Demon’s efforts to unmake it, and though I sense it making an infinitesimal difference, this is still not enough, and yet what more is there to do?

Balance.

A memory springs to mind, of beloved Mila’s contented expression as she leans against my shoulder and searches for the words to answer my question regarding Blessings and affiliated Chi skills. “The Four Primal Blessings are generally associated with two Chi skills each,” she begins, looking so cute and defenseless I’m tempted to gobble her up right then and there in the middle of Taddy’s bamboo garden. “Water Blessed Warriors are supposedly gifted in matters of Deflection and Resonance, while Air have advantages in Lightening and Guiding. Fire is Honing and Amplification, while Earth is Reinforcement and Stability.”

She went on to say there wasn’t any proof that the skills were tied to each Blessing, but also reminded me that the Primal Blessings were not really all about Earth, Fire, Air, and Water in a physical sense. Instead, each one represents a subset of the myriad of unique forces in the universe, all of which were broken down into four broad but distinct categories. Earth isn’t really earth like dirt, but rather the forces associated with Reinforcement and Stability, something I only sort of understand even now.

What I do understand however is that according to Taddy, the world, and reality itself, was not created with Earth alone, so I must add Fire, Air, and Water. Not the elements themselves, but the forces they represent, forces even I have no name for.

Armed with little more than Insight, instinct, and intuition, I exert my Will and apply all eight basic Chi skills to my Domain, Deflecting, Resonating, Lightening, Guiding, Amplifying, and Honing alongside Reinforcement and Stability, eight categories of forces which come together in what can only be described as a natural and organic manner without need for direction or guidance. The Energy of the Heavens surges to embrace my Will in exchange for what I have to give, but I offer it nothing and everything all at once. I am, and the Heavens are, and together, we are One as my Domain manifests into reality and solidifies everything around me. This is not an act of Creation or Destruction, but merely an effort to keep Balance in place, which is by far the strongest force in the universe, for without it, there would be no universe for life to inhabit.

Seconds stretch into eternity as the Anathematic Energies crash into me time and time again, pounding away at the barrier I have placed to keep it from unmaking matter, but it will find no purchase here for my Will to protect is stronger than Vyakhya’s to destroy. It’s only natural. Vyakhya has nothing to gain from his efforts, but I have everything to lose, so of course I come out stronger for it. On the outside, all the audience sees is the Demonic Divinity standing with spade and skulls in hand, while I lean on Unity jammed up against its smooth, ken-doll crotch. Hardly the most inspiring of sights, but even the Irregulars can probably feel the tumultuous storm of Heavenly Energy raging all around us before it finally dies out without warning and we all can finally breathe again. For a single, quiet second, all of Meng Sha watches on in confused wonderment as the Demonic Divinity stares into my eyes and I stare back at its empty sockets, unflinching before the cold hatred and seething fury hidden in those dark, fathomless depths.

Then I offer it a tiny smirk of smug satisfaction, the very same smirk Vyakhya offered me earlier, and its rage knows no bounds.

Rage isn’t even good enough to describe it, this bitter, burning resentment which washes over me, tinged with so many different emotions it’s impossible to pick them all out. Regret features prominently, as does anguish and despair, and let’s not forget the hefty helpings of loathing and remorse, but it is all too little too late as the last vestiges of Vyakhya succumb to the weight of the Spectres bearing down upon him. Gone is the calm and stoic Monk-like Demonic Divinity, and in its place is something that looks exactly the same, but far more feral and ferocious in demeanour. The ghoulish smile twists into one of murderous rage as it exerts its Will to destroy once more, but reality holds firm within my Domain, held together by my Will to protect as the Energy of the Heavens flocks to me rather than it.

And then the Demonic Divinity slaps me upright the head with a string of blackened skulls, and the world goes dark for a moment.

Coming back to my senses mid-flight, I discover Taddy’s Healing energies mending the shattered fragments of my skull back together, as well as the remnants of his Plated Domain which took the brunt of the Demon’s blow. Leaving him to his work, I set my mind back to keeping a grip on reality as the Demonic Divinity tries to nuke Meng Sha a second time, and it howls in rage as its efforts are denied. Then it is upon me, striking with skulls and spade both as I rally a pitiful Domain Plated Defense which shatters time and time again before my foe’s prodigious might. Taddy’s valiant efforts are the only thing keeping me alive as he places himself both figuratively and literally between me and the Demon. Though clearly capable of blocking the Demon’s blows head on, Taddy only does so as an option of last resort, much preferring to dodge and Deflect as much as he can. Grabbing me by the back of the collar, he cautions me to relax and not resist as he leads the Demon up and away from Meng Sha to take this fight to the wispy white clouds overhead, having rightly discerned that it is wholly fixated on killing me.

But here in the skies, we stand in my teacher’s Domain, for he is of the lineage of the most illustrious creature of all, a Cloud Chaser Hare.

Dazed and distracted though I might be from the head trauma and my efforts to keep reality from unravelling, it’s difficult not to notice Taddy’s sublime movements, which are wholly natural yet comically absurd at the same time. Holding me close in one arm, he hops, skips, and generally hauls ass in the most efficient manner possible, without a care for grace or dignity at all. This isn’t to say he’s not graceful, because his movements are deft and nimble to the extreme, but the manner in which he executes them can only be described as ‘cartoonish’. Ducking under a slash is all fine and good, but rather than dipping his head, he goes full squat and hunches down with his free hand on top of his head, flattening his hare ears to avoid the blow. Then he jumps, except not with a graceful leap into the air, but rather a frog-legged hop that sends him up and over the Demon before coming down head first. Not so much of an issue when you’re fighting in mid air, yet Taddy takes it to the next level by not bothering to right himself again and just runs away in circles while still upside down as he jostles me about in an effort to get a better grip on my limp frame.

I’d help him out and hold on tight, but I think the Demon’s slap shattered my spine, or at the very least broke my neck and left me unable to move anything under my chin. Not a problem, for even as Taddy Heals my injuries, the Energy of the Heavens flows through me and senses the damage, bolstering my teacher’s Healing efforts while simultaneously making me even stronger than before, a most refreshing and exhilarating discovery which has me yearning for another beating.

For the gains. The pain I could do without, as contrary to what the rumours and my actions would have you believe, I’m no masochist, but those sweet, precious gains are just too tempting to pass up…

Putting aside my plans for a more strenuous work-out regimen, I focus on Taddy’s efforts to defeat the Demonic Divinity and come to a startling realization. Dodging and Healing is but the least of what Taddy is up to as he battles the Demon in the skies, his offensive efforts going wholly unnoticed by me until now. Though he has yet to launch a single punch or kick, his Domain has engulfed the Demon’s and repeatedly counteracts its efforts to Cloud-Step with any real force. Rather than zipping around through the clouds at inhuman speeds, the Demonic Divinity is barely able to keep itself afloat in the skies as Taddy disperses its efforts to Cloud-Step time and time again. In practical terms, the Demon is comically pumping its legs in a frenzied effort to stay afloat, like a cartoon character that’s run off a cliff and has yet to realize there’s no ground beneath its feet. This is not how I expected a battle between Divinities to unfold, with one side going through the overexaggerated motions of avoiding the other side’s slow and ponderous attacks, all the while working its legs at hyper-speed just to keep themselves from plummeting out of the skies.

Hilarious as it all is, I remind myself that not only do both combatants possess enough strength and skill to kill me a hundred times in the blink of an eye if they should so choose, Taddy is literally risking his life up here to keep me and Lin-Lin safe. Eight seconds is how long it takes for me to regain feeling in my body, the first and foremost sensation being pain, but in those short, eight seconds, Taddy blocks and dodges more attacks than I can count without retaliating even a single time. Not because he’s unable to, but because he’s building up to a counter-attack that will actually do some damage, for in these last eight seconds, the wispy white clouds have transformed into dark, ponderous thunderheads just brimming with power and potency.

The how is beyond my understanding, but Taddy makes it look all too easy as the dark clouds converge around him like a fluffy, coiling dragon. No longer does he need to dodge, for those clouds now protect him by negating, dispersing, absorbing, or Deflecting the force of the Demon’s attacks time and time again. Not like a wall or hard barrier, but rather like trying to punch through molasses, the Demon’s speed and force siphoned away by the dense yet permeable surroundings. Huffing from exertion, my teacher takes a moment to breathe and I use this time to take in his calm and lovable smile, so serene and relaxed you’d think he’d been out for a run instead of fighting for his life and mine. Every time the Demon strikes, the dark clouds move in to intercept, but they are not consumed in the process of blocking. Instead, they shift away from Taddy’s body and transfer over to the Demons, encircling it in weightless and unrestrictive bonds. Were this Vyakhya still, he might have some concerns about the growing mass of storm clouds affixed to his body, but the Demon ignores it as it has yet to cause any harm, but only because my Teacher is a merciful soul who cannot bear to hurt even a fly.

Which is why he intends to put this Demonic Divinity out of its misery in one, singular strike.

The time to act arrives, and without warning, the storm cloud thickens and engulfs the Demon entirely, blocking it from not only sight, but also Spiritual Perception. The Energy of the Heavens surges to heed Taddy’s Will and with a bone-cracking crunch that threatens to unravel reality, but my Domain holds it in place. Just like that the battle comes to an end, the Demonic Divinity’s presence fading into nothingness behind the shroud of Taddy’s dark clouds, but I feel no joy or relief, because I can feel my teacher has lessened in a visceral way as he huffs and puffs in the aftermath. Nothing about him changed physically, since he looks the same as always, but metaphysically he is just… not right, the equivalent of having just lost a whole bunch of weight and looking all weak and sickly in spirit.

Because…

Because energy can neither be created or destroyed. Eager and pliant as the Energy of the Heavens might be, a Divinity must still pay the price to harness it directly, a price paid in what I now believe is not just emotion, but also a portion of soul. Remembering how Guan Suo died while looking healthy as could be, I hug my teacher close and ask, “Will you be alright?”

“Nothing to worry about, Rain my boy.” Patting me on the head, he beams and wiggles his eyebrows because he still sees me as a baby who will smile at his silly faces, and credit where it’s due, it works. “Your Teacher still has life in him yet.” Gesturing at the Demonic Divinity still embroiled in the storm clouds, he adds, “That being said, I assume there’s a reason you didn’t just Devour the Demon or set your Heavenly Droplet upon it, yes? Too soon after the merging, most likely, but how about now?”

“Right.” Or I was too distracted and in pain. Sensing Blobby’s eager desire, I Cloud-Step over with Taddy supporting me from behind, and the dark storm clouds dissipate as we approach to reveal the cracked and scoured corpse of the Demonic Divinity. A web of curved fractures are etched all across its frame, and the frozen mask of its face sits broken in twain inside the empty cavity of its head, all of which Taddy keeps suspended in the air so as to ensure Blobby could Cleanse every last drop. The eager Elemental Spirit dives in as I study my Teacher’s handiwork, and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was impressed. It seems like he used some form of Lightening and Stability to squeeze the Demon and a combination of Deflection and Honing to scour it until it broke from the inside out, fracturing like a porcelain vase toppled over on its side. The results speak for themselves, but the method belies belief, because it’s as if someone walked up to a body builder, placed a hand flat on their chiselled pec, and ripped the meat off the bone using lateral pressure alone.

Wax on. Wax off. Except the waxing motion is so powerful it rips the glass apart.

Not the easiest way to kill a Demon, meaning that if Taddy really wanted to, he probably could have killed it much easier, but he’s too kind for his own good and not a proponent of the Martial Path, so this might be the only way he knows how to fight. As soon as Blobby returns from his feast, I transfer the Heavenly Energy over to my Teacher until he closes himself off and refuses to accept more. “Keep some for yourself, Rain my boy,” he says, pulling me close for a hug. “I don’t know what you’ve done with yourself, but I can tell you’ll need it more than I.” For a second, there’s only me and him as we both forget about the trials and tribulations of the world to appreciate each other’s company. Then, he pulls back and cocks his head to ask, “What did you do, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Welp,” I begin, not really knowing where to start, “It’s a long story, so I’ll tell you after we clean up in Meng Sha and head out on our way.”

“Oh? Where to now?”

Turning south to stare out at the horizon, I sense my foe’s hateful presence lingering within the Void, hidden from all except me because he still holds a severed piece of my soul within. “Shi Bei,” I answer, taking his hand as we descend back down to the harbour for no real reason than I want to. “Where we can end this once and for all, just as soon as I tie up a few loose ends.”

Such is life, trials and tribulations aplenty, but now it’s my turn to play the part of calamity and bring the pain to Zhen Shi, a role I embrace with eager enthusiasm.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3

Chapter Meme 4

Chapter Meme 5