Normal standards told John that seven people should be able to defeat one, even if that one was a single phase higher. Media interactions aside, numbers were often a significant advantage. He would have been less confident if one of the seven wasn’t near the threshold- Ciaritzal was close to the Ascending Soul Phase, though for a spirit beast his cultivation functioned somewhat differently. Either way, he played a key part in keeping the attention of Sect Head Faramund.

John and Matayal remained uninjured, if somewhat fatigued from the fighting so far- but several of the others had injuries of various severity. Though Renato didn’t show it, taking attacks head on still had some impact beneath the surface. Lucanus hadn’t escaped harm entirely as he destroyed several of the weaker enemies. Zacharie had several gouges where small bits of darkness energy had cut into him, producing the same sort of effect his attacks had on darkness cultivators.

Faramund continued to twist unnaturally as his body took on the ethereal properties of darkness, deflecting attacks from all directions. Somehow between the spears, swords, stone club, and general bombardment of elements he found time to counterattack, stabbing primarily into Ciaritzal, but finding time to attack almost everyone.

The flow of the battle wasn’t looking good. Faramund’s advancement had invigorated him and his momentum continued to increase. Meanwhile, if any of the other combatants were taken out he would be able to capitalize on that advantage. If they could inflict a serious injury on him first the battle might swing the other way, but overextending was risky.

The main issue seemed to be that they were not used to fighting as a group. John had fought alongside most of them before- all except Kusuma and Zacharie. His synergy with Matayal was top notch, and he could fight just fine alongside Renato and Steve… Lucanus. Ciarizal seemed to read John’s flow, so his component was easily worked into the battle… but the rest weren’t quite meshing optimally. If the opponent were slightly lesser, it wouldn’t have made a difference.

At first, John worked with Matayal to individually support the other combatants. If they needed a barrier of water, that could be provided. Deflecting incoming blows or attacking to force Faramund to respond were used with great skill, but they only really managed to delay anything negative. Lethal wounds were turned into minor ones or avoided entirely, but they had fought their way through an army to arrive. There was some hope that backup might come support them but they couldn’t rely on that.

There was the potential option to retreat, though John wasn’t sure how well that would work. If they split up, any of them could individually be taken down. Ciaritzal might be able to hold Faramund off for a time, but that would simply result in him being recaptured- and used to even further empower the cultivator. Then they would have to live in fear of revenge from an Ascending Soul Phase cultivator, though likely not for long.

They might be able to draw their opponent into a different area, but the ritual room was more convenient for them to fight in given the space available. Even a short time where they fought less optimally in a confined hallway could be risky.

A flash of lightning drove into Faramund’s side. The damage it caused was minor- in his current state, his body was difficult to injure- but the attack was not avoided and regardless of injury it weakened his energy reserves. The attack itself wasn’t what mattered, but how it came about and what it represented. Matayal’s water barrier had been interposed between Kusuma and Faramund, but when she began her attack Matayal had twisted the barrier to make contact- augmenting the attack instead of blocking it.

John’s realization might have seemed obvious, but there was a big difference between using the cycle of elements himself- or with just Matayal in addition. Combining on a deeper level with the others simply wasn’t possible, and attempting an impromptu formation of sorts could do more harm than good. His first instinct was to try to guide them into a powerful killing blow- which sounded great, unless it failed. An obvious windup could just result in the attack being dodged, and then they would waste a great amount of energy on nothing. Nor did they have the coordination for it.

But both John and Matayal had the water element, able to augment Kusuma. Air augmented earth. Next in the cycle was fire, then water again… though any of the allied elements could instead lead into light or darkness.

John hesitated to state his plan in front of Faramund… but if they did it right, it didn’t matter if he knew what they were doing. “Everyone work with me!” John called out. “Kusuma, assist Renato! Renato, lend your assistance to Lucanus! Lucanus, assist Zacharie!” For most of those steps, he could provide his own efforts- except for Zacharie, he could add another effort to any of the others. The only issue was the limit of his energy, but he tentatively reached out to Ciariztal. Though the guardian beast was putting his all into his own fight, he still immediately responded to John’s probing request to draw upon his power. Inside of John, darkness was converted into the other elements, maintaining something of a balance.

The battle didn’t shift in their favor all at once. In fact, Zacharie suddenly became a target- but he knew his vulnerability, so he pulled away instead of attempting to clash. Faramund could have taken another step to stab his thin blade into Zacharie, but focusing on a single opponent for more than an instant would have left him wide open to everyone else. He might search for such opportunities later, but he had to respond to the immediate threats.

A bit of air element added to Renato’s swiftness- enhancing the threat of the mass of stone he wielded. Earth pushed the power of Lucanus’ blue flames up to a higher level- if Yustina had not been needed to head off incoming enemy forces, no doubt the two of them would have grown even greater together. Lucanus’ widespread attacks allowed Zacharie to pinpoint target his own attacks, and to keep his positioning relatively safer.

The first real injury on the head of the Society of Midnight came from Ciaritzal. His claws slashed across the man’s ribs as he went for Renato. As a beast of spirit, an insubstantial opponent was only a small barrier for Ciaritzal who tore away black and red, droplets of blood splattering on the floor. In return, Renato was unable to fully avoid the incoming attack, and even his prodigious defenses couldn’t prevent his shoulder from being stabbed through. His main hand grip on his weapon slackened, but he continued to fight with the arm dangling at his side.

Zacharie managed the next strike- a seemingly small prick into Faramund’s lower back while he tossed a dagger into Kusuma’s midsection. The attack didn’t penetrate deep immediately, but light and darkness flared up as they collided. After that point, the rotating of Faramund’s torso was restrained- pained and slow, and though his arms twisted out of shape to block, parry, or attack all around him nothing was as effective as fighting from the front. It also limited the speed he could switch between dealing with any two opponents.

John had several attacks fly through the darkness that was Faramund. He was unsure if they caused serious damage, but he attempted to draw away some of the darkness energy and apply the poison on the weapons to what ultimately had to be something more than just spiritual energy.

After one such attack he was met with a terrifyingly close view of the point of a sword- slowed just enough by a barrier of water for him to duck to the side, receiving a gash along the side of his face and clipping his ear. At the same time Matayal stabbed her spear into Faramund’s chest- but instead of withdrawing for another attack, she held it there. John followed up by directing electricity along her weapon, which burst out in the man’s core. Water didn’t have much destructive force against an allied element, but that burst of lightning was more. John had to cut it short, pulling himself and Matayal away as a counterattack came an instant later.

Damage was being done. Faramund’s momentum was no longer rising, and everyone was covering for each other more effectively. They were taking injuries, but they had a chance. As long as nobody did anything crazy, like throwing themself directly into Faramund. Fortunately, Faramund wasn’t expecting such an insane action from Lucanus either. The burning blue fire surrounding Lucanus as he tackled provided just enough actual force to knock Faramund over.

Renato had been ready to take a hit for Lucanus, but upon receiving such a wonderful opening he swung his stone club with his remaining good arm, directly down towards Faramund. That would result in more than just a shattered ribcage in normal cases. Against a stronger opponent that was partially insubstantial… it appeared it was still close. Faramund twisted to avoid the attack and only had half his ribcage crack.

As Faramund tumbled to his feet, his head twisted as if looking for an exit- but before he could attempt anything, the light energy gathered in Zacharies palm was blasted over him. John almost felt himself blinded despite it not being directed at him, and the diffuse energy did no direct harm… but it did briefly reveal the battered body of the man in a more physical form. And more importantly, with his defenses stripped away for an instant.

Jaws clamped down around his guts as Ciaritzal took full advantage of the opening. He ripped and tore, throwing his head back before chomping again. After the first attack Faramund managed a half effective stab into Ciaritzal, who didn’t bother to avoid it. With the second chomp, another piece of him was torn away before he could recover defenses.

Suddenly, the battle turned into an uncomfortable scene of a beast tearing apart a person. “You wished to consume my power?” Ciaritzal dripped blood from a maw of darkness. “I will consume you!”

It came to John’s attention that while his conflict with the Society of Midnight had felt long and bloody, it was less than two decades. Ciaritzal and the Tenebach clan had a feud that stretched back longer than a century. The guardian beast had never been shy about how much he hated the Society of Midnight, but he hadn’t exactly had occasion to show his aggression. The only thing left of the man after five minutes was his head, scraps of armor, and the storage bag at his waist.

“Feel better?” John said, patting Ciaritzal on the back.

“Yes. Though that was not entirely for the sake of catharsis.”

John could feel the power flowing through Ciaritzal, as the final piece of him was returned. Apparently there had been something of it inside Faramund, even if it could not be felt. Or eating such a powerful darkness cultivator was beneficial for the guardian beast. Perhaps even both.

Ciaritzal’s power flared, and his eyes filled with darkness. His head turned towards John- features barely visible even with his special vision. Then he leapt, mouth open wide, tackling John to the ground.

The teeth seemed like they should have smelled like torn flesh and blood, but the tongue that licked John’s face felt and smelled only like darkness. “Thank you,” Ciaritzal said. “I owe your Tenebach clan a great favor. Let us work well together in the future.”

After picking himself up from that terrifying moment, John looked around. “We should probably assist with the rest of the battle.” He picked up Faramund’s head, likely left for the very purpose he intended. Before stepping out, however, he glanced at Kusuma. “You… are you alright?” Upon taking a closer look, she was clutching her stomach, a pained look on her face. “We have to provide treatment immediately!”

”I don’t think it will help,” Kusuma said sadly, blood trickling between her fingers. Then her face changed from sad pain to a wry but still pained grin. “But you damn well better try! I trained you and your wife, I deserve that much at least.”

“Matayal!” John said, “Check her bloodstream for poison! Anyone with medical expertise, help us here… the rest, go join the battle.” He tossed the head to Renato, who nodded. His friend was many things, but trained in dealing with wounds was not one of them. Not beyond the basics any cultivator who survived for long knew.