A palm splits the sky, cutting through the clouds as it relentlessly bears down on the demon. Taking a wide-legged stance Thataka catches it with both arms, the impact resounding with enough force to topple forests. “Like mountains tall, one shall never fall. Like rock and soil, one shall toil. Though empires fall, outlive them all.” The ground cracks and shatters beneath her as she’s driven deeper and deeper. With a loud roar that puts her sharp fangs on display she pushes back. The muscles in her arms bulge, veins clearly pronounced on her limbs as she exerts every bit of force she has. Far above the clouds a grinning immortal presses down harder before suddenly dodging left. A single hair flies into the wind, cut off by a blade whose aura oozes sharpness. His face twists yet before he can speak another attack comes from a different direction. A man darts towards him on a flying sword and lashes out with a second, the guiding motion of his hand appearing like little more than fingers parting a stream even as it sends the blade towards the immortal with enough strength to pierce the grandest of bulwarks.
The immortal dodges with contemptuous ease, a single step crossing hundreds of meters. Unfortunately for him it takes him closer to the ground. Close enough for the massive tangle of roots, vines and leaves that suddenly bursts from the ground and blots out the horizon to reach him. The man huffs, one hand stroking his mustache as his other derisively slashes sideways. The kilometers worth of vines are severed as if he were simply pruning a hedge. Yet they had managed to reach higher than him before they were cut down and cover him in shadow. Inky strings wrap around him and bind him just long enough for new vines to burst forth from the remains of the last and assist in holding him in place. Even with all their efforts combined the Immortal can’t be restrained for more than a single moment, just a fraction of a second.
It proves to be enough. Cratering the earth, Thataka launches herself at him and swings her humongous cleaver with all her force. Slapping his palms together and separating them once more before slashing sideways the Immortal slaps the blade aside and thrusts his hand through her torso. With his nose raised to the sky he speaks in a haughty tone.
“Fools. You have courted death. You believe a single demon is enough to wound me? Know your place, trash.”
Spitting out blood, Thataka falls forward over his arm. Then her hands curl around his wrists and clamp down tight, her legs following suit around his waist. She stares him in the eye with a wicked grin on her face.
“I’m not the only threat, old fart.”
Long manicured nails wrap around the back of his neck as a richly adorned blade pierces his dantian. With a wide smile on her face and a manic look in her eyes Song Huan utters a single word. “Burn.”
Iridescent flames cover the world to the point Suwan can’t see anything other than herself and the unassuming man. By the time she can see once more little remains of the landscape other than a blackened husk and even Thataka looks crispier than before. She doesn’t let it stop her from looting a large string of beads from the charred remains of the Immortal however, promptly stringing it around her neck and showing off to a tired looking Huan. The owner of the legacy trial turns to Suwan and speaks.
“Let us continue on.”
He takes a single step and suddenly they are within a lavish courtyard. Cherry blossoms float leisurely through the air, a small stream cobbles and birdsong resounds in the distance yet the scene is just barely more peaceful than the last.
Thataka and Huan face eachother with murder in their eyes, loudly screaming at each other while several of their allies stand or sit nearby with their heads down.
“You coward! You’re just going to sit here doing nothing?”
“Our fight is over. Now we need to consolidate our strength, Thataka.”
“Over? Look around you, Huan!” The demon hisses while waving an arm to the side. “Enemies on every side, half of them backed by the Tang!”
“All the more reason to gather our strength. We should not antagonize the Tang!”
“We shouldn’t antagonize them?! Who the hells do you think murdered Xie-”
“Enough! Shut up, Thataka! We will gather our strength, gather allies and ensure that above all we will survive long enough to do anything other than rushing to our deaths.”
Thataka snorts, her expression dropping as she turns away.
“That’s how all groups slip into mediocrity.” She doesn’t look back a single time as she leaves. None have the courage to stop her or even look her in the eye.
The unassuming man casts a look back at Suwan, an unreadable expression on his face as he seems to gauge her reaction before continuing on. An expression that is mirrored on Song Huan while she walks through a destroyed city. Her every step creates ripples due to the sheer amount of blood on the streets, motionless bodies all around.
“Came after all, huh. Well, you showed up too late.” Thataka explains as she balances a sword on the tip of her finger before catching it in her palm and crushing it. Her skin cracks as she smiles at Huan, only then does it become noticeable that it is not her skin that cracks but a layer of dried blood on top so thick it obscures it. The broken blade lands atop an even more battered body and sinks in deep enough to stay upright. Like an unmarked tombstone to an unknown warrior, its life forfeit like the countless others within the city.
“You’ve gone too far, Thataka.” Huan says ruefully while eyeing the demon.
“Hypocrite.” Thataka fires back, taking no joy in the pain that flashes through Huan’s eyes. While most of the blood belongs to her victims it is clear she did not escape unscathed. Her newfound immortality can not protect her from the warriors of this world and as the corpse of the once proud immortal at her feet can attest to, neither can theirs save them from her. Panting in exertion blood flows freely from the many wounds atop Thataka’s body and for a moment she sways before righting herself and aiming a challenging look at Huan.
“The sects are starting to unite against us, Thataka. We’re not ready to handle them yet.”
“Hah, look around you!” Thataka gestures in a mimicry of their past argument. “This was a sect once. We strike first. We strike hard. We don’t stop striking until all our enemies are gone. That’s how we’ll win, Huan!” She shouts having worked herself into a frenzy by the time she finishes.
“There’s too many Immortals on their side, the Tang alone have dozens. Ours only has you and me so far. The moment they stop seeing us as an inconvenience and start seeing us as a threat it’s over.” Huan explains with a crestfallen expression. “You’ve gone too far, Thataka.” She repeats once more causing the demon to recoil. When several others of their group appear surrounding her she scowls and glares at Huan.
“Taking me awfully lightly, brat.” She hisses through gritted fangs as her nails enlarge and a baleful red aura spills out of her every pore. “Don’t think I’ll go down without a fight, there’ll be blood for this.”
Despite Song Huan having ascended to Immortality as well and nearly a dozen Nascent Soul experts being present the fight is by no means easy, several being incapacitated before they manage to even hem in the exhausted Thataka. Her movements grow more and more frantic, her techniques wilder and less constrained as she tosses everything she has at her former allies. It doesn’t prove to be enough. A loud gasp resounds from her fanged mouth as Huan’s richly adorned blade pierces her back and drives the air out of her lungs.
With a sense of finality Huan draws her arm back before slamming her palm into Thataka’s back and beginning to chant.
“Every waking moment lived by the sword. Every moment of rest shared by the sword. Grasp the grip and be gripped in turn. To the earth from whence you came, forever return.”
The fiend slackens as Huan chants, a wry smile on her face. To be sealed through a power she herself taught to Huan, isn’t that ironic? Suwan takes a glance at the unassuming man, his form already beginning to fade in smoke, the last shreds of his being used to maintain the memory.
With a heavy heart Song Huan hands the blade to one of her retainers, the man that holds a resemblance to the Zri patriarch Suwan put down mere months ago. The smiling slaughterer looks exhausted and vulnerable, barely managing to force the words out of her mouth.
“Take it and put it away. I’m entrusting this task to your clan, Yong.”
“As you say, my liege. It was an honor to serve you. May we meet again in another life.” The man answers with a nod before leaving to see to his duty, one his descendants will maintain for millennia to come.
The monkey-eared woman among their group puts a hand on Huan’s shoulder and squeezes. “There are rumors something is going on within the Tang Dynasty, with today’s act the alliance has lost their reason to unite and without the Dynasty’s help they won’t be able to organize for a while.”
“Let us hope it’ll delay matters enough.”
The scene falls away, naught but darkness surrounding Suwan and the owner of the legacy trial. Even then half the man’s body is gone and more is swiftly vanishing.
“It appears I have run out of time. Farewell, disciple of Song.” He says and fades away, his tone unreadable. Suwan chuckles. To the end she never managed to learn a thing about the shadowy Immortal himself.
------
“-Shove me boot so far up y’r arse ya ken taste da fookin cow dey cut apart for de leather!” Suwan hears Zhi shout while waving her fist before she realizes her surroundings have changed. The teen freezes in place forcing Suwan to turn away to hide a smirk. Mu stumbles and nearly falls. She catches herself and swallows, her eyes on the verge of tears. “I failed.” The pugilist says with a beaten expression.
Suwan casts a glance at An to see if the girl managed to succeed in the trial before her own forceful intrusion caused it to break down. Her expression is unreadable as always. Suwan supposes she could just ask but she doubts she’ll get a straight answer. Shadow users are troublesome like that.
“Ah well, nothing to it. Let’s get out of here.” She shrugs, turning around to move to the exit. For all she’s found out the thing she’s learned most is how little she knows, particularly about demons. Pondering where to head to rectify that it catches her off guard when she suddenly notices An kowtowing.
“Master, Grand Master. This one apologizes a thousand times for her selfishness. This one has a request.”
The corners of Suwan’s lips curl up. Regardless of whether or not she succeeded, she seems to have at least gained something from the trial.
