Chương 69: The Grey Demon Awakens

I heard the sound thundering above the roofs of the prison. The guards rushed outside as the noise grew unbearable. Something far worse had begun in this Town. The other prisoners, sensing the guards had abandoned their posts, threw themselves against the gate and tried to force it open with all their might. I rattled in my chains inside the cell, my gi soaked in cold sweat. Fire and smoke poured down from above. A heavy impact had struck the roof. War had come to the City of Daoshi.

Rage and understanding of the situation outside, the screams, the blood, the ravaging of bodies, hit me at once from my memory of my own. I pulled with every ounce of my strength against the iron that bound me. The chains shattered and tore free from my body as I let my Animo out with full force. Around me the prisoners broke loose at the same time, shouting how they would join the invaders, how they would ravage the women themselves and slaughter every soldier they found... all in the act of letting loose.

I moved without hesitation from the Gate as i broke it with a kick into the wall. I did not do this for the sake of those who had thrown me in here, but because a black memory flashed through my mind. I saw again what the Metians had done to the commonfolk of Bener in my war, especially the women.

In that same instant, the shadow of Siegfried appeared in my thoughts, his emerald-green eyes mocking me with a pitying smile, telling me how this will be a repeat of Bener and again i will be on the losing side and then disappearing into nothingness. The sight filled me with such fury that my blood burned. I activated Cor Flamma and charged into the the fray My shoulder struck the second gate and bent it inward until it burst against the wall.

Fire and smoke filled the corridor, turning everything into a dark hell, yet my body glowed with intense heat that lit the way. The prisoners turned on me in anger. A Suren daring to stand in their path? How dare he? They came at me with fists flying. I met the first man head-on. My punch caved his face inward until only a charred ruin remained. I stepped over his corpse, my burning feet crushing what was left into charcoal bits. Two more leaped at me from the sides.

My elbow drove into one man's solar plexus while my left leg lashed out at the other with blinding speed. My toes ripped out his tonsils. As I pulled back I squeezed them between my big toe and second toe until they burst. The remaining twenty-four panicked and begged for mercy, since they understood our difference of Animo. I let them think they could run, as i did tell them to get out, but I continued the slaughter.

I tore arms from sockets, ripped heads from necks, and with the final man I punched straight through his chest, tore out his heart, and watched the blood on my hand vaporize in the heat. I took my weapon from where it hung at the end of the chamber and stepped outside the prison.

I saw from the opening view how twenty thousand soldiers of Daoshi clashed in the heart of the city against amber-hued warriors dressed in white and green leathery clothing with different helmets out of iron and leathe seeming to be bowl helmet which was segmented structure forged from thick steel plates, riveted together with vertical reinforcing bands, and sloped steeply to deflect heavy weapon strikes.

Their weapons they all used were long axes, massive and heavy in the design they carried a sharp crescent blade on one side and a brutal spiked hammer on the other. Perfect for cleaving armor and shattering bone. The sound of battle had become deafening with all sides in the town were clashes to be heard. I saw no sign of Feng-Dao. The market stalls I had passed when I first entered now burned.

Buildings all around were under bombardment from strange red projectiles that screamed past with a wailing sound before striking the main pavilion. Half the pavilion was already set ablaze. I ran toward it, searching for Feng-Dao, as i hoped he would be there, since his so beloved sect lead had his headquarters there. Inside the burning hall I found him. The leader of the Dao Sect the Great Shue-Dao whom fought on air, his glaive flashing as he battled two powerful warriors in Vestuto, each wielding twin axes.

"We, the Twin Axes of Moyonge, will claim the last Dao lands today!" one roared.

"Our age begins!" His brother added with a mad laugh, "The Age of Zhongguomoyonge! We will erase your people completely, as your folk has already lost its standing many moons ago now its our turn to rule the Nation!" Both laughed as they traded blows with the Sect Leader.

"We should have killed you Sect 21 years ago, well even your partner kin will not save you Moyonge traitors!" the Dao leader threw back. In this Situation for a tiny moment I considered fleeing the city. I had no wish to die for nothing in a war i had no connection with. Yet the fury still burned inside me wanting to let it all out and enjoy myself. I then decided to elevate my position so I climbed a burning roof and kept running across the rooftops to check were these loud "wuuush—" noise originated from.

Galer's mocking voice echoed in my head.

"Hahaha, no air walking for you, Erumes. So strong, yet so uneducated when it comes to mobility." One day I would show him. Every alley below me ran red with blood. Fighting raged everywhere where the eyes could see. When I reached the city gate I leaped outside. Ten kilometers away I saw the enemy siege weapons and the soldiers guarding them. I meant to keep running and ambush from behind, but then I saw the horror they had made of their own prisoners.

Dead bodies were stuffed and hung from huge timbers like trophies to parade with and boost own morale. That sight ignited something savage in me. They cared for no one but themselves. I would kill them first in a brutal fashion, then leave. I charged with my Vestuto fully unleashed. The soldiers spotted me.

"A Suren!" a general shouted.

"Shoot him with the Huo Che!" I saw the weapon clearly. A beehive on wheels accompanied by a heavy cart pushed by one or two men. On top sat a large wooden box divided into dozens of slots like a honeycomb. Each slot held a rocket. One cart could carry a hundred or more. All fuses linked to a single master fuse. When lit, it unleashed a storm of screaming, exploding red death. I did not give them time to fire.

Since i prepared my Elsa di Fuoco which spun around me in a blazing ring, since i was circling myself in 360 degrees. The fire aura tore through all one hundred and eight soldiers in the area and detonated the fire carts in a chain of explosions. Their skin blackened and cracked in an instant. Blisters swelled and burst. Flesh melted from bone while they were still screaming. Men dropped to their knees, then face-first into the dirt, their bodies already half-charred husks.

The same raging heat reached the Huo Che carts. The rockets ignited in a chain reaction. One after another the fire carts erupted in deafening explosions. The blasts ripped the already crispy corpses apart. Charred limbs and torsos were flung into the air. Blood gushed from the rupturing bodies only to evaporate into red steam within seconds under the extreme temperature.

Organs such as lungs, livers, loops of intestine flew in every direction, some still sizzling as they hit the ground or slapped against the remaining trees. The entire clearing became a slaughterhouse of burning meat, flying body parts, and the thick, sweet stench of cooked human flesh mixed with black powder. When the final explosion faded, nothing remained standing. Only smoking craters, scattered bones, and the lingering heat of my active Cor Flamma.

As the smoke cleared the general crawled from the rubble looking pissed as he was only slightly damaged and bruised by all of this that happened, knuckles white on his huge axe.

"You are strong, Suren," he said, licking his lips.

"I will gain even greater fame by taking your head." He activated his Vestuto. Darkness swallowed his armor and formed two cannons on his back. He swung the axe. I parried easily, but he grinned.

"I know you are sharp, but this will still surprise you!" The cannons fired. Blackness struck me. I inhaled some of it. My body fought to reject the growing darkness but only partly succeeded. My vision shrank to fifteen percent. The world became narrow and dim. He used my blind spots, trying to strike where I could not see. Yet I heard his heavy footsteps just like the stupid bouncing ball from Sasaldo Island one point eight six meters of armored brute. I countered every blow he threw at me.

"I have trained for this," I told him.

"Others would panic being in this position. I have seen real darkness before. You barked at the wrong person now i will show you." I hooked his axe with the back of my own weapon, yanked it down, and drove my diamond-edged blade into his stomach. He tried to pull away but I kept cutting into him. He jumped back and blew a whistle for reinforcements to gather. I was too late to stop the sound. He laughed as he tried to gather time with slowly moving backwards.

"The attack leader Dian-Moyonge is coming to my rescue! You are finished, Suren! He is the strongest in this attack!" While he laughed I shoved the axe blade into his open mouth and ripped downward through his chin, killing him instantly.

"At least you are dead," I said, "so you will not see your glorious leader fail to save you." Horseback special forces burst from a hidden position. Their commander split the unit. One hundred and sixty riders chased after me while the rest galloped toward the city for the final victory seeing their equipment charred and broken. I rushed through the trees, trying to lose them. They kept pace with my Vestuto. I then knew I could not outrun them forever on unfamiliar ground. So I turned to face them.

I burned several timbers into a ring of fire, then waited. Arrows flew. I deflected them. When the soldiers charged through the flames I hurled burning bark shards into their eyes. The heat cooked them inside their armor. Only the vice general remained. He alone could match my speed even without Vestuto. He stepped through the fire like it was a child's play. I beckoned him forward with one hand eafger to exchange with him.

"Come. Let us fight." His axe was heavier and more skilled than the last general's. I blocked his barrage while I gathered power but he got my thigh with a cut bleeding strong and my Heart flame reacting well to heal the wound. And it happened again with my dodging and blocking becoming less successful he now got my thighs two more times he even cut my shoulder deep with the latest exchange i could tell he was more proficient than me and near equal to Feng-Dao.

It was time to accept i had to use it, if i want to survive, even if i dont know what will happen from here out i smiled at the enemy for a second. I forced for the first time my Cor Flamma into the brain and opened the passage I had not used since that one time in the Tybesti Mines. The Soul Attribute awakened in me. The Armor of condensed soul essence formed around me.

Deep charcoal grey, almost black in the shadows, yet showing a cool muted silver sheen wherever fire moved across it like living smoke i also gained two ventils on my back that grew to form exhaust pipes, whenever i moved or used a move it let the hot steam out. I looked like a monster. I was barely in control of my own consciousness. My eyes burned as if they themselves were on fire in bright red-orange mix. Holding them open hurt, but the power was overwhelming. I glided forward.

My sword-axe swung in one smooth arc that severed both of his legs before he even realized what had happened. As understanding finally reached him, he tried to activate his own Vestuto. My blade split his head vertically. Blood fountained high into the air and evaporated instantly in my stronger heat. The armor took over control i feel to slumber from the overwhelming heat on my brain. It carried me into the remaining hundred elite soldiers with unstoppable ferocity.

It ripped and tore them apart, leaving a trail of blood that my heat quickly turned to vapor. For the first time I witnessed an uncontrollable ferocity worse than anything I had ever seen from Siegfried. I was barely holding myself together even in slumber. Yet I knew it wholeheartedly, once I mastered this form, I could kill Siegfried. I roared like a demonic warrior. The sound rolled through the entire forest and reached all the way into the City.

Even while lost deep inside the Soul Attribute armor, my eyes caught the clash far ahead. Deep inside the City a powerful green-emitting aura battled violently against bright celestial light. The Attack Leader Doyin-Moyonge had fully transformed. His Wind Attribute Vestuto reflected damage. A second layer of armor formed outside his usual set known as the Mountain Scale Armor of deep white as the dominant color, with grass-green silk accents and bright bronze detailing. Bear motifs decorated the plates.

Ornate helmets, layered shoulder guards trimmed with green fur, white silk sashes and tassels, bronze bear emblems on the chest and shoulders, white-and-bronze greaves with green accents, and long flowing dark grey-black capes completed the appearance. The entire second layer was made of ironcoal, leather, and silk. A fierce green aura engulfed him. That distant activity stirred the obsession that dwelled deep in my subconscious. I harbored the Idea in my mind the green-armored figure became Siegfried.

The armor rushed with immense speed from the burning forest toward the City, smoke trailing behind as the heat increased from the exhaust pipes. Sect Lead Shue-Dao had also activated his Vestuto — Míng Guāng Xīng Jiǎ, the Bright Mirror Star Armor. His body was clad in the majestic Bright Mirror Armor, a masterpiece of plate-and-lamellar craftsmanship. Large, perfectly polished oval mirror-like plates covered his chest and back, gleaming with a divine reflective silver-gold luster.

Smaller overlapping lamellar scales flowed across his shoulders, arms, and lower torso, creating both flexibility and formidable defense. The entire armor radiated a soft celestial glow. Around his body orbited countless tiny stars of pure light in shimmering points of cosmic Qi that formed a living star-field aura. These stars constantly drifted and rotated around him like a miniature galaxy.

One of his abilities was the Star Kick: he could kick the orbiting stars with devastating force, launching them at 18, 000 km/h. The stars ripped through enemies like cosmic blades, shredding flesh and armor with pure starlight energy. Star Substitution Healing allowed Shue-Dao to gather orbiting stars into a wounded area when he or other heavily damaged people stood within the area of effect.

The stars temporarily formed a makeshift limb or protective plating while the real body or wounded members rapidly regenerated underneath. His ultimate technique was Star Befallen (Xīng Luò). Shue-Dao gathered a massive amount of stars from his outer aura and condensed them onto the tip of his glaive. The star spun faster and faster until it became a blazing, compressed orb of cosmic Qi.

When released, it fired forward at 23, 000 km/h, obliterating defenses and punching through almost anything in its path with devastating cosmic force. Overall, Shue-Dao in this Vestuto looked like a living celestial general. The polished mirror armor reflected light in blinding flashes, while the orbiting star field gave him an awe-inspiring, god-like appearance. His white hair and beard flowed with radiant energy, and his phoenix-like eyes shone with calm, overwhelming authority.

The Twin Axes had already lost both of their hands thanks to the over seventy-year-old Sect Lead's Vestuto. Yet the battalion Attack Leader of the invading army, Doyin-Moyonge, proved superior. His reflecting ability sent the ultimate technique straight back at its user. Then, with one huge axe stroke, he cut the Sect Leader's back in half. The twins rejoiced at their incoming victory. Below them a general moved to plant the final morale-destroying symbol of Daoshi... the Moyonge Banner.

It was a vibrant green field with darker green borders, featuring an eight-pointed green star emblem with the characters "慕容世家" (Moyonge Sect) elegantly engraved in the center. He even prepared to sing their victory song. In my blurring state I ravaged into the enemy rear with brutal, inhuman speed, killing hundreds. I crushed the general's head into a mush of brain and bone that fell to the ground and still evaporated under the unbearable heat surrounding me.

The banner that had just been raised in the middle of battle burned away. Doyin-Moyonge, enraged that his national banner had been destroyed, tried to air-walk toward the grey armored monster. It was in vain. My obsession with Siegfried drove the armor forward far faster. A shoulder charge smashed into him and launched him high into the air with the armor tanking the reflecting damage the ground it stood caved in deeper.

He was so furious he did not even notice he was already bleeding from the first exchange we just had. He swung a wide, pissed-off strike. I dodged, but he anticipated the counter and reflected my sword-axe attack. Using the pickaxe part of the weapon I hooked him and pulled him away from the city with tremendous force. The armor followed him into the deep forest. Meanwhile the Twin Axes and their remaining soldiers fought the re-energized Dao troops who had recovered from the confusion and now fought even harder.

Without Huo Che support or direct help from their leader, the twins understood the situation. They had already destroyed around seventy percent of the city and killed the Sect Leader. Believing the other outposts would soon fall, they pulled back, fully convinced their Force Attack Leader would return victorious to them soon enough. With a full monstrous roar from my Armor and huge trails of smoke pouring from its back, it used my current training move "Elsa di Fuoco" at full power.

A massive burning aura shot outward in a wide area, incinerating all surrounding trees. Doyin's armor could no longer reflect the overwhelming heat and began to burst. He understood this thing must be a hidden weapon of the Dao Sect. He had to stop it at all costs. He took out a newly developed item created from the partner Suren to reach new territory of heights in terms of Animo... it was a tattoo talisman and pressed it to his forehead while still burning from my attack.

It glowed and sank into his heavily scorched skin. Violet lines spread across his body like living ink. His skin lost its living quality and greyed. His amber-hued tone turned ashen. His face became death-like. He sucked the remaining blazing fire into his stomach. His belly swelled. The continuous fire blast finally stopped. Two subconscious monstrosities now fought for superiority. The battle was brutal. With his new power Doyin-Moyonge ripped the legs from the black armor with ease and squeezed.

It did not faze the armor much. With all remaining force it tore his torso apart. Both regenerated rapidly. The savage exchange continued the same way until, driven by pure burning obsession, the armor finally ripped Doyin into pieces. Even after he was already torn apart, the armor continued attacking subconsciously until it too was exhausted and finally detransformed. I woke up in immense pain all over my body. The devastating state around me was pure nightmare. Evaporated blood steamed into the night sky.

Pieces of charcoal mixed with ordinary chunks of flesh lay everywhere. Many trees were either broken in half or burnt to crisp. My right leg slowly regenerated. I felt immense pain over every part of my body, but mostly in my brain. I vomited everything I could and still the pain remained crushing. Feng-Dao arrived with his army from the outpost they had been forced to reinforce the day before, as the reason he had not been present during the main attack.

He saw the city of four hundred thousand nearly devastated, the Leader dead, and the commonfolk desperately trying to save whatever could still be saved. Soldiers told him about the grey monster. He rode toward the confused figure that was me. I did not remember what I had done again. Inside I cursed myself. How could I still not control the Soul Attribute? I had to train more and become far more durable. When Feng-Dao found me in that confused state, he was not angry at me.

Instead he was thankful that I had taken care of one of their enemy leaders. It was not a perfect trade, but a necessary win and that was good enough for him. He brought me back toward the city. I saw the full extent of the damage the armor had caused… He argued that he now needed to inform the young lord about all...