Chương 269: Balancing act

The melodious chiming of the ringed staff grew fainter as it was surrounded by a dark nothingness that left a trail through the air in its wake, but even through the ripples of Void-Sunders-Firmament or the impact as the weapon slammed into the chest of a skeletal undead the chiming kept its ethereal harmony.

The undead monster did not seem to fare as well though as the blow combined with the unraveling spatial tears that echoed twice more were enough to cause the last of its frame to crumple in on itself as it was flung away. Two more quickly took its place as they assaulted Kite in the remnants of the warehouse, but given how damaged each of the surviving undead was by the previous explosions, even Kite could dispatch them with ease without resorting to his limited arsenal of more powerful options.

One met another strike of his staff while he conjured a barrier to ward off the other one to his side while two spectral arms used his new spear to harry the monstrosity through the relative safety of the shield. The next undead met a tower shield that shoved it away with impressive force as Kite had by now accumulated a decent echo of Dragonfly's inner fire that his wife kept sharing through the linked artifacts they shared with the rest of the Elevenfold Unity.

And the one after that stumbled as Sage fired a beam of resonating force to cripple a bony leg, using the charge as soon as it had accumulated enough remnants of spent mana. Kite missed Glint's disrupting presence, but it had been decided that the familiar would be more helpful to the other group for this night. That was, until this ambush.

Still, managing the damaged undead proved quite doable as Kite could lock them all inside the remnants of the warehouse with him with the barriers of Leyline Warding until the incoming help could arrive. Or at least Kite sincerely hoped that it was to assist, as the gold-ranked aura that appeared in the air above felt quite oppressive. Given how brightly the figure burned, it was only by the feel of his spirit that Kite could identify Crowned Flame upon the Mount of Dawn.

Mistress Dew had only called him Grand Elder Crowned when the elven man had last appeared after the incident where Destruction's acolytes targeted Petal, but Kite had since then taken care to learn more about the more active gold-rankers of the capital." Sigil of the Burning Beyond, let us glimpse the Otherworldly Conflagration!"

Tiny pinpricks glowing with furious inner light spread from the blindingly bright figure in the sky, each punching a tiny hole in Kite's barriers as the gold-ranker from the Thunderous Soul Sect could apparently not be bothered to circumvent the obstruction. As they drew closer, Kite saw that each of the glowing dots were in fact tiny arcane sigils of bright heat.

Each started seeking out one of the still living - or rather, still animate - undead monsters, forming a circle hovering around the creatures before each sigil lit up to unleash a thin beam of concentrated molten destruction that met the projections from their siblings somewhere inside the poor monster that was their target. The silver-ranked undead, resilient as they were, didn't even seem to have the time to burn properly as they simply disintegrated into ashen puffs of deathly mana.

The figure in the burning armor descended soon after, Amica and Little Crow following in his wake as the celestine was coming to.

"Honored Grand Elder, thank you for your assistance," Kite greeted along with the appropriate bow of respect, even though he suspected it did little to change the elven man's demeanor as his disapproval had been clear in his potent aura from the very beginning.

"The very fact that I felt inclined to step in speaks volumes, outcast," Grand Elder Crowned stated sternly.

"What explanation do you have for your little spectacle endangering the city like this?"

"You have our deepest apologies, Grand Elder. We were investigating a potential attempt on a contender's life, when things seem to have gotten out of hand. My companion did manage to keep the destruction contained though, and-""Paltry excuses," the grand elder interrupted.

"From what I've seen, it looks like it was only by Fortune's grace that the surrounding neighborhoods weren't devastated by debris or monsters run amok. Had it been my students, such failures would have consequences. It looks like I'll have to-""There now, fellow Grand Elder.

Surely there are plenty of reasons to show leniency towards these juniors," another voice interjected, everyone's attention suddenly drawn to the newcomer as yet another gold-ranked aura unveiled itself along with its owner; an imposing celestine woman whose jade-green hair and eyes bore a fierce shimmer as she appeared atop one of the still standing walls of the warehouse.

"These little outcasts have been quite helpful in the last few weeks, rooting out interlopers causing troubles among our juniors to incite some unpleasant business. And they were battling yet another cell of Undeath's minions, no? We all know that such encounters can easily go sideways, and given that they even handled the fallout admirably I say that we should be lauding their efforts."

"We juniors greet the honored Grand Elder," Kite intoned in the brief silence after the woman's statement as while he had never met her, he knew of her. Tempest Throne was one of two gold-rankers from the Pinnacle Zenith Sect, a grand elder second only to the sect leader in power and influence.

As it was no secret that their sect's ambition was to eventually claim a seat in the capital, he suspected that her stepping in was perhaps not only out of appreciation for the guild's work behind the scenes, but in the face of the disapproving Grand Elder Crowned he would accept any support he could get.

Said grand elder seemed even less pleased with the arrival of one of his peers than he was with Kite, Amica and Little Crow, the spiritual pressure upon them lessening considerably as his spirit turned upon the celestine.

"Oh? Has the Pinnacle Zenith Sect sunk so low as to need the help of outcasts and foreigners now?" Grand Elder Crowned drolled derisively even though he was making little headway in suppressing his counterpart.

"A wise warrior can value each and every blade fighting for a joint cause with a discerning gaze," Tempest Throne countered.

"Is it perhaps rather the Thunderous Soul sect who has sat too comfortably these past decades, unable to recognize talent even when it stands before them? A dangerous, slippery slope, of which I am assured that the rest of you agree, no? I know you are watching, so you might as well join our little debate."

The last statement was called out to seemingly nobody in particular, but its implications caused a knot to form in Kite's stomach that was only confirmed as more gold-ranked auras started making themselves known, figures appearing on nearby rooftops or in the alleys between houses. Apparently, half a dozen additional golds had been drawn in by the spectacle, a gathering of power barely ever seen in the kingdom outside of the Grand Proving.

Kite recognized most of them from descriptions, though he was a bit concerned to see that Mistress Dew wasn't among them. They came from a variety of sects too, with impressions varying from curiosity to boredom coloring their imposing features.

"Tempest Throne is correct!" one of the new arrivals called out, a human man wearing gilded armor that seemed to flow like liquid around his form.

"The threat of Undeath needs to be stamped out wherever possible, especially here during the Proving."

"But it should have been the sect of the supposed victim of such a plot who should have been given the opportunity to root out such a threat," a leonid woman with an imposing, bronze snake winding its way through the air around her.

"These outcasts overstepped while almost failing to contain the threat. I agree with Grand Elder Crowned in that they should receive reprimand for their brazeness!" More such arguments followed, quickly resolving itself into two opposing sides; one approving of what Kite and the others were doing as well as their previous actions even though they might find them a bit misguided while the other one very much did not, viewing them as upstarts spitting at convention.

"This escalated rather suddenly…" Kite muttered softly to Amica and Little Crow who stood at his side, none of the three silver-rankers feeling too inclined to draw attention to themselves.

"Are the two of you alright?"

"I'll be fine," Little Crow answered, his usual amused smile back on his face as he took in the debate between gold-rankers unfolding around them.

"Just happened to overtax my mana a bit. My dear gift here is most efficient at storing a good stock of needles, but it seems like me using its defensive measures to avert my whole reserve detonating at once was quite taxing. Who would have thought?"

"Good thing you had me to pull you out of there, plaything," Amica murmured in return, nudging her companion.

"But I do appreciate you shielding me like that. Such a grand gesture deserves ample reward later." Kite could only smile at their antics, but it turned out that there was another present who wasn't as amused.

"Do you find this amusing, foreigner?" Grand Elder Crowned asked loudly, silencing the rest of the discussion as he directed his attention towards Amica.

"Think yourself beyond retribution here in our lands?"

"Oh, leave her be, Crowned. Don't blame the silver for having her mind wander with how you keep prattling on," Tempest Throne countered, the tension of the debate rising quite a few notches with the casual derision in the celestine's voice.

"You! It is not your place to even protect these outcasts!" an irate Grand Elder Crowned snarled in return.

"They aren't your students, or.. Perhaps the Pinnacle Zenith Sect has grown desperate enough to start turning to this guild of theirs for help? Throwing in with the Adventure Society now too, I suppose? Was it not enough to remain stuck in mediocrity, so you instead joined in on selling out our kingdom's pride to foreign interests?!"

"What? You DARE-" Tempest Throne replied, the celestine's aura rising even further, apparently unable to stomach the barbed accusations that had now gone from veiled to quite brazen.

Both of the grand elders' mana started surging at the same time, a flaming armor of sunfire appearing around Grand Elder Crowned while hints of a seemingly endless maze of illusion and hidden realms seemed to be flickering into existence around Tempest Throne, and Kite started planning how to best make their escape if the two actually came to blows.

He had to do something though, because there was another feel to what was playing out before his very eyes: old tensions, built up over years suddenly being prodded to inflamed escalation. Kite was only a mere silver, but something needed to be done to stop the escalation, especially as it seemed like none of the other golds present were inclined to step in.

"Please, honored Grand Elders! There is no need to escalate things further. The Autumn Wanderers Guild will agree to further cooperate on any further leads, and even provide compensation to the families of the nearby neighborhoods who were endangered by our failure. We-""Silence, outcast. I'll get to you later. This is a matter for your betters," Grand Elder Crowed snarled in response, his aura like the lash of a whip to Kite's spirit that kept intensifying.

While Kite's spiritual defenses had become quite potent for his rank in recent years, they still crumbled immediately beneath the towering presence of the gold-ranker. Kite's sense of the world was crushed inward, trapping his spirit within his mortal shell in a way that left him feeling cut off from the very world in deafening silence. The bustling auras of the city were snuffed out, leaving Kite alone and exposed, a sensation which was still hard to get used to even after years of being an essence-user.

He fought back against the pressure, but it was hopeless. His straining did nothing, like trying to strike a waterfall and somehow expecting it to turn. It was futile, pointless. Until.. Until it suddenly wasn't. The incandescent pressure was suddenly washed away, leaving Kite with a sensation as if suddenly being able to breathe again, head emerging back above the spiritual surface that he had been pushed beneath.

However, as he once again took in his surroundings with his aura senses, he also noticed the source of his sudden salvation: it was as if nothingness had imposed itself upon the whole area. It was the silence of a completely serene pond, the darkness of dreamless sleep, the absence of sensation and thought. It was the void, and it was something Kite recognized.

"This junior seems to eclipse you in regards to common sense, Grand Elder Crowned," Ardent Horizon Seeker said calmly, seeming to startle even most of the present gold-rankers at his appearance in the air above the destroyed warehouse.

"Because what the two of you are on the brink of doing might have consequences far beyond the mere wounded pride of your sects." Kite's teacher and birth-father looked much the same as he always did, clad in pristine robes of black and white with only his piercing blue eyes breaking the somber coloration. He sat in the air as if in meditation, easily keeping himself aloft through his aura alone as he regarded the gathering.

"Sect Leader! She-""Honored Sect Leader, this man-" Kite had often heard of Ardent being regarded as some kind of reclusive power that most in the capital were perfectly happy leaving alone; the hidden strength of the Silent Horizon Sect that allowed the smaller organization to keep thriving in the cutthroat environment of the kingdom's heartlands. And seeing the two feuding grand elders fall silent at his curt gesture was proof enough that those rumors still held merit in the hearts of the powerful.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I care not for your reasons," Ardent Horizon Seeker continued.

"The two of you were on the brink of unleashing your paths here and now, setting a dangerous precedent. When gold-rankers clash, calamity is unleashed. You know this, and yet you, Grand Elder Crowned, had the temerity to accuse these juniors of putting the city at risk just moments before. Center yourselves, and walk away. Both of you. Otherwise I will have to challenge you here and now. Feel free to muster your paths and prove me wrong inside my Halls of Emptiness and continue your quarrel afterwards.

If not, begone." Silence reigned as Ardent finished, the two grand elders still squaring off yet neither of them making a move. Soon though, Crowned Flame upon the Mount of Dawn was the first to let his armor of sunlit fury dissipate, even though it obviously pained him to be the first to do so. Without another word, he turned and flew away on a streak of fire without sparing the rest another glance.

While Kite did not doubt that the other gold-rankers combined did not fear Ardent, none seemed invested enough in the proceedings to offer any complaint as they too withdrew one by one. Ardent threw Kite a final glance that betrayed no hints of familiarity outward, but it was accompanied by a subtle nudge of aura that contained some acknowledgement before he too turned and flew away into the night sky. This left Kite, Amica and Little Crow standing in silence among the remnants of the warehouse.

They could sense some normal-rankers lurking around the edges that had wisely kept their distance from the proceedings of such powerful beings, but the rubble would need to be cleaned up and some owner of the warehouse would no doubt show up sooner or later.

"That… Did not go as expected. In more ways than one," Amica noted, turning to the others.

"Wander, are the others alright."

"They are. There was a similar trap for them, but River managed to sniff it out in time to turn it upon the bastards. The senses of that woman are crazy scary. Good thing she's on our side. Kind of~""Good. Then I suggest the two of you return to the camp. I'll stay behind and help clear up the mess. Something I'm pretty good at, at least," Amica replied, to which Kite nodded before reaching into a pouch and retrieving a few silver spirit coins.

"Thank you, Amica. Please give these as compensation to whoever seems to own the property. The guild can ill afford to be seen as stingy or above owning up for the consequences of our actions, given the tensions. And as for the golds here…" he said, trailing off as he looked at the scorchmarks and partially melted stone where Grand Elder Crowned's armor had come into contact with the rubble.

"The tension is beyond what I expected. As are these sudden ambushes. We need to consult the others, as well as Mistress Dew. It is worrisome… But it might also be a sign that we're on the right track. As for the golds… Let us hope that we can walk the balancing act we have taken upon ourselves."

"You sure like stirring things up, my erstwhile student. I know that might have been your intention, but still can't help but feel some concern," Frost Among Morning Dew noted as soon as Kite and Little Crow returned to the guild's pavilion, the gold-ranker already present and waiting for them while she sat drinking tea with Uncle Walker.

"Perhaps a certain bold and dedicated former teacher of mine has somewhat affected my judgment. I'll be certain to keep that in mind when choosing future mentors," Kite replied with a tired smile. The others had returned as well, Dragonfly immediately sidling up to Kite and wrapping him in a hug.

"Wander has already told me the gist of things, little Kite," Walker noted from his seat beside Mistress Dew.

"We suspected that the forces behind the scenes wouldn't sit idle, but they sure stepped up their pace quickly. And with a lot less subtlety too… Silver-ranked undead in the middle of the city? And from the looks of them, probably creations of the same people that supported the fallen sect all those years back. Aren't they worried about actually rallying more of the locals against them?"

"Well, it barely seems to have registered to them," Kite sighed.

"They seemed more caught up in furthering their own agendas than they were concerned with the actual target of our strikes. Ardent Horizon Seeker showing up the way he did ought to have helped our cause somewhat though."

"It's not that odd, really," Mistress Dew noted.

"Gold rank is different, at least when compared to your previous ascensions. While silver might be one of the most distinct steps for your path, gold is instead a matter of your place in society. Even in this kingdom, mana-sparse as it might be compared to many places in the world, silvers are not that uncommon outside the most peripheral regions like the Autumn Lands. But golds are, usually belonging to either the most affluent families of the heartlands or one of the sects.

Or both," she finished, taking a sip of tea before continuing.

"As a gold-ranker you are a national power as well as a banner for the faction you belong to. Thus, to retain that status you need to focus on the bigger picture and leave the silver-ranked problems for the juniors unless things are really coming to a head like during the monster surges. If we did not, many silvers would find it hard to advance and would leave the kingdom, which the kingdom as a whole definitely does not want.

We need the power and potential of the next generation, because even golds can fall during events like the monster surges. So to those grand elders back there, they only saw silvers struggling with silver problems. Had some of those ambushers Wander told us about remained in the area or otherwise not avoided detection they would probably have apprehended them, but without a personal slight you will not see them turning the city upside down for your assailants no matter whom you claim their allegiance belongs to."

"That feels a lot like what Senior Brother Obsidian has told me," Little Crow agreed.

"What worries me though, is how close those two back there were to actually coming to blows. The Proving is always a time of tension and posturing to be sure, but if a pair or two happen to actually start fighting… I am sure that there are plenty of frustrated old monsters among the sect leaders and grand elders present that would jump at the precedent to settle their own grudges. Longer lives mean a lot more time to stew about such things, after all."

"Something we can assume lies within the hopes of Discord's clergy, perhaps? Would they not want to escalate things?" Kite mused, even though said musing was a somber one that only served to further drive home the sense of frustration in waging this kind of battle.

"At least you did manage to draw their attention somewhat, like we hoped, my friend," Will said consolingly from where he sat hand in hand with Laevyeth while the outworlder silently observed the proceedings with a dignified grace that had only become more and more pronounced the longer she had remained at the spearman's side.

"Now we can only press on, shining bright enough so that they can't keep ignoring the true problems we keep unearthing."

"But not so bright that they decided to snuff us out like an annoying candle," Wander added.

"Wait, bad metaphor. Like a malfunctioning glow stone? A flickering glare reflected from an annoying wind catcher on the neighbor's balcony~?" The suggestions kept coming as Wander did manage to lighten the mood a bit, and in this Kite actually felt truly thankful for her antics. Then they got to planning their next step.

"-and before the gods and the whole kingdom, Soul - the blessed of Warrior - has once again proved her path superior. May Inner Disciple Summer bring back what she learned from this intense bout of tempering to her sect and help build upon its foundation. Surely, the Heavenly Shadow Sect will still be proud of her performance!"

Kite sat back in his chair as formations started glowing around the arena, restoring the broken stones and ravaged landscape below to its original form as the officiator called the end of the clash. In but a minute, it would be as if Soul had not just fought through a furious clash that had really started to push the celestine towards some kind of limit.

Each swing of her opponent's sword had rent both the air and stone, the powerful magics of the inner disciple's path partially bypassing even Soul's Immortal Fist and forcing the celestine to new heights of adaptation and strength. Thus, this was Soul's first bout of the Proving where she had actually sported substantial wounds herself before the fighting was over, her smile all the wider as she left the arena below and vanished out of sight.

This victory in the grand arena also meant that Soul had secured herself one of the spots among the final eight contenders of the proving, and the increased stakes could definitely be felt in the murmur of the gathered crowds.

"Gods… It sounds more like growling," Dragonfly murmured to Kite, looking around at the spectators that were speaking to one another while most glared at one part of the stands or another.

Even though many sects and families no longer had a competitor in the running, they still all showed up to make public shows of support to favored allies or to menace their rivals, but Kite agreed with his wife that the rising tensions could definitely be felt here more than almost anywhere else except perhaps in the nightly clashes and duels that were still going strong around the city. Therefore he turned to one of their other companions who had joined them to see Soul fight.

"Are you still sure that you don't want anyone watching over you during your upcoming rounds, Vista? You too are among the finalists now, after all," he asked, repeating a question that he had posed several times during the Proving already.

"You are kind to offer, Kite, but I will be fine. From the rumors it seems that you already have plenty of other more important things to keep you occupied," the young master replied calmly where he sat, the now much smaller cerberus at his side squabbling among their three heads about whose turn it was to receive the scratches.

As he tended to always be while in public, the handsome man looked both in control and at ease even though Kite suspected that he too was probably feeling the pressure of the increasing attention on him as he had ascended through the brackets.

"Still, I-""Please, Kite. I insist. I shall be fine. This is not a time to show fear, but purpose," Vista replied, cutting Kite off even though his words held no vitriol.

"I have already made a good showing, but I can't help feeling that I have more to show- Sorry, we have more to show this kingdom," he finished, adding the last at a questioning huff from his three-headed familiar.

"Even Victory Carved in Storm and Stone feels within reach, and I believe that she is starting to realize it too. Her Iron Howl Sect even sent me an invitation to join their ranks already, which is quite an honor in and of itself for someone like me from the far north."

"I… see," Kite replied, still concerned.

"I do hope you reach out if you reconsider though. As you might have heard, things started escalating for us last night, and I simply hope that you won't be dragged into things through virtue of association. Best of luck in your upcoming round then. You have to get going soon, no?"

"Indeed. And thank you," Vista agreed, rising as Wimmy did the same.

"The north will continue to take this city by storm, it seems. Soul here in the arena, me in the realm of mirages and you… well wherever your little excursions seem to take you."

"Right- no wait, left- no, up on the roof- auughhh! They're splitting up! After them~!" Wander commanded, her voice like a squeaky choir that led her troops into battle.

"We'll take the rooftops!" Will called from up ahead, rising to soar up on wings in the image of his beloved Laevyeth in pursuit after one particularly swift masked target that had apparently vanished up ahead.

"I'll take the streets! Kyyaaahh!" Dragonfly called from ahead, pushing her glowing form even further in the footrace before disappearing from view around a bend.

"Well, Kite, that leaves the one dashing into that building to you. You know, you're starting to feel like a bit of a slowpoke compared to the rest~," Wander noted idly from Kite's shoulder as he did as instructed and ducked into an indoor market where people had already thrown themselves out of the way of the last of the three masked targets that Kite, Will, Laevyeth and Dragonfly had managed to corner while en route to some unknown task thanks to Wander's keen - and more importantly, widespread - senses.

A lot of the capital's streets were well-populated even at night, but as he burst out of the other end of the market Kite noted that their quarry were leading them towards the neighborhoods and alleyways less traveled close to the city's edges, probably in hopes of either escaping or making some kind of stand.

"I'll make sure to send your critique to my former self and the heavens who did not see fit to guide my path into the realm of personal mobility," Kite noted dryly as he resisted the impulse to plow through a few walls to gain on his target.

"Uh, tell me about it," Wander said, suddenly all empathetic as the rat leaned commiseratingly against the side of Kite's face while he ran.

"I mean, those short-ranged teleports that Soul and Will have seem so convenient. Just imagine what I could do with those~?"

"I'm not sure that the world would be ready for- Ward! Dissolve the Patterns of Power!" Kite's words were interrupted as a flicker around him - in what should have been hidden outside his periphery had he possessed a normal field of vision - sent his mind into high alert. His barrier appeared just in time to intercept a hooked sword trying to clear the way for a glowing, pale fist before Ripple of Cancellation started shattering a widening circle of the illusion that Kite had walked into.

What had seemed like an empty alleyway was revealed to be covered in magical formations that lit up to seal it off from the world, but most concerningly were the three masked silver-rankers bearing down on Kite that very moment. One of them he even recognized quite well given the hooked sword and deathly hand, but there was little time to properly regard the others as Kite let instinct and experience take over as his mind sank deeper into his combat meditation.

The tattoos of his mantle lit up to let shield, blade and staff help him defend against the second volley of spells that followed the first destroyed by Ripple of Cancellation, but the pressure was intense right from the beginning, as if the masked opponents had actually made the wise choice and adapted their tactics from the night before as they executed yet another ambush. But the sudden whirring of myriad chains that burst into being in the enclosed space proved that Kite and his companions could do likewise.

One of the assailants had followed up a pair of dual glowing and slicing discs by teleporting in to strike at Kite's back, only to find himself yanked away forcefully by the sudden appearance of River's spreading mass of links while Little Crow appeared alongside the acolyte of Pain from his own stealth power to send a barrage of exploding needles towards the caster that had remained at a distance.

None had the time to speak any more as the cadence of the sudden burst of violence was forced through an abrupt change to a more evenly spread out clash, blistering speeds and bursts of mana accompanying auras wrestling for dominance. At least, none of those actually fighting.

"I have no idea what you call a counter-ambush, you sneaky bastards~!" Wander hollered from her varied perches among the combatants that had appeared to turn the tables on the skulking agents of Discord.

"But where I come from, we just call it payback. And she's a bitch!"