The Scourge of war. (4)

The attacks launched by Lok Kong and Wei Xin weren't terribly powerful, at least by Liang Chen's standard. The fact that Wei Xin also had to support Deshi Tsun with her Law of Life also rendered her attack less effective than desired. As such, Liang Chen really only had to focus on Lok Kong's attack, a veritable sea of fire that surrounded him as it pushed against him.

Liang Chen poured his Qi into the spear, the pale ivory spearhead momentarily taking on a blue hue as it the crimson gem ate the Qi it was given and then spat it out again. The air around Liang Chen changed, the wind, air, and various other laws that filled the air around him all forcibly changed into the Law of Water. And in such a place, where only the Law of Water existed, only water could exist. 

The water clashed with the fire from both the front and the back since Liang Chen had stretched his Qi out that far, resulting in a whistling screech as a gargantuan cloud of steam erupted from their collision. The water evaporated and the fire was swallowed, leaving only a scalding steam that blocked all vision, a few errant drops of water flying about before they got swallowed by the heavy crimson rain.

Naturally, whether or not a simple cloud of steam was capable of blocking the vision of Deshi Tsun and the others depended on what sort of bloodlines they had, but with how dense the Qi within the steam was, their senses would at least be delayed by a second or so. But again, that would only work on the assumption that they were using their senses to track Liang Chen. If they were doing what he was going to do, then they wouldn't need to rely on their senses.

"Figures."

They didn't underestimate him, so he didn't underestimate them. As such, when the steam furthest away from him vanished from sight, forming such thing metal threads that they were nigh-on invisible, he wasn't terribly surprised. All the threads rushed right at him, or rather, at the spot where he had been standing when the steam erupted. If you couldn't see or sense your opponent, all you had to do was go off on where you remembered them to be. If you did it fast enough, then they wouldn't have been able to move yet so it wouldn't matter that you couldn't detect them. 

Liang Chen's eyes moved slightly, lightning crackling through the air around him. The lightning met the steam, and the errant water droplets that still lingered in the air, and started to spark between them. It also touched on the metal threads, but it seemed that Wei Juan Xin had made the proper precautions, using her Qi to ensure that the metal was non-conductive. Still, the lightning bouncing around within the steam and water droplets was enough for Liang Chen.

He reached out, a finger touching upon one of the many arcs that had started to scatter through the steam, and in doing so he vanished from sight. He rode the lightning, just another spark that it dragged around. Most of the metal threads were evaded as a result, but some of them still touched Liang Chen, tearing through cloth and skin with ease as they splattered his blood through the air. Naturally, as an elemental being, his blood just became more lightning, adding to the rail of sparks he could ride. And with his Law of Time naturally mixed in as well, the lightning would persist for as long as he needed.

Strangely enough though, after he was cut by the metal threads, Liang Chen found his blood pump oddly fast, and the skin around the cuts bubbling violently, forming thick lumps and warts almost instantly. He quickly checked his own body, and sure enough, Wei Xin had snuck some of her Law of Life into him with each cut. The Law amplified his body's natural healing capabilities, pushing it past the limit of what it could bear. Like cancer, his cells grew without pause. The actual growth was sustained by the Law of Life, but the energy needed to actually sustain the new growths was pulled from his own body. It was like having a third lung grown forcibly, something else grew it, but the body had to bear the cost of keeping it going. It was like poison, a slow process that quickly ramped up.

And like poison, Liang Chen burned it away.

The Law of the Void coursed through his body, reducing the Law of Life and the cancerous growths to nothing. He technically could combat it using his Law of Death, but that particular Law was one Liang Chen had put very little focus on over the years so using it to combat Wei Xin's secondary Law would require him to use an excessive amount of Qi to make up for the difference. The Law of the Void was an energy-hog in its own right, but Liang Chen was far more closely attuned to it so it was more bearable.

Once the invading Law of Life was gone, Lok Kong's attack was already on its way, everything within the surrounding few hundred meters compressing towards the spot where Liang Chen used to stand. But Lok Kong was evidently working in tandem with Wei Xin, as he had separated the compression into multiple areas. It was like a circle divided into several layers, some compressing inward while others compressed outward, both heading toward two different 'cores'. Like this, Wei Xin's threads wouldn't just be pulled towards the center of the circle, meaning that Liang Chen only had to dodge them once. They would move around more erratically, based on which zone they were currently in, making them more of a permanent threat in the area. 

Well, it wasn't like Liang Chen planned to remain in the area so it was fine. His eyes were looking at Wei Xin, but his senses were still locked onto his target down below, so he could simply stab out with his spear.

Dragon King's Six Steps. Fourth Step Pierces the Sparrow.

The tip of his spear once again erupted with a brilliant flash of lightning, the shaft disintegrating once more under the rampant force. The compressing force, the metal threads, the steam, the swathe of bark-like plants that had started to rise from below, all of it was swallowed by that all-encompassing grey light that raced towards the ground. But even as that voracious bolt of lightning tore its way downward, Liang Chen's eyes were focused on Wei Xin.

Naturally, she was the first to react amongst her trio, fully aware of how deadly that bolt of lightning was. All three rows of petals on her lotus Reflection spun in response, pumping out a suffocating amount of Qi that made the air itself feel heavy. The outer layer of dark silver petals released the first wave of Qi, several pillars of metal rising from the ground around Deshi Tsun, who still stood on the ground and was the target of the lightning. The middle layer released the next wave, water rising from the ground to first coat the metal pillars before then rising higher, turning into mist above Deshi Tsun.

The lightning collided with the mist and started to splinter off, but since Liang Chen also had the Law of Water he was able to somewhat rein it back in by controlling the water that formed the mist. This was the problem when two opponents had the same Law, it was too easy for them to interfere when the other tried to use that Law. Still, the mist was only the first layer of defense, the metal pillars came up next. Each one released several pulses of attractive force, tugging at the lightning so that it splintered further, aiming for the highly conductive metal rather than Deshi Tsun.

And as the lightning was mostly redirected, the third layer of petals that formed Wei Xin's lotus released its Qi, a vibrant and refreshing breeze formed by the Law of Life rushing downward. The water and metal could redirect the lightning, but the Law of Death that Liang Chen had hidden in the attack could not, so Wei Xin had to use her Law of Life to counteract it, coating Deshi Tsun so that the approaching death couldn't reach him.

She threw her all into the defense, Lok Kong launching a counter-offensive against Liang Chen to distract him. But even so, there were limits to what they could achieve. Most of the lightning bolt had been redirected, but some of its arcs still found its mark, one in particular tearing through Deshi Tsun's reflection and subsequently his body, leaving a two-finger wide hole just beneath his solar plexus. 

Liang Chen saw Wei Xin's eyebrows shoot up as a result. Even with Lok Kong attacking him, he didn't take his eyes off of Wei Xin. He could practically read her thoughts from her eyes. No, scratch that, he could actually read her thoughts. He'd seen her misery, her trauma, her most painful times. She always thought and reacted the same way in those times. Assess the damage, react appropriately. And the wound Deshi Tsun just received landed in a simple category for Wei Xin, too heavy to be treated from afar. Emergency treatment must be applied immediately.

And just like that, two out of three enemies were classified as dead. Liang Chen's gaze slid sideways, landing on Lok Kong and the golden sun he was pushing down upon him. With a step, Liang Chen stepped on the lightning he had just shot down, quickly affixing a new shaft to his spear with one hand while the other gathered wind into a large pillar that was fastened into the sides of the ravine. Another step moved him over to another lightning bolt, and placed another pillar of wind, and another moved him to the next, placing more pillars as he moved. Through several quick steps, he could maneuver around the various arcs of lightning that now filled the air, quickly reaching Lok Kong's body, or at least the Reflection around him.

The defender quickly moved to evade, compressing both himself and the air around him towards a distant point. He evaded Liang Chen's grasp, only a few errant sparks of lightning trailing from his Reflection as he dodged away. Liang Chen did not pursue, his gaze returning to Wei Xin, who had rushed over to Deshi Tsun.

Deshi Tsun was busy heaving, controlling his heavy breathing so that his wound didn't get worse. He wasn't even bleeding, the lightning clung to his flesh like maggots and continued to eat away at him. But through willpower and strength, he was still able to remain standing when Wei Xin reached him. She quickly supported him, pulling one of his arms over her shoulder so that he could lean on her. 

Her Law of Life then poured into Deshi Tsun, she knew that Liang Chen would at best give them a second, maybe two, so she unleashed it all without restraint. And then Liang Chen's voice reached her, ringing in her ears just a beat after the attack hit her.

"May you be better in your next life."

Deshi Tsun's fingers were already digging into Wei Xin's chest by the time the word 'May' Left Liang Chen's lips. Ice erupted from his fingers with reckless abandon, a wild surge of Qi that tore apart the very hand, and even the arm, that unleashed it. Within half a second, small icicles had erupted all within Wei Xin, tearing through flesh, bone, and vein alike. Had she not somewhat reacted with her Law of Life and Metal, then those icicles had grown far larger and simply torn her apart.

She quickly threw Deshi Tsun aside, blood pouring from his mouth as a thin layer of white fuzz had grown to cover his eyes, slowly extending from his ears as well, resembling pale white branches covered in fur. His mouth opened and closed stiffly, twitching with each movement. His body acted much the same, limbs seemingly stiff, or unsure, of how to move. Even as it was going on, as he died, he didn't seem to understand what was going on, or what he was doing.

Wei Xin quickly took more distance from Deshi Tsun, quickly working her Law of Life to restore her wounds. But Liang Chen had already judged her as dead, so thus was her fate, thus was the end written for her in the long river of time.

But when Liang Chen took his next step, he didn't appear in front of Wei Xin. No, he rode the errant lightning that had sparked off of Lok Kong's Reflection, leading him right to the defender that had tried so hard to dodge earlier. And as Liang Chen moved, his energy gathered and poured out, filling up the pillars of wind that he had placed down earlier.

In a flash, he appeared right by Lok Kong, who was momentarily caught off-guard by shock due to the rapid turn of events. And in a fight against Liang Chen, a single moment of weakness decreed death.

Dragon King's Six Steps. Sixth Step Crushes Purgatory.

He gathered all his strength for his strongest attack, his body welling with immense power that he channeled directly into his spear. The energy his body couldn't bear was poured into the pillars of wind and then swiftly redirected into the spear, turning the pale ivory spearhead, and even the crimson jewel that served as its core, a lifeless grey.

And then Liang Chen drew a line through the air, and through Lok Kong.

A pale and lifeless grey, a line so thin it could barely be seen with one's eyes. And yet, it was a line that drew everyone's eyes, it was a line one could not help but gaze upon, a line one could not help but despair from when it arrived. And it was a line that that swallowed all else as it appeared.

Lok Kong could not make a sound. Or perhaps he did, but the line swallowed it, none would ever know. All the world knew was that the line slowly opened, revealing a pale and lifeless landscape spreading out beyond it. But there was an exception to that desolate land, a stretch of land that held pale white earth, grey grass, and blooming maple trees. A small stream ran through the colorful stretch of land, tea-flowers blooming all along the stream in all the colors of the rainbow, a single plum tree decorating the center of the land. The Void was colorless and desolate, but Liang Chen's little stretch of land bloomed with colors. And his land was growing with every passing day, encompassing more and more of the Void, rendering more and more of it unto him.

The line that opened a gate to the Void spun a full circle, seemingly encompassing the entire world. But eventually, when it spun a circle like that, it would return to where it started, return to naught but a line. And once it had returned to being no more than a line, and then became no more, Lok Kong too was no more. 

Liang Chen's gaze was then returned to Wei Xin, one hand catching the spearhead that hung in the air while the other pointed out and down. The pillars of wind that still remained after he used the sixth step erupted into violent winds, charging directly at Wei Xin, threatening to swallow her as she tried to recuperate.

The bore down on the earth like monsters, tearing apart what ground hadn't been torn apart by the earlier lightning. Deshi Tsun, already swallowed by the white fuzz, was devoured and torn apart by the wind as the earth was rent. Wei Xin swiftly dodged upwards, nimbly dodging the wind where she could, and suffering some wounds here and there when there was no other choice. Before long, she found herself back in the air, just about exactly where she had been when this all started.

And then she saw Liang Chen's eyes. That calm gaze, those piercing golden eyes betraying no emotions. But before the creeping sensation in the pit of her stomach could turn to dread, it was already too late.

She felt a bit of Liang Chen's Qi return to him. Yes, return to him, not leave him. As if he had pulled back something he had put aside earlier.

And then she felt a jolt run through her body. 

She didn't need to look down to see it. She could see it stretch into the distance in front of her, a fist-sized grey line that tore through the air, stopping right where Liang Chen had stood as the battle started, right where he had first stabbed out with his spear.

She couldn't feel any pain, but looking at the height of the line, that ravenous bolt of lightning, it should have torn straight through her torso. She knew, but still looked down. And indeed, right through her chest, tearing through just about half of her heart. If it wasn't for her bloodline, which was what originally gave her the Law of Life, she would have died without ever even knowing what was going on. But her bloodline was currently trying its best to restore her heart, to keep her alive.

Futile. All futile.

"Was that poison?"

The Lotus Reflection around Wei Xin dissipated as she spoke, one of her fingers moving slightly to gesture towards what remained of Deshi Tsun. Had it not been for the wounds he inflicted on her, she would have been able to dodge the wind more smoothly, she would have been able to react faster, defend better. But that was all now just one large 'If'

"Ambiguous. It's something called a Cordyceps, a type of fungus that takes over its host. It acts like a poison for a good portion of its life and then sprouts into the fungus, swallowing the host."

Liang Chen did not launch any more attacks either, the crimson rain that drowned the ravine slowly fading as he spoke. Wei Xin knew the truth, he knew the truth. It was already over. He didn't go into depth about how this poison, which he acquired in Purgatory's Cradle a while ago, worked. But Wei Xin was smart, she could pick up on a few things from just that.

"And since I kept using the Law of Life around Deshi to defend him from your Law of Death, it fueled the fungus since it can be considered a living being. That's clever. When did you infect him?"

If it ahd been a normal poison, her law of life would have either neutralized it or just washed over it without doing anything. But since it was a fungus, a technically living thing, her law of life simply fueled its growth. But Liang Chen had not been in much contact with Deshi Tsun, so when could he have possibly infected him? The answer he returned was all too simple.

"'This one's for you'."

His words dragged Wei Xin's mind back to that first attack he launched, that first line which she thought was directed at her. Well, seeing as the lightning he launched then was now in fact piercing her chest, perhaps it wasn't wrong to assume that it was still meant for her.

"From the very start. That's devious."

Part of her almost wanted to chuckle out of helplessness. He launched that frightening attack as his first move, but still had the wherewithal to spread poisonous spores. And with Deshi Tsun breathing so much to properly utilize his Reflection, how could he not swallow whole colonies of said spores? He had launched it right from the start, planned it all from the start. Same with this thing in her chest right now.

"And this one? I'm guessing the Law of Time? Did you reverse its time after launching it, and then hold it back by freezing its time? All to have it appear instantaneously at this moment?"

She made a guess based on what she had seen and felt. The lightning vanished in reverse, which had been a bit odd at the time, but as they were in the middle of fighting to the death she didn't have the time to investigate it. The poison was planned from the start, aimed at a specific person. Was this too planned, all for her, all under the assumption, or perhaps knowledge and confidence, that his plan would work?

"Yes."

It was the expected answer, but it still hurt to hear. Or perhaps it hurt because she was starting to dissolve? Her Law of Life was failing to catch up with the power contained in the lightning, so she was disappearing bit by bit, flaking apart around the lightning. The little pieces that flew away from her body then faded away, leaving nothing behind.

"And yet Kong was killed instantaneously, just like that?"

Looking at her own body disappearing from reality, she thought about the other friend who had fought alongside her. A line had been drawn through him, and when that line disappeared so did he. The Law of the Void, the antithesis to their own Lord. This man had the power to instantly erase one of her companions, but still engaged in scheming like this?

"Being guaranteed to kill one of you is different from being able to kill all three of you. This was the best way to guarantee that I could kill all three while suffering the lowest amount of damage. My wife hates it when I get hurt."

What a… sensible answer. She couldn't even rebuke it, it was a perfectly sensible and logical answer, easily understood by all. He could, but he couldn't guarantee it for all. Scary, so very very scary. Strength of a ruler, but none of the pride nor pompous attitude. Scary, so very scary.

"I'm not sure if I should call that devious, clever, or cruel."

Was it cruel? Maybe, possibly. A protracted fight that gave them hope, only to have them stabbed in the back by their own ally and then summarily dismantled like cattle. All that hope, all that faith, torn to shreds in an instant. Was that not cruel? Then again, this was war, so why would they not be cruel? Of course, Liang Chen had done one thing that didn't fit the word cruel.

"Why did you spare Eran Louqi?"

Eran Louqi, one of the 'weaker' people that joined her division. Liang Chen had spared him. He had killed everyone else she brought along, burned them to nothing with his crimson rain. But he spared Eran Louqi even though he was an enemy.

"He has not yet committed a crime worthy of death. There are five others that will also be spared, but my wife is taking care of that right now."

This time Wei Xin almost could not hold back her chuckle. It wasn't just one. And it wasn't for the sake of gathering information either, it was something as simple and far removed from war as that.

"From cruel to kind, you are a strange man, Liang Chen, too kind to be called the Scourge King, too cruel to be called a hero."

A true Scourge King would never spare an enemy like that, nor would a hero massacre so many when he had the ability to take them alive. Not too good, not too bad, he danced the line between the two. But then again, that was just what it meant to be human, to dance the line. Perhaps that was why it was one of the first things to disappear in war, because War did not need humans to fight it, it needed weapons.

"This is war, Liang Chen. Us versus you. Our Lord, and we, will not stop until we win or are killed. We must advance, for stopping means death. Each person you spare is another sword pointed at your own people. And what if one of your own people has committed sins to be killed for, will you kill them?"

More and more of her body was disappearing, it was happening faster and faster with each passing blink. But Wei Xin did not fight against it, did not struggle. The end was here, she had to embrace that as one of the weapons chosen by her Lord. But as a person, she spoke to Liang Chen, questioned him.

"No, I'm sure you will, you seem like that kind of person. But you know what, Liang Chen? Each one you kill is one less sword on your side. You steal swords from your own side, and give swords to your enemies. But even so, you kill people from both sides as well. Neither on our side, nor on your own side. Flip flopping between both I believe you would call it."

Life was not black and white, there were shades of grey everywhere. But war, war was something else entirely. There was one side, and there was the other. There was victory, and there was defeat. Someone who freely killed and spared people from either sides? Neither side would welcome someone like that.

"This is war, Liang Chen. There will come a day where you must choose a side, a day where you must forsake that morality you want to abide by. That is the nature of this hell of ours."

Yeah. In war, all had to pick a side, all had to choose which mark they wanted to bear. Morality did not matter, desires did not matter. All that mattered were weapons, weapons that had picked a side. She had picked her side. Her men had picked their side. They lived together, they fought together, and they died together. She did not regret a moment of it. Thus, as she was already dying anyway, she warned the person in front of her.

"Don't become a lonely monarch, Liang Chen. Choose fast."

Not a scourge nor a hero, and not yet a weapon. Just a person who would end up all alone if he kept on following this path.