431-440
Chapter 431 - Fog Combustion.
*BOOMMMM!!!*
That was the sound of someone making the mistake of attempting to strike the giants with a Cosmic phenomenon as it was swallowed up into the foggy giant's body and then shot back with twice the force.
*BAM!!!*
That was the sound of someone making the mistake of taking advantage of a giant's large frame and 'slow speed' to attempt a quick sidestep as he was caught by surprise when the giant moved with speed surpassing his own to slam the side of a purple spike into him and,
*CRACK!*
Was the sound that bore testament to the breaking of said individual's ribs.
Once this guy had been struck, people finally came to terms that while the purple spikes were physical and had mass, the fog itself was practically weightless, or more accurately, it was light enough to not be underestimated in terms of speed.
And then the rampage began with all five giants bursting into the group and striking at every turn and it was taking Hal, Amelia, and Karmen all they had to avoid getting struck but Hal doubted their luck was going to hold out.
Needless to say, everyone scattered and attempted to put as much distance as they could between these impossibly fast giants and themselves, and soon their group of hundreds became further fragmented into five or maybe even more groups.
And even then, the giants were still able to complete successful strikes and successful stabs.
"Screw this" Hal said in a low voice and his eyes turned the black shade of the shadow demon which saw to the drastic increase in his speed as he approached one of the fog giants.
Once he was close enough, he transitioned into his Devil bloodline but kept the change to his eyes which were oozing nightmarish fog, and then he punched the giant's purple spike fist to shatter the weapon.
*Bang!*
*Crack!*
The spike became marred with a long crack and in a second, the crack spread, and the spike shattered completely.
"What just happened?" Cheslav asked as his brain was still coming to terms with the sudden change of pace in Hal and since Hal had his back turned to them all, they could not see the change in the color in his eyes.
And he was far enough that they barely felt the fear he was giving off. Especially since he had gotten better at tempering his Devil presence.
His mouth was still open along with that of the Antonov ladies when the exposed fog fist of the giant whose purple spike weapon had been destroyed was suddenly covered with another purple spike before Hal could even think to celebrate his strike.
Then the spike pulled back and stabbed right through Hal or at least it tried to as the Hal it had stabbed through vanished like an afterimage as Hal had been quick to transition back into his Shadow Demon Bloodline.
Still with his back to all others apart from the fog giant, Hal frowned.
Then Amelia closed her eyes as she made use of her Lust Demon bloodline and dashed forward towards the giant, letting her ethereal cultivation senses guide her, and then when she had her back to those present as well, she said in a low voice as she opened her eyes;
"Aflame their Passions, Essence Stealer"
The Demonic bow appeared in her hands and her purple eyes burned a brighter shade as she drew back the string and released it.
Right as she released the arrow, the giant caught on and swung towards her but Karmen was already there.
Her Blood red eyes shining fiendishly as she swung Executioner and shattered the spiked fist before it could hit Amelia who smiled as her flaming arrow hit the giant's head and set it ablaze.
While everyone who had been close to Karmen wonders when and how she had crossed the distance so fast to strike and also to deeds why sort the weapons the two ladies were now wielding even though they hardly got a good look at the two, Hal's eyes were widened in discovery and confusion.
The flames of essence stealer were basically to burn passions and while they had a physical impact in terms of combustion, he had not expected them to affect the giants.
Unless
The Array had an answer to its creations getting hit by Cosmic energy but had nothing against bloodline energy. It was its bane.
There was no time to think on this further and without actually communicating with the two through their telepathic connection, they all knew what to do.
Amelia and Karmen gripped Essence stealer and Executioner tighter respectively.
Hal summoned his cosmic Armament and coated it with Devil energy and took the lead.
When the flames fizzled out on the giant's head, it was gone but another was formed in its place.
However, with the formation of another head came a reduction in its overall size.
While it has no lust to burn, its energy was definitely expendable.
Striking the head would not be enough. They needed to hit it right at a spot that would see it the spread of their attack and the complete destruction of the giants.
The area around the giant, Hal, Karmen, and Amelia was suddenly covered with a Dome of Royal blue Astral energy that shielded all that was about to happen from the sight of all those present.
After all, they had already revealed a lot and there was no need to reveal any more.
Most of the Antonovs simply looked at each other and their mouth fell open in what could only be described as shock.
Nicole's mouth was still closed but her eyes were narrowed as she wondered what more the trio was hiding.
The weapons, the energy... While it was faint, she had still felt... A presence. One she could not describe.
Anyway, inside the Dome...
Now that they knew Bloodline energy was what was needed, Hal dashed towards the giant and then swung his sword to send a crescent-shaped Devil energy attack to the giant who sidestepped with considerable grace but had made a mistake to think that was all to Hal's attack.
The crescent-shaped Devil energy attack stopped suddenly in mid-air before it transformed into a spear and struck into the giant's back but did not go through but instead turned into pure Devil energy and spread about the giant's form in a spidery pattern crack lines.
There is no type of energy in this world and beyond and ever to have existed that corrupts as well as Devil energy.
Through it, Hal gained control of the fog that formed the giant and was able to hold it in place. However, his hold was not going to last long and the arms of the fog giant were suddenly encased in the purple material that is used in the creation of the spikes.
Probably thinking more spikes more power and it was not entirely wrong as it was actually managing to struggle and even harder against Hal's hold.
Pushing its theory of more spikes more power theory, the giant's body became encased in armor made of the purple material.
The Devil energy lines of corruption were now on the Armor but then Karmen leaped up and landed on the giant's outstretched arm and from there she leaped right at the center of its body, now with both her Cosmic Armament and Executioner in hand as she thrust through and shattered the armor to pass harmlessly through the foggy body and out the other side.
Before another armor could replace the one she had shattered, a flaming Arrow from Essence stealer shot by Amelia hit its chest and caused instant combustion of the giant's entire form.
Chapter 432 - The Doxon Trio.
*Boom!!!*
The entire fog became embroiled in lust flames and in a matter of seconds all of its energy was expended and it fizzled out of existence along with the flames.
"Well, that was fun, wasn't it?" Hal said with a bright smile while he brushed his hair back.
Amelia shook her head,
"'Fun' is not what I would call it" she said as Hal walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her midsection while nuzzling his face into the side of her neck.
"Oh, you are just being grumpy. I know what can turn that frown into a smile" he said and sucked her neck harder and Amelia giggled while she said,
"Do I really have to remind you that we are still in the Garden of Peril where its Array wants you dead? Or that right outside this dome, there are four more fog giants like the one we just faced?"
Hal stopped his ministrations and adopted a mockingly thoughtful expression,
"You know, it completely slipped my mind" he said with a chuckle before disentangling from her and looking over at Karmen who had dispersed Executioner.
"Well, here goes" he said and the Dome faded to reveal them to the eyes of the others.
As he looked at the trio, Vihaan gulped and he thought back to what Hal had said to him in the restaurant; 'If we fight, I'd probably end up killing you'.
He could not help but believe it considering the impressive display so far.
It left him frustrated because he knew, somehow he knew Hal was younger than him and yet already surpassed him so much.
However, his disappointment was nothing like the Antonovs. Especially the brothers.
Since they had been here, they had been knocked out, chased, and then attacked. Always been on the defensive. Never a chance to shine. Where and when had they shown their class as geniuses of the Antonov family?
As for Hal's age and talent, it hit even harder since they knew Hal was only nineteen and the same could be said for Amelia even though Karmen's was still relatively unknown although they did not think the difference could be all that high.
Nicole, while agreeing with some of the assessments wondered if all that made Hal so special and impressive was indeed just talent and not... something else.
Hal did a couple of stretches and winked at Delaney who gulped.
Then he turned around and then began to spin slowly while ignoring the other groups that were trying their best to battle against the remaining fog giants and then he adopted a thoughtful look.
Thanks to the stupid Array that controlled the garden, he had no way of scouting ahead with his senses as that would only confuse him further and since Grimoire was in his body, its senses were being hindered as well.
He even considered drawing a directional Rune circle to guide him but knew it would be useless against the interference of an Array that could very well be Divine.
That said, he felt there were two ways to track the center of the garden.
Go by vegetation or go by presence.
Going by vegetation would take too long and rely too much on looking at their feet throughout but going by presence would be much quicker and relatively easy.
And by presence, he meant the presence of Cosmic energy.
Clearly, cosmic energy was going to be thicker at the center of the garden as that aided the growth of plants there better than anywhere else and now he was trying to sense it.
'That way' he turned over to somewhere and told the other two through their telepathic connection and they dashed away from the group in search for the center.
At first, those in their group paused but then, they all stood up and those who were injured took mending pills to hold themselves together and follow after the trio because clearly, they knew or at least believed they knew where the center was.
The fact that the other four fog giants were starting to look over in their direction only made for a stronger motivation.
It was not long after their group left much to the annoyance of the other groups still embroiled with fog giants and wondering how the other fog giant could have been defeated so quickly, that the Doxons arrived.
The trio of Ivan, Artyom, and Elora were looking relatively the same while the other Doxons who had clearly been left with the responsibility of fending off attacks from the Array, looking worse for wear.
As soon as they arrived, the fog giants zeroed in on them but it was only one of them that actually attacked.
The Doxons gulped but prepared to attack when Artyom said,
"Step aside" and then let out the pressure of his Mid-stage Cosmic Aurora realm cultivation and flicked his wrist to bring out a Sword from his spatial ring.
The sword was silver with a black handle and hilt and was bejeweled with a blue jewel which glinted in the light and then he flooded it with Cosmic energy to showcase it as an Aurora grade artifact and then vanished to next appear with his sword pressed against the purple spike giant fist.
There was a flash of light and then a *Bang* sound after which, not only the spike but the entire fist was gone.
It regenerated soon enough though but then Elora's voice sounded out,
"Fifth Grade skill"
She never mentioned the name of the skill but a blue five-circled ring appeared beneath her feet and chains emerged from around the edges with many of them targeting the fog giant and somehow actually managing to hold him in place.
Then there was a flash of lightning and Ivan was already at the top of the giant and boring downward to strike it with his fist coated with lightning that many who saw could not help but believe was more than a skill.
*KRAKABOOM*
The lightning traveled from the head of the giant to its entire body and in a spectacular sound, it was destroyed and rendered into nothing but ordinary grey mist.
Ivan landed in what could best be described as a superhero landing and then straightened up without looking to have broken sweat.
It had all being in a minute or so and many gaped at the display of dominance by the Doxon trio but Ivan looked over towards the direction Hal and the others had left in.
"Tch, they are on the right track" he said knowing the direction Hal had headed despite not having seen them leave.
"We must hurry" he added before turning his eyes to the other fog giants who were quick to catch on after the destruction of yet another colleague and made their way towards the trio who looked relatively serious as they prepared to destroy them.
And that was exactly what they did and they did it with spectacular sounds of destructive lightning.
Sounds which Hal and the others heard where they were but mostly ignored as they were facing yet another obstacle in their journey to the center; changing terrain and the ever sudden appearance of traps.
One minute the grounds were bright with cultivation helping herbs which Vanya took the time to collect and the next, it was opening to admit all those who could not evade quickly enough. With large and sharp spikes waiting for them right underneath the openings.
Chapter 433 - A Strong Case...
Doxon Duchy palace...
Svetlana was once again in her lounge but there was a slight frown of worry on her face as she stared into a blue orb that hung in mid-air in front of her and then she heard a voice getting ever closer to where she was,
"Would you unhand me? I can walk" the voice said and Svetlana raised her eyes towards the sound before looking back at the orb.
Soon, two female guards entered the lounge with each grabbing one of Rita's arms as they guided her to the lounge.
Once inside, they let her go. just as she attempted to shrug them off as she had been doing since they grabbed hold of her.
Then they bowed to Svetlana,
"She declined to be escorted" one of them said in a bid to explain the rude entry.
Especially since they had not actually announced the presence of a visitor.
Not exactly their fault though as it was a well-proven belief that no one could enter the Doxon palace without the awareness of the Blue-eyed witch.
And they were not wrong.
"That's because I know my way around, you idiots. I was here before you ever were" Rita said in annoyance.
"You can leave us" Svetlana said while still peering into the blue orb.
Once they were gone and the door was closed, Svetlana looked up at Rita and smiled,
"Well, I never thought you would come to visit me. You seemed to be enjoying staying by his side so much"
Rita frowned slightly and then bowed,
"My lady" she said in a respectful voice and then she straightened up,
"It would have been rude to come to the Doxon Duchy and not pay my respect. After all, you gave me a job to do and I only barely did it well" she said and Svetlana waved her off,
"Oh, you did fine. I mean he's alive and can even cultivate, surely you must have performed your duties well"
'I really doubt I had anything to do with the two scenarios' Rita thought but did not say anything.
She did not think it needed to be said as she was almost certain Svetlana knew her part in Hal's survival and eventual ability to cultivate was nothing worth mentioning.
Especially the ability to cultivate.
"Oh come now. Don't put yourself down. Never downplay your accomplishments." Svetlana insisted and then sighed.
Rita frowned.
This was not her first time in the presence of the Duchess to know that she did not actually feel the way she was saying. She was not actually being supportive. There was something she wanted to know.
And sure enough,
"And while we are on the topic of your accomplishments, why not expatiate on what exactly was your part in his ability to cultivate." Svetlana said.
Rita shrugged,
"I had nothing to do with it" she said truthfully and Svetlana patted the sofa to invite Rita to sit.
Rita sighed and then sat down only for the Duchess to turn to face her and nail her with her Deep blue eyes,
"I believe you. You had nothing to do with it... But you know something. So why not tell me? Come on, Rita, tell me what you know" Svetlana said and Rita gulped.
Maybe this was not the first time she was talking with the Duchess but it was surely the first time she had been so persuasive.
When she had helped her off the streets and provided her with a cultivation technique, it had been with a gentle but firm, ready to reprimand hand.
And then, when she had ordered her to watch over Hal in Salmon city, she had not attempted 'persuasion'.
And here was a woman she knew could squash her if she really wanted to.
"I know nothing" she answered in a surprisingly stable voice that failed to betray the turmoil going on in her mind.
"Lie" Svetlana said in a low voice and pushed her face even closer so that their lips were only inches apart and she seemed ready to move in for a kiss. and then chuckled.
"What are you doing?" Rita asked her with her eyes widened.
"This? Just a new interrogation tactic." Svetlana said.
"What? Torture and threats aren't enough?" Rita asked.
"Do you want to be tortured?" Svetlana asked still with her lips close to Rita's.
"I would pick that over this weird closeness any day" Rita said and stood from the sofa.
Don't get her wrong, she did not wish to be threatened or tortured even though she was sure they would not be enough to make her say anything that would endanger Hal who would forever have her devotion and love, but she could hardly explain why she felt so weird.
In her mind, Rita giggled as this would probably be the first time she would actually admit to loving him. Even though it was only in her mind.
In truth, she really did not know how Hal was able to cultivate and she did not know many things about him either, one of them being how he was a Devil who made her into a Demon. A succubus.
But information regarding his antics was sure to be appreciated.
Svetlana was smiling as though something had just been confirmed,
"You've slept with him, haven't you?" She asked suddenly and Rita who was looking away turned to face her,
"What?"
Svetlana smiled,
"Surprised I know?" She asked.
At that moment, Rita no longer saw Svetlana as the one who she owed so much to and it showed in the manner she spoke,
"Not admitting anything but... have you been spying on me? On us?"
Svetlana raised her hands,
"Trust me, this has nothing to do with my 'All-seeing eyes'. I don't spy on people's personal moments. I just keep a regular watch on the general situation in my Duchy. Besides, I would have to be looking constantly since I doubt you keep it to a fixed schedule." She said with a chuckle and looked to be enjoying herself.
"What would make you even think that?" Rita asked.
Svetlana shrugged,
"I'm perceptive. You walked with silent confidence of someone who has been made 'a woman'" she said.
"There's such a thing?" Rita asked.
Once again, the Duchess shrugged,
"Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, you are glowing just like Emiliana Antonov and you moved away from me when I got too close to your comfort zone because I am the mother of the man who took your virginity."
Rita pushed her palms out,
"Whoa, where are you getting all this? 'Glowing like Emily'?"
Svetlana sighed,
"When I met 'Emily' -as you call her- and her daughter Amelia, I noticed the subtle glow. The look that set them apart. For one, Emily was not returning to Doxon as she had left. She came back better than ever both in cultivation and in looks.
It was confirmed when you and Hal arrived and the first place you visited, other than the restaurant, of course, was Sensual Palace.
And what about the 'Legend'?
The blue-eyed young man who is not a Doxon and was able to cure Emiliana, oh sorry, 'Emily's' condition and make her moan loud enough to wake the dead.
Your reaction to me was the final nail in the discovery coffin."
At first, there was a pause before Rita said,
"So... What?" She asked.
"Nothing. It's not my business where he sticks his stuff. There are those who are likely to care though but anyway... I just want to know what you know. Surely, he can't just be sleeping with you for nothing right? He must at least be sharing a few things with you" Svetlana said.
Rita sneered inwardly at the attempt to play on her ego,
"Actually no. He tells me nothing. He just uses my body for his own pleasure" She said with an amused smile.
Svetlana looked at her for a while, clearly not believing a word before saying,
"That's disappointing" then she turned her head to the Orb in front of her and exclaimed,
"Finally!"
Rita wondered what she was referring to and she did not have to wonder for long as Svetlana explained,
"I've been trying to look at the situation in the Garden for a while but it's been difficult. Just what I would expect from a Divine Array I guess" she said in a low voice that Rita could hear.
Maybe not understanding the thorough engineering of Arrays, not being a Runemaster herself, but the word 'Divine' attached to it told her it was bad news.
Divine was not a word to ever be taken lightly.
"You're looking into the Garden of Peril? Why?" Rita asked. Wondering if Svetlana really cared about her Duchy's inhabitants enough to actually watch over them when they were seeking a fruit for their own gains and well aware of the danger.
"Why not? My son is there, is he not?" Svetlana seemed confused at Rita's question.
"You are watching over... Hal?" She asked and the question had already left her lips before she reasoned that she was insinuating that Svetlana did not care about her son.
While others might think so, Rita had never followed that trend. She might not devote her life to Svetlana but she would always be grateful and hardly ever saw her in a bad light. One of the things that constantly worried her was what Hal would do during the inevitable mother-son reunion.
She would always be on his side and fight with him but she wished it did not necessarily mean she would be staunchly against and opposing Svetlana.
She might not know all, but she always felt Svetlana was misunderstood and was not as bad as she might be made to seem.
But we digress,
"Watching over him? That would be silly. I have not done that for eighteen years. However, he has no idea what he is getting himself into by going into that garden..." Svetlana paused suddenly and her eyes widened slightly,
"This... This is not good."
While Rita could not see anything in that glowing orb, the look on Svetlana's face said it all.
...
Meanwhile in the Garden,
Hal, Karmen, and Amelia had arrived at the center of the Garden against all odds and traps. There had been a significant reduction in the number of these who had been in their group and the impact of those losses was in the eyes of the survivors,
Right in front of them was a hill but this was the real deal as it had an opening through which they could feel an emanation of energy that could only be coming from the Primal fruit.
"We made it" Boryan said and just as he did, a purple rune circle appeared atop the hill and in a few seconds, a purple dude dressed in leaves and vines with one horn above his left eye which was black to match the right was formed from it.
Embry stared at them all with malice but was smiling as he said,
"Welcome"
Hal smiled nervously,
"Anyone else having a case of deja vu right now, or is it just me?" He asked.
No one said a word and he took that as a 'No',
He was not the only one.
Chapter 434 - The One Who Got The Fruit. Part 1
Embry grinned at them and then focused on Hal as he said,
"You have all been very naughty. Especially you, Doxon boy"
Hal was so worried as to what was about to happen now while his mind worked furiously right as he contacted Emily, that he did not correct the Gardener.
He was at the center and was already working on plans to get the Primal fruit, there was no better time to call for reinforcements. Especially since he could not open the Harem space portal and call out the ladies inside it.
When he contacted her though, Emily said nothing in reply as she had already been on her way before he reached out to her.
Her patience had already run out.
Purple spikes formed in mid-air and everyone took on battle stances. In their mind, they had gone through so much to get here and would not let it end just like that.
Everyone except Hal, that is.
He was charging up Astral energy which he had been absorbing from the atmosphere since after he drew the sealing array and that was what he focused on and he doubted it would be enough as is.
Before the purple spikes made their move, however, a Blue chain composed of Cosmic energy sprung out from the back of the crowd, destroyed one of the spikes, and went over to Embry who remained in place as the chains went right through him.
All eyes turned back to witness the presence of the Doxon trio with Elora looking a tad bit disappointed,
"Went right through, huh?" She said in a low murmur that many heard as she made a discovery Hal was already aware of.
Hal looked at all three on by one and then looked at the other Doxons behind them. He noted that their numbers had reduced by one it two and then noticed the presence of others.
Many others.
The Krugers for one had been quick to follow after the Doxons who shattered all obstacles they came across.
That was not to say the Kruger party and the others who followed after the Doxon came out scot-free and went through no danger because that was not the case.
At their arrival, Embry sighed and then he nodded his head,
"This is perfect. You ran away from a battle royale but it's going to happen now anyway. You were all stupid not to take advantage of this fellow's seal to escape the garden. Not to say you were sure to survive, but still, you should have taken the chance." He said.
"I am not leaving without that fruit" Ivan said in a lazy voice.
Embry smiled,
"Oh, that's fine. I am patient enough to wait to see which of you stupid kids would be alive at the end for me to kill.
In fact, I'm not going to stop anyone from going into the hill right now to pluck the fruit" he said and everyone tensed in preparation to spring towards the hill cave.
But then Embry raised his hand,
"But first..." he said and suddenly, a purple rune circle appeared in front of him and released a strange suction that drew every form of spatial treasure from everyone present and they all stuck to the circle.
The circle then moved to float beside him.
"... I'll be holding this" he finished.
Everyone frowned as this meant whoever got the fruit had to hold it for all to see.
Hal and Amelia's spatial rings as well as Karmen's spatial pouch were not left untouched.
But that did not worry Hal as his real storage was his Inventory which could not be taken by the Garden's Array.
However, the main issue remained getting the fruit.
Suddenly, someone dashed past him and ran towards the cave to where the energy from the fruit seemed to be calling them all.
"Vihaan" Delaney called.
Vihaan did not pause as he pushed his speed to the limit to get the fruit. This was his chance while everyone was still waiting for who would be the first to make a move. He would catch them all by surprise...
*Bam*
"Ack" he groaned as a large bright yellow war hammer was sunk into his stomach to knock him back where everyone made way for him to fall to the ground.
The one who had attacked was Nicole whose eyes were glinting.
"Where do you think you are going?" She asked him with a sneer.
Vihaan stood back up with a frown and hurried to use Cosmic energy to numb the pain of the strike as he summoned his spear cosmic Armament and ran towards her while letting out the pressure of this mid-stage cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivation.
Nicole's pressure surpassed his at the late stage of the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and she met his spear strike with her war hammer and used it to sweep him off his feet.
But she did not stop and struck down to shatter his sternum or at least she tried to but hit to the garden ground instead as Delaney was quick to pull him away.
One of those who had come with Vihaan stepped forward, in tentative steps probably to support his family member and fellow Sensual palace disciple but Nicole gave him a look and he was startled and took a step back,
"Really Seth, you want to attack me?" She asked him with an amused smile.
The young man named Seth shook his head to indicate a 'no'.
Hal looked around and noticed that Seth was not the only one reacting that way to her gaze,
"Interesting"
Hal said with twitching lips.
They were not acting that way because of her dominating performance today, they were acting that way because of how she had dominated them in bed.
He could only (and did not really want to) imagine what they had all been subjected to.
Her reach had spread so far.
Hal's thoughts were confirmed by her next words,
"Stop being so hyper. After I get the fruit, I will invite you to chow it down so that you can pour it inside me. If you want to help anyone get that fruit, it will and must be me" Nicole said with a cold smile.
As she said it, all those who Hal had noticed, either took steps back in defeat or looked resolute to get the fruit and present it to her.
"Enough talk" Boryan said and made his way to the cave.
Clearly, this was where the Antonovs would stop being a party as they all wanted the fruit. This was no longer a group effort.
Cheslav also summoned his Cosmic armament and in seconds, all hell broke loose.
Auroras and phenomena were blasting about and hitting at people and there were sparks caused by contact of cosmic Armaments and the occasional Artifacts.
Hal noticed Vanya staying apart from the battle to take her time picking herbs off the garden floor and there was so much to pick.
As the center of the garden, there were no useless shrubs. They all had uses.
Although she was focusing more on herbs to enhance potency and did not let the fact that she did not have a spatial treasure stop her from grabbing as much as she could into a piece of clothing.
The Kruger party was the one stopping people from entering the cave the most as Bray made it clear he was not here for the fruit, only to 'cut stuff'.
Soon, he was embroiled in combat with Cheslav, and even though they were both at the mid-stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm, Cheslav was forced into the defensive thanks to Bray's quick moves on account of his body skill.
"Master, when do we act?" Karmen asked.
Not yet" Hal said as so far, they had been ignored because they had not made a move for the cave.
Hal was watching the Doxons and they had not made a move either. Clearly, they agreed with Hal; they were already here, so why rush? Why not take their time?
The Doxon trio was watching him as well and Hal gave them a wave that caused Ivan to frown and look away.
He chuckled to himself following that reaction.
And then out of the turmoil and chaos, someone finally broke out and took advantage of everyone being so busy to dash towards the cave.
Hal could not help but respect the stealthy move as even he had not spotted the move as he had been preoccupied with looking at the Doxons.
"Look at him go" he said as this young man got closer to the cave and then...
An arch of lightning rose from where Ivan stood and struck at this quick-feet young man before he could enter the cave,
*Boom!*
Not only electrocuting him half to death but also ending in an explosion that sent him flying far away from the cave entrance where it was unsure whether he was alive or dead.
Silence...
"Alright, I have seen enough"
Ivan said as the lightning now covered the entrance of the cave while he continued moving towards it with the Doxons following close behind.
"Like I said. I am not leaving this garden without the Primal fruit"
Chapter 435 - The One Who Got The Fruit. Part 2
Many frowned at his words and unconsciously prepared a joint effort to take him and the rest of the Doxons down.
Elora looked around at the aftermath of the battles that had now stopped in face of Ivan's declaration and said,
"What an inelegant way to fight. Fifth-grade skill" she said and a large five circled ring appeared beneath her feet while ten smaller five circled rings appeared in the air around her.
Out of one of them sprung a chain with a sharp end which pierced the side of a lady whose stance showed a readiness to battle the Doxons and it pulled her closer while more sharp chains sprung out from four other five circled rings and made to stab her and finish the job.
The lady groaned and wrenched herself off the chain before sending a cosmic Aurora at Elora while ignoring her pain.
Elora did not look a tad bit worried as numerous chains sprung out from the large five circled ring beneath her feet and surrounded her to protect her from the Aurora.
They blocked the attack completely and left her totally unharmed.
Hal finally understood the lack of names for the skill.
"She created her own" he said in a low voice with a look of genuine respect for her talent.
Skill creation was far from easy and she not only created one, but she also made it so versatile. Capable of attack, defense, and capture.
Taking together her skill display and Ivan's lightning display, no one was really that eager to approach them anymore.
"You didn't hit me" Elora told the stabbed lady in a sing-song voice just as Ivan said,
"Artyom, get the Fruit"
"Right away" Artyom said and walked right through an opening Ivan had allowed in the lightning net around the entrance.
He returned a minute later with the fruit in hand and Hal's eyes sparkled at the sight of the Primal fruit.
It was the size of a cantaloupe and it had a presence that showcased a hint of the energy it contained.
"Here it is, Ivan" Artyom said but it was clear that he was not ready to let it leave his hand.
He might never be ready.
"Hold onto it for me" Ivan said as the Lightning faded from the cave entrance and Embry clapped.
"Oh, wonderful. Congratulations, Doxon boy. I had a feeling if anyone would get it, it would be a Doxon. You are just so special" he said in a cheery tone of voice.
"That said, I'm still going to kill you..." He said and more purple spikes and fog giants appeared but Ivan actually cracked a smile fur the first time.
It was a thin smile and barely counted as a smile (The fucking tough acting bastard) but it was a smile nonetheless.
"I don't think so" he said and reached into his clothes to pull out a seal.
Despite not knowing that the Gardener would take away their spatial rings, he had still had the foresight to keep it on his person and not inside a spatial treasure.
Although, it was more out of confidence that no one could take it from him even if he displayed it for all to see.
"What's that?" Embry asked.
Actually sounding worried for the first time.
"The seal that will put an end to your madness" Ivan said smugly and released the pressure and power contained in the seal.
The pressure and power of his father, a Semi-saint.
It instantly destroyed all of the purple spikes that faced them and even one of the fog giants that were in the way and then struck Embry who seemed incapable of escape.
"No, Noooooooo" Embry yelled, and *puff* he was gone in a cloud of purple mist.
"Ah ah, take that" Artyom said.
Hal on the other hand was not really convinced the attack had worked.
For one, even if Semi-saint energy can affect Astral constructs, it would take much more than this to stop a potential Divine Array.
Not to mention that Embry was merely a construct and the Array itself was the one to really worry about.
Also... (And this was more obvious) The Purple rune circle that had seen to the recreation of Embry was still on the hill.
And sure enough, the purple dust all congealed above the purple rune circle and reformed Embry who looked to have suffered no damage whatsoever.
"Just kidding" Embry said in a cheerful voice.
"Did you really think your one-shot wonder would be enough?" He asked.
Ivan was dumbfounded.
The seal had been his trump card.
"Well, now that we've got that pathetic attempt out of the way, you can all die" Embry and purples spikes, enough to kill everyone present, and then some were formed and Hal frowned as the Array seemed to finally be going for the definitive strike.
They had all witnessed the speed of the spike and knew how practically impossible it was for any of them to survive such a barrage.
Remembering that what the spikes had going for them was still sped, Hal prepared to cast caution to the wind and make full use of his Devil bloodline and it was then that a voice sounded.
"That's enough" the voice said.
He recognized the voice from Gregory Payne's memories, even though it had more authority now, and did not need to look up to know who had arrived.
"It's the Duchess" someone said as many raised their faces to look at Svetlana Doxon who was standing in mid-air right above the spot Embry was.
She remained suspended in the air as only a Cosmic Saint possibly could.
There was suddenly hope in the faces of everyone.
Maybe their greed for speedy advancement would not be the death of them all today.
It reiterated to them all that there was indeed nothing that escaped the notice of the Doxon Duchess.
In front of Svetlana was a glowing blue orb Inside which revolved three golden balls.
With a wave of her hand, beams of light shot out of the Orb and destroyed every single purple spike and fog giant.
It happened in a matter of seconds.
However, even as she destroyed the spikes and fog giants, Svetlana noticed Hal was not surprised with her arrival like everyone else.
"Could he have known I was coming...? No, that's not possible... Is it?" She said to herself.
Hal had indeed known she was coming. Right from the moment she left Doxon palace, Rita had reached out to him.
And right now, he had no time to feign surprise,
"Now!" He said out loud and as though they had been waiting patiently for his order, Amelia and Karmen dashed forward towards Artyom who still held the Primal fruit.
Artyom frowned and despite being a little flustered at the appearance of his Aunt who he hated and now owed his life to, he still struck out at the two by sending a Cosmic Aurora each at them.
However, he missed as the two were never moving in a straight pattern but instead in a zig-zag manner to throw off his aim.
He prepared to strike at the ground to take them out regardless of their confusing movement but they had been a distraction for Hal to surround Artyom with a Small Dome of Astral energy that quickly exploded to cover the whole area in Royal blue mist.
With that mist as a cover, Hal struck him with Devil energy that caused Artyom to freeze in fear.
It was tempered to avoid scrutiny from others as well as Artyom himself but it was enough to stop him in place long enough to rob him of the fruit.
When the mist cleared, Hal was with his ladies and the Primal Fruit was securely in his hand.
"Bastard! Give it back" Artyom snarled and prepared a powerful and clearly deadly strike in the absence of his sword artifact that was still in his spatial ring.
"Artyom stop" Ivan said and gestured to Svetlana with his eyes. Then he turned to Hal.
"Give it to me. You can't leave here with it. I will hunt you down until I get it from you."
Inwardly, Hal sneered but outwardly, he seemed to consider and then he said,
"Here" and tossed the fruit to Ivan who was a bit surprised it had been so easy and prepared to receive it...
That was when a tiny green snake on the garden floor suddenly expanded to a large size and grabbed the fruit in mid-air before disappearing into a Portal that appeared in front of her.
Chapter 436 - The Blue Eyed Witch Versus The Divine Array. Part 1
Silence...
No one said a word.
What was there to say when what they had been fighting for since they had been here just disappeared right in front of them.
Not even Karmen or Amelia had known that Sassy would show up to steal the fruit and much less go inside the Harem space right in front of everyone.
"What... was that? Artyom asked in disbelief and looked over at Hal just like Ivan and Elora were.
Hal's eyes were widened in surprise as well,
"My goodness. Did you see that? That snake just came out of nowhere" he said with such an innocent expression that many were ready to believe he indeed had nothing to do with it.
Suddenly, the front of his clothes was grabbed by Artyom who yelled at him,
"Where is it?" He asked in anger.
Hal sighed,
"You'll have to ask the snake" he said.
"Okay then you mouthy bastard, where is the snake?" Artyom asked.
"Well, I have no idea. You can't possibly think this was my doing, could you? Because let me tell you, if that is the case, I will be very offended. I was just robbed of an opportunity for speedy advancement and the pain is still very fresh" Hal said with a Dejected expression and grabbed Artyom's hand.
The close contact could not have been any more perfect.
"What nonsense are you spewing...?" Artyom started to say before he began to feel a strong paralyzing fear that left him incapable of completing his words.
That was to be expected as Hal was now passing Devil energy into his body and forcing all of his body functions to shut down. Starting from his ability to move and speak.
And then suddenly, there was a lady with wonderful eye-catching and mouthwatering curves right there with a bejeweled mask on her face.
"I'll have to ask you to let him go" the masked lady said in a slow and threatening tone of voice.
No one knew when she arrived as her presence was completely untraceable. Even those who knew who she was but had no prior knowledge of the mask had no idea who she was as the Mask's abilities scrambled their memories and prevented recognition.
Through the pressure she was releasing, Artyom knew she was not to be messed with but even then, he could not be completely certain of what her cultivation actually was.
He just knew it was enough for her to crush him if she wished to.
He attempted to let go of Hal's shirt but found that he could not.
"I won't ask again" the masked lady said.
Artyom tried again and then groaned,
"I... Can't" he said as he strained physically to unclench his hands but found that he could not.
Something foreign was in his body and locking him down, so to speak.
Then Ivan stepped forward and while frowning at both Hal and the Masked lady, he placed his hand in Artyom shoulder and passed lightning into his body.
The current freed Artyom of the hold Hal's Devil energy had on him but could not cure the fear he was still feeling.
He stepped back and walked stiffly towards Elora.
Ivan made to walk away as well but paused, turned to look at Hal, scowled, and then left without saying a word.
He had nothing to say.
Especially since there were two ladies on the scene capable of squashing him who he felt would be ready to do so should he make an attempt to attack this smug bastard.
Once they had walked away, Hal turned to eye Emily from head to toe,
"Loving the look" he said with a smile while she frowned.
Obviously displeased at the dangerous idea of going on with getting the Primal fruit and telling her not to interfere.
'Amelia could have died' she told him telepathically.
'Oh, ye of little faith. Like I was going to let that happen' Hal replied with a roll of his eyes.
Emily huffed,
'I highly doubt you will have a say in the matter when you are powerless against your opponent. You were careless' she told him.
On her way here, she had seen the death of many as well as some who were still alive but struggling against traps and other misfortunes. Needless to say, it did not paint a pretty picture.
Hal shook his head,
'No, I don't think I was. I said not to interfere yet. I only needed you to be on standby. There are certain things I quite like to do as the underdog. Where would I put my face if at the sign of any danger, I call for help?' He retorted.
'Oh, so this is about your ego? You 'big manly ego'?' Emily asked in an incredulous tone of voice.
Hal paused and then said,
'Yes, I guess I am not without the flaws of the common man. Come on, Emily, you know I am a staunch believer in always fighting with support if you have it and it is why I hardly do things on my own if I can have support.
But how can I possibly improve on a personal basis if I never actually fight my own battles? If I never get the opportunity to dig deep and think on my feet to come up with ways of survival.
Let's face it, you will not always be there to help and even though the Ladies are inside the Harem space and with me all the time, they will not always be there to help either.
Sometimes, I have to truly push my limits.
Besides, I accept help. I came here with two impressive ladies after all, who have gone against Cosmic Phenomenons and Cosmic Auroras despite still being in the Cosmic Armament realm.'
There was something else Hal did not add which was that he was working to eventually surpass them all and at some point in time, his strength would always be greater than theirs. Surely, there was no better time to start adjusting to that future role than to take the occasional risks.
Maybe not stupid risks but calculated ones. Or at least calculated enough to cover his basics and stay safe.
There was telepathic silence and then Emily groaned,
'Fine. But if you die, I'll kill you' she said.
Hal chuckled
'That kind of undermines the death itself but sure, you can have the first stab'
To everyone else, after Hal complimented the look, the two just stared at each other and occasionally had changes in expressions.
By the time, their attention returned to what was going on around them, Embry was clapping once again,
"Oh, I always love a good twist. So a snake got the fruit in the end. Interesting. Still confused on how it even got here and how it left but oh well, the fruit is gone, we can get back to the order of the day. I am of course referring to killing you all"
Many groaned at the Gardener's words. Not because it scared them but because they were a tad bit tired of hearing him say the same thing over and over again.
"Don't you have something else to say?" Vihaan asked in a carrying voice.
"Yeah, as long as the Duchess is here, no one is afraid of you" Delaney said and Hal noted the same sense of devotion to Svetlana that her Aunt Noelle had.
Embry looked up,
"Her?" He asked with a scoff and a large sword formed out of the wind which had a purple hue appeared in mid-air and swung at the Duchess but she vanished from the spot she had been and the sword missed.
There was an eerie sound to its swing and the sound was understood when they all noticed that while the purple wind sword had not hit anything. The swishing wind from its swing alone caused large gashes in the garden floor!
And it was those winds that now flowed towards Svetlana where she stood.
Svetlana waved her hand and a beam of light shot out of the orb in front of her and slammed into the Purple wind sword and dispersed it.
However, Embry smiled as that did not mean the sword's defeat but its versatility.
Even as the purple wind sword dispersed, its hazardous winds did not fade into the atmosphere but scattered all around causing even more large gases in the garden floor and moving towards the Doxon trio with enough speed and sharpness to cut them up.
However, another wave of Svetlana's hand and multiple Deep blue Runes appeared in the sky and all combined to form a giant hand in a split second and swiped the Doxon trio away from the hazardous wind's path.
The hand not only swept them away from danger but also towards where everyone else was. Among the way, it caught Hal, Amelia, Karmen, and Emily who still wore her mask and swept them there as well.
Once they were with the others, the giant hand of runes dispersed and the runes rearranged themselves to form a fairly transparent Array dome through which they could still view the battle.
When the Dome was completely formed, not even their feet were touching the ground.
All this happened in the space of a second or two.
Hal's eyes widened at such impressive Rune casting that he might have gone all his life thinking was impossible without equipoise.
Because Svetlana did not seem to just be channeling Astral energy. She seemed to be harnessing it after having stored it in her body which should be impossible.
Unless she was...
'She's a Rank 8 Runemaster' Grimoire confirmed his suspicions before they were even fully formed in his mind.
"That... Is insane" Hal could not help but admit but Grimoire did not really see it that way.
'It's impressive yes, but in a really high-powered battle, it won't help much in attacks. Sure, she can use it to manipulate her environment but it would not be the same. The main reason it will be effective right now is because she's battling Astral energy with astral energy.
What the Divine Array should really be looking out for is the Orb floating in front of her. It's a Divine Artifact!'
Chapter 437 - The Blue Eyed Witch Versus The Divine Array. Part 2
'So what, You're telling me Gregory had a Divine Artifact in his vault and had no idea?' Hal asked incredulously 'How stupidly clueless could he be?'
Grimoire gave a mental appropriation of a shrug,
'Just the core of the Artifact, but yes, he did and he had no idea. That said, you can't really blame him or call him clueless' it said.
'Why not?' Hal chuckled,
'Well, not everything gives off a presence that shows its abilities. Also, Divine Artifacts have 'life'. They can usually choose who wields them. It's probably why the balls caught Svetlana's eyes back then. They called to her.'
Hal furrowed his brow,
'But wait a minute. She only got the balls. That would mean she completed a Divine Artifact by herself. That, that is insane'
Don't blame Hal for having no other word to equate Svetlana's efforts because that was just the only thing that came to mind that did not really sound like a compliment.
'Well, I wouldn't say that. The big part was already done. The core was already created which would have been impossible without Divine energy. All that really remained was housing the core and fortifying it.' Grimoire waved it off.
'Nothing really impresses you, right?' Hal said in a mildly mocking tone.
Grimoire became a tad bit defensive,
'Well, it's true. As long as she already had the core and had been chosen by it, she just needed enough sacrifices to create good enough housing for it which would be the Orb.
There is something about the Artifact though' it ended with a musing tone.
'What is it?' Hal asked.
'Well, it's not an attacking Artifact.'
'It's not?' Hal sounded disbelieving as he had seen beams of light come out of the orb.
Grimoire shook a little,
'It's not. Look closely when next she attacks and you will notice that she merely passes her attacks through the orb and it fortified them. Makes them stronger. But I would have expected that it would do more than that being a Divine Artifact... But maybe it's just one of those Artifacts that Is more passive.
But if it is only passive, what does it do...' Suddenly, Grimoire paused just as a boom sounded.
In the second Hal's conversation with Grimoire took, another hazardous wind attack was sent to Svetlana to herd towards a large purple claw but she managed to escape its path which resulted in a collision of the two attacks.
Where she had run to, two rune circles appeared on either side of her and they formed a purple oval cage around her in barely a second and once complete, smaller spikes formed from the cage bars from all directions and moved to skewer the duchess but a sudden blast of blue Astral energy and the cage exploded into purple dust but almost immediately, it formed back into a cage.
Once again, it was destroyed by another explosion but reformed barely a second later.
*Booom!*
*Boom!!*
*Boom!!!*
Three consecutive times, Svetlana destroyed the cage, and there times it formed again. Never once did she make a move to leave where she was and the Array took it as a sign that its speed was getting the better of her.
And it indeed was fast.
What the youngsters had barely been able to avoid in terms of the purple spike speed was crawling speed compared to this.
The Array had not gone all out when it wished to kill them.
Not even close to going all out.
Merely moving at the speed of her cultivation was not enough for Svetlana to move away before the cage reformed.
Svetlana smiled,
"You're fast" she said just as the spikes came inches from touching her and then a small eerie chime sound rang all around the garden center.
It was mild and yet everyone seemed to hear it sounding right by their side.
Hal was no exception.
Following the chime, the spikes stopped.
They did not stop moving, in fact, looking closely, they seemed to still be in motion, and yet... They were not.
They just... Stopped.
"What the...?" Embry gaped at the display and Svetlana destroyed the cage once again, disregarding the cluelessness the array was feeling at the moment.
This time she had more than enough time to move out of the cloud of purple dust.
The chime sounded again and time resumed for the cage which reformed to capture her and formed spikes to skewer into nothing.
Then with a wave of her hand, she passed energy into the orb and sent it towards Embry who leaped away with the purple rune circle that had seen to his formation still underneath his feet.
In fact, it became a foothold for the Gardener to remain in mid-air and he frowned as two Blue Rune circles former beside him and released beams of Astral energy but the attacks were blocked by purple Rune circles.
At the end of it all, the Blue Rune circles imploded but the Purple circle remained in place.
Two other blue rune circles appeared but this time, they appeared behind the Gardener but the Purple Rune circles changed direction to blast and destroy the blue ones.
Even then, they remained in place looking strong as ever.
A clear sign of the superiority of Divine Rune circles to Rank 8 rune circles. On paper, they were only one rank apart but as can be expressed by the sheer difficulty of becoming a Divine runemaster, they were two different levels.
Svetlana had expected such impressive abilities when she had not been able to view into it with her Astral perception.
She had to say, it was quite fortunate she had been paying attention to the Garden and actually made an effort to view into it to check a certain someone's progress as she did not doubt that if things had persisted, none of those in the garden would have survived.
"Your whole agenda seems silly to me. I mean what would be the point of a garden if no one could enjoy its resources?" Svetlana asked suddenly as Embry stretched his hand to the Rune circles protecting him and touched them.
"And who says I am here for your need? For you to advance in your cultivation? I don't care and I will not stand for anyone coming here anymore.
Once I kill all of them, you included. I'm sure the others out there will finally get the message and stay away." With that, Embry tossed the circles at Svetlana and no one inside her protective Dome saw their movement paths.
The moment they left Embry's hands, they vanished at the same time another chime was heard, and almost immediately, the Rune circles appeared where Svetlana had been but a second before, moving in opposing directions and canceling each other out upon collision.
Everyone looked for where Svetlana was only to see her right beside Embry whose eyes were widened in shock and incomprehension of her speed,
"Is that what HE would want?" She asked him.
No one understood what she was saying or who 'HE' was, but Embry apparently did as he paused and then he began to shake in anger and yelled just as rune circles appeared all around his body and shot beams at Svetlana who vanished to avoid getting hit,
"Don't talk about him, HE LEFT ME!"
Following those confusing words came the formation of giants formed from the purple material and wielding the giant hazardous wind swords to attack the Duchess as spikes rose from the ground under the Array Dome to stab its inhabitants.
The spikes shattered before they could rise fully though on account of the layer protecting the inhabitants' feet from actually touching the ground.
Then multiple Rune circles appeared all around the Array Dome and prepared to fire beams that were sure to destroy the Dome and those inside it.
Clearly, Svetlana's words had angered the Array and it was now truly going all out.
Chapter 438 - A Possible Template...
Quick as the beams were sure to be, they still gave Hal enough time to converse with Grimoire and to prepare alternative protection which was to take his ladies and himself into the Harem space where the attack was sure not to hit.
After all, anyone who could witness the entry apart from Svetlana and Embry would be dead anyway.
'It's time. That's the Artifact's ability. Well, actually it's time and fortification' Grimoire said.
'Not sure I follow' Hal replied.
Grimoire sighed,
'There really is no simpler way to say it. The Artifact's ability is time and fortification. Every beam of energy or presence or pressure that goes through it comes out stronger. Also, it gives its wielder the ability to bend time in their favor.
In other words, it gives Svetlana Pseudo Time Ordinance insight. I guess it might have extended to pseudo-Time Ordinance Harnessing if she was able to use the Artifact's complete abilities but she can't on account of her cultivation. Right now, she's limited to about forty percent if the Artifact's true might.
That chime you hear comes from the balls and announces the moment she bends time. Either her time or the time of something in her surrounding.
It's how she was able to stop the cage in place and how she was able to avoid these impossibly fast Rune circles the gardener just tossed at her.
She's bending time.'
Hal nodded mentally in understanding but Grimoire was on a roll,
'It has the potential of making her fast enough to evade any of the Divine Array's attacks and intercept any of it.
After all, her rune casting is already impossibly fast. This will just make it impossible to avoid or see.
But this is not the really frightening part of it all...'
'Then what is, does it warp time?' Hal asked with a mild chuckle. Mostly as a joke but Grimoire answered seriously.
'Actually it does and the time-warping Array you use has nothing on that Orb' Grimoire said.
'Wait, she really can?'
Grimoire gave a mental appropriation of a head shake,
"Not her, the Orb. That's one of its passive abilities. As I said, its ability is time. But I was actually referring to how it can be used as a template for her to gain insight into the Abstract ordinance of time. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she has already started...'
The conversation ended and Hal came to full cognition of what was going on at the moment just as the chime sound rang out once again and multiple deep blue Rune circles appeared to defend against the beams that shot out of the purple rune circles.
And while the beams attempted to overpower the circles, another chime sounded which saw to the simultaneous destruction of all purple giants and their purple winds swords.
However, the array had a large number of Astral energy supply to burn through and prepared to reconstruct the destroyed giants but then Svetlana raised her hand and the Orb floated up to it.
Then she began projecting runes and passing them all through the Orb which fortified them all so that they were of a bolder deep blue color to when she had projected them and then they began coming together to form Rune circles and then came together to form a gigantic Array.
One that spread all over the entire garden.
"Oh, I'm not falling for that again" Embry said as he gave a quick look at the Array and Hal understood what it was talking about.
While the energy coming off the Array was more powerful than he could ever hope to produce as he was right now and while it was also more complex, the basics were very much like the Array he had drawn himself.
A sealing Array.
More purple Rune Circles appeared on the garden floor and they all shot beams at Svetlana but a single chime after and the beams froze in place.
The Array refused to give up and more appeared but this time they appeared above Svetlana and shot at her from above but another chime and once again they froze in place.
Then the Sealing Array was complete and it slammed into the Garden floor but did nothing.
It was simply glowing but seemed to have no effect.
"Hahaha..." Embry began to laugh when suddenly, all the Rune circles the Divine Array had created so far were absorbed into Svetlana's Array and became the energy the array needed to JumpStart its sealing abilities.
This was the best way to hold down the Divine Array; using some of its own Astral energy as a baseline to seal it off.
As every single one of its attacking capabilities stopped reacting to command, the Array, through Embry said,
"You win today. But you can't seal me forever. Maybe I was not able to kill all of you today but the next time I'm awake, anyone I find on my ground will face the full might of my wrath. I won't spare anyone. Especially you Doxons. Scum born of that bastard that calls himself..." The rest of Embry/The Array's words were not heard as the Gardener melted into the Purple rune circle beneath its feet which was then absorbed Into the sealing Array and powered it further.
The gradual blending of the sealing Array with the garden floor marked the completion of the seal.
The Array dome around Hal and the others faded and the Blue-eyed witch addressed them,
"The array will make good on its promise and my seal will only really hold it for the day so if you wish to pick the herbs here, that is the window of safety you have. I will not tell any of you not to return to the garden after today and I will not tell you to be careful should you return.
However, I will say that if you come here after all you have experienced so far and are not a Demi-god, then you deserve everything you get. Including getting skewered by a Vindictive Array created by the greatest Runemastering genius the Haron Continent has ever seen."
With that, Svetlana turned around and her form vanished as in a space of a second, she left the Garden in its entirety.
However, even as she left, Hal heard her voice right by his ear,
"Hal, might I have a word? You are being awfully unfilial not to visit your dear old mother. Come to the Duchy palace and you, Rita and I can I have a nice little chat"
Hal scoffed at her words and turned his attention to the Doxon trio who had sour expressions on their faces.
Neither Ivan nor Artyom liked to be saved by Svetlana. They were happy to be alive of course and following that display they knew now they had no hope of survival even if they did have the Seal containing Semi-saint pressure within it, but,
"Why did it have to be her?" Artyom groaned.
To him, it was like she was throwing it in their faces how impossible it was for them to surpass her.
And wasn't she right?
They were hardly worth being called ants next to her right now.
Ivan was glaring at Hal who was also looking over at them,
'It's you, isn't it? You're the reason she came here, aren't you?' He kept thinking in his mind.
Meanwhile, Elora was thinking,
'She's so cool. By far the coolest woman to have ever lived.'
She did indeed once dislike the Duchess but it was really hard to hate Svetlana when she was a symbol of feminine superiority in the Doxon Duchy and today's display only made that all the more true.
Especially since she did not have a personal vendetta against the Duchess as her father was not one of the Duchess' brothers like Ivan and Artyom's fathers were.
It was really hard to pretend to hate the Duchess in the company of this vindictive duo.
But she liked being a member of the trio enough to try.
Their spatial treasures were now free and many were quick to collect them by using Cosmic energy to get a hold on whichever was theirs to pull it towards themselves.
Vanya was quick to go back to picking herbs and it was clear that she was going to take full advantage of the window of safety.
Chapter 439 - The Angry Doxons...
While Vanya picked herbs, others used the window of safety to recover their dead and also those who were in their party but were still battling traps.
Those who were still around were looking at Hal's party and it was clear that they all wanted to get the Primal fruit from him but now they were cautious for more than just the masked and powerful lady with him but also the mere appearance and disappearance of that green snake.
After all, that was a Demon Beast.
They had heard of those who had the ability to tame and command those foul creatures but today was probably the first time for many of them to see someone who could actually do it.
Of course, there was also the possibility that it was all just a trick. A Technique that had taken the fruit into his spatial ring through that strange-looking portal.
Whatever it was, the Blue-eyed young man who was not with the Doxons had the Primal fruit.
Also, what was with that definite resemblance between him and the Duchess?
The Antonov brothers for one frowned at him while Jelena was grinning and licking her lips at the thought Of 'having him'. If she had him, she had the fruit, was her logic.
Hal left the Garden without a second look at anyone and the Doxons left after him but went in a different direction.
Once outside of the Garden which was as easy as taking a stroll, Hal and the ladies sent back the carriage that had brought him, Amelia, and Karmen here and opted instead for the one Emily had come with which was driven by her designated driver.
Before entry, Hal told the driver he wanted to make one stop first before heading to the Sensual palace and he was happy to oblige.
Once inside the carriage, Emily took off her mask and looked out the window without a word to Hal, who rolled his eyes at her and then asked,
"Don't tell me... you're still upset?"
Emily gave a small shrug but said nothing.
Hal began trailing his hand up her arm as he moved closer to kiss her neck while his other hand went to one of her breasts and squeezed it through the fairly flimsy clothing that covered it,
"Mmm" Emily moaned a little from the touch but continued to look out the carriage window.
Eventually, as Hal continued to fondle her chest, she finally spoke her mind,
"We're from the same generation, you know. Your mother and I"
Hal shared a look with Amelia who shrugged before he chuckled,
"Well, I try not to stay fixated on the little details. Besides it makes it hotter, don't you think?"
"That's not what I mean. I was referring to that display today. Where does she get off being all superior and impossible to catch up to?" Emily said in a bit of a tirade.
Hal paused his fondling and sighed but he said nothing.
He knew Emily well enough to know that she did not need his input right now.
"I mean, we are part of the same generation, even if she is older by half a century. And now she's being all impressive and leaving me in the dust.
Sure, in terms of talent I am beyond impressive but some gaps can't be crossed with just impressive talent."
In the end, she turned and looked into Hal's eyes while he adopted an amused expression,
"So... You want to get stronger faster?" He asked.
"What, is that wrong?" Emily asked with a roll of her eyes at how redundant his question was considering all she had said so far.
"No, no it's not wrong" Hal told her with a slight shake of his head.
"What is wrong though is that you say it like you are the only one with that mindset" he added after the space of a few seconds.
Emily's eyes widened slightly while Karmen and Amelia looked like they were trying not to be involved in the conversation.
Hal continued,
"You think I liked seeing such an impressive display because she's my 'mother'? Because I should be looking up to her?
You are not alone in your wish for more strength and in case you have not noticed, you surpass me by two realms.
You don't see me acting pouty because you are stronger than me, do you?
Or do you think that's normal because I am younger than you?"
"I'm not acting pouty" Emily said with her lips now actually jutting out in a pout.
Hal shook his head with a smile,
"Yes, you are." He said.
Emily understood the gist of what he was saying.
True, Svetlana's strength was impressive but so was hers. And she was quickly making up for lost time I'm terms of her inability to dual cultivate properly due to her condition.
She knew he was not reprimanding her, just telling her that feeling down about it was not going to help anything.
"You're right. Who has time to feel down when there is a lot of essence sharing to be done?" She said with a bright smile and snuggled closer to him while he rubbed his hand up and down her arm while pulling her closer to himself.
"Also, this has helped me move one step closer to comprehending my Dao" she added and Hal paused,
"Your Dao?" He asked.
"Oh yes. You know, the thing that best defines me" Emily reiterated with a nod.
Then she looked over at her daughter who was no longer making a point to ignore the conversation,
"Amelia has started comprehending her Dao too" she added.
Hal looked Amelia in the eye,
"You have?"
Amelia grinned and nodded,
"Of course. It's not that hard and I think I am getting closer to knowing what truly defines me as a person and a cultivator."
This seemed to Hal like a hard dose of reality.
Here he was still having no idea what summed him up as a person and this two were already well on their way.
He had tried so many already. Lusty, perverse, selfish but none of them truly defined him. They would do well to define a degenerate but it would seem he was much more than just a degenerate deep inside.
There was something more to him that he could not quite put his finger on and it frustrated him.
Then he received an alert from his communication Talisman which he brought out of his Inventory and Ehrlich's voice sounded out of,
"Finally! I've been trying to get in touch with you for hours. Where the hell are you?" He asked.
"Nowhere that is any of your concern" Hal told him in a curt voice.
Ehrlich growled on the other side,
"I want the map. Bring it to me at Roxy's shop now. It's already evening but if you hurry I can still be out of this damned Duchy by nightfall" he said.
"Can't. I'm busy" Hal told him.
Ehrlich sounded almost shocked at his response,
"What? Now listen here, you bastard, bring me the map tonight so I can get it to the princess soon as I can" he said.
"You do realize you're being so hyper that you've ignored the fact that I might not be alone, right?"
Ehrlich paused,
"Are you alone?" He asked.
Hal looked at the ladies with him and smirked,
"What do you think?"
Ehrlich took a deep breath to calm his frustrations but it did not seem to work as his next words came out as a yell,
"BRING ME THE MAP RIGHT NOW!" he said proving, as Hal had always believed, that he was a complete idiot.
The sound did not go past the inside of the carriage though as Hal had already cast a noise-canceling Rune,
"As I said, I can't. I'll be busy from now till tomorrow morning. I will bring you the map at noon tomorrow though so until then, do sit tight and enjoy the Doxon Duchy's wonderful sights." With that, Hal cut off the connection and muted the Talisman before tossing it back into his inventory.
Right at that time, the carriage stopped and Hal knowing it was for him went out of it,
"I'll get Rita and we'll come together." He said.
"Master, let me come with you" Karmen said but Hal shook his head,
"No, go with them. I shouldn't be here long anyway" he said and closed the carriage door.
It then turned and began its journey to Sensual palace while Hal was left alone in front of the absolutely magnificent structure that was the Doxon Duchy palace.
Just a quick look around and he could view many guards placed at strategic locations all about the front of the structure.
He wondered if it would be difficult for him to get in even with his telltale Doxon eyes but it turned out to be easier than he could have ever thought as a female guard dressed differently from the guards actually guarding the palace gates approached him the moment he was in front of the gate.
She was pretty but way too serious looking in his opinion.
Just off the top of his head, Hal could think of a few things that would get rid of that look in a second.
The lady bowed to him,
"Young master Hal" she said.
Hal thrust his hand forward,
"Whoa there. What's all this 'young master' business? I came here to pick someone up and not to be insulted"
The lady looked up and her expression remained the same as she said,
"That's very funny, young master Hal."
Hal furrowed his brow,
"Is it? One wouldn't be able to tell by the look on your face." He said and she turned around.
"Please follow me" she said and led the way.
They didn't go far and soon they were at a Teleportation circle which she stepped on and he followed her before she activated it and it took them deeper into the palace, to its core, in the space of a second. The part of the Palace that housed the main Doxon family members.
They now stood in front of it and then stepped off and walked inside.
While Hal admired the architecture of the Duchy palace, the lady led him down a corridor to two giant closed doors.
The giant doors swung open and Hal followed her inside to a wonderful high ceiling hall inside which he saw no Rita, No Svetlana but four very angry-looking Doxons.
Well, actually five but the fifth Doxon was not angry looking, he was laughing boisterously which did not quite follow the tension in the air....
Chapter 440 - YOU ARE WORTH NOTHING!
Hal of course recognized two of the angry-looking Doxons as they were Ivan and Artyom and the middle-aged men beside them must be their fathers. The similarity between Ivan and his father was clear as they both had that regal quality to them.
While Artyom and his father seemed more like sly weasels and yes men.
Of course, this was an assessment of their expressions and not their actual looks which were handsome as common among Doxon men.
Once Hal had had a quick first look at the angry Doxons, he looked at the one not looking angry and was laughing his ass off.
He looked only a little bit older than the fathers of Ivan and Artyom and could very well have passed for their sibling had it not being for the excess of wrinkles on his face.
But they gave his face character and added a sense of maturity to his whole visage that did not take away from him his Doxon looks.
They all seemed so deep into their discussion that none of them looked over at Hal and the lady with him who was at the other end of the very long hall.
"Haha, so you mean to tell me that after all that talk about how you would prove yourself to me by getting the Primal fruit, a snake took it from you? Is that what you're telling me? How stupid can you be?"
Artyom spoke up,
"The snake was real, Grandfather. I was there and I saw it"
His Grandfather, the ex-duke turned to him and a darkness crossed over his eyes that chilled Artyom to the bones,
"Did I tell you it wasn't real?" He asked and Artyom shook his head vigorously.
The darkness cleared and Kirill was smiling again,
"Because I believe the snake is real. Your brother was just an idiot to let a snake take the fruit from him"
Ivan frowned but said nothing,
Artyom shivered,
"A-A-A-Actually, the snake snatched it from mid-air" he said with a stammer.
"And what difference does that make?" Kirill asked in a dangerous voice that once again caused Artyom to shiver and shake his head vigorously.
Kirill continued but now with his attention to Ivan,
"So, is that all your word is worth. 'I will prove myself to you, Grandfather' is what you said and you came back empty-handed. Even worse, you lost two precious Doxon cultivators to the Garden's antics.
Although, I have to say they were all idiots to even consider going with you. They seem to all see you as a leader but I know better.
You are pathetic.
A pathetic suck-up who can never hold up to the standards that will make me acknowledge you.
You are worth nothing.
NONE OF YOU ARE!"
At the end, Kirill's voice rose and he no longer sounded taunting, now he sounded really, really angry.
His anger easily surpassed theirs and added to the tension already in the air.
'Well, someone is in a mood' Hal thought with a chuckle.
The Lady with him had motioned that he not say anything or make a move.
Suddenly, the man who was definitely Ivan's father stood up in anger,
"Father, that is enough. You have made your point. You have no love for your grandchildren but can you just tone it down a notch? Everything Ivan does, he does for you.
He does to... Redeem me... To redeem us" he said gesturing to his brother.
Kirill was silent for a while and then raised a brow,
"Did I ask him to?"
Ivan's father gulped but Kirill continued.
"I was facing a condition and it could very well have killed me and instead of supporting me, you sought my seat prematurely and ended up selling your sister. You betrayed my trust"
"That was twenty years ago father, when will you let it go?" Artyom's father asked.
Kirill stared right ahead and Hal felt there was no way he could not see him but the Ex-duke still made no acknowledgment of his presence as he said,
"Well, it feels just like yesterday and I can and will not let things go. If you want to blame someone for that, blame my infallible memory. That said, I made my peace with your worthlessness long ago"
Now Artyom's father joined his brother on his feet with a slam of his palms on the table around which they all sat,
*Bam!*
"Okay, we get it, father! We made you lose your seat as Duke but if you were going to be so bitter about it, you should have just let Svetlana kill us"
Hal, where he stood felt this was a conversation they should have had years before now but had a feeling it was a subject they usually avoided.
Kirill burst into laughter,
"You think I stopped being Duke because of you two? Haha, I was always going to leave the seat for Svetlana. My biggest worry was always that she was too focused on Runemastering.
Seeing her absolutely decimate the Borels and all who supported them made it clear that she was ready for the mantle. You didn't think I would be Duke forever, did you?
I was merely holding the seat and waiting for her to be ready since she was the only one of my children who showed the mental fortitude required to rule.
I had been Duke for more than Three thousand years and had no issues letting her take over.
The real reason I pleaded for her to spare you was because killing you would be letting you two off easy. I told her that as long as she was confident you could never pose a threat to her, then it was better she let you live and forever torture you with that knowledge and the occasional display of her awe-inspiring strength you could never hope to surpass.
Also..."
Kirill grinned wickedly and looked to Artyom and then to Ivan,
"... If she killed you two, it only stands to reason that she kill your children as well. Cut you off from the Doxon Bloodline entirely and she admitted that it would be far too... messy."
The shoulders of both brothers slumped while Ivan's eyes widened,
'Messy? That's all our survival boils down to? That our deaths would have been far too messy?'
Kirill was not done though,
"As I said, I already made my peace with it all. As the only main family member who is capable of leading the family and the Duchy once Svetlana is ready to pass it on, it does not really matter what I think, Ivan, you will be Duke eventually.
You have no competition.
Svetlana is sure to break the barrier many have always thought impossible and become a god. She will become a god before I ever will. I am sure of it." Kirill paused to glow with pride before he said,
"Once she becomes a god and ascends to Paradise, you are sure to become the Patriarch of the Doxon family as well as the Duchy's Duke so there is no need for me to acknowledge you. There is no need for you to suck up to me.
I have made my peace with that reality so for goodness sake and for the love of all the gods in paradise, stop trying to prove anything to me because I frankly could not care less"
There was a pause during which the brothers sat back down and then Ivan stood and said in the tone of a pledge,
"No, that would be the easy way out and I don't want to take the easy way out. I will regain your trust and acknowledgment which we lost due to father and Uncle's acts.
I won't just take the seat of family head and Duke just because I am the only one who can, I will take it because my Grandfather, the Patron deems me worthy of it"
Kirill rolled his eyes,
"Suit yourself. Now..." He said and grabbed in front of him.
Cosmic energy suddenly surrounded Hal and pulled him closer towards Kirill and stopped at the other end of the table,
".... What did you think of our discussion, you little eavesdropper"