Gates of Destiny (3)

As General Mason advanced against the colossus, it increased its presence, making a point to show that it was there. Upon releasing its aura, in shades of purple and gray, everything left behind that had even a bit of life rotted away. Liam's aura became a beacon, the most threatening and attention-grabbing presence in the entire region.

Kishin no Raio rested its lower left hand on its knee while raising its lower right hand. With its two upper hands, the demon of light made a prayer-like gesture. Another seismic tremor spread through the area.

From the four points of its halo, rays of light gently emerged, giving life, farther away, to four pillars of light—merely looking at one of those pillars would be equivalent to staring at the core of the sun without any protection. The pillars rotated around the axis—the Kishin no Raio—emitting a tremendous roar.

The cloudy sky was illuminated by the pillars. Four beams of condensed light, radiation, and temperature were shot at Liam. The general showed no fear, as his plan had worked: making the demon attack only him, thus buying time for the rest to save those on the battlefield.

Creating a new energy shield, Liam managed to withstand the demon's overwhelming attack, deflecting the radiation rays like leather whips hitting the ground.

"Without a doubt, if I get too close, my field won't be able to repel the radiation…" Liam pondered.

The light rays ceased; subsequently, the pillars came together, forming a cross with a hole in the center. A line of light connected the four pillars, creating a circle.

Liam quickly stopped his foot upon seeing the circles and the cross.

"But what… It's too fast. I can only see it for a moment…" Liam commented to himself.

"What can you follow for just a moment?" inquired a white sphere that appeared close to Liam. The mature yet sarcastic voice of James echoed from it.

"James? Where are you?"

"On my way. I'll be there in less than twenty seconds. But, what were you analyzing?"

"Don't you see? The pillars move so fast that they create the illusion of being still…"

"Yeah…" James murmured and, for a moment, fell silent. "I can't process this image. Ten seconds."

"Can you see the core of his soul?"

"No," James retorted, appearing beside Liam.

"Then, work on finding it. Our goal now is to destroy the pillars."

James nodded.

"Turn it around, I'll try to create a plan from behind. I'll leave a gift for you," James said, opening his palm to the ground.

"Well… Heroic Spirit Sigurd, it's been a while."

Unlike the other spirits James had summoned, which were entirely white, the one summoned now was closer to a human.

Covered in shining metal armor adorned with ancient runes, his crown resembled the antlers of a deer, while his hair fell in golden braids. Holding his gleaming sword engraved with wings and a dragon's heart, the summoned one was none other than: Sigurd, the mortal who killed a dragon.

Once, when Liam and James had to complete over a hundred missions in a short span of ten days, Sigurd was summoned to assist them in capturing malevolent spirits in Egon.

Liam considered the spirit powerful, though unfortunately limited by being merely a dead man.

Sigurd knelt before James, on one knee, and paid homage to his "master."

'What are your orders, milord?'

"Help Liam in the fight against that demon. If you find the core, inform him."

'Yes, sir. General Mason, it's an honor once again.'

"Let's get to work, Sigurd. We'll see if dragons are weaker than demons." Aligning with Sigurd, both prepared for combat.

"Liam," James called. "Is it just me, or is that thing descending?" he referred to the pillars.

"They're bothering me. There's something behind this…"

As he leaned forward, Liam suddenly stopped. The earth took shape, creating a rectangular box that rose three meters above ground level. Shattered into small rocks, a creature similar to the colossal Kishin came to life.

"It looks like a representation… What does this mean?" Liam thought.

Gripping the sword's hilt tightly, Liam and Sigurd advanced against the "copy" while James went to the opposite side.

Raising its four arms, the Kishin clone levitated stones and turned them into sharp lances of matter.

Ethereal wings emerged from Sigurd's back, and with a shock, the heroic spirit flew into the sky. Using the sky blade, Liam disintegrated the demon's lances with direct cuts.

Twenty meters from the demon, Liam fell under the effect of a zero-force field, where he couldn't touch the ground or even move.

"Telekinetic force?…" Liam pondered, struggling to return to the ground.

Falling like a lightning bolt to the ground, Sigurd managed to find a weak point in the zero field. Grabbing Raito by the torso, Sigurd immobilized him in the air, forcing the demon to lose its mental strength.

"That's it, Sigurd!" Liam exclaimed.

Wielding the sky blade, Liam leaped onto the demon. Attacking the forehead, the general tore the monster's flesh down to the torso, which tried to react but was prevented by Sigurd.

Shredding the four arms, Liam finished by thrusting three times into the heart and splitting the demon in half.

"Damn it. I couldn't find the core," Liam said.

"Because the copy doesn't have one," retorted the same shimmering sphere returning, transmitting James's voice. "The core is the halo. However, that's something I can't break…"

"Sigurd, I need you to go up there. James, test that new ability."

"Really? Now? You got it!"

A vast yellow and translucent curtain fell over the Kishin no Raito and quickly faded. The demon soon fell from its levitation, returning to the crater it formed upon arriving at the battlefield. Struggling to rise, it was surprised by Sigurd, who flew against its head. With a massive impact, Sigurd threw the demon's face back, forcing it to look upward.

Sliding his hand along the sword's blade, Liam poured out some of his purest power. The pillars descended to the ground, destroying the earth they touched. Positioning the sword toward the demon, he pondered for a moment.

"These pillars behind me… I won't know what they're capable of. Nor if they'll disappear when I kill him. What will be the consequence of leaving this behind? No. Leaving this monster alive is worse. James won't last much longer, so I can't let him waste his strength like this…"

"Just imitate Li Minghua…" he sighed. "Third Heaven Style: Metaphysical Cut!"

An invisible attack ignored the entire physical world, reaching the demon. The body of Kishin no Raito suffered no damage, not a single drop of blood was spilled.

However, its halo was split in half. Nothing remained but white dust that scattered through space and disappeared along with the glow emanating from the demon's eyes.

But the day wouldn't end like this. The four pillars, as Liam suspected, pushed against the valleys of Zhuang, disintegrating all matter in their path, including, of course, living beings.

Struggling against Liam's hand that choked him, Theo managed to free himself from his alter-ego and escape the turbulent waters. Still panting, Theo tried to adjust his vision. Only upon remembering the disaster caused by the Kishin no Raito's last attack did Theo's stomach churn.

"You remember, don't you?" Liam asked. "What those towers did."

"They destroyed half of the Xin Empire… killing two thousand people in the process and injuring hundreds due to the aftermath…" Theo retorted, tearing up and sobbing.

"Could I have prevented it? I don't know. I'll never know. But one thing I do know. When the Kishin no Raito was killed, even the clouds parted, allowing the sun to touch me… Bathed in sunlight, my mind cleared."

The turquoise sky and calm sea returned, shallower than before.

"You forged these memories," Theo pointed out.

"No. I wanted to, but I didn't. You were too busy punishing the side of the coin where we acted under orders. But that day, when I saw the destruction caused… We switched to the other side of the coin. Can you see which one?"

"Life is a glass, and that's why the strong fight for it?"

"Perhaps, that's an interesting point too. But we're not guilty of death. Neither us nor the divine." Gazing at the clear sky, he continued. "It's the damned fate. Cycles begin and close. People come and go, even you. You're not the same as you were five years ago. Life is made of doors, we open and close them all the time…"

"Each door is a new future," Theo interrupted. "A new thought, a new self. Acceptance is the greatest virtue."

"The words of the old fool are still in your head. Good, because they carry my essence… Whether you want to accept it or not, it's solely your problem while you pretend to be Theo Lawrence."

Relaxing his hand on his own neck, Liam concluded:

"It's up to you. If you want to continue with your problems and ignore them, leave the door in front of you closed. But if you wish to evolve as an individual in this realm, open it."

"In this realm?" Theo emphasized.

"Shhh… It's a secret for now."

Liam's voice echoed through Theo's infinite spiritual world. The violent waves swallowed the boy again, and instead of continuing to drown, he awoke.

Panting and confused, Theo stared at the white hospital wall. The rays of sunlight from the sunrise invaded the room through the window, waking him further.

"Realm… Realm… What a bastard!" he complained, clicking his tongue. "Can't you contain yourself?"

Looking around, he realized what he was searching for wasn't there.

"I need chalk."