The Oracle Paths

Drifting through the desolate upper atmosphere of Twyluxia, a behemoth of a bird strained against the extreme weather conditions at this elevation. However, it wasn't the void-like silence, the smothering darkness of space, or even the cosmic radiation and magnetic storms typical at these heights that made the flight perilous.

This world-plane wasn't a planet but a result of unique circumstances, making escape from this artificial prison impossible—even for Featherfall and its reputedly invincible rider.

Yet, in their current pickle, it wasn't the peculiarities of their world making high-altitude flight so dangerous, but a much more mundane issue: the thinning air. Lift relied on air density, just like Archimedes' principle, and the scarcer the air molecules, the more wing surface one needed to sustain altitude effortlessly.

The direct consequence? Despite its colossal size, the feared Titanic Beast struggled to sustain stable flight.

Sadly, even under these shitty conditions, the creature had no choice but to do its best to keep a steady posture. Because right now, its rider was facing an unprecedented crisis, and absolutely nothing could distract him—lest disastrous consequences ensue.

After what seemed an eternity to the colossal bird but was actually quite brief, the person on its back suddenly spat out an impressive spray of blood.

Sitting cross-legged on what looked like an expansive plain of steel feathers, a handsome man in a midnight-blue dragon robe embroidered with gold threads coughed again, another jet of crimson staining his otherwise perfect image. Trying to stand, he staggered and spat out a third involuntary spray of blood, this time splattering the plumage of his titanic mount.

SCREEEE!

The shrill and anxious cry of the monstrous bird of prey immediately reacted to its rider and friend's worrying condition, eliciting a grimace from the man. Wiping the blood from his lips with his sleeve, he spoke in a weary, drained voice,

"I'm fine, Featherfall. But that was too close. Who'd have thought the Soulmancer King had such an ace up his sleeve. Our assassination attempt is a total fuck-up."

SCREEE!

"Yeah, you're right. He might've been killed during the ambush, and it could be the work of one of these foreigners. Looking back, that's even more likely. No Underworld Barbarian could pull off such a feat. Not because they're weak, but because it would require them to be as exceptional a Lifemancer as me, which is impossible..."

Pausing for a moment while thoughtfully stroking his chin, he continued,

"It seems that wiping out these foreigners is no longer viable if they can demonstrate such power. Bones and Chillmire's immediate retaliation was also unexpected."

According to Eldrion, the member of the Radiant Conclave who had leaked the Soulmancer King's plans, a female foreigner newly arrived in Twyluxia was the source of this intel. The old scoundrel had promised her a cushy spot in their army in return, but the final decision still rested with him—the Celestial.

Right. This man was none other than the most powerful man in the Lustra Plains, Celestial Valandar. Usually the epitome of physical perfection and charismatic virility, he had lost some of his luster, although his injuries had already healed.

Beyond his towering 16 meters, his god-like muscles, and chiseled jawline, it was his disheveled blood-red hair and penetrating gold-ruby eyes that made his already unparalleled beauty uniquely inimitable. However, neither of these were the source of his kingly presence or the fanatical deference people showed him.

That, the man owed to his Lumyst Aura. At its peak, his body was perpetually wrapped in a halo of golden light of incredible purity, reminiscent of the warm glow of the sun. Looking at it neither burned nor blinded one's eyes; rather, it had a purifying and invigorating effect. For this reason, he was the only individual in the Lustra Plains perceived as a genuine divine being, with the other four members of the Radiant Conclave not even coming close.

But at that very moment, the soft radiance enveloping him had nearly vanished, glowing faintly. From an untouchable god, he seemed to have reverted back to a humble mortal, although his wounds had fully healed. His Aura was recovering swiftly, but for now, he was indeed weaker than he had been in a very long time.

This was the first time something like this had happened to him since he'd ascended to the pinnacle of the Lustra Plains. If before, Valandar was seriously contemplating eliminating the foreign woman who had provided them with the information, he had now changed his mind.

"According to our reports, the later these foreigners join our world, the stronger and more influential they are among their own," he mused out loud, as if to aid his own thinking. "If a foreigner fighting for the Dusken Throne is responsible for this calamity, then he probably arrived recently. The alien woman who gave us this information also came in the 'last wave,' by her own admission. And each of these waves is matched by the same number of 'Players,' to make their clashes fair. In other words, she and this foreigner from the Dusken Throne should be of similar strength."

Pondering the implications of allowing such a dangerous woman to roam freely on his lands, the Celestial's expression visibly darkened. Regardless, the million-dollar question was, how many other foreigners were in this latest wave? Because if they were all like the one who had just wounded him, they were in deep shit.

Moments earlier, he'd been shaken to his core when his sprawling Life Web had been abruptly endangered by an entity of unknown origin. Like a human tearing away a meticulously spun spider web with one hand, it took him a few seconds to react.

This attack had struck as suddenly as it was cunning, more sophisticated and subtle than one might initially think.

Valandar was the core node of his web, ensuring that if anyone tried to take it over, the pull on it would inevitably lead back to him. Yet, while he was at the center of this Life Web, its various members were also interconnected.

What had happened was that his enemy, deliberately or not, had bypassed the stubborn node that was him, opting for an easier route by consuming other, closer, and more vulnerable 'nodes.' Before he knew what hit him, the damage done was already of considerable scale.

He didn't know exactly how many losses his army had suffered, but he could already say one thing: it was well over 430,000 soldiers.

At least seven other army corps deployed on other battlefields had been affected. Even if the enemy didn't have time to devour all their life threads, it was a fact that for an undetermined period, their lifeforce and sometimes even their souls had completely left their bodies.

The number of human and animal casualties... probably numbered in the tens of millions.

"That son of a bitch..."

The most drastic part of all this was that Valandar had failed to stop him using his own means. To finally gain the upper hand, he had to resort to a potentially damaging measure for his own forces: reconfiguring his Life Web.

Now, instead of having each Lifemancer connected to one another, forming the different nodes of his web, they were only connected to him. In other words, Valandar had become the main router.

This had its advantages for him but mainly disadvantages for the rest of his subjects, making their Life Link far less flexible and efficient. Unfortunately, it was the only solution he had found to put an end to the unquenchable rampage of this unstoppable foe.

Pulling ever harder to devour more life threads, his enemy had been left with no other choice but to target him, all other nodes having lost their connections except for the one linking them to the Celestial.

The Tug of War had thus transformed into a one-on-one showdown between Jake and Valandar. But even then, to Valandar's utter horror, he had not managed to come out on top. He was even slightly at a disadvantage.

To turn the tide, the Celestial had resorted for the first time in his life to tapping into the life force of all the Lifemancers connected to him. In other words, he had cheated.

It was no longer a duel between him and this mysterious foreigner, but between the outsider and all the Lifemancers of the Lustra Plains.

He might have won the battle, but his defeat was… total.