The Exalt Cultivation Fantasy

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 520: A Desperate Charge

Act 3: Empire's Stand - Chapter 520: A Desperate Charge

Oscar breathed heavily, his lungs strained to partake in any fresh air, but the stench of the battlefield choked the air, nauseous fumes from blood, fire, and death. A fast spear thrust and plunged directly onto his shield. In a smooth motion, he deflected the spear, finding his arm to be numb and shaky. The battle against the Lower Marshal Golem and the limits of his Guise fast approaching had done their work to drain him.

Staring at Erden, he saw his beast friend faring no better, barely mounting a defense against the onslaught of enemy spells and weapons. Sensing something, Oscar turned and frowned at the large lion pouncing on him, its claws long and jaws wide open. He ducked below and rammed his golden drill toward its guts, but it dispersed into water and reformed behind him. His tired body failed to react in time, and he clenched his mouth shut, holding back the blood about to overflow from his lips.

"Os!" Fred slashed furiously, cutting the water lion apart, and waved over his winds to spread the droplets far away before the lion could manifest again. He helped Oscar stand up, stopping him from falling to the ground.

The damned lion pierced deeply into him. If not for his sturdy body and the remaining defenses of the Guise and Edusreisclad, the claws would have taken his life. Still, he should not have that much trouble. As he expected, his powers were waning at an alarming rate, and more flakes of blue Eirin fell from his one remaining blue antler. Oscar regathered his breathing and glared intently at the slew of enemies, angered by their wide smiles. Some he recognized from previous battles, no doubt they wished for his death the most.

Peeking behind, Oscar had hoped to see Charles and the others come in to help. He frowned at the battle ensuing between them and the opposing Marshal Exalts, who followed them through the portal. Lightning arrows spread and blanketed above, crackling in a high-pitched scream. Fred moved to the front, his feathery twin swords slashing into blurs as feathers scattered, catching the wind and amplifying its potency. His feathers shielded them from the lightning rain, but the paleness spreading across Fred's face painted a poor outlook for their chances.

"We're both nearly out. I guess the others must have escaped long before the enemy fought in this area." Oscar heaved a sigh at the slight consolation his men were safe. The enemy regrouped for another assault, Eins rising into the air to form jagged icicles, spears of bright flames, spikes of stone and earth, and more. He groaned and pushed Fred behind him. "I'll create the opening. Take advantage of that and take us all out of here. Erden, come with me."

Erden started first. His antlers grew a hundred feet long, burning in red flames. A vein of exertion strained on Erden's neck as he brought the massive attack across the battlefield. The enemy's spells scattered one by one, but his antlers broke apart at the end, leaving two stumps on his head.

Sharing Erden's agony, Oscar fumed and bolted in a final blaze, his Eirin spiking to the fullest. He pulled his fist back and held his breath. His arm reached out and unleashed the last bit of his might into it, a powerful Shattering Wave. His blue antler finally shattered like a mirror shattering into a thousand pieces. As the last wisps of Eirin left his body, Oscar slumped and wobbled before falling on his back, hitting something soft, Erden. On the other side, his Shattering Wave, filled with his desperation, punched a hole into the enemy's blockade. Some who failed to escape in time suffered a gruesome fate, torn apart into pieces or barely holding on as their flesh was mangled into unrecognizable.

"Now!" Oscar shouted. He couldn't move any longer and limped lifelessly on Erden's back. At his call, Fred twirled his swords around and threw them out like discs, winds spiraling on its edges, the feathers hardening like razor-sharp teeth. The winds answered Fred's call and enveloped his feet, and a stream flowed underneath, laying a path. Riding this river of wind, Fred tugged on Oscar and Erden, pulling them alongside for the ride.

"We're almost there!" Fred swept through as his swords continued to bar the enemy from approaching. He was like water, intangible and coursing across in winding streams. But he was only human. Oscar watched in horror as a bright light cast a shadow of his face on Erden's head until it whistled by and pierced into Fred's shoulder. Someone had hit their mark with a lance made of light.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Fred!" Oscar's voice trembled.

Fred grabbed the bright lance, his hand sizzling and burning. In a forceful grab, the light collapsed and dissipated, but blood seeped out of the scorched wound. A few drops, guided by the wind of their escape, landed on Oscar's face, cold to the touch. Fred shouted, still pulling Erden and Oscar along. His speed never dropped, nor did his course break as if they refused to be shaken by paltry wounds.

Oscar growled. Like he did for Avril months ago, he mustered the nonexistent strength in his body. Feeling his muscles tear and joints creak, with bloodshot eyes and a veiny face, he raised his hand high and used the remaining bit of Ein in his core. Gold rods, covered in burning swords, scattered around, some landing directly onto the enemy, forcing them to halt and defend, while others exploded in short distances, obscuring their view.

"That was all I had. I'm sorry, Fred." Oscar's face buried itself into Erden's neck. Now, his body refused to listen to any of his commands. His arms and legs limped down. The enemy recovered and chased after them, firing their spells.

"Well damn. I wonder how you would have tried to escape this if I wasn't by your side. It's a good thing I'm an amazing friend." Fred joked through blue lips, the signs of extreme exhaustion and exertion. He retrieved his two swords and swung widely. Some attacks made it through and stabbed into him, burned him, and electrified him, but none landed on Oscar and Erden as he focused on defending them, barely on himself.

"Are you an idiot?!" Oscar watched his friend endure more injuries, slashed and stabbed multiple times.

"If we do make it through this, we'll finally be even." Fred smiled. All this time, the path he created through his winds never broke, ferrying them through savagery and violence. Covered in blood and grievous wounds, his friend never stopped swinging.

Oscar wanted to help. He wanted to move. He could only watch helplessly at his friend's suffering. It was valiant, inspiring, and admirable but unbearable to witness. Was it like this when he sacrificed himself to let Fred escape? Was it this painful? The deep pit of helplessness and guilt wrecked his heart. "I'm sorry. For me, again, you put yourself in danger."

"Back then, you could move. In a way, I'm happy you can't. I know what you would do if you could move, so I'm glad. I won't stand it if you sacrifice yourself again." Fred murmured, the weakness in his voice apparent. "So shut up and wait. I'll get us out of this."

His arms were charred, his back riddled with spokes of earth, metal, and light. Darkness wriggled on his legs, a gooey substance gnawing on his flesh and satiating its hunger with his blood. Fred's blood had long since stopped flowing out of his body. Oscar tried to move even the slightest finger, driven to help his friend. Nothing moved for him. Oscar couldn't even grit his teeth in frustration at his own helplessness.

Underneath him, Erden's ear twitched, and a chuckle resounded in his mind. 'It looks like it was enough.'

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked, then remembered he was linked to Erden. Sensing what Erden sensed, he smiled and laughed, crying tears of joy. His friend no longer seemed to be conscious, a white and blank stare in his eyes, but he knew his words would reach him. "Fred. You've done enough. It's enough. It's our victory."

An earthshattering quake rippled in the space ahead, behind the few remaining enemies standing in their way. Large chunks of boulders spun, smaller rocks orbiting around them, and pounded on the enemy Exalts, hurling them out of the way. Ahead in the distance, Emily and the other Black Aegis Order led others in a deep plunge through the enemy lines, the surprise attack scattering the enemy's cohesion, which they had barely just recovered from Oscar's deadly final strike. Emily's Meld, the pair of staffs linked into a pair of nunchucks, bashed against a hapless Knight Exalt.

Tearing a way through, she was fearsome, her mouth forming into a growl of animalistic fury. Assisted by Alec and Susan's waters, the Black Aegis Order fought and linked up with Oscar and Fred. Emily reached with a stretching arm of earth and grabbed them. Her gaze grew colder as she observed them.

"Let's retreat. Don't let the enemy take a single thing from us!" Emily roared. The others shouted in unison. They moved like raging flames, devouring anything before them until they reached clear skies, void of opposition.

"Thank you," Oscar whispered, breathing irregularly. But unlike before, he found good comfort welling in his chest. He gazed at Emily, gratefulness overflowing from it.

"You two dunderheads always make me so mad. Susan! Heal Fred!" Emily shouted. Susan flinched and quickly reached her staff over to Fred's side, pouring clean, Ein-filled water to seep into the deep wounds. Black and brown blood, old and poison, floated out of Fred's unconscious body, bubbling idly within the water.

Oscar suddenly felt tired. He took one last good look at Fred before closing his eyes, thanking the heavens they were all ok.