Just as the divine ball had exploded, Raven had invoked a spell of self-sacrifice before stealthily moving to the side to avoid the core of the lightning. Alex had been far closer to the blast. Now that the lightning had disappeared, Raven looked out from his hiding place, and discovered that there was no sign of Alex.
I knew he couldn't survive an attack of those nine elements, he thought smugly. I guess he's not as powerful as me, after all. Although he was covered in wounds and his strength was fading, he felt comforted by this thought.
"It was worth sacrificing my life to bring down a great enemy," he said, managing a weak laugh.
Through the chaotic lightning that was retreating in the sky, a voice boomed, "Do you really think so?"
The smile quickly faded from Raven's face as he tried to follow the direction of the voice.
Floating in a mass of blue and gold divine light, Alex appeared through the clouds.
Raven watched him with fear in his eyes. "You're alive? But how? You're nothing but a mere Earth immortal. You haven't reached the divine level. I don't understand." He paused for a moment and frowned. "Unless you've developed the body of a celestial immortal?" As the words came from his mouth, Raven knew how ridiculous they sounded. Nobody on Earth had reached that state in the last millennium. Such a person would be a god among men.
"Nice detective work," Alex replied, taking a step closer. "I'm still working on it, but I'm nearly there." He kicked Raven to the ground.
There was a series of cracking sounds as Raven's ribs broke. He suffered a deep dent in his chest, and he was finding it hard to breathe.
Still, he found the energy to speak. "Alex, you may have brought about my death, but it won't be long until you also leave this world behind. I have no doubt that my friends in the divine realm will avenge me. I will turn this land into a purgatory and wait for them to come for you."
"Nice dream. Unfortunately, you won't be able to make it that far." Alex stomped on Raven's chest once more, and then he turned around and walked toward the portal to the divine realm. Raven's body had been destroyed, and his soul began to disintegrate. An intense pain swept through his body, but he didn't take his eyes off Alex.
Alex had reached the portal to the divine realm. His entire body had turned into a ball of light that stretched twelve feet high. In the middle of the blazing light, Raven saw the shadow of a strange-looking bird.
It looks like the legendary divine beast I once heard about, Raven thought. But what is it doing here?
A few seconds later, Raven's vision began to blur. He made out the bird soaring into the sky, and then it crashed into the portal, causing the sparkling space all around the entrance to tremble.
The last thing Raven saw was Alex, surrounded by golden light, walking through the portal. He's entering the divine realm, he thought in amazement. But that's impossible! Without the power of a divine immortal, nobody can pass through that portal safely. He's going to die.
In a flash, Raven's soul exploded, and waves of golden flame surged from his body, reducing him to ashes.
With the battle finally over, Antoine, Evan, and the others rushed out of hiding. They looked up at the sky just in time to see Alex take his final step through the portal.
"Do your best and protect yourselves," Alex shouted. "I'll be back as soon as possible."
As the light faded from view, everyone looked at each other in dismay.
"It looks like he's actually entered the divine realm," Antoine said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I just hope he makes it back again."
**
The headquarters of the Thunder sect sat on a mountain peak in the divine realm, shielded by heavy clouds and blasts of lightning.
The elders of the sect sat cross-legged on the floor of the main hall, meditating quietly. Suddenly, a great tablet in the room exploded, and as the elders opened their eyes, their faces were filled with horror. The tablet was one of a collection, and each one held a trace of a divine master from their sect. Once the master died, the corresponding tablet would shatter, so they realized this could only mean one thing.
"Raven has fallen on Earth," one of the elders said with a trembling voice.
In an instant, word swept across the entire divine realm, and everyone was shaken by the news. The Thunder sect was highly respected in the divine world. Though there were more powerful sects in the realm, Raven had been revered by all for his formidable strength. The elders wondered what or who on Earth could be responsible.
Rays of light flew out from the headquarters of the major sects and rushed toward the meeting place of the High sect that sat at the center of the realm. Within each ray of light was a top-level divine immortal, and they gathered in the great hall to discuss the latest development.
As the elders waited for everyone to arrive, there were whispers all over the hall.
"Haven't you heard? Raven's tablet has shattered. He has fallen on Earth."
"My goodness! How could this happen to someone of Raven's ability? Who could have overpowered him?"
"He was only there for a few hours, and now his soul has been destroyed. There must have been some significant changes on Earth in recent years."
Over the past millennia, the portal had opened many times to allow a divine master to descend into the mortal world. Until recent times, these masters had returned without trouble. But Raven was one of a handful in the past few years that had fallen. These losses caused great unease throughout the realm.
In the great hall, one of the elders placed a fiery jade stone on the floor. At the center of the room was a golden pillar with a pattern of a dragon coiled around it. The pole stretched to the sky, and its top was shrouded in cloud and mist.
One of the sect leaders stepped forward and said, "It's time for all our sects to join forces. We need to pool every single one of our ultimate treasures to forcefully split open the portal and launch an attack on Earth."
"You're right," an elder from the Thunder sect replied. "No sect here is safe. We have all had an elite disciple injured or killed down there, so we must strike back. The Thunder sect fully supports you, and we will share all our divine treasures."
"But if someone of Raven's ability met his death in just a few hours, then what sort of forces could we be dealing with?" the master of the Mountain sect asked.
For a few moments, nobody spoke. Then the leader of the Crimson sect stepped forward. "It's true that we don't know exactly what's happening in the mortal world. But we can't stand back any longer. Working together, we have unbeatable power. Our enemies on Earth will be turned to dust."
From a high throne surrounded in mist, an ancient leader spoke. "All sects, please go back to your bases and prepare yourselves. When the portal reopens, you must be ready to travel to Earth."
"Yes, master," the sect leaders replied and bowed their heads in respect.
As the leaders flew from the hall, their eyes burned fiercely. They would give everything they had to stop the destruction of the divine realm. They were eager for the portal to open, so that they could unleash their wrath on Earth and restore harmony to their own world.
**
In the passageway between both worlds, a blue-and-gold light was advancing ever so slightly toward the divine realm.
I'm still not strong enough, Alex thought. If only I'd had more time to prepare, then I could blow right through this divine turbulence.
He knew the time had come to invoke the power of the shadow behind him. The legendary bird had the power to forcibly break through space. Alex slowly raised his hand. At the same time, the bird reached out and tore open a space in the passageway. A long tunnel opened before Alex, and he immediately entered it, bypassing the turbulent space on the outside.