Cesar's leg suffered a severe wound, forcing him to lean on his spear. He watched as the 15-foot Rakh-ahtan warrior swung its massive hammer, pulverizing one of its miniature rock clones and sending a destructive shower of rocks. A shadow loomed over Cesar, and before him, a colossal blue figure landed with a thud. It was Asoto'.
Asoto' was still experiencing ancestral flooding, but his eyes glowed less intensely. The barrage of rocks crashed against his bare chest, but he shrugged it off effortlessly, retaliating against the Rakh-ahtan.
The enemy warrior swung its hammer sideways, aiming to inflict a crushing blow on Asoto'. Fearlessly, Asoto' met the incoming hammer with a direct front kick, absorbing the immense force. To everyone's surprise, Asoto' seemed unaffected as the power rebounded into the hammer, knocking it from the Rakh-ahtan's grasp.
Seizing the moment, Asoto' leaped into the air, driving his knee into the metal demon's chest, sending it staggering backward. Without hesitation, he continued his relentless assault.
Although the Rakh-ahtan endured the punishing blows, Asoto' discovered that his strikes were failing to wound his formidable foe. With a forceful swat, the Rakh-ahtan sent Asoto' stumbling backward, momentarily interrupting his advance.
The Rakh-ahtan raised its hand, summoning its hammer back to its grip. Witnessing this unexpected twist of events, Cesar swiftly activated the inhaler given to him by the man in charge of the (I.P.S) Institute for Practical Science, Robert Sullivan.
Specific mixtures of nitrogen, hydration and oxygen surged through his system, stimulating his A.R.C. As Cesar's Wind Will surged within him, a surge of newfound power coursed through his veins, and spells formed in his mind, as if they had always been waiting there.
Glancing down at his torn and bleeding leg, Cesar shifted his weight onto his remaining good leg, his determination unwavering.
Grasping his spear firmly, his breathing synchronized with a changing rhythm, and the winds encircled him as if heralding the arrival of their sovereign.
Cesar closed his eyes, immersing himself in concentration, his focus honed on his ethereal shell - his spear. Within his mind, the words resounded like an incantation, "Changing winds, clear the path before me."
The currents dispersed around Cesar, rendering the air eerily still. With a steady hand, he lifted his spear, and in that moment, the once-dispersed winds converged upon it, compressing into a thin compressed layer that enveloped the weapon.
Gathering all his strength and resolve, Cesar unleashed his spear.
Anticipating the impending tempest, the Rakh-ahtan forcefully slammed its hammer into the ground. A vibrant brown jewel embedded its forehead radiated with an eerie glow. In an instant, the earth quivered beneath its impact, causing a colossal 20-foot wall, five feet thick, to surge upward.
Cesar's spear, propelled with tremendous force, impaled itself upon the formidable barrier. The winds, previously gathered around the spear, concentrated and compressed towards its tip, exploding like a pressure bomb.
With a thunderous detonation, the wall crumbled, and Cesar's weapon was sent hurtling away. Exhausted and overwhelmed by his injuries, Cesar lost consciousness.
Undeterred, the Rakh-ahtan swung its hammer once more, striking the ground with formidable force. The earth responded to its call, erupting in a series of massive rock spikes, death made its path towards the defenseless Cesar.
Just as the spikes closed in, a blinding beam of light erupted, illuminating the battlefield. The radiant energy pierced the ground in front of Cesar as he himself was being pulled by an invisible force.
The powerful beam collided with the rocky onslaught, obliterating the spikes into fragments, while attempting to cleave the Rakh-ahtan in two.
In a swift maneuver, the Rakh-ahtan conjured another towering wall, reaching a height of 30 feet, only to have it instantly shattered by the mighty beam of light.
It was Ellie who had regained consciousness. Despite a small crack marring the surface of her etheric shell a floating mirror it was able to manifest her Reflective Will. Though she could sense her Will seeping through the crack.
When she regained consciousness, she saw Cesar falling unconscious after failing to kill the Rakh-ahtan, Ellie activated the inhaler that Robert had been given to her, the same one Cesar had used earlier.
On the opposite side of the chaos,unsure of how his Stubborn Will could combat the overwhelming size of the colossal beast. In a rapid succession, the beast continued its transformation, sprouting countless tentacles that then morphed into thousands of smaller tentacles that morphed into hands. These twisted appendages shot forth, targeting everyone on the chaotic battlefield.
As Al inhaled the potent mixture his A.R.C intensified, his Stubborn Will surged through his veins, coursing through his body. It condensed withing his etheric shell his ring, as if his Stubborn Will was in fear.
In that moment, the world seemed to darken, shadows stirred, and they began dancing. The wavering shadows converged and began rushing like relentless rivers of darkness towards Al's twisted knife that was connected to his ring through a chain.
The rush and then sudden absence of darkness made the day flicker, the surging waves of shadows flooded into the blade. The light of the world struggled in vain to penetrate the depths of the shadowy currents that engulfed the weapon.
The world abruptly returned to its normal state, Al found himself wielding a long dark blade. The twisted knife he had assumed to be his ethereal shell had transformed into the handle for this abyssal weapon.
Spells ingrained within his Stubborn Will flooded his mind, although confusion struck him as he recognized an unfamiliar spell occupied a place in his mind. Al fixated on the name of the spell, "Midnight-Abyss," he thought, and his body instinctively moved. Lifting the blade, a manifestation of pure darkness, he drove it into the ground, then turned it counterclockwise, as one would a key.
A palpable presence emanated from the material plane, gripping the minds of all those present with their own Will within the material plane. It made them want to kneel and glorify the presence.
"What is this sensation? Who is he?" Agnethe pondered, steadfastly holding her ground against the behemoth's tentacles.
"This... not even the esteemed Great Diamond Deiousus could inspire such profound pressure," Asoto' mused, his gaze fixed upon the engulfing darkness that surrounded Al. Meanwhile, the brown-jeweled Rakh-ahtan, sensing the overwhelming force, instinctively fled.
The ground beneath the dark blade's penetration began to erode, forming a steadily expanding crater. The consumed matter underwent a transformation, crystallizing into a sinister obsidian armor that pierced into Al's flesh forcing his Stubborn Will to activate as he was painfully encased in the dark crystal armor.
As the colossal 350-foot behemoth advanced, it sprouted a monstrous maw, extending a staggering 100 feet from its lower torso, voraciously devouring everything in its path.
The demonic maw charged directly towards the armored Al, while Jin and the last remaining super soldier had already made their hasty retreat.
With mesmerizing grace, Al swung the blade crafted from darkness, its movements entrancing and commanding. The very ground quivered in response, and from the front of the crater he stood in, a surge of dark material erupted, breaking through the surface.
Al continued his swordplay, his movements resembling a hypnotic sword dance. Countless pillars formed of the enigmatic dark mineral erupted from the ground, piercing through the colossal maw rushing toward Al, destroying it to pieces.
A giant dark pillar broke through where Al was standing shooting him upwards and sent hurtling towards the towering figure of Agnethe who was struggling, she was ensnared by a tentacle piercing her left shoulder and another piercing her left leg.
If she were to revert back to her original size, she would surely be torn apart. Al, now at shoulder height with Agnethe, swung his dark blade, which extended to the ends of the earth.
Instead of severing the tentacles, the blade absorbed the matter upon contact, it did not cut but ate through them. Liberating Agnethe from her entrapment, she forcefully pulled out both tentacles, subsequently reverting to her original size, while Al was propelled through the air.
In response to Al's actions, the behemoth unleashed tens of thousands of arms, hurtling them towards him. Al swung his blade, devouring as many arms as he could, yet they multiplied. One arm, then another, until hundreds of grasping appendages seized hold of him, attempting to tear him asunder.
However, even in the face of this onslaught, the dark crystal armored Al proved unbreakable. The behemoth, frustrated by its failed endeavor, hoisted him hundreds of feet into the air, only to violently slam him back into the ground.
The mass of hands began to extend endlessly, yet they remained motionless. They were being rapidly consumed, vanishing as if being slurped up like spaghetti. Observing this phenomenon, the Behemoth reacted swiftly, severing the arms that had captured Al, realizing they were being devoured.
Al emerged unharmed within his formidable dark armor and swung his blade with resolute determination. With six mighty strikes, he summoned a colossal obelisk, precisely proportioned to match the gargantuan size of the Behemoth, stabbing it dead center.
Continuing his relentless assault, Al swung his blade three more times, causing the end of the obelisk within the Behemoth to erupt into a catastrophic explosion of dark obelisks. The behemoth fragmented into countless pieces, torn asunder by the force of the dark mineral.
Instinctively, Al drove the blade once more into the ground. Instead of absorbing the earth, however, the dark blade vomited all the shadows it had previously devoured, blanketing the battlefield in darkness.
The dark sphere gradually shrank, its immense radius diminishing until it transformed into a small sphere that faded into the rays of the sun. Al, now devoid of the dark armor, stood before it. His body was covered in blood, but his indomitable Stubborn Will swiftly mended his wounds.
Only a minute had passed since he had inhaled the peculiar gas mixture, yet the Rakh-ahtan had vanished and the colossal 350-foot behemoth lay defeated. All eyes were fixed upon Al, except for Cesar, who was bare regaining consciousness.
Silence enveloped the group as they pressed on with their mission, their path still shrouded in uncertainty. Agnethe being helped by Ellie was deep in thought. She questioned whether Al was really a Stubborn Will cultivator.
The seven of them hurried towards the Shatrughna Temple, determined to complete their mission.
Once inside the temple, they successfully rescued their target Devraj Harinder Mishra, a highly skilled computer and data scientist, along with a handful of other individuals and military personnel.
Devraj contacted Robert to confirm the mission's success. The advanced military jet, previously assaulted by the brown-jeweled Rakh-ahtan, returned to retrieve them.
As they soared through the air, the fading light of the day casting a somber hue, a profound sense of disbelief weighed upon each member of the team.
Their thoughts were united, contemplating how many more missions like this they could survive. The sole remaining super soldier, in particular, harbored doubts.
She questioned the truth behind Robert's words and intentions. "He claimed the blood would infect everyone, yet the six of them remained unscathed," she silently mused. "He told us our protective suits were designed to match the strength of a Rakh-ahtan warrior. Yet Wesley... he was brutally dismantled by the Rakh-ahtan and Choy, touched the silver blood but instead of becoming infected he exploded like a warhead upon contact."
In the quiet recesses of her mind, she pondered the implications.
As they landed, she cautioned Cesar to exercise caution and advised him not to place his trust entirely in Robert. Dealing with him felt like she was bargaining with the devil.