It was like a fever dream.
Lind had never fully dove into his bestial side. He had curbed his wild instincts at the beginning because it tried to bury his humanity, yet he had never done the reverse. He had forged what kind of dragon he wanted to be.
He had felt rage far beyond anything a human had shown, but he was still in control. He had never really cut loose in a real life and death battle.
His scales were healing from yet another barrage but his clearing mind realized the ti layer had beco exhausted. His dantian was nearly silent and Luxor was now looming with crimson rivulets dried and fresh flowing down her body.
She was as exhausted as him. Her other Master Tier layer had been a shocking revelation. Bloodline Layers were not all that uncommon but their power or effect varied wildly across the beast races.
Tal, for instance, if she condensed her Bloodline Layer, she would beco very powerful with her own racial shell and muscular Arts. Her skin would beco very close to dragon scales in that instance.
The Bloodline Layer, however, was a choice to live out their days as a Divine Realm cultivator. The Bloodline Layer was the path carved out of the race mory.
It was like a mimic more than sothing the individual created on their own. Lind felt like there was a variant that would avoid that issue but would be imnsely more difficult.
Chu was the best example. If she condensed a Racial Layer, it would be based on her own experience and enhancing her current existence. The problem, of course, was making Heaven and Earth recognize a Mystery based on that.
It was only a theory but if one existed, so should the other.
The random thoughts showed Lind’s mind was cooling off from the frenzy they had been in before. Biting, claws, and general bone snapping had beco their whole world. That entire ti, Luxor’s smile only grew.
Her power actually increased beyond the Bloodline Layer’s aid too. Lind’s scaly face returned to his human face. His hair was soaked with his sweat as he looked at his left arm.
It was broken and healing far slower than before. So not only was his dantian drained, his body was no longer able to repair itself as easily as before.
"HA HA HA HA HA! I wish I had t you long ago! Maybe the damn fading would not have found ." Lind’s head slowly looked up at the smiling human face of Luxor. Her teeth were crimson as blood still flowed from her mouth.
Both her eyes were bloodshot but still able to track him. Her right hand had 3 claws missing showing her own healing was now basically done. How long could she survive was a question even Lind could not answer.
Theoretically, a Divine Realm did not need blood to survive and could restore the loss given ti. They would just be run down and lethargic to any external stimulus.
Yet, her words made him use the last dregs of his power only to find her deviation was gone! How?! Then he realized the problem.
She was not exhausted. She actually had energy to spare but it was eating her alive! The deviation had been made so bad it had spread throughout her foundation.
"Why?" His question made her face flinch as if his seeing it made the pain real. She had to be suffering yet the power it gave her was clear.
She was burning her foundation and causing the deviation to speed up exponentially.
"I must et you on the sa level. Your power is wonderful! You have stood on the sa cliff as ! I can tell! You are the first I have t that knows what it is like to face a mountain and win!" Her words gave him pause.
He lowered his right fist as understanding flowed over him. While his wives and others had faced danger, it was mostly the normal danger of all cultivators. A mountain of corpses usually trailed anyone after a few centuries.
Even if one did not seek out battle, success or treasures would bring it to the door.
Yet, it seed like Heaven and Earth really wanted to try and destroy him at tis. In Cimria, he had faced the power of Fiends for the first ti. It had nearly killed him if not for the aether children helping him.
In his journey he also faced the soul of the Immortal Artificer and nearly lost his body to him.
The Rakathi Wastes were covered in Heavenly Wrath that rged with his tribulation to nearly fry him.
Not to ntion nearly dying to kill the false Inheritance owner and then shortly after giving up Ethry’s attempt to save him to keep her alive.
More and more experiences flowed into his mory and Luxor seed to understand.
How many cultivators had so many instances where 99.9% of the ti resulted in their death and survived? Shoti was the only one and she only had 2!
Cyntilla died and so did many of his children facing similar circumstances.
His mind changed right then. Before, he had been annoyed about being drawn into the fight. He had chocked it up to Luxor being just another battle maniac.
He looked over to Ryl all of a sudden and sothing fell into place. The bottleneck on his next layer was loosened a lot and he touched on sothing, yet it could not quite co together.
"I am glad. I would have felt guilty if you saved and killed without gaining anything." Luxor was now back in a fighting stance despite her injuries.
"I am sorry. I will stop wasting ti." Lind’s shift in ntality made Luxor smile that bloody smile. The snap of bone brought relief to him as his left arm now obeyed his command.
The pair were on their last legs. They were at their weakest and Luxor was not holding back. She was fighting to the death so Lind could die. He stopped treating it as indulging a dying fool.
He was fighting to live!
His erald eyes flared as they ran to each other. They could not even lunge; they were so injured! The claws glinted in the setting sun but Lind did not stop. Shock flared on Luxor’s face.
She then smiled even wider as his tail snapped up and grabbed both of her wrists. She had forgotten about his tail at the last mont! Surprise blood before his left hand ripped out her heart and his right ripped out her dantian.
His hands were broken in the process but he held onto them. The strength went out of Luxor as she was about to fall.
He gently caught her and laid her down. Blood pooled instantly but she was still alive.
"Well done! Your spirit blinded ! I was looking to clash fist to fist once more!" He knew. He had done it on purpose. He had curled up his tail as he had taken his stance to hide it.
He had made her focus on his face and fists in that last mont to make an opening.
Four shadows quickly ca to them. Lind had not noticed when Xuye and the snow dragon had co back but they were serious as they knelt around her.
Viera was crying but she took the free hand of Luxor on Lind’s other side with Ryl sitting respectfully on his other.
Luxor looked at them and smiled as her color was fading. Her foundation was falling apart and it would not be long.
"I always knew you would die fighting but I never expected it to be a simple duel. I assud you would go out facing an army or a sect." Xuye was trying to make a joke but years were falling from her face too.
The snow dragon was stoic but Lind could tell he was broken inside. He bowed with his head to the forest floor.
"It has been my greatest honor to fight beside you. You are not a dragon by race, but you are in spirit." Lind agreed with that.
Viera said nothing but Luxor let go of Lind’s hand and gently patted her.
"I chose how I live. I could not stay in a world without challenges. I see that now. Do not follow . I will be very angry if I see you again so soon." The little head nodded hard as Viera broke.
Lind now understood. Fading was not just about the intent of the cultivator. The path they forged could actually lead them to it if they were not careful! Sun had wanted endless adventure and so fading was just a pause!
It put Cyntilla’s death in a new light for him as well. She had been death incarnate but she was more happy with honorable battles. She died fulfilled.
Lind felt his heart beco a lot lighter. He had even gotten to say goodbye and she had been trying to tell him! He was so slow!
The body began to glow as the energies inside it ripped it apart. Luxor looked at him and smiled wide.
"Good fight!" Her joy was the last thing they saw as the body faded away.
Lind looked up at the Heavens and his Divine Authority flared!
{Luxor, the Nightmare Shadow Bear, died with honor to Divine Lord Lind Frey! May her na be rembered forever!}
The trio stared in shock at him as the sky rumbled and they would swear they saw a smiling bear for a brief mont before it all cleared away.
They bowed low to him but Lind was at the end of his strength. He collapsed and Ryl caught him before darkness closed in.
User Comments
0 comments from readers