Legend of The Young Master

Chapter 229: Trap?

Wuyi felt the moment the great spell was loosed as a single instant. It was as if fire or lightning had flashed through every inch of the air between the two casters.

He saw through conscious connection. He connected to Xilai and he connected to Liwei. There was no time. He had so little energy left – but he gave it, straight into Xilai's arms. He reached and took from Liwei, who was herself fighting for her life – from Yueli and her pavilion. And from the very sunlight around him.

And it wasn't going to be enough. Wuyi reached out to the sacred chamber and touched the walls supporting Xilai. He threw it all through Xilai to strengthen the counterwork.

There was a thunderclap – a gout of white-gray fire that shot into the heavens. A ripple in the curtain of reality so that, just for a moment, the veil of the world was wrenched aside. Wuyi saw black night pierced with white stars, and the dawn of chaos, and the rising plume of power that was the coming of the world.

✶ ✶ ✶

The people near Xilai felt Xilai's power rise to meet the enemy's attack – and they saw the deep subtlety of his mind in his casting.

But the enemy's might was twenty times greater than that of Xilai, and the tide of gray rolled over him – dissipated, mirrored, channeled – but overpowering, like a rising river facing a plain full of channels and dams, yet eventually overcoming all of them to spill in one unstoppable flood—

But vast quantities of the gray power hung in the air, cast aside by Xilai's counter spell. Or part of it.

The ripple of power passed the king, who watched, horrified, as the lead royal warrior was burned at his side, his armor charring, his face a livid red as he screamed – and man and horse collapsed. Beyond him, Xilai frowned, his hand withered and blew away to ash and then, in a few heartbeats, the old man was subsumed. He turned to ash, crumpled, and was borne away on the wind.

Luding was struck by the mirror in the very moment of completion of his attack, and some of his own carefully hoarded power struck right back down the channel of his casting, burning him.

He screamed. Flinched. But far across the battlefield, Xilai's essence flickered and went out.

✶ ✶ ✶

In the battle Wuyi struck, the sword descending more from the force of gravity than from any power of his shoulders.

In the In conscious a transparent hand had Xilai. "Take me, boy."

Wuyi was surprised, unlike others Xilai's soul was still conscious. The hand gently pulled Xilai and he floated. But then the hand suddenly stopped. A large amount of Qi washed over the soul. There was a curdling scream in the soul then sound went quiet. The hand pulled Xilai's soul and Xilai's soul was inside the statue of knowledge.

Wuyi was surprised, nothing like this had happened before, but soon the statues informed him what had occurred and a shiver ran down his spine. He wanted to get to the depth of what had occurred but now was not the time. He had to finish this battle first. And he lifted his sword again.

His hands turned black many saplings begun disappearing around him. Not before long he was filled Qi and The air was still redolent with powerful Qi. Baihu was behind him, and on his feet.

He amplified his voice using his Qi.

"Warriors! On me!" His voice rang out like some ancient being's.

Then he turned around, activated the statue of harmony to its full extent, and spoke.

"Kneel!" he commanded the creatures of the Wild.

A third of the creatures around him stopped fighting, fell back, or stood, stunned. Wuyi moved; some of the swamplings lost vitality subtly.

✶ ✶ ✶

In the east Li Xian led the main battle of the king's group down the last ridge, and their hooves clattered like a fall of hail as they crossed the bridge. He had more than a thousand warriors, and no one – not even the Lord of the Borders – questioned him. An unknown righteous power had given him great glory by healing every injured in battle, and every man in the main battle knew it.

Li Xian could see the royal group trapped, far out in a sea of foes, with another group of warriors he didn't know. They looked like a bit of an unsavory bunch.

But he laughed to see the battle it looked glorious, and he led the first group to cross the bridge off to the left, west towards the setting sun. The soldiers in the long trench were rising from it, either in loyal determination to save the king or in eagerness to join his attack. Good for them. For once, there was to be enough glory for all.

He continued to ride west, and the long line of warriors followed him – gradually enveloping the southern flank of the enemy. Behind him, the Lord of Borders rose to his feet and pointed his cut-down spear at the knot around the royal group.

"On me!" he roared.

Baoxin, a former wagoner, climbed over the edge of the trench to stand on the grass in the wind. Around him, farmers from the villages around Xiang Stronghold looked at him, and knew they could not let him be a better man.

Dujuan leader of merchant warrior group climbed out of the safe trench and put his crossbow on the ground to draw his sword. Older merchant warriors looked at each other. A draper with a grey beard asked his lifelong business rival, "Are we really doing this?" – and then they were up the vitrified earth too, drawing their swords.

Another warrior leading the trench leaped up the side of the trench, waved his axe at his comrades, and pointed it at the enemy.

"Come on, then!" he said.

The trench emptied in moments, and they came. The warrior threw his axe in the air, and it spun in a great wheel of light over his head and fell back into his hand. And the thin line of men charged.

✶ ✶ ✶

Inside fort Guan saw Xuanxian Luo stumble, and a pair of the armored things took him – dragged him down. Xuanxian Luo's dagger licked out, gutted another swampling which fell atop him... and then the archer was gone, and Guan was alone in the doorway.

A bright gray light flashed, and Guan was able to see far too much in the illumination. The crawling things beneath him on the stairs turned brown, their eyes burned away, and dozens of them sank to the ground, all vitality leaching away as their bodies crumbled. Guan heaved a breath.

There were a dozen of the things left – all in a clump, a crawling, rolling mass of legs. He cut and cut at them like a madman, and then forced the door with sheer weight and determination, and he stumbled back...

A swarm of armored men fell on the knot of Swamplings, hacking with axes, stabbing with spears – six warriors he identified from their armor. Royal warriors – the King's Companions – other men of the King's household.

Guan found himself pulled to the floor. He'd lost a moment's attention and two of the things had him—

But he was Hard Hands, and he closed his left hand and slammed it into a lobe-shaped eye, keyed his hand around his adversary's arm, and ripped it off the Swampling with a tearing like ripping old leather. Then he swung the taloned arm like a club, beating the bleeding thing to the ground.

He ripped his dagger, drove his knee into the soft place at the center of the second Swampling's breast, and as its arms closed on him, slammed the dagger home, breaking its back. Spears slammed into the thing from all sides.

He got to his feet with his dagger clenched like a mantis's claw. But the only figures standing in the green-lit cellar were armored men.

Guan sagged.

A royal warrior reached out an ichor-spattered hand. "Guan?" he said. He was already informed of a Yuanjin member in fort. But Guan was busy looking for the novice Liwei.

She was slumped against the wall. At her feet were the remnants of Xuanxian Luo, the archer – the skin of his face flensed away where they'd swarmed atop him. She was pouring her power into him.

"You cannot help him," Guan said. "However great your talent, you cannot help him."

She ignored him.

The royal warrior seized his shoulder. "Is she a healer?" he asked.

✶ ✶ ✶

Luding felt the challenge for control the wild demonics as a blow in his gut.

The dark sun.

The young Power glowed with fresh vitality. He had taken new prey, and he was stronger for it.

Luding gathered his wits.

I am hurt. He is not. And I have been duped. What if he can best me?

The air between them was thick with the misspent Qi energy of his last spell, only partially expended. He had only to reach forth and take that power...

But if he was caught while doing it, it would be the end of him.

What if this was the plan all along from the entity manipulating them? To lead me to over-extend, so that I might be destroyed? Oh, Jiangfeng, it may be I owe you an apology.

Carefully, he began to wrap symbols of concealment about himself, even as he roared with false defiance.

"Attack!" he commanded his creatures.

High above him, in the fortress of his enemies, someone seized the power of the emotions – raw – and shaped a mighty spell with it.

So!

He wasn't waiting for the trap to close. He fled.