Chapter 107
107 Soul Breaker Zarak
The state of Korin City changed drastically from one day to the other. Yesterday, warriors fought ferociously against an endless horde of Wave Beasts, but now there was no more fighting. Soldiers were still busy, but their current job was dissecting and storing the thousands of carca.s.ses across the battlefield.
Wave Beasts were heavy and had tough skin and muscles, but the soldiers were more than happy with this job as it was safe, and they could keep a considerable amount of the meat for themselves.
While they did their job, the soldiers looked toward the sky above Korin City with awe and admiration. Their eyes could not leave the floating structure made with the broken pieces of some buildings floating one hundred meters above the ground. As for the way that structure did not fall to the ground, that was something beyond the realm of a Wave Warrior’s comprehension.
What the soldiers knew was that inside that floating building was the man responsible for killing more than ten thousand Wave Beasts in less than thirty seconds!
Major Luma was in charge of taking care of the aftermath, and she was currently looking at the Lightning Panther with a complicated expression. This Late Wave Champion Beast had been a fierce rival and almost killed her more than once, but now it lay there dead.
Zarak’s obsidian needles were so fast that they took the Lightning Panther by surprise. The Late Wave Champion Beast did not even know how it died.
“Major Luma.” Razmun appeared by Luma’s side the next second and gave a slight bow.
“Your report.” Luma was not in the mood for a small chat and went straight to the point.
“Yes, Major. We have already secured everything in a radius of five thousand meters around Korin City. Although some weak Level 1 or 2 Wave Beasts are still around, their numbers do not even reach the hundreds. We can say with certainty that the stampedes are over.”
.....
Luma nodded when she heard that, and she was able to relax a little. Although Zarak killed every Wave Beast, including the Stampede Leader, there was always the chance that a new horde could be hiding in the forest, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Luckily for Luma and the soldiers, it seemed that was not the case, and things were finally over.
“Since the battles are over, it is time to start with the reconstruction efforts. Our first goal is to raise new walls around the city’s periphery and fix the defensive mechanisms. Once that is over, we will let the civilians out of the underground tunnels so they can a.s.sist us from that point on.”
It was clear that Luma had a lot of experience with the military, as her commands followed the protocols flawlessly.
“Yes, Major!” Razmun bowed again, but just as he was about to leave, his eyes focused on the floating building, and he could not hide the curiosity in his eyes.
Luma knew that Razmun had questions. Since they were in a time of peace, she nodded toward the man, indicating she could ask.
“Major, I saw the cadets Levi and Cain floating in the sky, but who was that man with them that was able to carry on a ma.s.sacre with a simple movement of his hand?”
Major Luma remained silent for a moment. She also stared at the floating building, and her eyes glowed with golden light, showing her the blue force that held that structure in the sky.
“In the power ladder of the G.o.dslayer Humankind Empire, the one at the peak is the current Emperor, who earned that t.i.tle less than one thousand years ago thanks to his undisputed might. Beneath him are the 72 Sector Dukes, extremely powerful t.i.tans with a strength capable of crushing entire cities with their bare hands. The Collapsing Lightning Duke is among the top ten.”
Razmun made sure to put all his attention on Major Luma’s words. He knew her background was impressive, allowing her to see the power ladder of the G.o.dslayer Humankind Empire much better than a simple Vice-Captain like him.
“Beneath each Sector Duke, there are Nine Pillars. They are supposed to be the pillars that will hold the sector in place if the Duke dies. They are the strongest warriors of each sector, and their combined might allows them to butcher G.o.ds.
The Nine Pillars of the Collapsing Lightning Sector are said to be the most brutal of all. Instead of guardians, powerhouses across the empire consider them killers.” Luma made a small pause as she remembered something before carrying on.
“Soul Breaker Zarak is the youngest to have ever become one of the Nine Pillars of the Collapsing Lightning Sector, and he did it by...”
Razmun grew confused as he saw Luma stop speaking, and that feeling grew stronger when the woman’s face grew pale.
Luma could not carry on as she saw two blue eyes looking at her coldly. Only she could see them and no one else since they were not really there but were an illusion.
Come!”
That word echoed inside Luma’s mind, and her eyes lost focus before she rose to the sky and headed into the floating building at full speed.
Only once she was inside the building did Luma’s eyes regain her focus. She was confused for a moment, but then she understood what had just happened, and rage appeared on her face. Being forced to do something against her will was incredibly humiliating for her.
“Hmph, you should consider yourself lucky, little girl. I am someone that values his privacy. If it were not for the merits of your grandfather, I would have trapped your mind into a nightmare for daring to even think of revealing my secrets.”
Luma focused on the voice’s origin and saw Zarak sitting on a broken throne. The blue light in his eyes made her feel she was in the presence of a giant, making it hard to breathe.
“I will never happen again, Lord Zarak!” Luma shouted those words, and it was clear there was fear in her eyes. Life on the battlefield washed away her fear of death, but she knew that being trapped in one of Zarak’s nightmares was much worse than that.
Zarak did not say anything else before waving his hand and sending the Atrox’s body toward Luma.
“a.n.a.lyze him and give me an evaluation.”
Luma was confused, but she did not dare to refute that command, and she sent her Ego Wave into the Atrox.
Shock immediately appeared in her eyes when she discovered that the Atrox’s mind and heart were still working, but there were no signs of any ego coming from this one. Something like that could happen if someone broke the Atrox’s soul.
Luma glanced at Zarak, but she did not dare to slack off and began to a.n.a.lyze the wounds on the body. The more she saw, the more confused she grew.
After around ten minutes, Luma’s Ego Wave left the Atrox’s body.
“What is your evaluation?”
Luma did not understand the reason behind Zarak’s task, but she answered honestly.
“This male Atrox was a Wave Champion. He has two sets of wounds on his body. The first and the oldest seemed to have been left by a Late or Peak Wave Champion. As for the second set, they are no more than a day old, and the one that did it had the strength of a Wave Warrior. His condition is so severe that it would only have been a matter of time before he perished.
However, the true killer is the one that broke the Atrox’s soul.”
Zarak nodded after hearing that, and then he snapped his fingers.
Luma felt a slight pain in her brain, and the next second she saw two capsules on Zarak’s left and right. It took a moment, but she understood that she had been under an illusion all this time. Who knew what would have happened if Zarak had not liked her evaluation?
She took a deep breath and calmed her mind before focusing on the capsule on the left. In it, she saw Levi floating in a green liquid with red streams. A flash of envy appeared in her eyes since she knew just how valuable that liquid was.
However, her eyes widened as she stared at the capsule on the right. In it, she saw Cain, and this one floated in a liquid that was b.l.o.o.d.y red. It was so thick that she could almost not see the cadet’s body.
Luma came from a very wealthy background, but even she could not help but feel awe at the price of the blood-red liquid covering Cain’s body.
“These two, along with another cadet named Beelze, were responsible for neutralizing the Atrox Wave Champion. When I arrived, the enemy could no longer move.
Although I am responsible for destroying the Atrox’s soul, the trio deserves the merit of defeating him.
Hand over your report to your superior today, and make sure to write everything you have heard and seen.”
Zarak said nothing else before signaling Luma to leave.
Luma was full of questions, but she knew there would be no answer for her, so she bowed to Zarka before leaving the building.
As soon as Luma left the floating building, this one began to crumble, and boulders weighing several tons started to fall to the ground.
Luckily, a blue force guided their path, ensuring they harmed no one and nothing.
Luma saw how Zarak rose to the sky along with the two capsules and the Atrox’s body before flashing toward the Imperial Lightning Fort.