On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Four Hundred And Fifty-Five

Stepping inside the main Academy building, I was struck by just how dilapidated and gloomy it was. I know it’s been three or four months, and there’s been some battles here, but still… what a mess. It was in even worse shape than the dorms appeared in. The floor was strewn with debris, broken furniture heaped up in makeshift barricades that had now crumbled, and the windows were so encrusted with dirt as to have the only visible light faint streams, barely illuminating the dim interior, though with my keen sight I could easily navigate my way through the dark corridors.

There were brackish stains soaked into the floor, walls and sometimes even the windows, splashes, sprays and in some cases even handprints, faded remains of what was obviously blood, a grim illustration of the chaos that had erupted here. I spotted some spent bullet casings and ragged clothing, as well as what looked like puddles of water, sitting in hollows where the floor had been dented in. From above, some faint droplets were leaking down, making steady plinking noises as they hit the floor, and it combined to form an illusion I was in some sort of deserted, ancient cave.

“Water, huh?” I said out loud, careful to avoid stepping in the puddles, and dodging the droplets falling like slow rain. My Eye flared, and while there was still an element of distortion, the amber letters blurring, the images I saw unclear, now that the severed hand was defeated, it was usable, and I could make out that the water was indeed what I suspected. “Damn, just where did she get all of this?”

Morana’s Water Of Self-Sacrifice – This water, bodily fluids wrung from the bearer of Morana’s Divine Favour, can awaken the latent urge to sacrifice themselves for another within those absorbing the liquid. The stronger, purer the source of water the stronger the urge becomes, eager to obey the will of the bearer of Morana’s water, and the stronger contact with the liquid, the same applies, ingestion being more potent than mere skin contact.

“Can you repeat that?” Shiro asked, now being in charge of communication while my sis tried to re-establish her golden golems. “Are you being attacked?”

“No, sorry, just talking to myself.” I apologised. “And thinking something very foolish. I’m sure she can expand her fluids by using water element. I’m sure she didn’t really use all her fluids, saved up over months. That would just be stupid.”

“Ugh, when you say fluids…” Shiro gagged, making retching sounds over the communicator.

“Not those.” I insisted defensively, calling a trickle of flame to sterilise the light switch I was about to touch, as a faint sheen of liquid was barely visible on it, as well as nearby door handles and other places one would touch carelessly. She’s a planner, this one. The worst type. “Spit, tears… maybe even urine. I mean, that’s the best way to get a lot of liquid, right?”

“Damn, now I feel quite unpleasant.” Shiro sighed. “If you let another woman lead you astray with that sort of fetish I’ll be kind of pissed off.” She warned me, half joking. “So, any danger yet?”

I shook my head, before realising she couldn’t see, as we were communicating over the wireless network. “No, just water traps everywhere. I’m being careful, but…” As I turned on the switch, the lights flickered for a brief moment, many bulbs already having burned out, a couple blinking fitfully like dying stars, before darkness returned. “…there’s something in the air. Despite there being no power…”

“The military did say that they shut off the power and the water ages ago.” Shiro pointed out. “But the school does have a small backup generator, from the plans. It wouldn’t be anywhere near enough to run the whole school, especially not without fuel, not for this length of time, but…”

“Perfect for running some traps.” I agreed. Opening the door, I saw a tangle of cables, almost invisible under the thick layer of dust and scattered debris set up artfully to hide it, and following where they led, I found a small, electric humidifier, faintly whirring away, giving out a near unnoticeable mist of water, which any passers-by would breathe in. Really, these sorts of cunning tricks could be learned by Hyacinth. But for someone the same age as my sis, or even younger, to be this cunning… this school really is for the elite… I also noticed some footprints in the dust, quite a lot of them, which looked recent. Choi Ji-ho and his forces, most likely. Though if they’ve been past here…

“I’m not too concerned about myself, but it does make me worry for Lee Jong-su and Eunbi. Though we’ve outfitted them with some of our spare respirators, right?”

As Shiro assured me it was in hand, I continued. My Eye could see a number of presences deeper in the building, but pinning down their exact locations wasn’t possible, perhaps due to the fuzziness of the information. Curious, I took a closer look at the water, and I noticed that there seemed to be another component to it, though it resisted my analysis fiercely.

Ako^%$’s Evi% W*$do^ - ?????????

No, I don’t think so. Pouring aether into my Eye, and even a little trickle of adherence, which responded to my desires, and seemed a little akin to what I was looking at, I managed to intensify my focus, my Chakra network, still freshly strengthened by Conqueror Ranking up, as well as Shiro’s buff, managing to keep up with the increased aether demand. The blurred, distorted letters resolved, and I finally received a description of the other foreign element within the water.

Akoman’s Evil Wisdom – A trace of the Chaos that embodies Akoman, which defies comprehension, and actively resists being named or understood. It is greatly weakened, being far removed from Akoman itself. In addition to overturning knowledge, Evil Wisdom also makes those touched by it foolish, reckless and more easily driven to acts of folly, self-harm and evil.

“Nasty.” I muttered, my investigation done, starting to see how things were fitting together. Though there’s still a couple of pieces missing from the puzzle. In the Boundary, things were progressing as well. I was chewing away at the barrier in the most efficient yet rapid way I could, the tornado of wind blades striking pretty sparks of rainbow aether which were falling around me in a constant cascade. The Dokkaebi, to my Eye, were now wrapped in the same sort of black mist as was present in Morana’s water, and perhaps that was making them so frenzied and uncaring of their own wellbeing. Arrows and thrown spears, even rocks, were being hurled at me, but I stood my ground, my League and overall strength enough to render their attacks moot.

I considered using my remaining spatial energy on Void Motion to pass the barrier, but figured that would be too wasteful, as there were still dangers ahead. Maybe Kang Da might have been helpful here after all. No, he needs to stay with his sister. Violet-noona needs him.

Using my wood element, I called vines forth, in a pale imitation of Hyacinth, and had them slam into the barrier alongside the wind, further increasing the damage. Rank 3 barriers were strong and recovered much faster than a Rank 2 Territory, but it was still just about within the range of what one powerful person could break, given time. If it had a Barrier Anchor Spire things might be different… and a Rank four Territory will be impossible to break alone, at least for me. Perhaps Nurarihyon could manage, the toad bastard certainly would be able to, when he brings his full form. But with an order of magnitude more defence and faster recovery, it’d be like trying to empty a lake with a bucket. The rain would just keep refilling it.

I continued thinking idle thoughts as I weathered the barrage of attacks. A few foolish Dokkaebi flapped out of the barrier, but a few swings of Storming Moonlight quickly reduced them to aether, and as the barrier continued to shrink inwards, I wondered when the real defence would show up, as surely this couldn’t be everything, not with how prepared the girl behind all this appeared to be.

As it to illustrate my point, on the Material I found several empty fire extinguishers, as well as several long wires. There was also a fresh, red splash on the floor, and bending down I touched it carefully. “Yeah, blood. And fresh too.” Checking an extinguisher, I could see water around the nozzle, and there was the triggering pin on the ground, tied to the thin, near-invisible wire. “If they got sprayed… their gear might be waterproof, but if not…”

The blood was ominous, but fortunately the amount didn’t seem too large, so it was unlikely to have been a fatal blow. Picking up my pace a bit, I emerged into an area with several classrooms in. One had been blocked off, and my Eye peered through, and I could see a number of people within, though their Chakra networks were ordinary, so they were likely some of the students here. They’re still alive, anyway. Hardening my heart, I pressed on. While I could have taken them to safety, it would be quicker to deal with the final threats, then we could take everyone out at our leisure.

I reached a set of stairs, leading upwards, and quickly climbed them, following the occasional footprints or scuff marks where debris had been knocked aside. I quickly found another ingenious trap, this one ruthlessly nasty, reminiscent of the ones that took down Jin-Ae. There was a tripwire, linked to a series of plastic bottles, which had been filled with small pieces of jagged debris, but the bottle was filled with water, and the explosives outside them would have sent water-soaked shrapnel scattering up and down the stairs, likely piercing any hazmat suits or protective gear. Or turned an unarmoured schoolkid into bloody paste. No regard for life at all…

Narrowing my gaze, I continued to approach the ill-defined location of those I could see with a developed Chakra network. On the second floor there were more classrooms, and I looked inside several to see bloodstains and signs of struggle. Fortunately I didn’t see any corpses, but then, even in late autumn, dead bodies left out would have rotted and led to infestations of flies and other carrion-eaters. The floorboards creaked underfoot, and suddenly a crude beartrap snapped shut on my leg. I flinched a little, only to laugh as the jaws didn’t pierce my Brigandine, let alone my skin. Prying them open easily, of course the edges were covered in water.

This is starting to get a little tiresome. “Is there any update on the situation in the dorms?” I asked on the wireless, and one of the weaselkin with the Unsheathed Blade answered. “Yes, we have rescued the man called Ji-woo, though his injuries are greatly severe, and his mind is addled. There were two other survivors, emaciated and near death. We are transporting them to the Room, where they can be stabilised for now. We are continuing to sweep the building, but it is slow going.”

“Be careful for traps.” I said, warning them about a number I had discovered, and their answer was that several had been triggered already, though fortunately of the fire extinguisher sort, which the hazmat suits they wore protected them from. That did mean their progress was painfully slow, but having pulled out Si-woo and any others was a win. “And when you return, everyone should stand well away from each other and wait for me to decontaminate you and your equipment. Let’s take no chances.” I finished, giving a final warning.

Reaching the top floor, I tried to open a window, only for the glass to shatter, revealing quite the view. Choe-Museon was nestled in an idyllic, if completely isolated, valley in the mountains, and the main campus was not too dissimilar from the Japanese schools I was used to, though obviously being a boarding academy there were extra buildings for the students to live in, as well as what looked like a large warehouse. There were several other building comprising the main campus, but one large difference from Japan was that the campus buildings were connected by enclosed bridges on the third floor. A shame. It looks high-tech and classy, or at least it would have… now the tunnels are just dingy, the glass opaque.

Continuing to search, I found several more survivors holed up in various barricaded rooms, and made a mental note of their locations. My Eye then detected the faintest flicker of aether, and I followed the corridors past several more deserted, wrecked classrooms. Inside one, I found a heap of discarded clothes, school uniforms, underwear and more scattered about, but no people, for which I was thankful. As I left that room, I heard a faint clicking sound, and moments later there was an explosion, flames scattering everywhere, charred fragments of clothing raining down like burning embers. Wind element protected me from the falling hot oil, and I drew oxygen away from the flames, quickly diminishing it.

“This trap seems a little different. That fire could spread to the campus proper… hmm.” Finding the mechanism, it was cruder than the previous traps, as if made by someone else. Was it the berserk guy, or someone else? No, too early to say. On leaving the now-wrecked room, I hurried towards the person I had seen, rounding the corner, realising I had circled the building, as from a broken window I could see our military camp in the distance, and by the window was lying an older man, his body missing a hand, his other bony limbs destroyed by my attacks earlier. His eyes were cloudy and his flesh was so thin as to be nearly transparent, not an ounce of spare fat on his bones, and his internal organs were wasted and barely functioning. His Chakra network was a ruin too, distorted and blocked in many places, other capillaries and minor Chakras having exploded from overwork.

“The sniper…” I said, and the man opened his cracked lips, letting out the barest whisper of a breath.

“Yes. You… please. Kill… me. I don’t… want any more…” He was so weak he couldn’t even finish his sentence, and while he had looked terrible before, his now missing hand mere shreds of burned flesh over charred bone, his body ravaged by malnutrition, he had gone downhill far more rapidly than even his wounds should have indicated. Oh, I see it now. Makes sense. With the death of the wielder of blood, the effect had vanished, and the power was all that was sustaining the pitiful Chosen who the South Korean government had used unwisely.

“Yeah, this is beyond even my skills.” I said sadly, shaking my head. “Pretty much your entire body, both bodies, are already destroyed. Taking away the only thing that sustained you…”

The man shut his eyes, and a faint laugh leaked from his lips. “At least… bastard dead, right? Kill… kill her… too. Monster… too… cruel.” He forced out the words, and I leant closer, his mouth against my ear, and he whispered a final few words about her, along with his wish for his suffering to end.

“All right.” I nodded. “Sorry. But honestly, even without the damage I did to you, you’d not have survived the withdrawal of Jarovid’s blood. But… I’ll let you go in peace.” Now I’m determined not to pass on Jarovid’s Favour, even without the corruption, it’s too dangerous. But speaking of Favours… I used aether to numb the senses of the dying, no, the already dead man, who was existing based on the fading remnants of the curses that bound him, and he slid shut his eyes gratefully, breath slowing. I wove aether into a scalpel, and cut free his Divine Favour, my adherence supporting it, though now I held two, the drain was somewhat faster than my natural regeneration of adherence. This isn’t a long-term solution. Don’t worry, you may have died, but your mission will be a success. Some people have been saved. And I’ll get you your revenge. I promise. Favour extracted, he breathed his last, and I made a mental note to retrieve his remains so his family, if he had one, could have some closure. Examining the Favour, I was pleasantly surprised.

Jumong’s Fly Slaying Light Arrow: This Divine Favour is made of concentrated Adherence, refined Ether and ??????????. The wielder can call upon arrows of potent light, near invisible and as swift as an eagle, yet precise enough to strike even a fly in flight. Just as Jumong struck down many prey animals with his precise accuracy, so too shall your foes be pierced with arrows as swift as light. Class [Imperious]. Type [Principle]

Saying a brief, generic prayer over the dead man, not knowing what religion he was or being particularly religious myself, I felt a sense of excitement warring with my grief. This Favour was definitely something my sister would be compatible with, I was certain. I know you can have two, I’ve got two, and it would strengthen her a lot. But then… Was it better to see if someone else could use it, and have an extra Chosen? Resolving to put that decision off for after the battle, but not for too long, due to the adherence drain, I headed back the way I had come, and stepped out into the dingy, dark bridge between buildings, heading for the next building…

In the Boundary, the attacks from the Dokkaebi and the few Emplacements were continuing to fall, but I paid them no mind. With a cracking sound the barrier shuddered, and the light was now so dim as to be barely visible. With one final surge of wind element, I detonated my whirling tornado, and the shockwave collapsed the barrier, which fitfully tried to reform one more time, only for my physical strength to prove overpowering, Storming Moonlight raining a rapid flurry of powerful blows, and the barrier shattered like fragile glass. Stepping inside, the oppression against me started again, and I judged it to be somewhat more powerful than the previous Territory, going by the drain on my aether and adherence. But bearable. Not that I intend to take long to wrap this up. I can’t afford to spare the adherence, for one thing…

Now that the Dokkaebi couldn’t hide behind the barrier, they flocked at me like a pack of angry crows, but I was in no mood for their games. My blade flashed, lightning and wind surging, and a dozen were cut apart, the same number again burned fatally by the forking bolts of vivid electricity. As I sucked in what ether I could to keep myself topped up, I pushed onwards, only to notice something strange. No sign of the Anchor. So it’s probably in its own space, just like mine was. Likely inside the Boundary Academy building. That saved me against Kondou Kazuo, but now it’s making it difficult here. Oh well, the Territory is small, if I search everywhere… I let loose a bolt of light, destroying a nearby Defensive Emplacement, even as more Dokkaebi swept down, carrying long spears and wicked-looking axes. Rushing to meet them, I swept my sword through them, while my punch shattered a grinning, purple-skinned face, and a kick snapped the neck of another madly grimacing Korean goblin. “Looks like I have to take care of things first…”

Back on the Material, leaving the tunnel, I came across more bloodstains. This building was slightly powered still, and the flickering of the dying lights gave everything an extremely gloomy air. There was less dust around, as if the building had seen more recent use, and it didn’t take me long to find more footprints, though these seemed to have come from another entrance, and headed downwards. Peeking through one of the half-ajar doors, I could see that inside was a lot of benches and cupboards, as well as an anatomical model of a human, which was stained with what sadly looked like rather real dried blood. Entering, I quickly realised it was a science lab, and the cupboard at the back, which had once been securely locked, was now open, a number of broken bottles lying around, while a great number were missing. “Thinking about it, there’s a lot of things that can be repurposed into weapons in a school. Even without Chosen stirring the pot, in a sealed, isolated environment like this, with no internet or phone reception… yeah, all it takes is someone to act on a grudge, or get a bad idea in their head, and before you know it, everyone’s acting out of spite, despair, fear or lust.”

Leaving the science room, I passed by art rooms, a sewing room, kitchen-style rooms, and even a room that was full of cages and aquariums, now sadly empty of their charges, and I had a sinking suspicion that the rabbits, fish and mice within all became dinner. If the main building was where the classrooms were for ordinary lessons, this must have been the practical building, So the third building over the other side is likely focussed on sport. There’s likely the main gymnasium too. Holing up there always happens in manga and anime, but really it’d be too large and vulnerable. Besides, there’s plenty of supplies here, easy to turn into weapons…

I was starting to lose interest, having found nothing for a while, just footprints and occasional puddles of water, as well as more humidifiers. It was then I realised I could hear some faint sounds from downstairs. “Wait…” I said, yawning, my voice shockingly loud, irritating me. “…is that a piano?” I recognised the tune, it was one everyone had heard, though the name escaped me, and trying to think of it seemed a waste of time. I suppose I should investigate, it’s likely another survivor, but why would they be playing the piano, signalling where they were? Sure, most people who have survived until now are barely clinging to life, but…

It seemed pointless to go charging down there, and I shook my head, even that an effort, only to narrow my eyes, realising something was wrong. Of course. There’s no way I’d think such things willingly. Not when I have to finish this. Fortunately my Resilience and Determination have been well-honed by our preparation. Damn, it’s like mind-control central in here. My body was screaming at me to just sit down, relax and rest, my efforts having exhausted me, and to be honest, I was tired. Even in the Boundary, where I was finishing off the last of the Dokkaebi, even with my high stats, the constant battles and annoyance of invading hostile territories were taking a toll. But as the enemies were defeated, I knew I had to do this, and I could rest later, and get pampered by Shiro. Though she’s exhausted too. I guess in the end, I’ll end up spoiling her!

“So, the last Chosen. The one who makes everyone weak and listless. That’s definitely how I feel when I let my guard down.” I muttered. “And I’m not stupid enough to think the music I’m hearing is anything but a trap. But I have to spring it anyway. I should have heard some commotion with Choi Ji-ho and his forces by now, but instead, nothing…” There was only one logical conclusion to draw. We should have insisted on doing this alone, but I don’t blame the government for wanting the reassurance of numbers, especially their own citizens. And it’s not like they haven’t been any help, it’s just… a really bad matchup.

Dropping down the stairs, I reached a large set of double doors. They were special, soundproof ones, though a lot of the sound-dampening material had been stripped away around the edges, leading to the sound leaking out. The marks on the floor showed that the door had been opened recently, and as I pulled it open, the weight significant, enough that an ordinary kid might struggle, I was greeted by a wide auditorium, seats ringing it. There were musical instruments scattered around, many broken, but at the centre was an impressive piano, and playing it was a young-looking girl I recognised. Suk-ja. Of course. It was too much to hope otherwise… I leapt to the side immediately, and Choi Ji-ho landed where I was standing, the ground collapsing under his feet, forming a crater. He glared at me, and as he did so, I felt my own body slow, feeling heavy, a physical weakness, not the mental one I was subjected to before.

“Amitabha, many apologies, but this good monk must stall you. But do not resist.” Dong, the monk of Choi Ji-ho’s team, with his lean, modest look in his burnt umber robes, said in Chinese. “Serving the Goddess will bring you more joy than even the Buddha!” He raised one hand and then his other, clapping them together as he bowed like one of the golden statues that adorned some temples in Kyoto, and I felt a massive downwards pressure, as if I weighed multiple times my own weight. Watching me struggle, Choi Ji-ho threw a punch at me, but I swayed aside, barely dodging.

They exchanged hurried words in Korean, and Suk-ja stopped playing, straightened her clothes as she stood, and walked over to one wall, where there was a glass panel. With a smile, she made to slam a fist into it, activating the fire alarms…

Meanwhile, in the Boundary a surge of ruby earth element filled my vision as a wall of rock and mud surged towards me, and behind it, the towering, imposing form of Rampage, now some five metres high and covered in stony armour, resembling a larger Grulgor, came rushing across the Territory, while from one of the windows of the Boundary version of the Academy Buildings, which had the appearance of an impressive palace of black stone and rose-pink quartz, a volley of poisonous spines caught me in a crossfire, trapped between the onrushing rock walls and the bombarding projectiles. Wind flashed, and the venomous needles were scattered, and I readied myself for battle, hand raised in the Material, ready to act. This is shitty, but not entirely unexpected. At least now everyone is accounted for so once I take care of this, it’s just the hiding Chosen who tried to put me to sleep, and then the mastermind behind all this…