Chapter 639: The End Begins

(Okay, as promised, now that we've started the final sequence there should be no more breaks until the conclusion of the fifth book. As I've said before, there will be some bonus content and news posts after, for no additional charge, but I'm going to stay quiet and focus on the story until then.)

Given enough time, Kai might have been able to solve Deadwaste's problems on his own, but he didn't have time. He only had a few days to train, which mostly resulted in improvements to monstrous abilities, before he heard the grim news:

The Abhorroid had changed direction and was heading toward Hantron City. There had been evacuations on the Krysali side of the border, but Hantron was completely unprepared.

Whatever mind games had been played, Fodajix had gotten a step ahead of the elites, managing to make the Abhorroid swerve to attack Hantron instead of expected targets. A few had left early, and a few could evacuate, but there simply wasn't enough time to evacuate a large city before it arrived. Unless someone acted, it would roll over the city like an infernal eclipse, killing tens of thousands.

They had only hours to act, so Kai tensely met with the elites to discuss their final options. One of the largest questions was whether or not Kai should try to engage Fodajix as well, exploiting his drive to pursue. After debating the potential consequences, they decided that they couldn't predict what would happen, so the result was too risky.

That meant he would simply put himself between the Abhorroid and Hantron City, doing his best to defend the emergency evacuation. Despite all the strength he'd gained, Kai wasn't confident in his ability to defeat an omega-ranked monster, especially since Abyss Maw required proximity, and the Abhorroid's dust technique was devastating up close.

He considered trying to build a new ability, fusing together an upgrade to his monstrous armor, but again he ran into the limits of his soul. Fusing it now, or breaking through his cultivation against what Zae Zin Nim had said, would lead to permanently limiting himself.

As Kai flew out to face the unstoppable monster, those final decisions shadowed his mind with doubt. If people died because he hadn't reached for short term power, was he responsible for those deaths? He tried to tell himself that he would have been useless in this entire conflict if he hadn't left Deadwaste and aimed for greater power, but that was no comfort to the dead.

Soon enough those thoughts were washed away: the Abhorroid loomed ahead, only its lower half emerging from the clouds as if the moon was falling. It had gotten even closer to Hantron City than he had thought: from a distance both the city and the monster looked serene, but he could feel the people rushing in panic, and he knew that once the Abhorroid got close enough, it would cease to float calmly with a surge of terrible violence.

When Kai arrived, he launched dual Tyrant's Claws, tearing great gashes across the side of the Abhorroid. Larger than before... but nowhere near large enough to take down the monster. It focused on him instantly, crimson beams scraping the sky.

Since he couldn't afford to be injured here, Kai stayed at a distance, keeping ahead of the eyes while he launched Manticore's Spines. Each one managed to pierce an eye, and this time he didn't let up. If he could just keep up this pace, he might be able to reduce its offensive ability one eye at a time.

One of the gnashing jaws on the side suddenly opened wide, revealing another eye. Kai was prepared for it, spinning to the side around the beam... and directly into another. He flew backward, grimacing as his armor burned around him.

Somehow he regained control without spiraling away, but he felt scorched from the hit. At a greater distance, he could see that he'd done some damage to the Abhorroid, but he was hardly defeating it: the best thing he'd done to slow it down was distract it from the city.

Could he win this? It was tempting to use Baleful Breath or even go for Abyss Maw, but Kai was deeply aware that everyone was depending on him. If he was severely injured, the others would be left without a defender, or worse, Fodajix might be lying in wait to finish him off. Based on his actions so far, it seemed extremely likely that he was taking an opportunistic strategy.

There were people running throughout Hantron City, the majority streaming out the opposite side to flee before the monster arrived... but there was one person running in the opposite direction. Kai barely noticed at first, then looked again.

Fodajix was sprinting directly toward him, eyes glowing gray.

So he hadn't fled further south, he'd somehow slipped the elites and hidden in the city. That was a nasty surprise, but it didn't have to be all bad. Kai retreated, trying to put the Abhorroid between him and the rushing invader. He had no doubt that the monster would attack anyone in range, and if they wore each other down at all, that could well turn the entire battle in Kai's favor.

Instead, to his surprise, Fodajix slowed to a halt. He clutched his head, then when he opened his eyes, they were clear again. Something had changed in his expression, a bleak new viciousness. As the man reached into his robes, Kai actually flew toward him to try to stop whatever he was going to do.

Even when he came closer, Fodajix wasn't overcome by the gray light again. Instead he resisted, pulling a Krysali communications crystal from his robes and activating it.

"They're coming for me!" he shouted. "They killed Budajix and they're coming for the rest of us. Kill them, kill them all!"

Kai's claws slashed out, but he was too late. Fodajix spun out of the way and his sword lashed out, dealing a glancing blow to Kai's side that drove him into the ground. Even as he got up, crimson beams began to rain down around them.

And across the world, the other invaders received the message and the killing began.

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..

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When Kifaela had left the Southern Reach, she had found hope for the first time in her life, so of course she had fought with the Frontier nations against the incursion. But hope had given way to the new reality of the unstoppable invaders, before whom her training was useless.

There were only three of the enemy in Irun now, but they might as well be an infinite army. Kifaela and Mariyay had been spying on them and working on weapons, none of which had any actual chance of killing the invaders. Perhaps it was just a fantasy, believing that she could do something in such a grim scenario that seemed to stretch on and on.

She and Mariyay were observing the invaders from a city wall, trying to predict what they would do next, when without warning all three lurched to their feet. They began arguing with one another, but soon enough, one by one, they began to draw their swords.

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..

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Technically Omilaena was meditating on her new Physique, but in practice she was getting irritated at Ceryyn and Yonto. They weren't that touchy-feely with one another, but they could sit together being obnoxiously cute when her partners were across the world. It just compounded her frustration with-

And then a tidal wave exploded from the center of the city.

From her distance, Omilaena couldn't see Jonijix, but she knew that it had to be him, just like she knew that this was different. This was no tantrum, that wave had been designed to cause damage. There had been a question of whether the invaders on different continents would lash out, considering that Rosemount and Cloudspire hadn't heard the ultimatum, but it seemed Jonijix simply wanted to kill. They were finally making good on their threat.

"Contact the Windlord," Omilaena said. "It's time."

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..

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In Goraykan, the merchants listened to the genocidal message coming over the crystals with horror. Many of them looked toward the invaders, who were drinking and feasting obliviously. Five of them, plus a small army of Birtaegali mercenaries. So far they hadn't heard the message, but how long would that last?

The merchants fumbled for their own crystals and called to Razz, but received only silence in response.

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..

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For a brief time, the Southern Rivers had enjoyed a peace it had never known before, free from sect and clan conflicts. Even though she wasn't a native, Cragrila had been happy for them, and equally sorrowful when the invaders destroyed that fragile peace. Now she and Wan Fei lurked in the shadows, doing what little they could.

Yangix had come along with four underlings and he'd sent one to each of the four regions of Cloudspire. That meant there was only a single invader in the Southern Rivers - Cragrila thought that it would be possible to kill him, the problem was that it would trigger retaliation. So they fought indirectly, trying to shore up support among the shocked factions for the inevitable battle.

She was sitting in an abandoned temple with Wan Fei when the announcement roared over the heavens. Someone was speaking from a distance, their voice carried by qi, and she realized grimly that she recognized the voice.

"The time for play is over," Yangix said. "Not only have you not bowed to me, you even strike back against the Yangix Sect. I have just executed one member of your nobility, and I will execute another every hour, on the hour, until your leadership gives themselves up."

"We can't go," Cragrila said as soon as the voice faded. "We could take one of the weaker ones, but not Yangix."

"No, I must." Wan Fei rose to his feet slowly, smoothing down his robes. He knew exactly what he was doing, but he intended to go down fighting if it meant sparing his people from death.

Where was Zae Zin Nim? Cragrila desperately broke a jade slip to warn her, but she had no way of knowing if she would come, or whether the same was occurring around the world. The sudden change could be a random whim from Yangix, or he could have his own plans for the promised slaughter.

Even though she was going to her death, Cragrila picked up her spear and left.