The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The two suns bathed the grasslands in their warmth from their off-angle positions, and a familiar loud ruckus kicked off with their rising as the beasts awoke from their dwellings and resumed their savage battles. Walking out of the cavern, Oscar sat down on the ground. After a year, the destruction from the battle between Erden and Demon had healed, covered up by the growing grass.

"Alright," Oscar cracked his joints, neck, and back, stretching fully to release his tension. Annoyed, Oscar let out a sigh in exasperation. It took him a whole year with Erden's aid to reach the advancement despite already being at the peak of Lower Knight Exalt. The speed of progress was unnatural for his grade and would surprise others, but it was still time lost.

"Oscar. Your painful emotions are irritating me. Avril said it before and Gol-4 lectured you on it. Take it step by step. There's no good if you're dead or crippled." Erden stepped out of the cavern and sat beside Oscar, staring at the same great plains with towering mountains. "Today is the day."

"Right," Oscar poked into his space pocket and pulled out several cores of Lower Knight Exalts, the red root core, and a few Middle Knight Exalt cores. Oscar gulped from the scent of the Middle Knight Exalt cores, a well-fought reward thanks to Avril's help. Wiping his drool off, Oscar divided the cores into two piles for him and Erden.

"Sometimes I envy you beasts who can just grow and advance from growing older," Oscar made sure his pile was bigger because Erden didn't need too much to advance.

"We still eat cores to get stronger and faster like you humans. I had to wait for you to catch up. Hmph." Erden grunted.

"Oi!" Avril ran out of the cave, the last of their group and always the last to wake up. She was eating some vegetable stew from a stone bowl, downing the entire thing in one gulp. After a long breath of relief, Avril stared sternly at the pair. "Why on earth are you two out here without me? Don't leave me behind in your advancement. I'd like to watch." Avril tossed some leaf-wrapped medicine to Oscar and Erden. "The herbs here are great. They work well on wounds, so use them after."

"I wonder how you even made these when you couldn't read or write a year ago," Oscar thanked Avril for her gift with a little tease, ignored her little rant about how she went through several trials and errors and surged his Ein. His core trembled. A yearning from deep within it spilled into his mind. He knew what it wanted.

Picking up the red root core, Oscar gave it a final lookover. It had been his bitterest foe and cause of so much trouble for fifteen years, and now it was time to bring all manners of its existence to a close. He swallowed the core in one gulp, and rich and pure Ein exploded.

The Ein flowed into his ataerstone and to his core. His core shone and spun after receiving the vast Ein within the red root core, far beyond the norm in a Lower Knight Exalt. A pillar of Ein shot up from Oscar and pierced through the sky, shooting far beyond the peaks of the mountains.

Not giving an inch away, Oscar ate more of the cores, absorbing their Ein. Erden also started his advancement, a bellowing cry came from him and reverberated across each blade of grass and mountain slope. Oscar, from his connection to Erden, felt his friend's pain.

Each breaking of Erden's bones as they transformed, every twisting of the organs, and the blazing heat of the core. Oscar felt it with his own pain, an agony unique to him and Erden. However, he wasn't alone. With Erden's help, they withstood the pain together for it was better to face it than to suffer alone.

In a final shout from both, the pillars of Ein waned until they wrapped like a second layer of skin around their bodies, turning them into beings of flaming Ein. The Ein swirled and reentered the core, returning Oscar's body to normal, and the core let out a single ring like a bell.

The sound started as a single beat which then turned into two, then four, and eight. It built and grew into a burst of millions of beats before suddenly cutting off into silence. Oscar opened his eyes and stood up. A fresh new feeling pulsed under his skin.

"I'm finally a Middle Knight Exalt. How refreshing. What do you say, Erden?" Oscar asked.

"Exhilarating. I never imagined this kind of power back in Ashen Grove. What say you and I spar?" Erden stomped his hoof once, and the earth trembled.

"Avril, sorry, but Erden and I will be making a ruckus," Oscar clenched his fist with a smile.

"Today's our last day, isn't it? Just don't alert the other beasts. I should pack up our things." Avril left, uninterested in their battle.

"Your move, Oscar." Erden lowered his body, readying for a charge.

Oscar also lowered his stance, a defensive position to withstand the most brutal of frontal attacks. Eirin flowed along his arms and legs, a lesser form of Demon Deer Eirin Mantle he discovered months ago. The output and boost in power were not comparable to the full form, but it avoided the worst-case scenario of losing all movement.

To give it an even chance, Oscar flowed the Eirin through his connection to Erden, coating the antlers in Eirin. With the stage set, the two stared each other down, waiting for the moment to strike. Erden charged, a rampaging rush with terrifying antlers.

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Oscar dug his feet into the ground and reached out his hands, grabbing onto the antlers. The ground instantly caved in from their clash, breaking apart as they dug deeper into the dirt. The resulting collision of Eirin burned away the grass and kicked up fierce gusts of winds.

"Ok. I have everything packed." Avril stepped out. "She wanted to leap around in joy but held back. The time had finally come for her to continue the grand adventure!"

Oscar stopped his contest of strength against Erden and jumped out of the large crater they had created. He chuckled and got on Erden, patting the spot before him for Avril. She accepted his invitation and jumped in front, pointing ahead with a wide smile.

"I'm going to miss the vegetable garden, but there's no interrupting the journey. Erden, let's go!" Avril shouted.

"Oscar, are you ready?" Erden said out loud, his meaning clear as day.

Avril picked up on it, rubbed her covered neck with a shameful look, and apologized. "I'm sorry. Is everyone ready? Check one!"

"Ready," Oscar said.

"Ready," Erden snorted.

"All three here and ready to go. Erden, let's go." Avril patted Erden's head. This time, Erden listened and sped through the plains, not caring about the bustling of beasts around them. After a few moments, they arrived at the floating pathway of debris and water. Erden stomped on the ground and kicked off into a mighty leap, and the strange force pulled everyone back onto the nonsensical roads.

Outside the plains, on an unassuming floating piece of rock, five Middle Knight Exalt Beasts stood in their way, all large crocodiles with three heads and three tails. The five beasts were the same ones who blocked his way a year ago. Oscar stared them down, no longer feeling the same fear and oppression as before. This time, he was well prepared for this battle.

"Erden. Avril. Let's fight." Oscar asked, leaping off. His Ein flowed from him in dangerous waves of power. The five crocodiles roared. Two of them jumped and spun with their tri-mouths wide open, and the other three clamped their mouths up and down. Mouths of water rushed through the air toward Oscar and the others.

The jumping crocodiles missed but ground the rock beneath in gravel from their death spiral. Oscar leaped ahead and used the Eirin Shattering Wave. With Avril's Ein boost from her scroll anima, the destructive wave reduced the water bites into nothing.

Turning to his true targets, the two crocodiles who had jumped, Oscar smiled at Avril's handiwork. Roots entangled the great beasts while her wooden hands constantly tried to put them down, regrowing when torn. It was an excess amount of Ein used, but she had to do it as a Lower Knight Exalt.

Oscar swerved and dodged the rampaging tails from above. Erden rushed in his Meld form and transformed his antlers into the finest, sharpest blades, burning with Eirin spheres at the tip. Erden stabbed the crocodile and continued to push. Oscar leaped above and punched with a combination of Edureisclad and Shattering Wave.

The first crocodile wailed as Oscar heard its skull cracking. Suddenly, another downpour of water bites flooded them. Avril's roots and vines came up to slow down as many as possible but were bitten into shreds. Thanking Avril for her fast reaction, Oscar covered his body in Silver Sheen and Edureisclad.

His silver armor was torn apart, and the water bites bit into him. Oscar's body was injured and welled with pain from the injuries for the first time in a while. Their sharpness was beyond his expectations. Oscar glanced at Avril and nodded. She understood his message and unveiled the second section of her scroll anima.

The Ein boost flowed into Oscar and healed his wounds. Oscar rubbed his once-wounded body, feeling refreshed. It was worthwhile to teach her reading and writing other than to help her struggles. The closer interaction with her scroll gave her a new power to use her Ein boost to heal wounds.

Four crocodiles remained. Oscar and Erden dodged the jumping one again and countered, tearing it into two. To deal with the onslaught of water bites, Erden enlarged himself to a large size and rolled over, taking the brunt of the damage on his metal body. The remaining three crocodiles had to jump to avoid Erden's heavy roll.

His chance arrived. Oscar leaped up, flowing the Eirin into his arms and legs. He faced the death spiral of a crocodile with a confident look. Avril's wooden hands came in large numbers and extended to his sides. They provided the best cover from the spiral and the footing he needed. Oscar jumped between wooden hands and arrived at the side of the spinning crocodile.

Forming blades with his hands, Oscar chopped into the crocodile, spewing out rivers of blood. Their hides were tough but not as tough as other defenses. His Eirin hand blades cut through the crocodile easily. Two remained. Oscar smiled, smelling the salty blood. His body burned from the craving for battle.

"Oscar, I still have one more use in my scroll. Do you want it now?" Avril asked.

"Yes," Oscar said. "Erden, it's time to end this." He got off the fresh corpse of his latest kill. His feet scrunched against the pools of blood already clotting on the ground. Avril's final Ein boost entered him. Oscar shared the power with Erden and mounted him. They rushed out like shooting stars, diving into the remaining two beasts.

The air fell silent as the two beasts fell in crashing waves of blood. Oscar returned to Avril, her face nearly gagging and green. He realized the stench and blood covering his body and quickly went to the side to wash up and change. Erden had no issue with this because the lucky beast would be clean after the Meld armor came off.

Returning to Avril, her face returning to normal, Oscar shrugged and harvested the crocodiles as she stood back. Finished, Oscar rested with Avril and Erden. The battle was fierce, and he used far more Ein than expected, even though his Ein Awaken had been improving the entire time.

'I can hold up Ein Awaken for three minutes continuously before waiting ten minutes to use it again. But if I use it in bursts at the right moment, I can use it sparingly and well.' Oscar was hopeful, but the battle against the crocodiles showed him one thing, the battles would be very straining. If all battles were like this from now on, he would have to keep up his Ein Awaken for the full three minutes.

"The scroll is back to normal," Avril tossed around her scroll anima.

"Alright," Oscar said.

They continued their travels through the vast, confounding routes of debris. They fought in several battles, rested, and continued moving. A few days later, Oscar eyed a large land. Excited, he trembled and shouted because he saw a structure, something man-made. Oscar rushed there with Erden and Avril, winds rushing past his ears.

Perhaps someone lived there. Oscar hoped so.

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