The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar opened his eyes to the same plain iron ceiling he had lived under for several months. He exhaled a few times deeply and spread his arms, a series of cracks traveling down his back. Turning over, Oscar stared out the window, the moonlight forcing him to squint and groan. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he got out of bed and dressed in his usual garb. His mind turned to the events of a few days prior, the movements of the enemy ships, the lack of resistance, and the unusual retreat at the end.

He needed some air. Oscar opened the door slowly and peeked his head out the narrow opening. No one was around. He crept out of his room and lightly closed the door before continuing his way to the exit outside the flagship. His body was showered in the lunar beams cascading down the metal faces of his armor, slipping between his fingers and painting a bright picture on the flagship's hull.

'Something on your mind?' Demon asked, his voice more pronounced by the still air and silence of the clouds underneath.

Oscar sighed and released Erden. His beast companion leaped out from his brown robes and expanded in size, returning to the majestic form of a Prielapos. The antlers around Erden's body creaked like heavy branches as he stretched and strutted around. The crystalline form of his hooves and antlers glimmered like the stars.

He smiled and said in his internal voice, 'Can't you read my thoughts? Weird how you ask questions you already know the answer to.'

'And since you know my thoughts, I know you want someone to talk with. I'm simply filling in reluctantly.'

'Erden can handle that role better than you.'

'That beast is just a beast. I understand you better than anyone. We're the same after all.'

'Insult me again, and I'll walk straight into the inner world and shatter your mind into pieces.' Erden growled.

'Reckless, stupid, a waste of resources…is what I would say. But all those ships we destroyed were trash metals. Scraps barely hung together.' Demon's monotone tone only elevated the rudeness of his words.

'They attacked weirdly as well. Even as a BEAST–' Erden paused for a second before continuing, '-I know basic tactics. Even we beasts don't attack in varying patterns unless…'

'Unless they were probing, trying to figure out the workings of Garantulem. Preparing for a hunt.' Oscar finished Erden's thoughts. He patted the metal stub of a rather large bolt, the size of a baby, and closed his eyes to the low hum of the turbines, almost like a purr.

'Is there anything wrong with that? The head mentioned this to be his masterpiece of airship combat. Or are you starting to doubt? We have yet to face the full might of the enemy. We're barely in the thick of this war.' Demon stated coldly.

'Garantulem is strong but not in the best form.' Oscar raised his body and bathed in the breeze. Oddly, the space between the ships and the connecting bridges was not cloaked in darkness. Light reflected, bouncing from one surface to the next, glowing dimly but spreading everywhere like a waning candle in a lamp. He scanned every nook and cranny of Gol-4's masterpiece with a craftsman's eye, tracing through every blemish, his finger bumping against the scratches and holes, much like worn-down stone.

'It can't last longer.' Oscar sighed. Garantulem guzzled resources to continue its weaponry, barrier, and, most importantly, the ships. The metal was starting to wear down, far from the clean sheen it had from the start. Soot and ash caked the barrels of the cannons and embedded themselves into the grain of the metal. No amount of cleaning was able to return them to their pristine conditions. 'I give it two or three more big battles.'

'Do you think this one is it?' Erden spread his teal-crystalline wings and balanced his hooves along a steel beam.

'Depends on what they send against us.' Oscar wanted to lure out the enemy's forces, but the only way to be sure was to make obvious movements. Anyone could put two and two together about their potential location. The enemy had taken the bait, and now he had to wait and see.

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'I wonder what they've come up with to break through Garantulem.' Demon scoffed. 'Run if things turn sour.'

'Who is leading them this time?' Oscar ignored Demon, smiled, and retreated into Garantulem, not before stopping to take a final look at the grand structure illuminated above the clouds. 'They better bring everything.'

…….

The next afternoon, Oscar roamed around the main bridge and paced around the edges by the windows, peering from Garantulem's view. Clear of clouds, the unobstructed view allowed him to see a great distance. So far, so good. Not a single red dot dirtied the horizon of the blue ocean.

"Shipmaster, you need to rest. You've been at this for a few days now. The crew is worried." Susan called from behind. Stopping his feet, Oscar turned back, and a pleasant aroma wrapped around him, hooking onto his nostrils like a fishing line. Susan placed a cup down on the table, the slight thud of its handling intensifying the steam wafting up and around. She bowed slightly with a smile and said, "Enjoy the tea."

Oscar took a seat by the teacup and loomed over the rising steam, breathing it in through the slight openings on his helmet. He opened the mouthguard and brought the tea to his lips, closing his eyes to enjoy the brew. The warmth of the tea, the notes of bread and caramel accompanied by a slight tinge of bitterness, and the mellow, herby aroma slowed his heart to a tranquil beat, his tense brow under his helmet loosening with each droplet.

'Little wonder Master always drank tea. Especially the expensive brands.' Oscar was reminded of his master, Draven, and downed the entire tea like him. He huffed a puff of steam and placed the cup on the table. "Good tea. Thank you."

He was going to say more when suddenly, the bell tolls echoed. The cup rattled around on its plate as everyone bolted to their stations, kicking the metal floor with heavy footsteps. Oscar rose from his seat and nodded to Susan, who went away to join the other healers to provide support. Even without Garatulem's vision, he could see the enemy approaching, smaller in number than before.

Unlike before, these ships moved together, seemingly clumped together but still maintained a sense of order, directed and focused on their target. From four directions, they approached, rushing without a pause or change in direction as yesterday. Their ships were tightly knit in bulky arrow formations, four red pyramids of airships tearing through the sky like thrown spears.

Oscar frowned and controlled Garatulem's cannons to aim at the four directions. The top and bottom parts had no visibility on the enemy, unable to adjust their cannons to target the airships. Gripping the railing, Oscar waited for the enemy to enter the range of his long guns, the arrow formations looming like a blade over his heart. The enemy this time was formidable.

'They assessed the battle from a few days ago and already thought about the countermeasures.' Oscar admired the foe for putting together this spectacle before him. Garatulem's rotating attacks were useless here as they came from several directions, and the top and bottom cannons couldn't aim at them. Oscar stared daggers into one of the approaching enemy fleets, wanting to see what was hidden inside. 'They couldn't have come here without the proper ways to break or bypass the barriers. Something is hidden inside.'

He twitched when the enemy was just shy of entering his thirty-mile range and preemptively fired his cannons. The enemy immediately returned fire, not at Garantulem, but to the air around them, scattering blasts blocking some of his rounds by making them explode early. A few did go through and hit the airships, breaking past some barriers and setting some aflame. Still, the damage was minimal as the rest of the enemy fleets were untouched.

'Your goal is to get closer. Then let me see what you got!' Oscar flicked his wrist and used different rounds, straight piercing rods that pierced through their scattering blasts and continued to the enemy airships. More enemy ships fell apart, and Oscar finally sensed the three Marshal Exalts high in the air. The clashing of their Ein against Reni and the others diminished bit by bit as the battle carried higher above.

Oscar scanned his surroundings. The enemy was now twenty miles away, still no signs of their Exalts. His suspicions turned to truth from this strange behavior. The core of their forces certainly rested within the clump of ships that acted as a makeshift shield. Oscar had the middle layer of cannons join in the fight, more airships falling from the enemy's formations like dead bees falling from the swarm.

Ten miles apart, the enemy reached the furthest anyone else had ever done. The third layer of the six high-tier airships entered the fray, the cannons along their castle-like structures spewing flames and smoke. The sound of their guns drowned out all the others, and the sheer damage of their rounds engulfed multitudes of airships in fire and broke the hulls.

Five miles away, Oscar crushed the railing in his hands, narrowing his eyes to pierce through the slight opening he had finally created after constant cannon fire. A ship was inside, scarlet red to every inch and shaped like a narrow pyramid. Sunlight ran across its clean edges and finished like a star, gleaming from the sharp tip. The enemy Exalts showed themselves at last to defend these spear-like ships.

"Vorpalare…." Oscar stared blankly as the enemy airships were now three miles away. The sharp tips of the Vorpalare glowed as a dense Ein flowed out, appearing like the rushing wind along a loosened arrow, streaming along the edges. These vessels seemed able to tear apart any defense and wall in its wall, and they could. Oscar let go of the railing and relaxed his hands by his sides.

"Quite expensive. But still lacking what I wanted to see." Oscar smirked and realized he had been worried for nothing. He chuckled and said, "Garantulem, enter Kraken Mode."

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