The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"How exactly did someone like you become a person of interest that even the Primal Council believes you to be a threat?" Cel Standavish fiddled with his mask, seemingly tightening it, and put down his hood, long black hair draping down.

"It's just my life." Oscar peered at Cel curiously. The Divine Enforcer's gaze bore into him as he didn't move an inch, the breeze swaying his dark cloak and brushing his hair to the side.

"True," Cel said with a nod, pointing at Oscar, "your life has been quite an eventful one. Born a Grade Four to an ordinary couple from a lackluster lineage of no noteworthy ancestors or achievements. Yet here you stand, a Grade Six, master of Reis, and inheritor of Isaac's genius."

"Prattling on? Complimenting me won't help you." Oscar scanned his surroundings, scrutinizing every snowflake. But no danger roused his instincts, and no sight piqued his interest. For now, he was alone with Cel, but that could change at any moment if they fought and attracted the attention of others. Since he had a bounty on his head, he couldn't afford a drawn-out battle, especially against a Divine Enforcer. A burst of Ein flowed from his chest, particularly his core, and merged with his Reis, blazing on his legs and arms in Pseudoguise.

"Hold," Cel lifted a hand, asking for a ceasefire. "Brought forth by Lord Kerak and approved by half of the Primal Council, my orders are to ensure you never leave Fallen Heaven." Oscar crouched low, digging his toes into the tundra as he readied to bolt forward with all of his might. Cel remained calm and said, "But my master and ancestor, Lord Standavish, has given me a different order."

"To not kill me? In exchange for what?" Oscar guarded himself more tightly.

"My master was not there during the fall of the Divine Stone Clan. But he learned of one invention of Isaac Stonewell from lost records." Cel massaged his palms, eyes still sharp and direct. "Calling it an invention is a misconception. Rather, it was an idea, a concept formulated in the mind of the genius. But the name lingers on. Tell me of the Adventi."

Adventi. Oscar didn't expect him to ask about it. A terror gnawed at the back of his mind as if a memory, long repressed and forgotten, had begun to emerge, eating away at his every thought until it was all he could think of. His Ein shroud protected him from the chill, but his skin crawled as the memory settled, and he remembered all of it. Adventi, Gol-4 had declared it his greatest success and greatest failure. Luckily, he burned Isaac's notebook to prevent others from reading it, but all of the designs were in his memory.

"Before I am a Divine Enforcer, I am a person of the Standavish Family. Tell me, and I won't kill you. But if there is no other choice, I will carry out the council's will, and you won't survive." Cel's gaze never left him, eyeing him like a hawk. "I know all about you, Oscar Terr. I've studied your tactics, your habits, your fighting style. Your beast is not here for your Meld, and your Guise won't last forever. You wouldn't risk using it in this place where everyone is hunting you."

"You sound quite sure of yourself," Oscar straightened and assessed the situation. He was alone here with no allies and no other enemies. Erden's presence would have been excellent odds for his escape, but with just him, the odds were not in his favor. Cel also possessed a Grade Eight Exolsia, which would have been fine if not for his status as a Divine Enforcer. A Divine Enforcer was beyond ordinary Exalts. Much like how he and Erden handled three Grade Eights together, this man could accomplish the same feat alone.

"On the contrary, I am on high alert. Despite all these disadvantages, you have shown surprising resilience in the past against similar odds. I have no doubt you have other means to escape me." Cel's face remained impassive, still watching Oscar as if observing his every move.

'Shit.' A part of Oscar hoped Cel's overconfidence and assurance of victory were enough for him to take advantage. Scoffing in frustration, Oscar began to pace to the side, and Cel mimicked him, waiting for his first move. Luckily, his goal was elsewhere. As his foot sank into a certain patch of snow, touching only dirt, Oscar cursed inwardly, losing hope of a quick escape; the exit he popped out from had vanished, leaving him stranded in the tundra with this man.

"Looking for something? Is there an underground passage there? From your face, it appears you didn't find it." Cel maintained a distance.

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Waiting no longer and with no other options, Oscar stomped forward, his Eirin engulfing him as blue antlers protruded from his forehead. He rushed in a blazing blue, splitting into two bodies, Demon already holding the white sword. Cel had been speaking the entire time, and Oscar knew it would unnerve him and distract his mind from seeing clearly. The snow melted as the flames roared. Oscar pulled his shield back, and Demon leaped onto it. Oscar sent Demon flying at Cel in full swing, intent on ending this before any further hassle.

Even still, Cel reacted faster than expected, as if he had been waiting for Oscar's deadly charge. Three platinum barriers stacked on one other, easily parted by a single slash of Demon's sword. The split barriers melted apart. Cel was gone, already high in the air. Oscar's mind spun, his wariness ramping as his Prinstyct showed a shower of hostile Ein surrounding him, no way out. His reaction was too slow. Cel threw several platinum cubes, dozens that floated and encircled Oscar and Demon.

He heard a most distracting noise that grated on his ears, the sound of metal being squeezed and twisted in a shrill cry. Sensing the impending danger, Oscar ducked as a platinum wire pierced an inch above his lowered head. This wire connected two cubes. Oscar darted his eyes around, as did Demon, but many of the cubes showed intent in the Prinstyct. Threads swarmed them, all stabbing forth from a cube and connecting midway with another. Amid the intrusive sounds obstructing his hearing, Oscar heard a faint whistling akin to an arrow launched from its bow—a large platinum spear clanged on his shield. The force of the impact was not friendly to Oscar's footing as it pushed him into the aim of other cubes.

Spinning, Oscar narrowly avoided the intersecting threads and swept his gaze over the field, seeing numerous spears pulling on the outer threads before firing with devastating speed. Oscar started running, pushing his legs to the limit. He zipped and dashed, weaving between the spears and threads. Demon slashed multiple times, but the cut threads simply retreated to their respective cubes and reformed for another attack. Oscar combined his flames with Demon's, unleashing a towering inferno to consume the cubes. But they retreated to farther distances, a shocking show of control by Cel to be able to perform such intricate moves while far away.

Twelve platinum spears brushed by his clothes, impaling deep into the tundra as the ground shattered around them. He dodged each one, not letting Cel's attacks blemish Volten's robes. Oscar exhaled and withheld his flames. A battle of attrition was not the best tactic. Cel had prepared for him well. When he tried to grab a thread, it snapped between his grip and retreated into their cubes. But despite the predicament, Oscar didn't feel fear even as sweat beaded across his face and neck. There was always a path to victory.

He reassessed the situation. Right now, his Ein was waning at a rapid pace. Even his Ein Awaken could only supply a small recovery, which needed to be done in intervals. Looking at Cel, he saw the flow of Ein in his Prinstyct, noting the quick pace at which Cel recovered his Ein while controlling the cubes and spears. 'I must find a way to equate the Ein difference.'

'Allow me to help.' Erden suddenly interjected.

Through their connection, Ein rushed into Oscar's body. That was right. Even if they were far, the connection allowed their Eins to be shared. Cel's expression broke for the first time, his eyes narrowing in clear interest at Oscar's sudden burst of Ein. Well, that took care of the first issue. Oscar kicked off the ground faster, boosted by the influx of Erden's Ein, not caring to waste more into his battle.

'I can get close now. In a single leap, I can make it….' Oscar flickered to a cube and crushed it in his grip, veins popping over his knuckles as the metal screamed in his palm. More cubes lent their aid, their numbers constant. He eyed Cel, sensing something amiss. There were too many factors unknown. Where was Cel's armament, his Anima, his Meld? The cubes, threads, and spears alone had the potential to kill many Exalts, but to Oscar, they all felt like a big distraction, as if Cel was goading him to lunge forward. Well, he dared not disappoint.

In a blazing step as platinum sparked under his heels, Oscar forced a path through the encirclement with Demon and closed in on Cel's chest, getting inside his guard. His scarlet-platinum drill spun ahead, aiming for the heart. The black cloak fluttered, and a faint gleam outlined a sharp edge as it stabbed out, ramming into Oscar's shield. It was a black spear, perfect for hiding inside that cloak. Oscar widened his eyes, stunned that the spear matched his physical prowess, even withstanding the quick Shattering Wave he released from his shield.

Oscar stamped his foot on the ground, withstanding a strange spiraling force that almost flipped him off his feet. Their clash ended with a thunderous shockwave, blasting them apart. Oscar took slow and deep breaths to calm himself.

"Interesting. You fought like a crazed beast but kept your wits hidden and prepared well." Cel pointed his spear to the side, lined with the horizon at his back. "You are certainly a tricky foe. I wonder how many have fallen by underestimating you."

"Too many to count. Is that your Meld?" Oscar recovered his Ein thanks to Erden's help. He clicked his tongue at the encircling cubes, spears already nocked at the ready.

"Not just that. I know a simple Meld won't be enough. Surrender, or else I will have to kill you." A glowing mark shone brightly on Cel's forehead through the mask. It was a strange design of a crown, and it filled Oscar's heart with dread. This was why the Divine Enforcers were so feared. The Ancestral Mark.

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