On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

“So, what will you do with her?” Daiyu asked me, as we looked down on the gibbering, injured woman. Her eyes wide and her mouth in a rictus grin of madness, she spat at me, but I easily stepped aside from the bloody, silvery spittle. “I trust you are aware being merciful is folly? She attempted to kill us, and her ability is dangerous.”

“I know.” I let out a long sigh. I get it now. “No, while finishing her off quickly is important…” as I mentioned finishing her off the woman flinched, and her angry expression changed, becoming more wheedling. The blood flowing from the stumps of her arms was starting to slow, but her body was beginning to burn with purple energies, which definitely felt Spatial in nature.

“Please, I was… I was wrong.” She gasped out, somehow managing to roll onto her stomach. It was strange how quickly she changed her tune, from cold, bored hatred, to insane chittering, and now to what she likely assumed was seductive begging. “I don’t want to die. I never did. That’s why I had no choice. I’m being eaten alive, if you kill me… ugh, it would be such a drag being food. A fate really worse than death. I’ve seen it…” her eyes were mad, and I wondered if her crazed behaviour might have something to do with what she’d endured. Seeing my eyes softening a little, Daiyu elbowed me tiredly in the side, reminding me not to fall for it, but the woman clung to any shard of hope.

“Want me to kiss and lick your feet? I’ll do it if you somehow save me from being eaten!” She stuck out her tongue, trying to squirm towards me with her bleeding stumps. “I’ll lick anything else you want! My arms… I’ll even forgive you for taking them. If you get me servants and keep me in comfort, I’ll let you use me however you want. However you want.” Her tongue was moving lasciviously, and there was a dark shadow in her eyes, even as her body was burning away. She screamed, spitting blood.

“This woman is beyond saving. Her mind has gone. Best to end her suffering. That is the only mercy you should afford her. You must make haste, no? While you delay, others are fighting.”

The woman changed again, back to bitter madness, and she started screaming abuse at Daiyu, calling her a whore and worse, intermixed with screaming wails and sobs. Ignoring that, I bent down over her, my Eye glowing. The chance was too important to pass up. “I’ll try and save you from being devoured…” I whispered. “… but first, shut. Up.” At my cold tone the woman froze. “Daiyu’er is no loose woman, she’s a proud Cultivator, a warrior. A seeker of vengeance. Don’t tar her with your brush. Now, choose quickly. I doubt you’ll live, but… I want to remove your Divine Favour. Doing so, I’ll also clear the poison that’s devouring you.”

“You can… do that? Wait, I’ll die?” she said, back to her languid, depressed state, her moods mercurial.

“Probably. You’re in bad shape, and I’m about to do radical surgery. But at least you won’t be food.”

“Wait, wait!” she cried. ”If I live, I’m dead anyway! My body will be bleeding out, all alone underground!”

“Underground, huh?” I said, intrigued. For a moment she looked pained she had spoken, before physical agony once more overwhelmed her.

“Yes, I’ll tell you where we are hiding! I will!” she sobbed. “But… in exchange, if I survive, you have to look after me for the rest of my life! Asylum! From China, and that… that hideous beast!” she begged. “Servants so I can live my life without arms, prosthetics, whatever… you can keep me as a mistress, a slave! Just… don’t leave me to die!” Tears were dropping from her eyes, and despite her obvious malice, I was a little moved by her cries. But I didn’t even need the elbow from Daiyu again to know what I had to do.

“All right. Tell Daiyu’er while I work. If you live through this, we’ll come and get you.” Though you’ll still have to answer to Japanese law. If you make it through that, then I’ll set you up with a modest life. But…

Hope flared in her eyes, warring with pain and madness. She began to gasp out words to the disapproving Daiyu, as I began to form multiple blades of aether, tinged with adherence. I see. They buried themselves underground, and used several abilities together to get both people and weapons to the Boundary. It’s really ingenious. These bone blades though…

The woman, who I realised I had never even asked her name, screamed. The slime within was fighting me, horrible transparent jelly, flecked with dirty yellow fragments of the same sort of bone that was comprising the blades we had destroyed. Even so, my skills with Chirurgery were pretty good, so soon I was pulling out chunks of it, burning it with Foehn. I even applied a little Ether Healing, just enough to keep her alive. I see, it seems that most of the slime is concentrated around the heart and crown chakras, as well as even more around the Divine Favour. The Divine Favour was located below her third eye chakra, and it was starting to crumble apart at the edges, adherence, aether and something else even my Eye couldn’t discern pulled from it and ferried away by the spatial element the goo was leaking. Well, we can’t be having that, can we?

“Wait, Luo Jiahao?” Daiyu said, surprised. “The Patriarch of the Mountain Fang? He’s in charge?”

It seemed Daiyu knew one of the people involved quite well, but even with my Split Thoughts, this was difficult work. I had cleared out most of the goo, though the additional damage it had inflicted on the woman would have been fatal without some Ether Healing. As I worked, the last lifted free, and as Foehn burned it, her eyes went wide. “Wait, the devouring… it’s… it’s stopped?” she muttered, incredulous.

“Yes. It was some sort of parasite, devouring you and sending your energy somewhere. It almost felt like some sort of colony or hive mind…” I had a little experience with that, thanks to Duke Myrcolaxriath and his Myconid puppets.

“Then the creature of slime Master Luo holds is…” Daiyu realised it as well.

“Also the creature. It seems that its body is one organism, even when separated. Ingenious.” I admired. “If still disgusting.”

“So, I’ve survived then?” the maimed woman said hopefully. “I worried I…”

Don’t look at me like that, Daiyu. I know. “The first part. Now…” I looked down with some sympathy, but also resolve. “You have to give up your Divine Favour. You used it for ill, coerced or not, and you have to pay for your sins. Shouldn’t you know that, considering what your ability was?”

“I… wait, we can talk about…” she began, only to shudder as I began to carve away at the Favour within her. It resisted fiercely, strings of adherence, aether and a third substance fighting me, and when I cut them carelessly, the Favour suffered further damage. My concentration was exerted to its peak, the world around me fading away, as I tried to unlock this fiendish puzzle. I need to practice. If I ever need to remove the Favour from someone safely, then this experience will be valuable…

With a final wrench I pulled free the Divine Favour, an amber message scrolling across my vision. My focus diminishing, I looked down at the object I held, shimmering and crackling, a mist of aether and adherence rising. I glanced at the woman, but she had died, her maimed and partially devoured body unable to take the shock of separation. Seeing where I was looking, Daiyu put her hand on my shoulder awkwardly.

“It was for the best. She died as herself, that is a better end than she could have hoped for. If you had time to spend, then maybe she could have been saved, but there are victims here who deserve your aid, not the perpetrators. After all, have you not someone to protect?”

I agreed, touched that she was trying to comfort me, rather clumsily, but I appreciated the sentiments. Placing my hand over hers, I grinned, and it was genuine. Yeah, it doesn’t feel good, knowing she died, just so I could take her Favour, but… Tsukiko-san is right. Some things are meant to be. And for Tsukiko-san, or any of the Candidates in Kyoto, a hundred of her wouldn’t be a fair trade… if I want to prevent having to make such trades in future, then more strength is what I need, which is why I did this…

“I shall return to the Territory of your ghost woman.” Daiyu declared, her wounds slowly healing. “I will be a liability for you now.” She looked down, aggrieved, but not pulling her hand away. “It pains me that I am so weak, but…” her dark eyes were resolute. “I shall obtain strength.”

“I know you will. Perhaps we can talk about Spiritually Pure Physique when this is all over?”

“When this is over, yes…” she looked at me then, eye to eye. “… when this is over, I will strive to become a worthy Matriarch of the Incorruptible Jade. Perhaps I will even find some worthy disciples in this land, amongst your colleagues. And there are… secrets… to share. That should remain secret no longer. Techniques, Arts…”

“I’ll support you with anything you need.” I promised. “Now, I have to hurry, this has already taken too long.”

“Anything? I see. I appreciate it.” She smiled then, the first natural one I had seen on her face since we had met. Pulling her hand from my grip, she bowed deeply. “I will be in your care then, Akio. For now, I shall share the information we extracted from this woman…” she eyed the slowly disintegrating corpse. “… and help in the defence when I have recovered enough Qi. I am the Black Jade that Remains Unbroken. Yes, I prefer that title.”

With that she left, heading back towards safer Territory, leaving me with my prize. All right, time to wrap this up quick.

Damaged Idlurugu’s Mirror Of Ordeals: Class: [Legendary] Type: [Law]. This Divine Favour was made of concentrated adherence, refined ether and ??????????, though due to several sources of damage, it is partially functional, and if left unattended, will return to Idlurugu. The ability to reflect sins both real and imagined and force an ordeal of combat upon the reflected can no longer be used. To face one’s sins by an ordeal is to overcome them and be set free, but not all that is reflected in the mirror of the waters is as it seems.

“So it wasn’t King Yama after all…” I muttered. “… trial by ordeal, huh? It was certainly that. But not all that is reflected is as it seems, huh? No kidding…”

I really need to do more research on Gods and Goddesses. I’ve never heard of Idlurugu. This time though, I had gathered more information. This Favour was merely damaged, whether that was because it had suffered less erosion, or whether I pulled it out of a live person… even so, it wasn’t useable in its current state, though I had more information regarding its Class and Type. It could probably be repaired, using aether, adherence and whatever the third ingredient is… but for now, that isn’t viable. Next time though… I closed my fist, concentrating, and the Favour shattered, pouring strength into me. Next time, I’ll find it easier to extract, I hope…

You have gained in strength. Your level has increased from One Hundred And Twelve to One Hundred And Fourteen. All of your Material statistics have increased by twenty-two. Aether has increased by fifty-four.

I immediately gained a pair of levels as the aether and adherence surged into me. I had previously levelled on three occasions, once after beating the mirror version of myself, twice after burning the Ice wielder to death, and once again after the woman died as I extracted her Divine Favour, which I had now absorbed the remnants of. Killing other Candidates seems awfully profitable. If this is a giant Gu Vessel, as I expect, then I’m the poisonous insect that’s been devouring several others, my venom growing stronger. But what choice did I have?

Concerns over whether other Candidates around the world had realised the same and were killing each other off for such gains flickered through my mind, but I dismissed those thoughts. It wasn’t the time for it. After all, that’s why I am working with the Government, to stop Japan going down such a hellish route. If it comes to levelling, there are other, better ways.

Your Skill, Sacral Chakra Of High Moonlight Spirit Water has advanced from Rank 3 to Rank 4. Your Sacral Chakra now generates significantly more water energy and creates High Moonlight Spirit Water with improved efficiency.

Absorbing the energy from the Divine Favour had pushed it over the limit, and I immediately noticed the difference. Prior to this, my Flame Manipulation and Solar Plexus Chakra of Flame had both broken the first wall and reached Rank 6, along with Foehn, and my Root Chakra Of Earth had reached Rank 5. I felt I was close to my Lunar Chakra growing as well, and my abilities to manipulate wind, water and earth were also starting to come together, my understanding greatly increased by using the four primary elements all at once, interchangeably.

“Well, I’ve tarried here long enough. I need to reach the defensive line at Kinkaku-ji…” with that I raced off, looking over my updated status sheet as I went.

With the gain in levels in Wielder of a Mutated Element, and Wielder of Elements, Classic Western, my ability to produce and wield elemental energies has further grown. I still have lagging areas, my weapon skills have stagnated, as have my crafting ones, though I’m hopeful of breakthroughs in those when we get some peace and quiet, but…

It was then I sensed movement, and I readied Cutting Twilight, only to pause dumbfounded as several weak-looking people were rushing towards me, one of them a young kid, the other an old woman. On seeing me they started screaming, turning around to run the other way. I quickly moved and grabbed them, and the old woman covered her head, screaming for me not to kill her.

“Kill you? What do you mean? I won’t kill you! How did you get here?” I asked.

“I don’t even know where here is! I thought I might be dreaming, but…” she bit her lip, scared, and the boy had wailed himself to silence.

“Are there others?” I asked, having a terrible feeling, and she nodded.

“There were, so many. I thought it strange, but then…” her teeth were chattering, she was so scared. “… they started attacking us. There was blood everywhere. Strange silver blood. We ran… wait, who are you?” she asked, and I shook my head, releasing her.

“I’m working with the Government.” I assured them. “There’s a lot of us about, trying to solve the situation.” I’d love to take them to safety, but there’s simply no time. Luckily the path back should be clear… before I could tell them where to go, a figure ran our way, wearing Cultivator-style robes. On seeing the civilians, his expression tensed, before he noticed me and froze.

His fists and his robe are soaked with blood. “So, and who might you be?” I motioned to the terrified people to get behind me. “And more importantly… you’re awfully bloody, friend.” I said in Mandarin.

“You speak our language?” he paused. “Well, no matter. It’s too late. There is no turning back now!” he rushed at me, and I tried to get further information.

“You’re a Cultivator, right? Which Sect? Mountain Fang, or…” the first Sect I mentioned must have been a hit, as he stumbled, pausing.

“How do you know my Sect?” he asked warily. “You are not one of us. Are you reinforcements? No…” he eyed the two sheltered behind me. “If you were, you would have killed those poor wretches we dragged to this place like the others, just like the plan called for. There is no room for any conscience, not when…”

I moved, my speed far in excess of the man. He was unable to react, and coughed blood, a silver and crimson spray scattering from his mouth. The moment he had admitted to bringing innocent people to the Boundary to kill them, my mind was made up. Though… as the amber light of my Eye dimmed down, the shimmering blades of aether I was wielding dispersing, I poured a little Foehn into the vile slime I had removed from the Cultivator. As it burned I watched him die, as I had no time nor inclination to be merciful. “… you should be thankful I removed the corrupting slime before you died…”

Behind me the old woman gasped, holding the weeping child close. Her face was pale, seeing me casually killing a person, but drawing in innocent unrelated people was too much for me to forgive. My Eye flared back to life, and I nodded calmly. “I see. Dragged to this place… it makes sense now.” As I approached, the woman shrank back, but I shook my head gently. “It’s all right. I mean you no harm. Like I said, I’m with the Government. I’m going to send the two of you back to the ordinary world now.”

“Ordinary world?” the old woman asked, and I nodded. “When you wake up, stay put. If there are any injured…” I rattled off a phone number for them to call. It took a few tries for her to remember it, so panicked she was, but in the end she memorised it. “All right then, this might sting a little…” Their bodies contained a shimmering energy that was functioning similarly to a fake chakra network, keeping them here in the Boundary. Using Chirurgery I delicately removed it, as swiftly as I could without causing them noticeable harm, although they would likely be in some discomfort for a while. Moments later the two of them vanished, and I sighed bitterly.

What the hell are these idiots thinking? Part of the plan? I quickly headed in the direction that the two had fled from, and soon wished I hadn’t. The ground was soaked with silver and red blood, slowly turning to mist and vanishing, and shapeless, indistinct corpses were lying in the puddles, slowly fading away. Some of them are so small…

Clenching my fist, I remembered the corpses of my trainees, and a surge of anger welled up in me. It’s happening again. Though this time, there truly was nothing I could have done to prevent it, but…

Seeing the Cultivators hunting for any survivors, bone blades at the waists of some, I growled, before leaping forwards, furious. A Cultivator spotted me, but before he could raise a cry I had already struck him down. Blood scattered from Cutting Twilight, and behind me purple smoke was rising from the corpse. Shit. I’m such a soft touch… flames burst into being, and Foehn consumed the corpse, slime and all, Foehn being noticeably easier to wield and more potent now. Seeing the flames, other Cultivators responded, and some even pulled their bone swords. Those I dealt with mercilessly, my speed outmatching them, leaving them looking as if they were wading through treacle, unable to respond to my fatal blows. Those that engaged me without wielding their swords, I ended mercifully, ripping out and burning the slime and bone blades to ashes.

A few of the Cultivators who I had purged of the slime started rising to their feet, but I expected that, and flame blazed, reducing their cursed bodies to ash. When I was done, I looked around dully at the massacred Sect. I really hope none of them were Daiyu’s comrades… no, even if they were, I can’t forgive this…

“Aren’t… you going to kill me too?” a quiet voice said, and surprised, I realised I had missed someone. There was a young woman kneeling there, her dark hair pulled into a tight bun, a bone blade beside her. Though the blade is clean. I don’t think it’s been used. There’s a lot of old blood on her clothes though. Her front was soaked with gore, and purple smoke was rising faintly from her, her face set in an expression of pain.

“And you are?” I asked, my hands tight on Cutting Twilight. She must have noticed that, as her pained expression became calmer.

“I am Nie Ling, and this atrocity is my doing.” She admitted. “I…” she vomited, mostly empty pink-tinged bile, before rubbing at her chapped lips, her pale skin now a paper white. “I…” she began again. “I have the blessings of the Duke of Dreams. Though all my dreams, they are merely nightmares now.” She coughed. “This… this is what I was tasked to do. I never wanted this, but…”

Stepping closer, she flinched, before relaxing. “What do you mean?” I asked, conscious time was short.

“I pulled these poor people into this world of dreams. Then… then they were murdered.” Her expression twisted.

“By you?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“I couldn’t do it. I know the others wanted to. They want revenge on the Ministry and on China. I… I just wanted to survive.” Her waxy cheeks glittered with a scattering of tears. “I didn’t want to die. I was selfish. And that led to… a worse fate. Ah, I can feel it eating away at me. The creature knows my role here is done. Won’t… won’t you kill me?” she looked at me hopefully. “I considered it, but I was too scared to do the deed myself, and I can’t use that…” she looked down at the bone blade. Suddenly she squealed, as Foehn erupted, flames consuming the blade, reducing the squirming thing to ashes.

“… so how many died here?” I asked, and she looked down.

“Hundreds, certainly. Some fled, but this place is dangerous. Few will endure until the dream wears off. Not so strengthened by the poisonous breath of it.”

I focused my senses, using aether to enhance them, allowing me to see great distances in all directions. My brain ached fiercely, eyes throbbing, but moments later I let out a bitter sigh. “Yes, I… I don’t see anyone. Just dissolving corpses. Hundred and hundreds. Are you satisfied then, Nie Ling?”

“Of course I am not!” she declared. “But what would you have done?” she accused me. “It isn’t merely death that scares me… though I’m afraid of dying.” She admitted. “But what waits for us is worse than death. At best, total oblivion, no hope of rebirth or any afterlife…” her lips quirked. “The afterlife. I never believed in such a thing up until I was visited by a messenger from Zhōu Gōng in my dreams…” she wiped at her face. “… and if not that, then torture as its food.”

“I don’t know. But I know I’d never have done this!” I said, my Eye shining, seeing her Divine Favour and the mess of slime surrounding it. I see, it’s largely untouched, looks like the devouring has only just started.

“I saw what you did.” She said, a trace of hope in her eyes. “I… could you please remove the beast from me before you kill me?” she lay down in front of me, grinding her head into my feet. “It is shameful to ask, my hands are so soaked with innocent blood. I never cared about revenge, not like many of the others. I just wanted to go far, far away, live in peace. But now… I shall settle for peace in death. Just… it may be selfish, but you allowed some of the others to be free in death, I saw.”

My hand twitched on the hilt of Cutting Twilight. Yes, you may not have killed them with your own hands, but you’ve killed nonetheless. Even those who fled successfully will likely die, slain by the dwellers of Kyoto, never understanding where the dangers lay… seeing that, she sighed. “I expected it was too much to ask. Well, at least… make it quick. Being consumed is frighteningly painful. I pray you never have to face it.”

“So you met the golden-eyed creature then?” I asked, and she looked startled.

“You… you know of it?”

“I do. Let me ask you this. I want three things. Your Divine Favour. Information. And for you to face Japanese justice for what you’ve done. I can’t see any outcome but death for you, being honest. But if you face it, at least you’ll die with some pride and dignity.”

“My Divine Favour? The gift? You can take it?” she asked.

“I can. Now choose quickly, I have others to pursue.”

“I can tell you of the others, some of them at least.” She said. “But if I am to survive, you will have to… argh!” she screamed as I wrenched out the slime polluting her Astral body. I was not gentle, though I made sure to be delicate around her Divine Favour. I don’t want to take it now, I’d just end up breaking it down. If we can transplant it later…

She dry-heaved and sobbed from the pain once more, as flames scattered, burning slime reduced to ash. “Now, I know you are hidden underground. We’ll find your bodies soon, but…” she nodded as I asked her various things. “… oh, and don’t even think of running.” I assured her. “Or when I find you, and I will, you’ll wish I left the slime in you…”

She nodded. “I will do as you have asked. I am so tired… so tired.” She was barely able to raise her head. “I… do you think I can ever be forgiven for this?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m no saint myself, I can’t judge. But…”

“But?”

“In the end, you have a chance to give something back. If you try to make amends yourself, then perhaps the Gods will understand.” I finished, and she sighed.

“I see. So unscientific. Well, I pray for your victory, and… beware the one who calls himself the Judge of Death. He is dangerous.” She shuddered, remembering his threats to her. “And should… you come across Luo Jiahao… please remember, he is not an evil man, just… just a desperate, grieving one.”

With that she vanished, returning to the Material, to make contact with the JSDF, guiding them to the hiding spot. “Not an evil man, huh?” I looked around, his slain Cultivators mingled in with the dead, the man himself apparently having moved on to the next stage of the plan. “No, this looks plenty evil enough for me…” my gaze strayed North, to where the remaining Cultivators and apparently more Candidates had gone. “… well, it doesn’t matter. I have to finish this…”