Book 8 – Chapter 55 – Reason to fight

He didn’t fight like anything I’d seen before. I mean, there was a sword, and he was swinging it through people, breaking their cohesion and sending them packing back home.

That’s where the similarities to any normal combat ended.

Maybe To’Aacar was a very close possibility, in how that Feather had constantly upended Wrath during their fight. Each kick, punch or connected blade could allow To’Aacar to teleport Wrath into an alternate position, redirecting her attacks and orientation constantly.

Conviction’s abilities were similar. He swung his blade, then vanished.

And reappeared behind some victim once more swinging in a flash of occult. And vanished again. Only to reappear in another flash of occult, once more attacking.

There wasn’t a single moment Conviction needed to defend against anything. Every swing was singular, aimed to cut through someone.

This would have been fine and defendable against, even if he appeared right behind us – if it hadn’t been at the speed of insanity.

It felt more like he was all over the vault at the same time. Flashes of occult everywhere, cries of pain and surprise from the Winterscars. Even Wrath was kicked out of the air at some point within the first two seconds of the fight.

Father and two other had been quick and lucky enough the protofeather appeared slightly too far and at an angle they had a chance to defend against.

Everyone else was forced to trigger their occult dome shields to protect against any direction, which was much easier to do in the occult space this strange alternate world existed in.

It didn’t matter because in a few more seconds, Conviction had basically attacked everyone in the room at least four times over, and people were strained to their limits.

Father had been able to block with his occult blades more often. His digital avatar here looked like his past human self within Winterscar prime, but his current body in real life had all the speed and processing of a Feather, and that was seriously helping him keep up with the speed.

Nine other Winterscars also had the same advantage – their stolen shells boosting their cognitive speed, letting them somewhat keep up with Conviction’s brutal dance between our entire force.

And Sagrius was the slowest of us all, but he didn’t need speed. Each blade that sliced for him was blocked by an occult dome as the man was too entrenched with the deep willpower of a relic armor mixed with the ability to actually use that willpower like a human would.

The rest of us didn’t have much of a chance. Conviction slaughtered Winterscar knight after knight. All our surface techniques were useless against an enemy that simply vanished and reappeared, slashing and stabbing with a blade that would have cracked through the air like a whip in real life given the speed it was being swung at.

And for each knight that died, Conviction had less knights to focus on, which meant he’d appear and deliver more and more hits.

I tried to launch a swarm of occult ghosts after him, except there was nowhere to really focus on. By the time he appeared and attacked, he was already gone. I couldn’t task my ghosts to move fast enough.

I couldn’t even keep track of him fast enough. It was a direct hardcounter to how the mirror fractal worked, given all of these ghosts moved with pre-imagined movements.

Instead of correctly fighting him off, I felt my hand get cut off, as he flashed through from my right side. Then stumbled on the ground as my leg was sliced clean.

And before I could even properly fall on the floor, I saw massive blade stab through my back, into my spine and out my chest.

He was already attacking someone else before I could even grunt in pain.

The cohesion in this world weakened, but sheer spite at having been taken out this fast was keeping me together.

Someone threw an occult pulse, the kind of thing Drakonis had done. It sucked inwards all the occult around, creating more of a black void in this world than an implosion of air like it had in the real world.

And that had somehow stopped Conviction’s rampage.

I looked around me. Most of the knights were fading off, sliced and diced into pieces. The rest were gravely wounded like I was, struggling to keep it together or even stand back up.

Only twelve of us remained standing. The nine clan knights that had taken Feather shells, although quite a few of them had been clearly cut through. Father and Wrath, both looking still at full capacity. And Sagrius, who remained standing like a pillar.

Conviction had reappeared back on his dais, the centerpoint where all the chains that were shattered led back to. “I expected this speed from you, traitor.” The protofeather said, violet eyes looking over to Wrath who had lost a wing but otherwise looked mostly unharmed. The eyes roved over the remaining knights. “But for mankind, I commend the rest of your speed and alacrity.” He flourished the rapier blade again, tip ending upwards, the blade perfectly center to his face. “Perhaps this final era has brought the best of you back. It is, unfortunately, not enough.”

The vault doorway opened, and through it came a spear of occult, blinding fast.

I’d seen that spear already. And I remembered I’d even given the secrets of it to someone who could use it to the fullest.

Looks like he had.

It lanced right into Conviction as he stood, but the protofeather was already parrying the attack, deflecting it upwards into the side of the vault wall where it shattered through, ripping cracks across the terminal wall. Violet eyes looked back at the entry. “The spear of my progenitor. A shadow of it. Show yourself, imposter.”

Keith Superior walked into the vault, another spear prepared in his outstretched hand. Floating just above him, like lightning trapped in his will.

Damn I look pretty badass. I thought.

He shot me a very small wink. Of course we do Prime. You inherited my devilishly good looks.

Conviction launched himself straight at Superior the very next moment, barely stopped by Father attempting to redirect the attack by jumping directly in the way, blades flashing out. Violet eyes locked on him, and narrowed.

I don’t think I’ve seen Father actually lose a fight one on one before, not without everything going wrong.

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Conviction proved that incorrect.

There really were entities stronger than Tenisent Winterscar one on one. Three or four in the entire world, maybe.

And it just so happened this was exactly one such entity.

The protofeather struck, blade flashing faster and faster, until Father’s defense turned from determined, to desperate, but he still somehow kept up.

In a single blink, Conviction grabbed him by the chestplate at the exact moment Father failed to defend against, then threw him out of the way, just in time to see Superior launch another spear of pure occult right at his face. This time Conviction dodged, letting the spear pass right over his chest before he vanished, reappearing that same moment behind Superior.

I launched an entire army of occult ghosts to collapse on Conviction, all of them speeding as fast as they could to press the protofeather. Trying to get to him before the protofeather could stab Superior directly through the head.

Conviction’s eyes turned my direction for a half second, sword about to cleave Superior in half. And during that half second we locked eyes, a spinning dagger was thrown right at my face.

I blinked.

“You’ve returned.” Urs said, watching as I snapped back to reality. Back outside the terminal, in the real world. “Have you uncovered what was sealed?”

Ah. I’d been killed. So thoroughly killed that I didn’t even notice the decohesion.

“We have.” Wrath said, slowly. She equally stood up from the water where she’d sat down near the terminal.

The Winterscars were all up. Only a handful of the clan knights remained cross-legged in the trance, likely within the terminal. One by one they were waking back up. Faster and faster. Conviction was ripping us apart and speeding up for everyone he no longer had to mess with.

I didn’t even know if Superior had survived or managed to escape the deathblow long enough to press the attack again.

But in my head, one set of words went through my head.

Come forth, champions of mankind. Or I will break free and destroy everything beyond.