WIEDERGEBURT Act VI: Chapter 7

Kari, Siv, and I finally crested the Demon Beast Mountain Range that surrounded Nevaria. From the moment we appeared over the hill, the two of us were able to see what had happened to our city.

“Eryk… those creatures…”

“Yeah.” I nodded once, even as my eyes locked onto what Kari had seen. “Those are the divine elemental birds that the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain attacked me with in my last life. I wonder why there are only three of them…”

“Those are… Sovereign Birds?” Siv tilted her head.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“They look like the birds my Mother told me about when she read me stories,” Siv said. “They are called Sovereign Birds. They are divine sovereigns who live on Ljosalfheim. Mother said they are guardian deities of the Ljósálfar.”

This was my first time hearing about this, but no matter how interesting it might be, we didn’t have time to concern ourselves with this knowledge. We needed to help Nevaria during its time of need.

We raced down from the mountain top. The signs of destruction became more evident as we got closer. Many of the buildings near the western and northern districts had been destroyed, there were large craters littering the ground, and several large mounds of rubble that looked like someone had been manipulating the earth. I could also see several massive scorch marks, chasms, and several kilometer long trenches that cut through the city.

Kari’s face was pale as she looked at the destruction, and I wondered if she was remembering what happened in our previous life during the Demon Beast Invasion of Nevaria. The damage back then had been pretty bad too. Before I could ask if she was all right, Kari gasped, and I turned my head when I realized she’d seen something.

What I saw made my blood boil.

Standing inside of a large crater was a man I would recognize anywhere, a man I dreamed about killing, the man who had taken my wife and daughter from me in my past life. His otherworldly beauty didn’t phase me. The darkness wafting from his skin did nothing to me. However, the way he was holding Fay by the neck, choking the life out of her, pissed me off. If that wasn’t enough, then I spotted Lin lying several meters away, her body split in half, blood and entrails gushing from her.

While my blood was boiling, my heart felt a chill.

“Kari!”

Kari didn’t respond with words. Her body transformed into a human-shaped beam of light and she disappeared, moving at the speed of light, so fast even I could not keep track of her. Everything happened so fast after that. Blood erupted from the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain’s arm as it was severed at the elbow. The man didn’t scream as he stared at the stump in surprise. Kari used that time to catch Fay before he could hit the ground, then flashed toward Lin’s body.

I landed beside Lin’s upper half a moment later and quickly picked her up. I didn’t care that blood was getting all over my clothes as I held her close. Lin’s body was cold, but I could feel the last bit of life in her body. She was still here. I still had a chance to save her.

I summoned the Immortal Phoenix Pill from my storage ring. It was about the size of a very large marble, was mostly red in color, but featured several bluephoenix shapes scattered across it. This was the most powerful healing pill in the world. It was so powerful that it could even bring someone back from the brink of death, but the downside was it could only be used once on an individual. The ingredients became ineffective after that first time.

I popped the pill into my mouth, chewed, then pressed my lips to Siv’s. I did not hesitate to push the medicinal liquid into her mouth. She couldn’t swallow, so I massaged her throat to help it go down.

Steam began hissing from Lin’s body as the many wounds covering her sealed shut, leaving behind healthy pink skin. That was the easy part. Lin’s body jerked as a pained groan escaped her lips. I held her tight as she began to thrash around, smacking me in the face, hitting me with everything she had. Yet for however strong Lin normally was, she was quite weak now. Her attacks did nothing to me.

Bubbles appeared on the ragged and frayed edges of her lower half. It looked like the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain had torn her body in half with his bare hands. I would pay him back for that. For now, however, I merely held on and watched as a white tail bone sprouted from Lin’s torso. It was not a human tailbone. It looked more like a spinal chord that traveled past her back. Muscles began growing over the bone as it grew longer and longer, not stopping until it was six or seven meters long. After the muscles covered every inch of her tail, scales grew over it. At long last, Lin was completely healed.

“I have finally found you, god child.”

I wanted to make sure Lin was going to be okay, but the voice that spoke to me, which sounded like two people were speaking at the same time, did not grant me the chance. Gently setting Lin on the ground, I moved to stand protectively in front of her and glared at the person I hated more than anyone else in this entire world.

“It’s been a long time, Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain… or should I call you Führer?” I paused and narrowed my eyes. “Or would Sekbeist Overlord be better?”

“So you figured out who I really am.” The Sekbeist Overlord chuckled. “It seems you have been quite busy these past several years, but you are not the only one. I have traveled across multiple dimensions, acquiring more knowledge and power. I even managed to finally suppress the poor soul who attempted to seal me away.” His expression darkened as he glared at me. “I was even able to finally figure out what you are, god child.”

God child was a new one for me. The last time he and I met, he had called me a half-blood, which was what most of the Sekbeist called me.

“Indeed, I had assumed you were a half-blood since you lived on this lower realm, but I have since uncovered the truth… though I have no intention of telling you.” The Sekbeist Overlord grinned as if he could read my mind. I noticed immediately that the arm Kari had cut off was completely healed. “There is no fun in letting my enemy know something that won’t bring him despair.”

As the Sekbeist Overlord spoke, Kari, Fay, and Siv came to stand beside me. All of them looked like they were ready for combat, even Siv who did not like fighting. They knew who this man was since I had told them. He was my most hated enemy, the man I wanted revenge against more than anyone else.

However, there were some things that were more important than revenge.

“I want you three to take Lin and leave Nevaria,” I said. “Take a Warp Gate to the Northern Plains.”

“Absolutely not,” Kari said.

“Kari…”

“I am not leaving you.” Kari did not look at me, still glaring at the man calmly standing several feet away. “Do not forget that Kayli was also my daughter. This man killed her, killed me, and made you suffer for who knows how many years. If I cannot help you get revenge on him, then I’m not fit to be your wife.”

“I also… want to help,” Siv admitted, and she actually did look at me. “I do not like fighting… but I am strong. I can help.”

I wanted to argue with them, to tell them there was no need for them to join me in what might be death, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince them, just as I knew we had no time to argue.

With a sigh, I looked at Fay. “Please take Lin and head to Midgard.”

Fay’s expression shifted into one of reticence, and I knew she also wanted to remain here and fight beside me. She also knew that someone had to get Lin out of there. This battle was going to be destructive, and an unconscious woman would not survive it. We also had to consider our son. I assumed he was already at Midgard. Someone needed to watch after him, and she knew this.

“Promise me you will return,” Fay said.

I smiled. “I promise.”

“That goes for you two as well.” Fay looked at Kari and Siv.

“I do not plan on dying here,” Kari stated with confidence.

“Me neither,” Siv added.

Fay sighed, though whether in relief or frustration I did not know, picked up Lin, and used the Flash Step to disappear. I hoped she was traveling toward the Nevarian Braves headquarters.

The Sekbeist Overlord did not stop Fay from leaving. I wondered if it was arrogance or wariness that kept him from trying to go after them. Regardless, his eyes did not leave us as he shifted his gaze from me to Kari.

“I remember you. Back when I did not have complete control over this body, you were among the many who died by my hands.”

“And I remember you,” Kari stated as she extended her hand, a ranseur made of light appearing before her. She grabbed it, twirled the weapon around her body, and pointed the bladed point at him. “You are the one who killed my child. I will see you dead for what you have done.”

“Hmph. You are welcome to try.” His gaze finally shifted away from Kari and locked onto Siv, who stiffened. “Ah. I did not expect to see a drakvar here. You are quite powerful for one so young, but it seems you have not unlocked your full potential. You can only control the wind element right now.” He shook his head and chuckled. “How sad. You three will never be able to defeat me with the power you have now.”

I could tell this man was not bluffing. The sense I got from him that he had grown far stronger than the last time we fought, but I was still confident that we could win. He was not the only one who had grown stronger.

“I would like to hear you say that after I kick your face in,” I said as Spiritual Power exploded from my body.

Since this was a battle against the greatest enemy I had ever faced, I held nothing back. Multiple elements erupted from my body like a geyser. Lightning. Water. Wind. Fire. Earth. Light. Darkness. The seven elements, the so-called lower level concepts, swirled around my body before I took them back in. I exerted my will and compressed them inside of my body.

There were no outward changes as I compressed every element inside of myself. This was different from when I used the Third or even Fourth State of Spiritualism. The first stage was called Lightning-Water Body, which was what I used during my battle against Gudbrand and the Drage Family elders. This was the next logical step. Elemental Body.

It was my ultimate trump card.

Standing beside me, Kari and Lin also erupted with Spiritual Power.

Kari’s body transformed into a being of light, so luminous that looking directly at her could sear a person’s vision, burning their eyes. This was my first time seeing her activate the ultimate power people who attain the Fourth State of Spiritualism can use. It was far different from our previous life when she’d only been at the Third State. The power coming from her was nearly ten times greater than back then.

Siv’s transformation was even more impressive. Loud snapping sounds echoed from her body as she grew larger. Her hands and feet became clawed and covered in glistening silvery green scales, her limbs became thick and strong, her tail grew from two meters to nearly twelve, and her body shifted from human to something reptilian. Siv let out a dragon’s roar as her face shifted from that of a human’s to a reptilian muzzle covered in scales. Her leathery lips peeled back to reveal sharp teeth. Romboidal green eyes retained the soft look I knew so well. Siv’s dragon form was magnificent, beautiful and elegant and full of power.

The Great Overlord--no, the Sekbeist Overlord did not stop us from transforming. He crossed his arms and smiled. There was a look of excitement in his eyes, a gleam that I vaguely recognized as battle lust. It galled me to think that this man was looking forward to our fight. All I wanted was to kill him.

“You seem pretty confident in your victory,” I said as I stepped forward.

“But of course.” The Sekbeist Overlord uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his sides. “You might have attained great mastery over lower-level concepts, but I have finally managed to attain complete mastery over two high-level concepts--the two highest level concepts.”

As he spoke, light and dark energies erupted from his body. The ground beneath his feet began vanishing as the dark power ate away at it, like it was erasing the ground’s very existence. However, the white energy seemed to restore the ground back to its original appearance.

“The powers of the void and the powers of creation. Negation and creation. What a magnificent combination.” The Sekbeist Overlord held up his hands. The right hand was suddenly covered in dark energy, while the left became covered in white energy. “No other being in this universe can use two such opposing powers. Even without my original body and heart, I am far stronger than I have ever been. Once I leave this mudball behind, I will be able to return home and destroy all those who opposed me. Yama won’t stand a chance against me now! I will crush that arrogant god beneath my heel!”

I had no idea what this man was talking about, but I didn’t care. I could figure everything else out later. All I wanted to do right now was kill this man.

Spatial cracks appeared around my body as I moved so fast it looked like I had teleported. I was standing right next to the Sekbeist Overlord before he could even blink. My foe seemed neither surprised nor shocked, however, and as I launched my fist at his face, he merely grinned and lifted a hand.

He caught my fist like it was nothing.

“What?”

Before I could figure out how he’d caught my fist, I felt something powerful slam into my gut. I would have screamed, but I could not even draw breath. It felt like his kick had broken through my rib cage and crushed my spine.

His attack would have blown me back, but he had a fierce grip on my hand, and he kept hold of me as he reared his other fist back. The dark energy of the void gathered in his hand. I could tell he was going to try and kill me in a single blow.

Once again, his arm was cut off at the elbow, and this time I was able to see how it reformed within seconds. The white Spiritual Power was able to completely reform his limb within less than a second. Fortunately, less than a second was all I needed.

Swinging my left hand upward, I channeled the light element into a fierce blade that extended from my limb and severed the hand gripping me. The water element circulated through my body as I leapt back, healing my internal injuries quickly, though not as fast as the Sekbeist Overlord regrew his hand.

At that moment, a loud roar echoed all around us as Siv appeared from above. Wind gathered together near her crown-shaped horns. The swirling mass rotated faster and faster, forming an intense spinning ball that released a bell-like shriek, which she launched moment’s later.

Kari and I leapt back even further so we wouldn’t be caught up in the technique. I expected the attack to tear into the Sekbeist Overlord, but that was not what happened.

The Sekbeist Overlord raised his hand and a black nebula of swirling and ominous energy appeared before him. Siv’s attack struck the nebula, entered it, and disappeared.

“What did he do?!” Kari shouted.

I could not answer her. The nebula transformed into a spinning disc of darkness that flew at me and Kari. I knew instinctively that this was not an attack we could block, so I grabbed Kari and disappeared within a Flash Step. However, just as I reappeared, the Sekbeist Overlord appeared before us.

I only had enough time to push Kari out of the way before I was kicked in the chest. The attack broke through my body, hardened by the earth, and sent me hurtling to the ground. Earth exploded around me as the ground collapsed and formed a massive crater. While it hurt, it was not as bad as that first attack, and I leapt to my feet as the water element healed all my injuries.

Leaping out of the crater, I found Kari and Siv simultaniously attacking the Sekbeist Overlord from two different directions. A spear of wind flew toward him from the front, while Kari created a massive ranseur that was at least ten meters long and threw it at his back. Neither attack reached him. The Sekbeist Overlord raised his hands and created two nebulas that intercepted the attacks.

I appeared in front of him just before Kari’s and Siv’s attacks disappeared. The Sekbeist Overlord’s eyes finally widened, but I paid it no mind as I combined fire and wind into my fist. The wind fed the fire, turning the orange flames into a brilliant white. Then I slammed my fist into his chest and released all that Spiritual Power in a single burst.

The results impressed even me.

An explosion so powerful that even I was pushed back, skidding along the ground as a white nova of energy erupted between me and the Sekbeist Overlord. I had to shut my eyes to avoid being blinded. A loud rumbling echoed in my ears and the ground shook so fiercely it felt like everything was falling apart. Debris pelted my body, but I was using the earth element to make myself more durable.

The light died down. I opened my eyes and found myself staring in awe at the gigantic crater in front of me. I couldn’t judge its size, but it must have been at least a hundred meters across. Nothing was left in this area, and even the buildings that had been in the vicinity were gone. Was this caused by my attack?

Siv and Kari landed beside me.

“Did that kill him?” asked Kari.

I would have answered, but someone else spoke before I could even open my mouth.

“What do you think?”

Spinning around, I discovered the Sekbeist Overlord standing behind us, his clothes torn but his body pristine. There were a few scratches and cuts, but those healed up almost before I could even notice them. However, while his body had not sustained any visible damage, his expression was ugly.

“I did not expect that you would be able to combine low level concepts to create such a powerful attack. It looks like I have greatly underestimated you once again. Prepare yourself, god child. You and your companions will suffer greatly for this affront.”

Not giving any of us a chance to even more, the Sekbeist Overlord’s body erupted with darkness. It was not the darkness element. It was the void, the power of negation that I was only now beginning to understand was the most terrifying power I’d ever seen.

Pain. Pain eroded my body as this power ate into me. However, the two screams beside me gave me the strength to push it back. My wives were in danger. I grabbed their hands and leapt back, away from the Sekbeist Overlord. While the pain left, phantom twinges of agony still raced through my body, though even now I was using the water element to heal.

My wives were not so lucky. They could not use the water element, but I circulated it through their bodies, which were a wreck. Whatever this void was, it had eaten into their chests, exposing their muscles and rib cages. Healing this required me to channel more Spiritual Power than I would have liked, but I couldn’t afford to be stingy.

Sadly, I only had enough time to heal them before the Sekbeist Overlord appeared in front of us. I let them go and leapt forward to attack, creating a two meter Dragon’s Tail Ruler made from all seven elements and swinging it down like I was going to crush his head. The Sekbeist Overlord merely raised a hand, caught the weapon, and channeled the void. The dark energy erupted from his hand and ate away at it. Barely a second passed before my weapon was gone.

“I told you that you’re power is nowhere near enough to defeat me,” The Seikbeist Overlord exclaimed. “Let me show you what someone who has mastered the highest tier concepts can do.”

I used the Flash Step to put some distance between us, but the area around me seemed to distort as the Sekbeist Overlord appeared right before me. I couldn’t figure out what happened. This wasn’t speed. It was like he had simply transported himself from one place to another in an instant. He was even faster than Kari when she transformed into light.

The Void once more gathered in his hand as he thrust it forward. I had no time to dodge. All I could do was block.

I bit back a scream of pain as I met his fist with my own. The Void was eating into my hand, but I channeled all seven elements into my fist, causing it to glow a brilliant rainbow color that forced the void back. For a brief moment, I thought I might be able to fight against this vile power. It was only for a moment. The void soon overpowered my own, and I screamed in agony as my hand was consumed.

“Fool.” The Sekbeist Overlord sneered. “Low level concepts cannot compete with a high level concept. Let me show you your folly.”

I was certain the Sekbeist Overlord was about to kill me, but I was saved once again when something tore through my enemy’s chest. The Sekbeist Overlord grunted in shock as he looked down. What had emerged from his chest was actually the bladed end of a golden ranseur, a weapon I was intimately familiar with.

“Get away from my husband,” Kari snarled behind the Sekbeist Overlord as she twisted the weapon, widening the wound in the Sekbeist Overlord’s chest.

With an enraged howl, the Sekbeist Overlord destroyed the weapon with the void, spun around, and backhanded Kari. The attack was so powerful and vicious that my wife was lifted off her feet and plowed into a building several hundred meters away. I watched in rage as the building collapsed, but a roar from above made me leap back. Siv swooped down and slammed a giant clawed hand infused with cutting winds onto the Sekbeist Overlord, smashing him flat and tearing apart his body.

Or so I thought.

Siv released an agonized wail as her entire limb suddenly disappeared. I couldn’t explain what happened. It was like a dark flame had erupted from beneath her, transformed into a massive jaw, and devoured her arm. Blood spewed from the stump and splattered against the ground. Meanwhile, the Sekbeist Overlord glared at Siv, rage flashing in his eyes.

I could tell he wanted to kill my wife, but I would not let him. I appeared in front of him long before he could attack and slammed several powerful punches into his torso. A loud bang like gunpowder exploding echoed in my ear. Dents formed on the Sekbeist Overlord’s body as my fist’s caved in his ribs, but they healed over instantly. Even so, I kept this up as I continued to attack--until the Sekbeist Overlord recovered and hit me with a punch so powerful my world went black.