NOVEL NEXT Chapter 434: Push And Pull
"Will he be alright?" Lilith asked as she raced towards the tower, glancing at where Thorn had sent himself and Tam flying.
"It's Thorn." Ren simply said. "He'll be okay."
They didn't stop on their way to the tower, and as they neared it, Ren swept Lilith into his arms, and Pushed off the ground, sending them soaring into the air.
He maintained the Push as they climbed upwards, and in a few seconds, they streaked over the roof of the tower.
He cancelled his push, and Lilith applied a small Pull to the surface of the tower roof, making sure they would land in the right place.
A second later, there was a crack as they landed on the stone roof of the tower. Ren set Lilith down, his eyes taking in the battlefield.
Every layer of Carthage seemed to be on fire, with some having a large number of fights going on in them.
In the far distance, there was a layer that had been flattened into rubble, and three streaks of light fought in the middle, sending shockwaves out every few seconds.
Judging by the shades of the streaks of light, it would be the Carthage Warden of Law, Death, and Lady Luna engaged in battle. It seemed like they'd been going at it for a while. Very soon, a winner would emerge. They really were running out of time.
In another layer not too far from there, a piece of the sun was fighting with two streaks of darkness. Ren winced at the brightness of the light. Any normal human or weak Knight who looked directly at the blob of fire would instantly go blind.
Those fights were none of his business. All he needed was the Elder's Building.
"Where are you?" He muttered under his breath, eyes roving the layers in search of it.
"What does it look like?" Lilith said from beside him, trying to help.
"Look for any building with a giant dome atop it."
"Got it." Lilith nodded, moving to the opposite side of the rooftop.
Ren strained, trying to find the building, but visibility was low due to the haze of thick, dark smoke filling the air.
"Damn it." He muttered under his breath. "Anything?" He raised his voice, asking Lilith.
The mountain sprawled around them, the layers stretching from one horizon to the other.
"Nothing." Lilith called back to him. "Too much smoke."
Ren sucked in a breath through his teeth. There was only one option. If he wanted to find the Elder's Building, he'd have to go higher. It increased the chances of people seeing and attacking him, but he was willing to take the risk.
"Come." He told Lilith.
When she walked to him, he swept her up in his arms again. Then, he gathered his resonance loop and Pushed below him, the rooftop shattering with a loud crack.
The force sent him soaring through the air, Lilith in his arms. He shot upwards, the wind howling louder in their ears.
In a few seconds, they hovered above the entire city of Carthage, with Ren putting constant pressure on the earth below them, using up large amounts of his resonance loop.
In spite of the carnage happening below, he had to admit that the sight was beautiful. Carthage sprawled over the 27th Peak, each layer looking like a haphazardly drawn rectangle.
Surrounding the 27th Peak, were the other mountains of the Arondale mountain range, sitting immobile in the distance like observers of the war.
"There!" Lilith called out, pointing below them.
Ren turned his head, staring at the structure. That was indeed the unmistakable roundness of a dome.
With an exhale of relief, he cut off the pressure on the ground, and they dropped like a stone.
Streaking down through the air towards the dome, they quickly arrived at terminal velocity. The wind snatched at their clothes, trying to pull them apart, but Ren held on to his wife, not letting her budge from his grip.
As they neared the ground, he slowly began increasing the pressure of his Push resonance on the ground, slowing their fall.
He maneuvered and they streaked downward, and a second later, landed in front of the Elder's Building. Their impact cracked the ground, sending dust, rubble, and a slight shockwave through the air.
When the air settled, they looked up to see they had been surrounded by what looked like a squad from Death's army.
Ren let Lilith down, exhaling. His Vine Armor crawled across his skin, covering him once more as he glanced at the soldiers.
Lilith's knives had appeared in her arms, and they stood to each other's backs, watching the squad.
The squad watched them warily. It always wasn't a good idea to attack people that had just fallen from the sky, and were unharmed.
Ren noticed the wary look in their eyes, and the hints of fear they were trying to hide. He chuckled, tilting his head in amusement. "What are we waiting for?"
One of the soldiers stepped forward, and as he took his second step, courage began to enter his comrades again. They followed after him, and an instant later, they roared, streaking towards Ren and Lilith from all directions.
"Pull." Ren snapped, instructing Lilith.
The moment he felt her Pull resonance snap on him, holding them in place, he raised a hand and Pushed in a complete circle around him.
The eyes of the soldiers widened as their momentum suddenly stopped, then was reversed, sending them flying off in a wave of Push resonance.
Lilith's knives streaked after them, reaping life one after the other. A few seconds later, she recalled her knives, catching each one of them.
Ren stepped forward, arm stretched, then emptied the contents of his bracers on the soldiers still alive, blasting them into chunks of flesh with his kinetic energy.
Within moments, the courtyard was silent again.
Exchanging glances, they looked up at the Elder's Building.
On high alert, they made their way up the stairs, passing the beautifully designed columns, before stopping in front of its tall, blue doors.
Placing a hand on each door, Ren pushed it open. The door resisted for a second, before groaning, then swinging open.
They walked into the large hall, their boots echoing with each step they took.
The hall was large, with nine columns holding up the high ceiling, each one representing each Warden of Carthage.
Embedded into the ceilings were white orbs, their light shining down and illuminating the hall, even through the damage the city had suffered.
But most surprising was the man standing at the other end of the hall.
"Hah! We meet again!"