Immortal Paladin

323 King of the Wild

[POV: David_69]

The Nameless City burned with light and ruin. Angels poured from spires, alleys, and shattered rooftops, their wings blotting out the golden dome above.

Dave stood in the midst of it, his fangs bared, his golden hair blazing with streaks of black. The Holy Sword in his hand pulsed with untamed quintessence.

"Hybrid Skill. Radiant Arc. Divine Smite."

His voice was guttural, carrying the wild growl of the Animal Soul within him.

The sword burned bright gold, trailing divine fire with every motion. He slashed an angel in half, pivoted, blocked an axe that hammered into his back, then spun to parry an arrow mid-flight. His feet slid across the stone street as he danced around one attacker, then lunged forward, stabbing through the chest of another. Everywhere he pushed, golden rays unfurled in his wake, scars of light carved into the battlefield.

"Zealot's Stride."

Light flared beneath his boots. His stride carried him faster than a mortal eye could follow. He sprinted to the side of a building, narrowly twisting past an angel's thrusting spear. In the same motion, he stepped into the air as though the heavens themselves had given him footing. Leaping high, he landed atop another roof, then sprang again, cutting through an angel mid-flight before rising higher still.

The growl of the Animal Soul inside his mind deepened.

"Show them your might!"

He obliged.

The Radiant Arc traced through the sky like a comet's tail, carving a long curve of light that split angels apart. The skill did not end with the cut. Delayed bursts of pain bloomed within his victims, their bodies shattering into motes of golden dust long after his blade had passed them.

The Divine Smite, layered atop it, scorched them further. Flames of radiant power crawled along their broken wings until they burst into ash, leaving nothing but silence in their place.

Together, the hybrid skill birthed devastation. Trails of golden light lingered, exploding into radiant arcs that lashed outward. The angels who dared chase him found their bodies burning, their wings breaking, until one by one they disintegrated into fading light.

Dave's chest heaved as he looked ahead, hovering high in the air.

"We are almost there." His voice was rough, threaded with a growl as his gaze locked onto the Summit Hall at the heart of the Nameless City. It loomed like a crown of gold and stone, waiting.

He gripped the Holy Sword in both hands, lifting it aloft. The growling within him surged louder, more insistent.

Dave roared. "Hybrid Skill… Divine Smite! War Smite! Holy Smite!"

The blade descended, and with it, his will. A golden arc tore free, crashing downward with cataclysmic force. The strike burned with raw power from Divine Smite, bursting with holy damage, War Smite hurling foes aside with a concussive blast, and Holy Smite piercing outward in radiant lines. The quintessence within the Holy Sword screamed as Dave poured everything into it. The blade shattered into motes of white light, dispersing from his grip.

"Let me lend my strength to you," cried the Animal Soul, "And I shall dwell in your strike."

The arc did not fade. It swelled, warped, and then surged into the form of a giant golden dog, its body shimmering with primal light. It charged forward with unstoppable force, ramming through angels, tearing through sanctified buildings, and leaving a straight blazing line carved across the Nameless City.

The ground shook. The path to the Summit Hall lay open.

Dave lowered his hand, his breathing heavy, fangs glinting in the golden light of his transformation.

Behind him, the air crackled with thunder. Tao Long appeared, his form still half-draconic, horns curling, scales glittering, his spear humming with stormlight. His voice was sharp, almost a snarl.

"Never do that again, Dave. Don't you dare cut ahead of the group so belligerently."

When Dave saw the opportunity, he took it. The angels had numbers, speed, and endless ferocity, but no commander. Their movements, though precise, lacked the sharp edge of strategy. He remembered what true angelic formations looked like back in Losten, when every unit had been guided by a higher will. Compared to that, these angels were flawed.

When the gap appeared, Dave did not hesitate. He struck forward, the Holy Sword blazing with gold. His body became a streak of divine light, carving through their ranks like a knife through butter. The creatures tried to rally, wings beating as weapons thrust, but their rhythm crumbled.

Behind him, his comrades surged. Zai Ai, Yi Qiu, and Tao Long were more than capable of following through on his breach, each striking with their own fury. Still, Dave knew one among them would not accept the excuse of opportunity.

He glanced at Tao Long. Dave's eyes fell to Tao Long's spear. Its shaft was chipped, its edge battered.

"It won't happen again," Dave said evenly.

Tao Long's gaze narrowed, molten eyes lingering on him. "They better don't." He dismissed the great spear once more, storing it away in his pocket dimension with a motion of his hand, unwilling to risk it further against the angels' dreadful Reflect ability.

The ground quaked. From behind, a tall building shattered as a shadow burst through its walls.

Zai Ai's mechanized dragon crashed through the ruins, its metallic body gleaming with arrays. She stood perched atop its forehead, her saber Raindrop orbiting around her. The blade weaved between the angels, cutting them apart with merciless grace.

At the same time, her hands never stilled. She bent over scraps of angelic wings, torn metal, and strange debris. With skillful movements, she refined the pieces on the spot, weaving them into new weapons such as daggers, axes, and swords. They hovered around her like satellites. The weapons twitched, then launched, carving into the angelic swarm at her command.

Her voice slipped into the air, layered with qi, echoing directly into their minds. "Please tell me the two of you are not slowing down."

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To their right, another building erupted into fire and blood. Lava burst outward, mixed with a torrent of fiery qi. From the blaze emerged Yi Qiu, his fists striking like meteors. His every blow crushed angels into ruin, scattering their remains in smoking trails. He fought with pure ferocity, each strike clearing a path as if daring the heavens themselves to oppose him.

Dave said nothing. His golden tail lashed behind him as he cast Holy Sword once more.

"Let's go," said Tao Long. "We can't let them do all the work now, can we?"

Together, they surged forward, carving their way into the sea of unending angels.

Dave's body blazed with gold as Zealot's Stride flared beneath his boots. Each step carried him faster, farther, carving him ahead of the others as the sharp arrow point of their formation. His Holy Sword shone in his hand, leaving radiant trails through angel after angel, cleaving open the path forward.

Above, Zai Ai's dragon writhed and coiled in the sky. Its metal hide peeled under the relentless strikes of wings, blades, and arrows, but it slithered with precision. She guided it up and down, weaving between collapsing towers and swarming angels, minimizing the blows that struck its frame. Raindrop whirled around her like a halo of steel, slashing through any angel that dared to breach too close.

Behind them, Tao Long and Yi Qiu anchored the rear. The dragon-blooded warrior's claws glowed with lightning as he cleaved apart wings with bare strikes, while Yi Qiu's fists detonated the air, punching through bodies and shattering weapons with sheer force. Together, they protected Dave's flank, ensuring the arrow point could stay sharp.

"How far!?" Yi Qiu's voice rang out, carried by Qi Speech, so it cut across the chaos.

"Just a bit more!" Dave answered, his golden tail lashing behind him like a second sword as he cut down another angel in his path. Then his tone shifted, carried in the silent whisper of qi. "Be careful. There's something strange going on."

Zai Ai added. "Yes… The Heavenly Temple is rather protective of their territories, righteously claimed or not. With them not sending cultivators our way? I find it strange."

"With this many angels?" argued Tao Long. "I think they are confident enough we'll be barred by these creatures."

Dave's jaw tightened. If only they had acquired the secret method by which the Heavenly Temple had tamed the angels, made them ignore their own men while slaughtering outsiders. That knowledge alone could have turned the tide and stripped away this endless resistance.

But time was not theirs to waste. The longer they delayed, the greater the risk. The Heavenly Temple was not idle. The more hours passed, the more schemes would take shape, until this siege of the Nameless City could collapse entirely. Worse, it might be turned against them through some trick, diplomatic or violent.

The golden trails of Dave's sword carved forward, but his chest tightened with unease.

And then he heard it, low and guttural, rumbling through his bones.

"Danger. Be careful. Something comes."

If the Animal Soul within him shared his concern, then this could only lead badly for them. Dave's instincts had been gnawing at him from the moment they breached the golden dome.

The reason was simple: the angels were too weak.

Back in Losten, he had learned their measure well. Angels did not fight at a fixed strength; their power scaled to match their enemies. A band of seasoned warriors might face angels of monstrous ability, while weaker foes would encounter lesser ones. Yet here, in the Nameless City, the angels struck softer, their defenses thinner, and their tactics blunter.

It was wrong.

When Dave conferred with his Lord within the Animal Soul, the response had only sharpened his unease. Yes, these angels carried the same nature as those in Losten. Yes, their power should have adjusted. And yet, it had not.

'Then why are they breaking so easily?' Dave thought, cutting through another, watching it shatter into motes far too quickly. 'Is this a trap? Or worse, a distraction?'

His comrades were no mere cultivators. Each at the Tenth Realm, their strength rivaled the Demi-Gods and even the Champions of Losten. Dave had entered this battle with such calculations in mind, preparing for a struggle worthy of their caliber. His plan was built on speed, carve a path quickly, break through, and never linger. It was not pessimism but realism. He expected resistance.

Instead, he found fragility. And that made him wary.

The answer came in a thunderous voice that cracked across the golden dome.

"YOU DARE!"

The angels halted mid-strike, their wings folding back as though commanded by an unseen hand. Then, one by one, they retreated, their radiant forms peeling away to surround Dave's party in a vast, circling host.

Dave slowed, blade still glowing, as silence fell like a hammer.

Zai Ai landed at his side, Raindrop spinning lazily before locking into her grasp. Her dragon coiled above them, its massive body scarred but aloft. Yi Qiu and Tao Long dropped down as well, forming a loose line with Dave at its point.

The voice rang again, dripping with fury. "HOW DARE YOU INTRUDE UPON THE LAND OF THE DIVINE, FANATICS OF DA WEI!"

From above, a figure descended. A man, youthful, radiant, his face unscarred and handsome, his body armored in silver-gilded plates. From his back spread a pair of immaculate silver wings, each feather shimmering like starlight. His presence radiated judgment, authority, and arrogance.

He raised his sword, the air shimmering with divine power. "AS PROUD CRUSADER OF THE HEAVENLY TEMPLE, I SHALL PUNISH THEE!"

The golden dome itself seemed to echo his words.

Tao Long's roar split the air. His voice trembled with rage, every syllable dripping venom.

"FANG LIUXIAN! HOW DARE YOU BETRAY WARD!?"

Dave did not expect to hear Tao Long's voice ragged with fury, louder than the storm around them. His roar had cut across the dome, naming Fang Liuxian a betrayer.

"Ah, senior brother…" Fang Liuxian's tone was honeyed, though his eyes gleamed with cold disdain. "It's been a long time since I last saw you. But betray? You are mistaken! Master Shouquan himself came to me, promised me a position at his side. That is how I became his trusted sword. Not you! Never you!"

Tao Long's claws tightened, his teeth grinding audibly. "How dare you? Your brothers and sisters suffer from the Heavenly Temple's wrath. They have a list, Fang Liuxian! A list!"

The silver-winged cultivator's smile widened. "Hmmm… You must've met the Virtuous King. Do you know? It was I personally who sent the order to have him killed! If only he had agreed to join us, the righteous powers, mandated by the heavens to be this lowly world's caretaker!"

The admission cracked the air like a whip.

Dave's jaw clenched. He raised his Holy Sword but spoke sharply, cutting through Tao Long's trembling silence. "There's no talking to him, Tao Long. Leave him be—"

But Fang Liuxian's wrath turned instantly on Dave. "How dare you talk down to me, you lowly dog!"

Power erupted from him in a violent shockwave, pressing against the dome itself. The force rattled buildings, broke stone, and sent halos of divine light spiraling outward.

Zai Ai's voice was tight with disbelief. "Impossible… his power… It's at the Eleventh Realm. The Perfect Immortal."

Yi Qiu's fists trembled, not with fear but disbelief. "How is this possible? He should have gone insane!"

Fang Liuxian's smile sharpened into fanaticism. "Goddess Aixin chose me. She roused my hidden potential, and with her grace, I shall take my step among the ranks of gods!"

But Dave only shook his head, his golden eyes steady. "No, you won't. You are yet to step into the realm of the Ascended Soul, the realm of a True Perfect Immortal. In this world, perhaps you are strongest in cultivation alone. But in the face of true power, that is meaningless."

The Animal Soul stirred within him, and for the first time since he lost his Lordship, Dave felt his Lord's hand upon him again. Through the bond of the Holy Spirit and conduit, through the Animal Soul's channel, the blessing was lent. Immortality brushed against his veins, and power beyond his own welled up from the marrow of his bones. He had never thought he would feel this again. He had entered this battle intent on dying, with only his own strength to carry him forward. But now the blessing flowed into him, and the thought of Joan lit a fire behind his determination.

It happened all at once.

Dave's ears lengthened, growing sharp and pointed, not doglike but lupine. His tail unfurled, longer, thicker, golden fur bristling with power. His eyes gleamed, the gold splitting into beastly irises, a predator's gaze. The quintessence of the Holy Sword unraveled and folded back into him, burning along his veins, merging mana and qi as one.

His Mana Road ignited. The channels coincided with his meridians, blazing like rivers of molten light. His body surged taller by a foot or two, muscles taut, shoulders broad. His hands split through skin into claws, his feet tore through boots, toes lengthening into talons that cracked the stone beneath.

Fur erupted across his body, shimmering gold streaked with black. His face lengthened into the shape of a beast, half-wolf, and half-divine.

It all happened within a heartbeat.

And then, silence.

For when the power settled, the air itself bent beneath his presence. A wave of spiritual pressure burst outward from him, crushing, absolute.

Dave now exuded the majesty of a True Perfect Immortal, the realm of Ascended Soul.

"Bark for me, boy, and let's see who is the dog."