NOVEL NEXT Chapter 114: The Secret Moves
Brilliant golden beams lanced from the spears on Maelivar's side, crashing against the protective barriers Caelindor's forces had established.
In that brief reprieve, Tier 2 cultivators launched skyward on gravity-defying boots. They raised square shields, pumping mana into them to form another defensive network. Other soldiers deployed specialized weapons—guns and various artillery rounds—and returned fire.
Stealthed drones shimmered into view, intervening to block the projectiles and prevent the army from dealing significant damage.
Over a hundred soldiers followed Lachlan's orders, drawing swords and spears as they charged. They trusted their comrades to block the incoming ranged attacks.
Led by Ruby Voss, Maelivar's forces launched their own assault from behind Arthur, using the same gravity-defying boot technology.
Emrys Merinor remained beside her brother. Arthur smirked and crouched, the creak of his bones drowned by the surrounding chaos. Chin resting on his hand, he observed the battle with open boredom.
In an instant, the two sides clashed.
Metal rang on metal with sharp, grating shrieks. Mana fields bled energy, heating the atmosphere. Techniques from various Aspects were deployed with deadly precision: gouts of stone-melting fire hurled forth; water, no longer gentle, formed arcing blades that cleaved iron; earth buckled, forming sharp spikes to pierce any who blocked their path.
Special Aspects were harder to perceive. Zeryn's Sharp Aspect, for instance, was matched by a Tier 3 cultivator on the opposing side—a man who looked like a former city guard captain. This captain carved through the battlefield alone; Lachlan's experienced soldiers knew to avoid him, managing to hold their ground. Zeryn immediately shifted his attention to this worthy opponent. A flash of his sword light forced all Tier 2 soldiers back, clearing an arena for the duel. The enemy captain wielded a dao, his strikes creating fierce whistles as his own Sharp Aspect tore apart the very dust in the air. Zeryn's eyes lit up. He pointed his sword at his foe, shifted his stance, and the duel began.
Elsewhere, Lachlan battled another Tier 3 cultivator and their Tier 2 entourage. The Major showed no hesitation, weaving fluidly through the enemy ranks. He used his Lightning Aspect to perfection; with each flash of crackling blue light, his enemies' faces turned ashen. The lightning blades in his hands cut down the opposing energy spears as if they were nothing.
The mysterious wind-element swordsman with Lachlan engaged a Tier 3 opponent, while the Gravity Aspect user fell back to support the main army. This purple-robed figure quickly proved his worth. Every soldier he supported could turn defeat into victory, either moving with unnatural lightness to dodge attacks or striking with full power as localized gravity returned. Conversely, enemies might miss as their own movements were suddenly hampered by increased gravity. He also deployed the specialized gravity discs that had once troubled Nathan's team, hindering the enemy's advance. As with the golem, managing such a large area of effect left the gravity user's face streaming with sweat.
To assist, Nathan had given everyone a special meal before they entered the stronghold. Unfortunately, they lacked his [Digestive Efficiency] skill. With their varied metabolisms, he couldn't be sure how long the food's benefits would last.
The disciples around him charged forward. They knew clustering was a mistake—wise, perhaps, but cowardly. Having come this far, they had to contribute. All their training at the Verdant Spire Sect was meant for moments just like this. Frank and Elen quickly proved that while disciples lacked the discipline of soldiers, they were formidable. Alone, each could handle double or triple their number in foes.
Disciples from other sects applied similar, tremendous pressure on Maelivar's forces.
The royal guards were the most striking. Clad in gleaming golden armor, they shone like spotlights in the darkness. A palpable pressure intensified around them, making movement difficult for anyone with hostile intent.
Thus, the battle lines held, maintaining a fragile balance.
Nathan punched aside a soldier's spear thrust. His [Martial Arts Mastery] made reading opponents almost reflexive, and the keen senses from his Physical Cultivation banished fear. He advanced without needing spirit vision, carving a straight path as none could stop him.
The enemy, sensing his Spirit Cultivation at Tier 2 Phase 5, only sent Tier 2s to block him. He was confident he could sweep them aside. Months ago, at a mere Phase 1, he had held off ten Mirothean spies alone. Even if he couldn't win then, he could avoid defeat. Now, he was far stronger.
The current situation was similar. Maelivar's forces lacked Lachlan's high organization, but they still supported each other effectively. His strikes couldn't finish an opponent immediately; any follow-up attempt was instantly blocked.
This didn't concern Nathan; he was still making progress. The enemy's Tier 3s were ignoring him, leaving him free to target the most important figure: Arthur Merinor.
He was uncertain if he could defeat the man who had subdued Adrian. But Adrian lacked a weapon Nathan possessed: Nora. After a period of rest, the mysterious withered tree had produced another dose. If the worst came to pass, he would use it to restrain Arthur.
His footwork was a storm. [Amplifying Strike], [Flowing Strike], and the skills he'd built around the fourth-attack pattern unleashed small explosions. A single blow was enough to bring down anyone who approached. The energy-recovery food, accelerated by [Digestive Efficiency], made him a terrifying force. The soldiers, no longer following instructions to rush him, hovered hesitantly at a distance as he advanced like a fierce tiger.
The thought of tigers made him regret Argentius's absence. The beast had mentioned it was breaking through to Tier 3—truly terrible timing.
Why was he charging headfirst into danger, targeting the one man everyone else avoided? Arthur sat there surveying the battle like a completely unconcerned chess player. His earlier words about Nathan and Daniel seemed meaningless; he clearly didn't care if they lived or died. Arthur seemed to follow orders, but the results were purely according to his whim. If he chose to act, Nathan knew he would face immediate difficulty. Amid the chaos, Nathan perceived the instability on the enemy side.
Their chain of command wasn't solid; they acted out of fear of Arthur Merinor, or whatever force stood behind him. The alliance between Duke Kael Voss and House Merinor—even their pact with Mirothea—might not be as strong as it appeared. Could Caelindor exploit this?
He met those indifferent eyes, and understanding clicked into place. The connections linked together—no, they had been linked for a long time. He had just been too afraid to face it.
The incident at Emberwood. It was all directly related to Arthur and his family. Gideon's mother. The children. The people who just wanted to leave that village for a new life. He multiplied that horror by other villages... Nightmares across the human world, all to supply nora to Arthur Merinor. The man didn't care about methods; his cruelty was terrifyingly inhuman. Children and the elderly were just tools, items to trade with Mirothea or the Umbral Dominion.
Now, Arthur was targeting him. Nathan knew the purpose wasn't just the nora, but also his cooking. His greatest fear had come to pass: showing his talent had made him prey. He couldn't escape the terrifying possibility that the enemy held rare Aspects like entropy... and he would become the missing piece they needed to elevate those powers and bring ruin.
If so, he would give his all to this battle. He would do anything to help Lachlan seize victory.
He grabbed a soldier's spear and yanked hard. The soldier in black armor stumbled, his face contorting within the helmet's gap. Nathan then pointed a finger at a spot on the man's armor; his force pierced the mana shield like it was paper-thin.
[Martial Arts Mastery] lived up to its Ultra Rare rank, providing a vast ocean of knowledge. Nathan lacked the time to explore it all, focusing instead on his most-used forms: fist, leg, and sword techniques. The true terror of Level 3, however, was the ability to inflict internal injuries. By compressing mana in a specific pattern, a practitioner could deal tremendous damage with a simple-looking maneuver.
He was doing exactly that. Pointing a single finger at the armor, he delivered a hidden strike. The first stage merely sent the soldier flying backward. The real cruelty began after Nathan had already moved on to his next opponent.
The energy he left behind penetrated skin and burrowed into the internal organs. This compressed mana also contained his Lunar Aspect—the same energy that had once made him suffer endlessly. Once inside, it was released, rampaging through the soldier's body, cutting blood vessels and organs. The man spilled blood from his mouth, nose, and eyes before collapsing, unable to rise.
Nathan knew this wasn't an absolute killing technique. Geniuses like Zeryn or Xander could use Intent to detect and eliminate it. Lachlan could remain calm, manipulating his mana to isolate the hidden strike and expel it. The technique only worked so well now because, as the Verdant Spire elders had assessed, his martial arts resembled an ancient school, not modern cultivation. Such unknown techniques required keen senses to defend against—a stability these soldiers lacked in the chaos of war.
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One by one, those who fell into Nathan's attack range suffered the same consequences. The soldiers were left severely injured by internal organ damage, but they were not dead. With a cultivator's physique, they would survive if they received timely medical treatment. In the end, Nathan still couldn't bring himself to kill, despite what he'd told himself.
Surprised, fearful, and respectful gazes followed him. Everyone knew Nathan was one of the top 64 talents, but they hadn't realized he was this terrifying—so terrifying that only a higher-tier opponent could stop him.
The air grew oppressive as Ruby Voss separated from a group of soldiers and strode toward Nathan.
The surrounding soldiers, understanding the implication, stepped aside to give them space.
The crimson-eyed girl stared at Nathan, a whipsword in her hand. Fresh blood dripped from the blade, trickling to the ground.
"Nathan Reed," Ruby hissed, "it's time to settle our debt from The Shifting Trials. Did you think you could exploit me and just walk away?"
"You know, I find myself agreeing more and more with my actions that day," Nathan replied, crossing his arms.
"Crude bastard. You're so talkative. Did you think you could divide me from Arthur with a few slanderous words? I want to see if you can still run your mouth after I cut out your tongue."
A sound like a rattlesnake's tail. The coiled whip snapped straight, its serrated edges screaming through the air as it slashed across Nathan's chest in an instant.
Fast!
Nathan instantly drew on his Lightning Essence, vanishing as her follow-up attack arrived.
He drew his sword, slashing at the space where the back of her head should have been, but his hand met only air.
Triggered [Tingling Sense]. One credit given.
Triggered [Adrenaline Boost]. One credit given.
In that same instant, he saw the terrifying whipsword wrap around his shadow and tear it to pieces.
They separated. Ruby frowned, but the expression quickly melted into a smile of interest.
"No wonder the higher-ups want you," she said. "First, you hit those weaklings with Lunar Aspect. Now, you're using Lightning. Combined with your Physical Cultivation, your reactions are superb. But I suspect there's something else. That alone isn't enough for a Tier 2 to stand so firm against a Tier 3. Right?"
Nathan fought to remain impassive. [Aura of Calm] worked at full capacity as he recalled Vincent's warning: his spirit could easily betray emotions through its wavelengths. He focused on controlling his heartbeat, his breathing, his blood flow—anything to present a calm, unreadable surface. If he controlled his body, his spirit wouldn't emit any clues.
He couldn't afford to lose the battle of strength or the battle of wills.
"I see." Ruby smirked. "So I am right."
Nathan's eyes narrowed involuntarily.
Her lips spread wider in a delighted laugh.
"At least you tried, hmm? Better than most, I'll admit. But there are far too many gaps a fool like you wouldn't even know exist."
They circled each other cautiously.
"Wondering what your little brain let slip?" Ruby's voice was sharp. "It wasn't your brain. It was your body. An automatic response to danger. Your instincts. They showed me exactly what I needed to see. You understand how important and dangerous your little secret is, so the moment my words registered, your body reacted against your will."
Nathan listened intently, shocked that such a minute detail could be exploited. Still, he maintained an outward and inward coldness. He had been prepared for this.
"Your tiny brain only thinks in yes-or-no responses," Ruby continued, her tone laced with condescension as she casually swung her weapon. "But neither 'yes' nor 'no' would have been right. Even if you'd controlled your spirit, your body already gave me the answer. What you should have done is create a third path: seize that initial flicker of panic and redirect it into another emotion. Suspicion, perhaps. Or curiosity. Then I wouldn't be so certain."
Despite the verbal lashing, Nathan continued to match her movements. He knew Ruby was preparing something, but he let her continue. First, he wanted to absorb the lesson she was giving. Second, if she had cards to play, it was better to draw them out early, forcing her to expend energy. His fighting style had always been one of attrition and opportunism. He would not be arrogant enough to think he could overwhelm a Tier 3. His encounter with Big Ben was a constant, painful reminder to remain careful.
"I hope my lesson helps you when the higher-ups do try to pry those secrets out," Ruby taunted.
The moment she finished speaking, whipsword phantoms erupted around Nathan. They sprouted from the ground where she had previously stepped, growing like the thorny vines of Moirath Forest, only far sharper and deadlier.
Whistling and the rattling of joints filled his ears. He extended the sensory field from his [Martial Arts Mastery], and a map of the terrifying cage's attack patterns formed in his mind. Some points would harden, shifting like mechanisms to form an inescapable web. Others would remain flexible, lashing back and forth, leaving no room for escape. He could see the immediate future of the attack.
The moment Ruby raised her hand, the formation snapped shut.
Nathan moved instantly, vanishing with [Shadow Walk] as his hands blurred, unleashing the [Crescent Moon Art]. White arcs slashed at the whipswords, severing them, but Ruby reformed them just as quickly.
He tapped his Lightning Essence, transforming his body into bolts of lightning to weave within the cage. He didn't try to break out; his analysis had already shown him the outer layer was the most heavily defended.
But Nathan had no intention of escaping. Ruby Voss was clearly a key general on this battlefield. If he could keep her trapped here, pinning her down so Lachlan could find a path to Arthur, he was more than willing.
He was a moth flying into the flame, and danger welcomed him. He wasn't confident his Physical Cultivation could withstand Ruby's terrifying weapon; even with his high concentration, a few strikes slipped past his guard, scraping his Tier 3 armor and sparking small flames.
His confidence came from long-term preparation: abundant essence, mana refined for maximum efficiency, and a body free of blockages. Ruby tried to pressure him with her aura, but unlike the formation battle with Big Ben, his essence was unblocked. He wasn't affected. Even if he were, he had backup plans: part of his mind constantly monitored his Personal Space, ready to retrieve an item at a moment's notice.
"You're full of surprises, Nathan," Ruby said, her tone almost admiring. "We really should have established a relationship with you. As you are now, you're a more attractive asset than Zeryn Valtaris."
The pressure in the whipsword cage intensified. The phantoms, once easy to knock away, became more solid; his improved mana bullets no longer stopped them. Despite his best efforts to mask his movement patterns, several attacks slipped through his three layers of armor. He immediately activated [Berserker], imbuing his strikes with enough destructive force to create a gap.
"You just came out of nowhere," Ruby continued, circling him, expending mana as if she had no concern for depletion. "Our data on you was insufficient for a full assessment. But you showed us just enough at The Shifting Trials."
Hearing this, Nathan's composure wavered.
"Your Physical Cultivation was admirable," Ruby noted. "But that was the version of you from The Shifting Trials. You're no longer that person, are you?"
Trapped in the heat of battle, even [Aura of Calm] couldn't suppress the instinctive mental flicker.
Damn it! Someone shut this woman up!
"Good boy," Ruby said cheerfully, raising and lowering her hand in a patting gesture. "Answering so quickly when asked."
Unease rose in Nathan. According to Lachlan's intelligence and his own observations from the Trials, Ruby's Aspect was a fire type. Yet she hadn't used that power at all, relying entirely on her whipsword.
Lachlan's plan to weaken the opponent suddenly seemed precarious. The intelligence gap between the two sides was, once again, terrifyingly large.
"We built models around you, Nathan." Ruby's image blurred behind the whipsword matrix. "We knew you were a terrifying variable, so talented Artificers ran prediction models. Their conclusion? You're someone who always holds hidden cards. But hidden cards follow patterns. On the surface, it looks like you're using 100% of your strength, but your limit doesn't stop there. It goes to 110%, 120%... maybe even the 300% you hit when you transformed to fight the Lava Drake."
Nathan felt naked, exposed. He was a fascinating lab rat pinned under a researcher's lens, all because he'd shown how special he was.
His senses registered the space gradually heating up. Ruby's Aspect was only now beginning to manifest.
"In that transformed state, we had few options for dealing with you; we didn't know your methodology," Ruby's voice echoed from all corners as Nathan flooded his body with Lightning Aspect. He could feel himself approaching the threshold of [Living Resistor].
"But you just confirmed our hypothesis." Ruby laughed. "You're no longer that self. That makes other options much easier to implement. And one of those options... was me. My Aspect can prevent that 'unreasonable increase' of yours."
Nathan's skin began to burn. His Tier 2 Physical Cultivation, Iron Skin, made his hide far tougher than an ordinary person's—any other cultivator might have already been burned to death. In the brief moments he could spare to observe, he saw bright spots flashing at the edges of his vision.
The air itself seemed to shimmer with plasma, blurring his vision. His [Tingling Sense] was the only thing that kept him from being overwhelmed by the sheer danger.
"To fight someone with ramping power like yours," Ruby's voice purred, "you just use someone similar."
Nathan finally understood her trump card. Ruby's Aspect wasn't ordinary fire, nor was it a heaven-burning flame like Adrian's. It was subtle. It needed time. It required delicate management. That was why she'd performed so poorly at The Shifting Trials. But this battle was different.
Nathan risked activating his spirit vision. The technique instantly pressured his mind, threatening his concentration, but he had to see the mechanism of her trap. He saw it at once: streams of energy flowing to Ruby like waves. The source wasn't her; it was the soldiers on the battlefield. From both sides.
A little energy flowed from faces twisted in pain; more came from the screams of those with severed hands; the most, however, poured from soldiers enraged by their fallen comrades.
An Aspect that fed on the emotions of others was manifesting before his very eyes.
He was no longer facing the woman intelligence had assessed as the weakest after the Trials. He was likely sparring with the second-most powerful person in the entire enemy force.
Lachlan and Zeryn both noticed the strange energy distortion. They each tried to eliminate their opponents and break free to help Nathan, but the enemy locked them down. This was the exact result Maelivar's side had wanted. Underestimating Ruby had been a critical mistake.
Arthur and Emrys, their similar features breaking into identical smiles, watched. One of their objectives was about to be fulfilled.
Inside the cage of iron thorns, plasma flared, bringing a heat that burned not just his body, but his very soul.
His gaze met the triumphant smile of the red-eyed girl—a smile of beautiful, confident arrogance, as if she were born to rule.
Nathan smiled back and nodded, as if in appreciation. The unexpected reaction made Ruby's brow furrow.
Deep within his 'lake of stars,' Nathan's Aspects glittered. Above them sat a portion of specialized energy, stored via [Digestive Efficiency] from the meal he'd consumed earlier. He also recalled the assassin infiltration. That was when he'd finally understood the mechanism for using the Aspect Affinity-granting foods he had previously dismissed as useless.
He had been wrong.
He just hadn't understood the mechanism to use it. [Cooking] had helped create the man Arthur Merinor had become. Now, [Cooking] would help him write a new chapter, shattering every expectation they had.
He reached for that source of Aspect Affinity.