Mad God

"Ariana!" Ren stepped forward, watching Trestan. "Deal with his disciples."

"Yes, Master!" She nodded, making the others gulp, taking it a bit differently than Ren intended.

Trestan had no time to act as Ren was already before him, simply swinging her hand and aiming a slap at him. It was clear from her first move that she did not take him seriously at all. For Trestan, this gave a bit of breathing room, turning him even more, calmer than before. Knowing she did not aim to finish him off with all of her might, it made sure he could hold out until reinforcement arrived. When Ren's palm was about to hit his face, a golden aura emerged from Trestan's body, firmly blocking Ren's attack with a resounding, gong-like echo.

"Hm? A demigod's protection?" Ren tilted her head, raising a finger, blocking Trestan's counter-strikes.

He did not answer; he just tried to land a quick flurry of boxing-like attacks, testing Ren's stance and the type of martial arts she practiced while his golden aura was held out firmly. The moment Ren spoke up, he had already activated his talisman, granting him a protective veil for a few minutes. It was strong enough to withstand attacks from a demigod. It was one of his trump cards, a privilege that was only obtainable inside one of the three Immortal sects. It could generate a forcefield around the user for a short amount of time, acting as a second skin. Of course, it had limits; if a demigod struck it with full strength, the minutes could quickly turn into only seconds. Yet, it gave anybody a chance to survive and escape a fight against a powerhouse. Seeing Ren easily warding off his moves, he jumped backward, creating a distance as quick as lightning, and a beam of light left his fingers, hitting Ren in the face.

"You are quicker than me if we rely only on our affinities at the same level!" Ren's voice came from behind him, but Trestan was not surprised at the fact that he had just hit a mirage. He already formed a rapier out of pure light, aiming at Ren once again, turning towards her. "I can't really measure up to the speed of someone with light affinity…." Ren smiled while she formed a spear from violet electricity, meeting his rapier head-on. Seeing the nostalgic smile on his enemy's face, Trestan could not help but ask and try to gain more time with it.

"You have another disciple?"

"Multiple. One of them has the same affinity as you, and, funnily, she also chose the same weapon!" Ren nodded, calmly explaining as she changed stance, going on the attack, perfectly matching Trestan's strength.

Hearing her and feeling the accompanying force behind her stabs and strikes, he could not help but feel that his opponent was not as he first thought. Whenever she could go for a blow and injure him, she pulled back, letting him fix his posture and regain his defense. The way she fought, wordlessly helping him weed out mistakes he had in his battle stance, could be only done by either someone who was way better with the rapier or by someone who was at a completely different level. Since reaching the 3rd stage of Harmony, he had little advancement in the way of the rapier. Few had the same proficiency as him inside the Sect, and nobody was above him. Most of his cultivation was based on his choice of weapon; he even reached Harmony based on it. The other method was to fight against a Demigod… but which one would indulge him? They had their own things, their own missions, and their own problems. Paying them for a bout? For a lesson? That would be only a massacre of wealth, nothing more; recovering from something like that would take centuries. It would be like throwing away precious resources as they may only attack once, completely overwhelming him before he could learn anything. Yet here he was now. Fighting a Demigod. Receiving the needed pointers that would not just help him work towards his own Demigod level but perfecting his proficiency with his chosen weapon.

"Have you ever fought with a rapier?" Trestan asked, unable to hold it back anymore.

"No." Ren shook her head, continuing her attacks, stopping at the critical moments, waiting for his counter-moves, letting him successfully fix his stance. "But I am good at reading others! When I see an opening, I go for it; I teach my disciples the same way! No matter their chosen weapons, I can weed out their mistakes if I can show them where they are and where I can smack them hard~! The body remembers pain the quickest~" She smiled as her violet spear hit the top of his hands, disarming him quickly as the strands of electricity jumped over just when his talisman's effect wore off, numbing his grip on his weapon.

"I see!" Trestan stopped immediately, raising his hands while Ren followed suit, lowering the tip of her spear.

"Give up?" She tilted her head questioningly.

"Yeah!" Trestan nodded, "I realize you are not an enemy to either my fellow comrades or me!" He sighed, cupping his hand, drawing a wide smile onto Ren's face. "I am a firm believer in the fact that justice has to be served, and it always prevails! What was given needs to be returned! I'll also return this favor in the future!" He said resolutely, bowing towards her.

"What if I am just a good actor?" Ren asked, but she still dissolved her spear.

"I would be dead by now." Trestan chuckled as he really lowered his defenses, trusting in his own feelings and convictions. "Let's go over the facts quickly before my superiors arrive so I can make a correct report!"

"And your disciple?" Ren walked up to him, her hands crossed behind the back of her head.

"There are lessons only life can teach you!" He shook his head, stealing a quick glance at Kolkat's fight against Ariana.

On the other side, now it was only Ariana against Kolkat. Instead of relying on any external tools now, his affinity for water rampaged forward like an angry river released from behind a broken dam. Every move he made was followed by the echo of rumbling water and its immense weight and force, destroying the earth below, throwing the rubble to the sides, and trying to land a hit on Ariana. Since losing his weapon, it was the first time his senses recovered, going from the despair of his treasure's destruction to a weird kind of calmness. He even asked the rest to stay out of the fight.

"Looks stronger than when he fought with you." Ariana transmitted her voice to Kyu as she dodged an attack, then formed a black wall, letting the incoming dragon-looking stream of water explode when hitting it.

"Yep!" Kyu laughed, sitting on the remains of the inn, happily swinging her legs, watching the fight. "But you can handle it! I am full; I don't want to fight now! I'm sleepy!"

"Heh, I guessed as much!" Ariana chuckled, merging into her shadow as a wave of pure blue water flooded the spot she stood before. She was already emerging from Kolkat's shadow, but he was now expecting it. A needle-thin strand of swirling water suddenly stabbed toward Ariana's forehead, aiming to impale her. She said nothing, turning into an ink-like substance, dissolving and reappearing further away.

Kolkat was already short on breath, letting loose of his energies from the start, yet he felt something was really, really close. He could not say it or put it into words, but he knew he had to push forward before he lost this feeling. By the time Ariana reappeared, he was already performing his strongest spell as a blue formation twinkled before him. Its construction followed the movement of his arms, one going clockwise while the other counter-clockwise until they met once again, completing a perfect circle. It was the quickest he had ever set it up, surprising even himself, but he had no time to think about anything else. With a shout, his palm struck the middle of the spell, and his voice turned almost demonic as a giant, draconic head appeared, coming out from the formation itself. It was made entirely from the water, sparkling in a bright blue, emitting a robust and refreshing aura. Its roar echoed far away before flying forward, heading towards Ariana. Just by advancing an inch, the ground was turned wet and muddy; where previously cobblestones were, they got ground into dust, soaked in water as everything now resembled more of a flooded field than a city's street.

"Strong…" Ariana murmured as few could do something at the same stage back in the Sect. Maybe only those who were raised by Ren or the other Grand Elders.

Before the water dragon could reach her, from its own shadows, thin tentacles, numbering in the dozens, sprung up, coiling around it and starting to drain it, literally. They quickly expanded and grew in thickness until they held the spell in place before squeezing it, like someone wrangling out a wet towel, annihilating it. The subsequent explosion threw Kolkat and his fellow disciples to the ground, tumbling backward, kicking up mud everywhere until they finally stopped. Sitting up, they all were drenched and looked like they had climbed out of their graves only a second ago.

"I lost…" Kolkat let out a long breath but was not disappointed as he faced someone at a different level from the start. He was slightly shocked at how well he did, considering he was without his precious artifact.

"You don't need it." Ariana's voice came, clearly feeling his emotions at that moment.

"Ah?" He raised his head towards her.

"Didn't you realize it yet?" Ariana smiled, standing in the same place "The moment you lost it, you became stronger! You were relying on it way too much! Now you could finally take a step forward once again! A weapon is good to have, but it is not the be-all and end-all!"

"Thank you…" He murmured, cupping his hand after he finally stood back up.

"Sure." Ariana nodded, before nodding at Kyu, so they could flash toward Ren, leaving them there, especially Kolkat. He was now contemplating everything he had just heard, nearing his breakthrough. On the other side, Ren was finishing up what they knew about all the happenings here while Trestan listened carefully.

"The last known death of a demigod was 200 years ago. This ought to be big news when it spreads!" Trestan exclaimed after Ren finished her story.

"Really?" She asked back with surprise.

"Yeah." Trestan nodded, not really understanding why this was so surprising for her. "Demigods are limited in numbers and usually are at a high position; not that common that they go around fighting! Especially to the death!"

"Huh! Before coming here, three of Nilier's demigods died where I live! Plus, we were the ones who captured and broke one! True, I would not say it was my own kill; this follower of Skoorn was my real first~" Ren said nonchalantly, freezing Trestan for a brief moment.

"Wait!" He blinked rapidly. "He was a follower? Are you sure?" Trestan asked hurriedly, turning really serious.

"Yep! I felt it when I touched his core, destroying it! It was filled with energy, soaked in blood sacrifice. The specialty of the baldy himself!" Ren nodded, crossing her hands. "I was right in what I told to your disciple."

"I heard…" He held his chin, thinking about it. "Good that you reminded me; I will reprimand him for taking another's credit for himself!"

"No need! For him, I was just an outsider; what harm is there in wanting to score for yourself some plus points?" Ren giggled. "No worries there!"

At that moment, Ariana and Kyu arrived simultaneously as three demigods from the Lotus Mandala Sect. Seeing the destruction and the dead demigod body, it was clear the warning signal sent back was not a hasty decision. Finding Trestan, quickly teleporting next to him, and realizing Ren was the one standing there made their mouths twitch.

"Esteemed Guest!" They cupped their hands towards Ren, knowing she enjoyed their leader's personal caring, placing her at the same level as they or maybe even higher!

"Huh?" Trestan looked at her again, then at Ariana and Kyu. "A girl who robs and eats treasures… oh… now I really get it…." He closed his eyes, putting everything in place, wanting to cry a little, but there were no tears to shed or time to feel depressed. Instead, he recollected himself, quickly making a report, turning the three demigods' faces into deep frowns.

"These accusations are heavy." said all of them simultaneously, watching Ren.

"They are!" Ren nodded leisurely, not bothering with their gazes. "Let's go to the Sect of Dawn's headquarters then!" she grinned with a somewhat savage light in her eyes. "If I can't prove it to you there, you can punish me as you see fit~."