Skyfire Avenue

Moments after the Photographer teleported them away from Middle Heaven the bastion powered on its shields. It was no longer possible for the aliens to simply transfer themselves aboard. Even at the level of Nirvana the creatures couldn’t master the Creation and Destruction Domain enough to teleport themselves.

In fact even the three home worlds couldn’t transfer. Only the Violet Prince and Princess had the innate energy and depth of knowledge of their Domain to do so. Even still the requirement in energy was immense. It was for that reason the Prince didn’t immediately destroy Lan Jue upon appearing within Middle Heaven. If he hadn’t already been drained by the transference, even Xiuxiu’s interruption wouldn’t have saved Lan Jue from him.

As the fight stretched on both the Prince and Princess were recovering their stored of energy. He looked across the battlefield to get his bearings.

Monarch had told him that there were three other weapons like the one they’d lost. At least one needed to be brought back, though the more he could capture the better. Best was if the Prince could wrest all four from the hands of their enemy. Three were brought to bear against him now, but his first order of business was to kill one human in particular.

For the time being he was unreachable. Luo Xianni was strong, and had both Lan Jue and Qianlin protected. Until the rest of his elite warriors came, he would have to stall.

Of all the humans this woman was the only one who could stand toe to toe against him. The other human defenders could collapse at any moment, and the situation could quickly turn bad for his prey. Lan Jue and Qianlin could only help defend one group, possibly killing one of his own. But if the two could be separated the danger to his side would be mitigated. The rest of his elite fighters would arrive and this war would end.

Ten seconds at most, then six more Nirvana-level aliens would reach them. Both sides were in a race against time. These ten seconds would determine who had the upper hand.

Lan Jue was on the move. He raced forward with the deadly point of Captus aimed in the Pharmacist’s direction. Her situation was the most precarious as three Nirvana-level elite had surrounded her. It was the best decision, for Lan Jue and Qianlin’s Harmonious Blades could kill one or two of them before the others arrived.

The tell-tale flash of rainbow color appeared. Lan Jue had cleared the haze of anger from his mind and thus the connection between him and Qianlin was renewed. The simple yet forceful beam of light pierced the darkness as it reached for a target.

In the same moment Lan Jue attacked the three aliens assailing the Pharmacist scattered like snow on the breeze.

Through his psionic connection the Violet Prince controlled his side throughout the battlefield. He had been watching and waiting for Lan Jue to make his decision, with the aim to stretch out the battle. Buying time was far easier when he only needed a few seconds.

From where he battled with the Photographer it looked like the Harmonious Sword strike missed. What’s more, it was headed right for the Pharmacist.

Friendly fire? The Violet Prince paused, surprised at how poorly organized the humans’ defenses were. He didn’t believe it, something suddenly didn’t feel right.

From the corner of his eye he saw the Pharmacist thrust forward with Occisus, aiming for the precise center of the multicolor beam. Suddenly she vanished and the spot she’d occupied was swallowed up by Lan Jue’s attack.

No, that wasn’t right. The sparkling light of Lan Jue’s Boundless Starlight Domain was the backdrop that surrounded them, and as the power of the Harmonious Swords cut through it the light suddenly changed direction. The Prince spied a faint figure that seemed to guide it – toward the three fleeing avatars and the Violet Princess.

Everything happened in the space of an instant.

The Violet Princess had her battle firmly in hand. The energy she’d spent in the transportation was gradually returning, and with each passing moment she was coming closer to overpowering the Paragons. Even the Pontiff’s pure light of faith had begun to be contaminated by her violet powers.

In the face of her dominance, the light of the Harmonious Swords came crashing down from on high. It wasn’t the fight time she’d faced Lan Jue and Qianlin, and the power they bore frightened her. It’d taken her and her ‘brother’ to defeat Lan Jue and the Pharmacist last time. Qianlin hadn’t been part of that battle.

Although Lan Jue and Qianlin were but Paragons of Nirvana, she knew what they could accomplish when they fought together. Hand in hand, neither the Prince or Princess dared try to face down the Harmonious Swords straight on. It was an attack nearly as devastating as the ones they’d faced from the staff-bearing man.

She tried to dodge, but before she could two more blasts of power came from either side. Neither one of those were strong enough to threaten her life, but they were enough to cut off her escape. She was pinned by the Arcane Magnate and the Karmic Scholar.

Lan Jue’s attack changed everyone’s tactics. The Bookworm and Keeper were not considered powerhouses among the Paragons, but they were among the most experienced. Their wisdom manifested in perfectly timed cooperation, and they didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

The Violet Princess was facing four Paragons. As her options for defense were stripped away all of them came at her, throwing caution to the wind in return for a chance to end her life. Lan Jue and Qianlin’s deadly ray was blocking her only route. Suddenly she found herself in a fatal predicament with no option. She had to try and defend against a direct hit from the Harmonious Swords.

The Violet Prince’s pupils had contracted to pinpricks. He recognized the danger to his sister’s life.

Where before they could have relied on the home worlds to protect them, he knew such succor would not be coming. Monarch had made it clear they were to stop at nothing to get the godblades, everything else was secondary. Even their lives.

With a hideous, beastial roar the Prince released the full might of his Domain around him. Creation and Destruction reigned in the depths of his Domain, a hundred thousand beginnings and endings flashing by in an instant. He focused all of it into a punch and thrust his fist in the direction of the Violet Princess.

His attack came with a cost, for in the moment after shifting his focus Luo Xianni was on him. She took advantage of his distraction to land a blow on his back, and caused him to go reeling far from the Princess’ location.

Still his attack was on its way and likely to be effective. An attack of such strength, once it arrived, would tear through the Paragons like paper. At the Princess’ cultivation, she only needed a smallest opportunity to escape their trap.

Lan Jue scowled as he and Qianlin raced toward her. However, in order to deceive the enemy that had had to first fly in the direction of the Pharmacist. It would be a few moments before they could join their friends.

All the while the punch from the Prince was tearing through space. Pregnant with the full brunt of his Creation and Destruction discipline it coalesced and collapsed in on itself like a black hole in the midst of tearing itself apart.

The violet light around the Princess flared brightly, and scales appeared along the length of her back. She used them to protect against the Keeper and Bookworm’s attack. Her body bowed forward slightly and she raised her arms high, disregarding all the other Paragons and focusing all of her strength on defending against Lan Jue and Qianlin’s attack.

She had faith in her brother’s strength. The humans she tangled with were capable but in the face of the Prince’s full power they could only run or be destroyed. For the Princess his power would serve to amplify her abilities and neutralize the Harmonious Swords attack.

The Prince’s desperate attack was exactly the right call. By the time she warded off the Harmonious Swords the six other alien elite would arrive, and together they would kill all the humans who oppose them.

Her hands were raised and a wicked looking sword had appeared in her grip to help her deflect the blow. But the look on her face was one of fear and surprise.

They weren’t running. All four Paragons were ignoring the Prince’s attack and keeping her pinned.

Scores of thick vines poured from Aubert de Villain and wrapped her tight. They bristled with thorns that dug into her porcelain flesh and drank her blood. He burned with a ghastly red light, and all the while his vines tugged at her sword arm making it unstable.

Bess had moved in, and ten blood-red, dagger like fingernails were swiping at the Princess. Every strike plunged deep into sensitive pressure points on her body.