The water bird lit up as I shoved as much lightning into it as I could. With a shriek so loud it was nearly inaudible, the bird lit up like fireworks during the Summer Solstice. Smoke soon rose from its body. However, it was too slow. This attack would kill it, but the other birds would get to me first.
Clicking my tongue, I raised my hand, which had turned into a five meter blade of lightning, and then I brought it down. My attack created a seam of light within the bird, a small line that appeared from its beak to its tail feathers. The bird peeled apart at the seam, the two halves almost gently falling away from each other before the elemental beast turned into water that rained upon the ground.
Barely a second had past before something sharp pierced my back. I couldn’t even cry out in pain as the air was stolen from my lungs. The ground beneath and the sky above blurred past me in dull streaks. Gritting my teeth, I turned my head and found the enraged eyes of the light bird glaring at me. It had pierced my back with its beak.
“Don’t think…” I struggled to raise my hand. “Don’t think…” Light, lightning, and water swirled around my arm as I channeled all three elements. “Don’t think this will be enough to do me in!!!”
With a roar of defiance, I crashed my fist into the light bird’s beak. A loud cracking sound echoed from the beak as an incision line appeared. One incision became two, then two became three, four, eight, sixteen. It quickly multiplied before cracking underneath the power of my fist.
The bird immediately stopped flying as it thrashed and screeched in pain. However, the forward momentum it had generated was enough that I was not able to stop from flying until I generated enough force with my own Spiritual Power to stop myself.
Reaching behind my back after I had stopped moving, I pulled out what remained of the beak from my back and tossed it away. Warm blood spilled down my back. I ignored it as I eyed the three remaining elemental birds. The lightning bird, the wind bird, and the now injured light bird.
“Ha… ha… ha…”
My shoulders heaved as I glared at the birds. However, I didn’t think my glare was very effective just then. The Spiritual Power flowing through me was fluctuating. The aura covering my body flickered in and out. I didn’t reveal my thoughts, but I was swearing up a storm internally as my Spiritual Power started running dry.
This technique I was using wasn’t complete yet. If I’d had time to finish it, then maybe I could have already ended this battle, but luck had not been on my side.
It looked like the birds were just about to renew their attack, and I myself was prepared to re-initiate hostilities, but all of us suddenly froze in place as an intense Spiritual Pressure filled the air. My breathing quickly grew heavier as sweat formed on my brow. It was a cold sweat. I tried to take in a breath, but the pressure was causing my lungs to struggle with the simple act of taking in oxygen. It felt like something was crushing them.
A figure had suddenly appeared in front of me. He was a luminous being more beautiful than the Sun, a creature of such incomparable beauty that even in my hatred, I could not deny there was not a single flaw to be found. Pure white robes covered his body. Long and silver hair flowed freely like a waterfall down his head all the way to his bare feet. His long, pointed ears were the clearest signs that he wasn’t human.
He did not have a very muscular body. Indeed, I would have said his body was quite feminine. He was slender and willowy. However, I didn’t let that fool me, and even if he had been a woman, I wouldn’t have underestimated him like some people would have done.
Despite his beauty, there was something odd about this man. Every part of him seemed bright and divine—every part except his blood red eyes. They were a dark crimson that seemed tainted somehow. Furthermore, that dark aura surrounding him seemed to present a direct contradiction to his vibrant, almost divine appearance.
The man took a deep breath as he looked at the three birds. He surveyed them with a slight frown, and then quickly glanced at where I had killed the others. I wanted to move, to attack this man with everything I had, but some invisible force kept me in place.
Finally, he looked at me.
“To think a half-blood like you was able to defeat four of my seven slaves,” he murmured. “You know I had enslaved these monsters specifically to kill you? Your powers are indeed great. Given enough time, you might even pose a threat to me. It seems trying to send enslaved Demon Beasts after you was a mistake. I should have just come myself.”
“Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain…” My fists shook with barely restrained hatred as I stared at the being before me. “You took everything from me. My wife. My child. Everything. I have waited for this day, waited for the day I would finally face you again, for the day I would finally kill you.”
The being before me, the one I called the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain, chuckled as though I had said something amusing. It was a grating laugh, not at all like something I’d expect from such a feminine figure. His laugh caused the hair on my neck to prickle.
“Had your wife not shielded you from me, she would not have died. She only has herself to blame.” He paused, his head tilting as he stared impassively into my rage filled eyes. “As for your daughter… I could not allow a human who possesses such divine blood to live. Had I not killed her, she would have become a threat.”
“A threat?” I whispered. “We were just living peacefully when you attacked us unprovoked and without warning. We were no threat to you. You laid waste to our home, destroyed our civilization, and killed my family without even a hint of mercy or provocation.”
The Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain snorted. “You may not understand it now, but you are indeed a grave threat to me—no, you are perhaps the greatest threat to ever exist. What I did was necessary.”
I didn’t think the blood flowing through my veins could have run any colder than it already was, but I was wrong. It was like my blood had frozen over. Only a chilling coldness that seeped through my entire being remained.
“Necessary, you say?”
“Yes. Necessary.”
“Necessary… for what?”
“To keep you from being able to interfere with my plans.” The Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain spread his arms wide and chuckled again. “Just look at what you have done. A half-blood who hasn’t even learned to control even a tenth of his abilities has defeated four of my seven slaves, Divine-rank Demon Beasts capable of annihilating entire cities with a single attack, and you would have defeated all of them had I not intervened. I’d say this level of destruction warrants intervention.”
I had no idea what this monster was talking about, but I was done listening. He had attacked my family for a reason as dumb as protecting himself? From what? It was true that I had been the one who awakened him, but I had never harmed him nor had any intention to. Had he never appeared attacked my city, never attempted to kill me, never murdered my daughter, we would have left him alone.
My hatred surged, allowing me to overcome the intense pressure that had been pushing down on me. I compressed the last remaining Spiritual Power in my body. The aura that had been covering me vanished. To the average eye, it would have looked like my power had disappeared.
The Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain narrowed his eyes.
Then I vanished.
It happened in a flash. I appeared directly behind my foe, thrusting out my fist in a punch that caused the air to burst. However, without even looking behind him, the Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain placed his hand in the direction of my punch, catching it. A shockwave erupted from the contact.
I was already moving.
Appearing on his left in a manner that was almost like teleportation, I launched a powerful kick. This was also blocked. I was undeterred. I appeared again and again, moving all around him at speeds so fast I left multiple afterimages in my wake. One. Two. Four. Sixteen. Yet no matter how many punches and kicks I threw, no matter how fast I pushed myself, this monster blocked each and every
one of them as though it was easier than breathing.
Meanwhile, I was running on empty.
With the last of my strength, I released a vicious scream and channeled all my energy into my fist. A bright glow erupted from it. The air around it distorted. Ripples spread through the sky as though the fabrics of reality itself were being torn apart.
The Great Overlord’s eyes finally widened. With something resembling panic, he threw out his own punch, which glowed in the same manner as mine but with a dark energy that seemed vile. The air exploded between us as one fought to overpower the other. I gritted my teeth and pushed as hard as I could, wrecking my body. Blood exploded from my arms as my capillaries burst, my muscles tore apart like they were made of soggy parchment, and I could feel my very life being drained.
I didn’t care. It didn’t matter if I died so long as I killed this man.
Perhaps it was because I was so focused that I didn’t see the attack coming at me until it was too late. However, when a fist appeared out of nowhere, all I could do was swear. The attack hit me. Pain overrode my ability to see, causing a white film to cover my eyes.
I think I must have passed out. When I came to, I was lying on my back, in the middle of a massive crater so large I couldn’t even judge its size. The Great Overlord of the Seventh Plain was above me, a sword made of pure darkness grasped firmly within his right hand. He raised the sword and brought it down.
In a last ditch effort, I unleashed all of the Spiritual Power I had left, channeled it into my right hand, and met the blade with a punch. Our attacks struck each other. Light bent. Air warped. Lightning crackled. The area around our mutual attacks became distorted as strange cracks appeared in the atmosphere like the gaping maw to a bottomless abyss.
An explosion suddenly rent the air as the world around me was torn apart. The last thing I saw before darkness engulfed me was the Great Overlord’s surprised crimson eyes.
To read more of WIEDERGEBURT: Legend of the Reincarnated Warrior, go to my Patreon and sign up at:
www.patreon.com/BrandonVarnell
Hey, did you know?
Brandon Varnell has started a Patreon.
You can get all kinds of awesome exclusives like:
1. The chance to read his stories before anyone else!
2. Free ebooks!
3. Exclusive SFW and NSFW artwork!
4. Signed paperback copies!
5. His undying love!
Er, maybe we don't want that last one, but the rest is pretty cool, right?
To get this awesome exclusive content, go to:
www.patreon.com/BrandonVarnell
and sign up today!
Have you been turned on to Brandon’s Light Novels yet?
Wait. That sounded kind of wrong.
Try out Brandon’s first original English light novel series!
AMERICAN KITSUNE
Read volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 on Amazon!
All Alex wanted was to become a hero...
Instead, he picked up a harem of beautiful women!
A MOST UNLIKELY HERO
Read volumes 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 on Amazon!
Caspian’s greatest wish is to earn the title of Sorceress’s Knight and keep a promise to a dear friend!
ARCADIA’S IGNOBLE KNIGHT
Read volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4 on Amazon!
He was their best Executioner!
THE EXECUTIONER SERIES
Read volumes 1, 2, and 3 on Amazon!
Want to learn when a new book comes out?
Follow me on social media!
@AmericanKitsune
Brandon Varnell
@BrandonBVarnell
bvarnell1101.tumblr.com
Brandon Varnell
brandonbvarnell
patreon.com/BrandonVarnell
www.varnell-brandon.com
Journey of a Betrayed Hero- Volume 1 Page 27
