Chapter 234: Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion – Chapter 234: The Stone Pillars Activate

Far away from Oscar's location, Elizabeth Raeven flew across a massive storm; the fierce winds, hail, and lightning did not affect her powerful Knight Exalt figure. Her figure paused as many flying Exalt Beasts surrounded her. Elizabeth frowned at this collection of beasts before her; there should be no reason for the Exalt Beasts to be so agitated without some purpose at work.

"I'll say this just once. Disperse before you're all cut down." Elizabeth's red eyes contained a vast chill that struck fear into all the Exalt Beasts. Their figures trembled before her immense pressure, but Elizabeth felt a strange wave of Ein, and suddenly, the beasts' eyes clouded over as they roared back into a frenzy.

Their behavior was too strange! Elizabeth wielded her cutlass, golden in the dark clouds, the harbinger of light. These Exalt Beasts were all in the Lower Knight Exalt realm, but they lost their fear of her Greater Knight Exalt realm. "This confirms it. For it to be something that drives the Exalt Beasts crazy and even forget their fears means someone is playing around."

She swung her cutlass several times. Each slice was clean but contained shocking amounts of power that cut straight through the clouds and Exalt Beasts. The clouds parted into clean edges, and a rain of blood and guts fell from the Exalt Beasts, showering the Erith Ocean below.

"That strange wave of energy…." The strange wave of energy had to come from someone, reinvigorating the Exalt Beasts into their madness. Elizabeth Raeven had a wild smile and a warmongering craze in her wide eyes with shrunk pupils. There was only one meaning to doing this in front of her. "I don't know who you are, but I'll gladly accept this invitation."

Her feet kicked in the air as her figure flew like an arrow through the split storm clouds. Elizabeth thought about Little Em and the other Blue Ocean Pavilion students but thought they should be safe for the time being. If she resolved this matter quickly, then there was nothing to worry about.

With that in mind, she increased her speed, slicing through more encroaching beasts that did not care for their lives. Only a trail of fallen beasts and blood followed behind her.

…….

Oscar steered the boat to approach the strange island Austin pointed out. It was larger than the other islands they had been on, with small rocky hills surrounded by trees. Oscar glanced over the island, not noticing anything out of place. "This island doesn't seem much different from the others, but remember to stick together."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Oscar smiled and set out with his friends, but not randomly. Oscar stayed at the front as the shieldbearer to deflect any blows. Emily and Mary stayed behind him, side by side with their spear and staff in hand, then Frederick and Austin stood in the back to support.

Frederick's hawk anima flew above the trees, gazing around while making sure not to stray too far from them. Oscar looked around at the verdant trees basked in sunlight, fluttering down on the ground below. Besides this serene scene, Oscar found nothing out of place or worth investigating.

Oscar and his group went around the island's borders, slowly making their way inland in a spiral path through the island. However, this island was big and required an hour to get from one side to the other. Over time, they began to get tired.

"Rest for an hour." Oscar sat down on a fallen log but did not loosen the grip on his Invicus Bulwark. He replenished his thirst and gazed around at the others, who recuperated. Although they hadn't used much Ein, the tension of exploring each place drained them.

'It's hard moving around as a large group. If one of us overdoes it, it affects the rest of us. We must stay prudent.' Oscar took out his inhibitor to allow the pain through, but it wasn't as bad because he didn't exert himself so harshly. After placing it back in, Oscar noticed something odd. "Strange."

"What is it?" Austin said while the others rested.

Oscar gripped his bulwark and stood up. "Emily."

Emily perked up from Oscar's voice and got up. She walked toward him and asked, "What's up?"

"When we go through a forest, shouldn't we hear some bugs or animals? Even if there are no Exalt Beasts like some of the islands we've been on, there should still be some life. The trees and plants should indicate that and be perfect for smaller creatures." Oscar stared suspiciously at their vicinity, his eyes narrowing. No matter what, as a rule of nature, there should also be life in rich places like this island.

"Now that you mention it…." Emily pondered. "This island is too strange."

The others also put their guard up.

Oscar pointed at the rocky hills. "We should go directly there. We've wasted enough time going around the island. If there's anything suspicious, the most likely place is those rocks."

…….

Elizabeth landed on an island obscured by a vast mist, but she was sure the strange energy waves originated from this place. However, the mist became annoying and flooded her vision.

"Not willing to come out?" She drew out her cutlass and stabbed it into the ground. "Then I'll force you out!"

An expanding wave of Ein rushed out from her cutlass, blowing away the mist from the island and exposing the desolate sandy hills within. Her eyes shuddered at the bewildering array of stone pillars dug into the island. These stones emanated the strange power that Elizabeth had felt earlier.

"What the hell is this?" Elizabeth shouted. "Who dares place this structure here?"

Her voice echoed across the island. Elizabeth surged her Ein threateningly, raising her golden cutlass above to slash down at the stone pillars. The Ein tremored the air, and the sands blasted away from her.

"Hmph." A deep voice spoke out.

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A terrifying counterpressure washed over and clashed against Elizabeth. She grunted and narrowed her eyes, swinging her cutlass down, regardless of the opposing party's intimidation. However, a pair of swords blocked her cutlass, and she felt a huge power forcing her back into the air.

The enigmatic figure revealed himself, wearing a deep red armor with carvings of salamanders on his shoulders and joints. The helmet was smooth like a ball without any designs except for the thin line, presumably for his eyes. The two swords had no hilt to separate the guard from the blade, and he swung them around with waves of Ein in each swing.

Elizabeth unleashed several slices at once to combat the strange man's swordsmanship. She couldn't help but be shocked at the mastery this man exhibited. If it were any other day, she would relish the thrill of battle, but her main concern was the stone pillars.

"Getting distracted, are we?" The red-armored man's blades burned brightly with white flames. The flames did not burn out of the blades but burned within, swirling about on the surfaces like paintings.

'Shit!' Elizabeth's golden cutlass started dripping golden droplets of liquid from its edges. She swung her cutlass. The golden drops of liquid fizzled and steamed from contacting the white flames while the flames also flickered and diminished from the cool feeling of the golden liquid.

Large arcing shockwaves slashed across the air, cutting apart parts of the island and the waters. Elizabeth clenched her teeth, but her cutlass could not move against the red-armored figure's blades. Likewise, she had him at a standstill as well.

They were up in the air, above the stone pillars.

"Amazing swordsmanship and distinct flowery hair color. You must be one of the Raevens." The red-armored figure chuckled. "I have long heard of the Raeven's skills in swordsmanship and their unique Raeven Sword Techniques. May I have the pleasure of measuring myself against them?"

"That depends." Elizabeth spouted coldly. "What are you doing here? What is that formation? Who are you?"

"Too many questions." Sparks flew out from their blades, scraping against each other. The red-armored man glanced below. "But you can witness it if you want!"

At his words, the stone pillars began to sink. Light beamed from the tips and connected into the center, diving straight into the island. The ocean around them began to tremble, and the waves lost control, bashing and crashing anywhere.

Under the waves, many Exalt Beasts started to make their way in a huge migration.

Elizabeth's heart sank. She realized the Exalt Beasts were heading toward the shoreline, toward Portland Island. She yelled and swung her cutlass many times, trying to destroy the stone pillars.

"Sorry," The red-armored man stopped all her attempts, sticking to her like glue. "These stone pillars are quite precious. However, they can only rouse the Lower Knight Exalts in few numbers."

"Inducing a beast tide? Are you from one of the other empires?" Elizabeth knew the situation was increasingly critical between the empires, and some skirmishes had already broken out. But to induce a beast tide like this meant putting in a lot of resources and time to set it up. "How many other places have you placed these stone pillars?"

"As I said, don't worry. It'll all be over soon." The red-armored man's blades burned hot-white and increased the temperature in the air. "Face me, swordswoman of the Raevens."

Elizabeth cursed and thought of Little Em and the others. 'This man is a Middle Knight Exalt like me. Just hang on; I'll be right there to help you!'

…….

Oscar and the others started to make their way to the rocky hills, arriving at the base of the small hill when the island began to shake violently. Then a bright glow from the top of the hill caught their attention.

"What is going on?" Oscar shouted.

The quaking stopped, but the glow remained. Oscar heard the roars of many Exalt Beasts coming from the oceans. Something had happened.

"Intruders?" A stranger spoke.

Oscar and the others immediately held their ground and brandished their weapons.

"Oh, they're students of the Blue Ocean Pavilion. How should we handle this?" A clear womanly voice asked.

"Kill them. They could be a nuisance, so it's best to finish them off."

Five figures revealed themselves, staring down at Oscar and his group.

Oscar clenched his teeth. "Get ready to fight for your lives."

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