Chapter 700: Devil Cultists

Grey followed Lily out of the guest house and onto an open platform beside the mansion. She took out a small silver ship and tossed it into the air, where it grew large enough to cover most of the platform.

"This is a Stellar Vessel." Lily explained.

A ramp lowered beside them, and Grey boarded after her to check the glowing lines beneath the deck. They joined several arrays built into the ship, including one that could open a path through space.

"Is this what people usually travel in?" He asked.

"For long trips, yes. The larger ones carry goods and passengers between regions."

Lily entered their route into the system panel, and the ramp closed behind them. The ship rose from the platform and joined a line of vessels leaving the city.

Grey watched Sunbringer City pass below as they flew beyond its outer wall. The damaged districts were still being repaired, though the main routes had already filled with traffic again.

"Just how far is the sect?"

"Well... It isn't in the Red Archipelago, it's on the Bright Cold Continent."

"Bright Cold, is the place actually cold?" Grey asked.

"The part we're going to is, yes."

"Good, at least the name wasn't chosen at random."

The ship reached a set of glowing marks hanging above the forest. Lily slowed it as a beam passed over the hull, then a thin opening formed ahead of them.

"Stay inside the ship's barrier while we cross." She said.

Grey watched the forest disappear as they entered the opening. Lines of pale light swept past the deck before the vessel emerged above a wide blue sea.

The island was already far behind them as the ship followed a trail of lights above the water. Other vessels moved along nearby routes, and one carrying a stack of sealed crates passed over them.

"These paths make things much easier." Grey said.

"They also keep us away from most beast territories, though some beasts stray onto the routes." Lily replied.

A loud cry came from above before Grey could ask what she meant. Something struck the ship's barrier and sent blue light across the deck.

A huge bird swept past them and turned for another attack. It resembled a parrot, though Grey had never seen one with a hooked beak large enough to bite through a ship.

"That's a 13th Rank beast." Lily warned with a frown forming on her face.

Grey checked its power as it circled them and found it was at the first sub-level. Red light spread across its wings before it rushed toward the vessel again.

Lily moved the ship aside and released a wave of golden fire through the barrier. The bird pulled back when its claws struck the flames, then tried to bite through them instead.

Grey watched part of its beak break apart under the heat, but the creature still refused to retreat. He sent a band of Axiom Power around its wings and stopped its next charge above the vessel.

The bird pulled against the band and released a burst of World Force, but Grey broke through it and struck its core. Its form scattered above the barrier, and the ship passed through the fading light.

Grey then checked the fading energy behind them. A beast at that rank should have been able to judge the difference between its strength and theirs. He doubted someone so idiotic could become a powerful evolver at the 13th rank.

"Hey. How did it reach the 13th Rank without learning when to run?" He asked.

"Not all beasts here grow stronger by learning a path, many gain power as they grow."

Lily guided the vessel back toward the marked route before explaining further.

"There are intelligent beasts too, but strength alone doesn't tell you which kind you've met."

"Then what lets the others get that strong?"

"I don't know much about it myself, but I've heard the Heavenly Dao's rules let them grow that way to keep the world balanced." Lily admitted.

"So it lets these things reach the 13th Rank and bite passing ships, what's its problem?" Grey asked with a confused look.

"You would have to ask it."

Grey decided that could wait until he had found the others. He had enough trouble with beings who ruled worlds without adding a complaint about a giant parrot.

Lily took the vessel through another marked opening, and the air grew much colder when they came out. A long coast spread ahead of them beneath pale cliffs.

Snow covered the higher ground, while ships entered and left a large port built into the rock. Farther inland, dark forests grew between mountain ranges whose peaks shone beneath the sunlight.

Lily changed their route at a floating platform near the coast and sent the ship toward the mountains. Grey watched several peaks pass below before a flash of red light appeared in the distance.

A second flash followed, then a dull boom reached their vessel.

Lily checked the system panel as a barrier became visible between the mountains.

"That's the Myriad Realms Sect."

Buildings covered the slopes inside the barrier, and several great halls stood around a wide central plaza. Evolvers waited behind the shield while dark-robed attackers gathered outside it.

Tall red spikes hovered around the sect and sent beams of power into one point on the barrier. Each strike forced the defenders to feed more energy into that section.

Lily slowed the ship when she saw the marks on the attackers' robes.

"They're from the Devil Cult."

"What is that?" Grey asked.

"They follow the devils of Hell and offer sacrifices in exchange for power."

Grey clicked his tongue as another beam struck the shield.

"There's always some bastard causing trouble, no matter where I go."

He spread his consciousness toward the sect and sensed several familiar presences inside. That settled any question of whether he should get involved.

"Chaos Emperor, can you drive them off?"

"Of course, Lord."

The Emperor remained inside the Lesser heaven space while Grey let his power flow through him. Power gathered around his hand as the ship approached from the attackers' side.

One of the cultists shouted a warning as Grey raised his hand, but the others had no time to turn their weapons. Chaos Power struck the nearest red spike and broke its link to the formation.

The beam attacking the barrier scattered before it could land another hit. Grey sent a second wave toward the cultists while they tried to restore the broken link.

The cultist leading the assault turned and formed a dark shield, but the next wave struck before he could cover the whole group. Several attackers were thrown away from the formation as the remaining spikes shook.

"Another 14th Rank!" The leader shouted.

He pushed his power into the damaged formation and tried to turn its spikes toward Grey. The Chaos Emperor sent his force through the broken link before the attack could form.

Cracks spread across the red spikes, and the leader cut his connection to them before they burst apart. His followers rushed after him while the sect's defenders began attacking through gaps in their own barrier.

Grey sent one last wave between the cultists and the sect to stop them from gathering for another attack.

"Fall back!" Their leader ordered.

The remaining cultists escaped through a dark opening beyond the mountain. Grey watched it close before drawing back the power the Emperor had lent him.

For a moment, the people behind the sect's barrier kept their weapons raised. They had been preparing to hold off another assault when a passing ship had broken the enemy's formation.

Lily guided the vessel toward the main gate as a gap opened in the shield.

The guards had expected a powerful elder to step onto the deck. Instead, they found a young man who looked about eighteen beside a woman who seemed slightly older.

Grey was more interested in the group coming down from the central hall.

"Grey!" Alissa called.

He stepped off the vessel just as she reached him. She wrapped her arms around him, and Eterna joined her a moment later.

"I knew you'd find us." Alissa said with a small smile forming on her face.

"It would have been easier if the ascension hadn't thrown me into a sealed forest." Grey replied.

"We tried to contact you, but nothing went through." Eterna said.

Neither Alissa or Eterna had believed the separation would be enough to kill him. Still, having him standing there was much better than waiting for news.

Ouroboros reached them with the elders and greeted him before he could ask about their attempts to contact him.

"Oh, you're finally here. I was getting bored."

"Please, it's only been a few days." Grey replied.

"Yeah and these days were pretty boring." Ouroboros said with a sigh.

Grey then looked at the remains of the cultists' formation outside the barrier.

"You have a strange idea of dull."

"Senior Grey!" Lyris called as she came down.

She stopped near Elder Tharos, who had been checking Grey since he stepped off the ship.

"You really found your way here, we reached the other side and found that you were gone." Tharos said.

"We thought something had gone wrong with the path, but we couldn't find where it sent you." Lyris added to his words.

"Something did go wrong, though I'll explain that later."

Alissa finally released him enough to notice Lily beside the vessel. She checked the unfamiliar girl, then turned back toward Grey without asking anything yet.

He had been away for a few days and brought another woman back with him. She had to make sure such things never happen again!

Lily had noticed Alissa as well because her True Source Law of the Sun had reacted when the girl came close. It reacted again as the older woman with similar features joined them.

Lily kept her power contained and checked that feeling once more. She had no idea who those two were, but neither could be an ordinary evolver.

"Lily helped me find the sect and arranged the trip here." Grey said.

Alissa gave her a small nod, though she remained beside Grey.

"Thank you for bringing him."

"I owed him a favor." Lily replied with an awkward smile.

Before the conversation could continue, a man in dark blue robes came down from the central hall with another elder beside him. The elders near Grey stepped aside to let him through.

"This is our Sect Leader." Tharos told Grey.

He turned toward the man and introduced the guest he had brought from the lower realms.

"Sect Leader, this is Grey Lockhart."

Grey could sense 14th Rank strength from the man, whose attention briefly moved toward the gate. The broken red spikes were still falling apart outside the barrier.

"You have my thanks for your help." The Sect Leader said gratefully.

"I was coming here anyway, those people were in the way."

The elder beside the Sect Leader examined Grey and then checked Lily. Neither of their ranks explained the force that had broken the cultists' assault.

"How did you manage to defeat the group of cultists? I clearly sensed 14th rank power from you." The elder spoke up.