Gleam [Karma Cultivator Isekai] - Chapter 128: Wanting

Vex’s Essence bore down on Chance and Bella, pushing them both to the ground. Chance gritted his teeth, fighting just to stay standing. The pressure was immense, but with the full brunt of his own Essence pressing back against Vex, he was able to keep himself from falling face first onto the ground.

He’s doing this on purpose. He could definitely crush both of us if he wanted to.

“Is something wrong?” Vex asked, his smile expanding as he came to a stop before Bella. Her fingers dug through the dirt and she grit her teeth, her back trembling as she tried to force herself back to her feet and failed.

Every breath felt like it was a battle. Vex was crushing them without so much as lifting a finger. Chance’s Essence flooded out from his body, enveloping him and Bella in its warm glow. Vex didn’t even give him a second glance.

To him, Chance was just the side-show. He was doing this because of Bella. The sick cultivator took pleasure in his apparent superiority – the arrogant smirk on his face said everything. In his mind, this had never been a fight. He’d won before it had ever started.

“I wish I could say it’s been fun, but you’ve been a complete waste of my time,” Vex said, putting one of his boots on Bella’s shoulder and slamming her to the ground. He flexed his right hand and a glistening black water swirled around his fingertips, forming into a blade.

Fury bubbled in Chance’s stomach. Fury at Vex – and at the world of Centurion, for letting something like this happen. At the Shikari, for their complete and utter betrayal. At himself, for not being strong enough to do anything but watch as Vex raised the blade.

And, finally – and to his shame – Rilu. Yamish never would have helped, but Rilu had claimed to care about others. His claims were worthless. Vex was moments from Killing Bella, and he’d known everything about the secret weapon that Rilu had given them.

Chance drew a shuddering breath, his lungs barely even able to draw air with his proximity to Vex. A vision of the golden being flickered through his mind.

Answers are found in peace, not anger.

Chance nearly laughed. Vex had paused the fall of his blade, savoring the defeated expressions on their faces. Peace didn’t feel like it was going to solve anything. They’d already lost.

But, if I’m going to die, it damn well isn’t going to be like this.

He released the anger. The fury and hatred melted away in the flow of his Essence, washed into a flowing ocean of peace. He could not control the world. The actions of others were beyond his grasp. No matter what anyone took from him, they could never take his beliefs and decisions. Chance was who he chose to be. Vex could kill them, but he couldn’t change them.

The revelation didn’t give Chance a burst of strength, nor did it reduce the crushing pressure threatening to turn him into paste. No magical force appeared to change the tide of the battle, and Chance’s Essence didn’t erupt with renewed vigor.

Instead, he got a moment of clarity. A flicker of peace in a storm of emotion. And, with that moment, Chance’s eyes landed on the scroll that laid before Bella.

A gift that made no sense. One that had no conceivable way of defeating Vex, and yet one that Rilu had given them, nonetheless. A gift that Rilu had valued greatly. One that they valued as well. It had been their lifeline, the promise that there was a way to survive the day.

Chance’s eyes widened.

Vex’s spun the sword around in his hand and plunged it down toward Bella’s neck. Chance gathered every last ounce of Essence in his body and released it at once, throwing himself forward with a defiant yell.

His lunge barely took him a few feet, but those feet were enough. Chance’s palm slapped against the scroll and he shoved his arm up, putting the scroll – and himself – between Bella and Vex’s blade.

The blade carved straight through the scroll, splitting it in twain. It continued, driving into Chance’s palm like a spike of red-hot pain. He screamed in pain, pushing his weight to the side.

His desperate attempt managed to shove Vex’s sword just far enough to the side that it missed Bella. It pinned Chance’s hand and the scroll alike to the ground with a wet squelch. Vex pulled the blade free, flicking Chance’s blood across his face.

“Marvelous,” Vex said, laughing as he raised the blade once more. “You are pathetic, boy. So much for your precious weapon. Watch, Bella. If the boy wishes to die first so badly, then I will oblige him.”

“It wasn’t,” Chance said, gritting his teeth through the pain.

Vex arched an eyebrow as he placed the blade of his sword against Chance’s neck. “Oh? Speak up, boy. Make your last words count.”

“It wasn’t a weapon. It was a gift.”

Confusion flitted across Vex’s features, but he only had a brief second to process Chance’s words. A brilliant chime split the air as a glowing golden fist slammed into Vex’s chin with such force that the bone cracked.

Vex spun and staggered, barely managing to keep his balance. His eyes widened as Rilu emerged from a glowing crack in the air, his body wreathed with brilliant gold energy. The oppressive aura that had been washing off of Vex washed away in an instant, and Chance drew in a greedy breath.

Vex spat blood onto the ground, a bruise already starting to form where he’d been hit. “Rilu. Fool. We have no Karmic connection. I’ll enjoy watching your own powers rip you apart for feeling pity for these insects.”

“Is that so?” Rilu tilted his head to the side, standing silently for several seconds. “Odd. I don’t seem to be having any issues. I wonder why that could be, Vex?”

Vex took a step back, the confidence draining from his face. Blood dripped from his lips and his gaze shot down to the severed scroll on the ground beside Chance.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Rilu said, his eyes stormy despite his jovial words. “You destroyed my gift, Vex.”

“No.” Vex took another step back. “That’s not possible. You can’t–”

“I’m afraid I can,” Rilu said. “They owed me for that scroll, Vex. It may have been worthless to you, but it was more valuable than anything else in the whole world to them. It was hope. It was more than that. It was a Karmic Bond. And you just severed it.”

Vex spun, water spraying around him as he started to launch into the air. Rilu extended a hand toward the fleeing cultivator. Bands of golden light unraveled, spanning through the sky and binding around Vex’s limbs.

They yanked him back, slamming Vex into the ground with an earth-shattering crash. Vex roared and blades of water enveloped him, cutting the strands apart. He staggered to his feet, his eyes wild.

“You can do nothing!” Vex screamed. “You are an impartial observer with no power!”

“No, Vex. I am an executor of the universe’s will,” Rilu said, his voice deadly soft. “And you have Karma with me.”

Vex wasn’t granted the grace of a response. A golden blade formed in the air behind him and carved down for his neck. Vex twisted to the side, screaming as the weapon carved a line across his back.

Water swirled and he sent a wave of blades crashing down on Rilu, but it was blown to the side by a rush of golden wind. Vex turned to flee again, but glowing gold bands wrapped around his arms and legs, yanking him back before he could run.

Vex desperately cut at the bands, but this time, they didn’t break. His magic broke harmlessly against Rilu’s. With a defiant roar, Vex summoned a rain of jagged water directly above Chance and Bella.

It crashed down above them with enormous force – only to be met by a wall of golden light. Loud clangs echoed through the field as Vex’s magic harmlessly rang off Rilu’s shield.

“I have been waiting for you to slip up for a long time, Vex.” Rilu’s voice was dispassionate as he advanced toward the desperate Cultivator.

“You’re nothing but a dog!” Vex screamed. His Essence roared out of his body, roiling across the ground and ripping it to shreds. It didn’t make it farther than five feet from his body before dozens of golden stars lit around him, blocking Vex’s aura off and stopping its advance.

Bands of light shot out from the stars, winding around Vex’s body and dragging his limbs taut. Vex was lifted into the air, bound so tightly that he wasn’t even able to struggle. All he could do was stare hatefully. His Essence flickered and faded, unable to resist the overwhelming might pouring off Rilu.

“You have been judged by the universe,” Rilu proclaimed. A gold spear materialized in his hands. He thrust it forward, driving the weapon’s point straight into Vex’s heart. Vex’s eyes widened and he thrashed, blood splattering across the ground as Rilu ripped the spear free.

The bindings holding Vex vanished and he dropped to the ground, landing on all fours. Vex coughed, even more blood splattering from his lips as he tried to find the strength to push himself upright.

“I’ll–”

A band of light wound around Vex’s mouth, stifling him. Rilu turned, holding the spear out. Chance and Bella stared. Vex had been invincible. An insurmountable force that had been plaguing Bella for her entire life.

Bella rose to her feet. Vex’s eyes promised a thousand deaths within them, but Bella didn’t even look at him. Her eyes were transfixed on the glowing weapon. She reached out and took it from Rilu, staring at the hilt mutely.

With a scream that carried years of torture and pain behind it, Bella plunged it into Vex’s eye. A brilliant crash of light lit the clearing as the weapon bit home, punching out of the back of Vex’s head.

The spear dissipated. Bella dropped to her knees, breathing heavily as the bindings holding Vex vanished. His body pitched forward, thumping against the ground before Bella as tears streamed down her face.

“You have been found wanting,” Rilu finished, clapping his hands together. “Good riddance.”