NOVEL NEXT Chapter 81: Whose Really Courting Death
With a tiny hop Vibrant had sent herself onto the rooftops which she used to traverse across the entire city with absolute ease; not needing to avoid anything. The few who were able to spot her likely thought of her as some sort of spectre as she appeared to just glide across the gaps between the apexes on the roofs.
In actuality she wasn’t even making use of those sword-blade wings of hers but instead just using her [Absolute Heavenly Steps Art] to walk across the karma itself at her level. One may ask what karma actually was yet the answer to that was quite simple.
Karma was similar to fate in that it was something that appeared automatically connected to everything within the mortal realm however it wasn’t used to ‘control’.
Instead karma was like a set of data on each being (from the most downtrodden blade of grass to the most majestic oak) which heaven used in her management. This included crimes as well as good deeds done no matter how unimportant it may seem as even the littlest bit of kindness may be what saves one's life from tribulation.
For example, just missing stepping on one bug could be the little detail which allows for one to have a lower grade lightning tribulation. Meanwhile if one kills too many innocents they can expect all the might of {The Heavens} to come crashing down upon them. As such karma was something all cultivators worth their mettle knew about. Of course, just because they knew about it didn’t mean they heeded it, many foolish believed themselves more just in the eyes of heaven than they really were.
As for the {Absolute Heavenly Steps Art}, they were an art made by Vibrant (one of many) which allowed for her to expertly utilise the 4th dimensional principle. At the lower levels one would just be able to use one’s positive karma to boost their speed a little.
However, at the higher levels, one is able to exploit the karma of the things around with Vibrant able to employ the principle itself as her foothold. For this reason it was also often called the nepotism footwork by knowledgeable Topplers since karma just so happened to be part of Sohn-Tochters jurisdiction as {The Heavens}.
It was by no means an accident that the little sister who worked for her as a guardian within the ever unpleasant {Heavenly Realm}.
Vibrant was a prolific creator of combat arts - only beaten in number by Cheshire - hence this wasn’t the end of her mythical arts that mortals would literally kill for. A few cultivators' eyes obviously flashed with greed… That was all they were able to do though as soon they found those golden leaves teaching them one should only look up at that senior of theirs with their head on the ground.
<Mortals never change; always just as gluttonous as Vivi yet with none of the self awareness.>
So she thought as she clicked her tongue as she quickly approached the exterior of the giant collection of palaces that had been built up. All it took was a breath and she had traversed the entire city to arrive in front of the heavily guarded palace - of course things weren’t peaceful inside the compound.
Many people stood out front with heavy armour only to glare out towards the giant tree that seemed responsible for all the chaos. Afterall, within the span of a day, the tournament had fallen to pieces due to the attack of an unknown spirit and then a massive tree appears to seemingly cut down people at complete random.
During these troubling times the favoured prince valiantly stood alongside (although right at in the very centre) of the guards readying a response to the corrupt conifer!
“We’ll have to hurry if we wh-” <Prince Alic>
“They certainly have built more than we recall… Quality has certainly gone down so maybe we should have them tear it all down to create something more useful. Perhaps a statue of myself made from the highest quality metal from the heart of a dying star would look nice? Of course, it would need to be very big to make up for lacking my natural grandeur…” <Vibrant>
Abruptly the golden oni appeared behind him with her back practically against his, those thousands of blades fully in vision, with no one realising when she appeared. It wasn’t that she was stealthy - one could tell at a glance that the angelic Violet had little to do with that word - but instead she was just too unfathomable for their feeble minds.
If she didn’t speak up they would likely have unconsciously blocked out her presence as some form of a coping mechanism.
One still had to go through denial before reaching the stage of acceptance, however.
“G-guards an assassin!” <Prince Alic>
“Courting death; kill her this instant!” <Guard Captain>
The ‘brave’ prince screamed out while practically falling over himself while attempting to run away from the sudden appearance of the oni. In response to the pointing hand of the guard captain spears came down in an attempt to pierce right through Vibrant.
Nevertheless, she merely flapped her ‘wings’ causing golden blades of divine sword intent to fly out, reducing the hundred of private soldiers who charged toward her into soup. One very bloody soup that would make a certain {Heavenly Demon} older brother of hers very proud.
There weren’t even limbs or bones but just the crimson ocean that washed the marble floor in front of the grand structure that represented the management of the empire.
Seeing this the prince just fell on his arse while the guard captain was doing no better as his valiant armour began to smell of ammonia. Slowly Vibrant turned to look towards the two with a frown on her face; lifting her head as if she was looking down on them through her eyelids.
“You say that we, of all people, are courting death from blessing you with my appearance? It would appear there is someone else who wishes to gaze into oblivion!” <Vibrant>
Those wings of hers flared up making her seem far taller than she actually was; something no doubt helped by that overwhelming aura that poured out from her body. It was clear to both of the two that they had messed up and this was probably another ultra powerful secret power who their Emperor had invited!
To have declared them to not only be an assassin trying to kill someone as pathetic as them on top of trying to kill them was truly the definition of courting death.
“I-I meant nothing of i-” <Guard Captain>
The man began to wave his arms around wildly as he stepped back yet there was no change with the displeased expression upon her face. Abruptly a golden light exploded out and before either realised it the arms of both of them lay on the ground in addition to the guard captain's leg causing him to collapse to the ground. Both of them shrivelled up on the ground - screaming in pain as they clutched their stumps in feeble attempts to curb the bleeding.
“Then we also did not mean to punish you for the sin of not kneeling nor in meting out punishment for daring to use those arms to point at us…” <Vibrant>
“Why did you remove the prince’s arm as well, then?” <Sohn-Tochter>
“Because the sins of the dog fall upon the owner, do they not?” <Vibrant>
Sohn-Tochter’s voice carried out from the palace as she peacefully walked down into the bloodied scene with no signs of disgust. Both of them had seen far more blood than they could recount in their long lives; the tally of a few hundred peoples worth was nothing to mention.
In fact Sohn-Tochter often punished people for killing far more innocents for just about every second that passed by. Especially since many people in power believed themselves immune to the laws of {The Heavens} as if they were somehow more important in her eyes.
“What are you going to do about the [Tree of Aiden]?” <Sohn-Tochter>
“What about it?” <Vibrant>
So the little sister asked while glancing back towards the monolith of silver & gold that cut through the once vast cityscape of endless towers. A lot of said towers now had gleaming roots piercing through them resulting in them either collapsing or becoming far different in feel.
Throughout the city there were fires from people trying to fight back against the tree while the screams of those felled by it’s leaves were even more numerous.
“Are you not going to remove it?” <Sohn-Tochter>
“Why would we do this when it appears so nice, sister of mine? Back in the day mortals would beg me for a single leaf of my orchid yet here they were bickering among each other about how to cut down something even the lumbering oaf, Leviathan, couldn't do more than nick. The fools do not even understand what they have been graced with!” <Vibrant>
She answered with that exact same pride that she always professed without apology.
“Would Vivi be happy with you ruining the city like this?” <Sohn-Tochter>
“So what if she would; the city belongs to the three of us not her alone and we doubt the plans will be spoiled just because we added some colour to the bland city.” <Vibrant>
“You have an answer to everything.” <Sohn-Tochter>
“Of course I do, I am the Apex!” <Vibrant>
<Which is why I find that tortoise so frightening…>
Of course, that last line was one that Vibrant would take with her to her grave… Not that she would be able to die with how much better she was than anyone else.
