Page 4075

And, of course, there were the Primordials to contend with. Thankfully, fighting them was not always necessary, and some were clearly more powerful than others, but regardless, they never made it easy. They were like wrinkles incarnate. Complicating everything they touched.

More difficult still had to be the Elemental High Kings, their Chosen Champions, and their infinite armies. Those realms seemed to have the highest concentration of Chaotic power. The places where the infinite most coalesced. And the Primordials each owed tribute to them, at least in part.

It had taken a very long time to learn that--and even now, he and Tenebrach were not entirely certain of all the details. What were called Primordials in this realm were oftentimes more like special magisters in their home realms. High-ranking counselors to their kings. Given incredible leeway compared to everyone else. Valued for the depth of their knowledge regarding foreign realms and powers.

But not always, naturally. Some were on quite bad terms with their kings, it seemed.

And the Elemental High King of Darkness was on bad terms with them all, no matter their origin. That was why he'd sent his Champion to this realm, long ago, in order to conduct the Prime Hunt.

Or at least, that was as much as Sermung had been able to discern of their inner turmoil over the course of his quest. The problem with the higher realms was that there was always more to learn and never enough time to learn it.

Without a doubt, that had to be why his mentor decided to leave this middle realm the way that he did. Because he'd already given up on ever returning. Once he realized that the Terror could serve as a gateway into those impossible spaces, he allowed himself to be eaten and spirited away.

"I'm sorry, Caedda. The world is in your hands, now."

And by letting his successor slay the Great Terror, the same beast that had 'taken' his life, the legacy of the Vanguard would be maintained despite his sudden absence.

So departed Osgar, the Unbreakable Knight of Andeyal.

Unfortunately, that well-earned moniker suffered quite a bit of ridicule after his 'death,' and now it seemed as though barely anyone remembered it.

But Sermung would never forget. Osgar the Unbreakable may have been a shrewd and half-mad bastard with more spirit than sense, but even with all he'd learned since, Sermung couldn't imagine having anyone else as his teacher.

Next page on the 9th

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Page 4074

It was over as quickly as it began. All aggressors sealed in stone. Very few on this planet could break themselves out of soul-strengthened diamond. This was why defensive auras were so important. Such an aura was typically an outgrowth of the field density of one's soul, but for most servants, that alone would not be enough to shield them from Sermung. Only those who had achieved near perfect soul synchronization with their reaper would have the requisite density. Anyone younger needed something more assisting their aura. Much more.

Which, ultimately, was why Sermung had not had a real fight in this realm in many years. It sometimes made him worry that he was out of practice. Getting rusty.

But the fights in the higher realms were making up for it, no doubt. The only sticking point was how strange they were. Those soul-eaters feasting on Unso had been no pushovers. Not only could they weave together pocket dimensions and distort perception, trapping the mind in a nightmarish psychic prison, but they were also surprisingly strong physically, creating whistling blades that could shrink or grow in size, shredding any material like a swarm of razor-sharp wasps or cleaving entire mountains in two.

Admittedly, though, it had been quite satisfying to make the mountains fight back.

And giving them a taste of their own medicine certainly felt karmic. With Tenebrach being able to assist him in making psychically-reflective crystal prisons, those twisted monstrosities would be feeding on each other's souls until the end of time. Or dimensional collapse, perhaps.

The Idkin could be quite problematic, too, depending on which race he encountered. The hulking ones were especially difficult to deal with, but there were probably even more that he'd never encountered.

And then there were the greatworms, of course. There were plenty of those infesting the higher realms--devouring them entirely, in some cases. Sermung very much did not wish to meet another dimension eater. Battling his way out of that madness had been one of the most unpleasant experiences of his entire life.

But it had also been quite cathartic when he finally learned how to bend that particular reality to his will and slay the beast properly. A useful encounter, in case one of those bastards ever tried to visit this middle realm again. Sermung knew that certain reapers were worried about that, since the last visit had been rebuffed by the Kingsparrows, who were now on the verge of extinction.