Cage

Chapter 59: Cage

"Humans, smart animals."

The black wolf lifted his head, looking at the dark ceiling. The shine around his pupils was the only source of light in a completely dark room.

"How annoying, however, they have always been perfect servants. Just smart enough."

He said, still a bit unfamiliar with the current vessel and unable contain his thoughts strictly inside the head.

Then he shrugged, and the light in his eyes became unbearably strong, while the darkness, in contrast, even darker. The next second an explosion sounded, so strong that every soldier around Du Fu closed their ears and kneeled down.

The ground rose up, like a giant pillar that started falling to all directions.

"Gh!" The General's thick mustaches bent, he brandished his guandao and a wave of wind swiped all the dirt and stones away. That avalanche could not affect him at all, for his natural Qi Barrier, even in the current state, was strong enough to block it. However, it could have injured his soldiers.

When all the dirt fell down, a silhouette was exposed, its darkness blinding in the center of the falling evening sun, like a legendary eclipse. It was a wolf, completely black, in a blue gown swaying in the wind and with a stare like that of the death itself.

Du Fu, however, wasn't affected by the gaze of that thing. Nor the darkness twisting like a smoke around it could faze him at all.

The old general had a different concern.

While the earth was falling, that thing was still standing in midair.

Only one sort of being was capable of doing that without wings.

"Heavenly Synchronization Realm…"

Like a distant memory, the feeling of flight flashed in his memory; but just for a brief second, and the next one he saw the being lifting its hand. Several words sounded in his head like a distant whisper of the night's wind.

"Light Array Seven… Cage."

The old general turned back, to the soldiers whose retreat he was guarding while fighting off the risen dead. His shout bent the leaves around.

"Back!"

Suddenly, a wall of pure darkness manifested just before his men, meters higher than any tree around.

Bam!

Rung an explosion and Li Song, who was leading the retreating army, punched at the wall of darkness with all his force. However, it hasn't even bulged, only pain spread through his fingers.

"Shit!"

He smashed again, and again, and with his leg and head, his punches were so fast that his limbs started to blur, however, only blood was splashing around. The barrier was unbreakable.

Finally, he, like the countless men around turned toward the being in the sky.

"That's…"

He suddenly felt a cold shudder. Not because he was afraid of the unknown that this thing represented to all other soldiers, but because he knew what exactly it was.

"General!"

He shouted, running toward Du Fu who with his strongest lieutenants was holding back the dead army. A thick crowd was of dazed soldiers was a hustle to get through, however, he managed to reach him.

"You know something, brat?"

A cold voice asked him, face not even facing the youth.

"I can't say what, but it is extremely dangerous. It isn't a beast nor human, it's strong, very strong. It will probably be attacking from a distance."

"Useful information, as expected from a Li."

Mockingly said Du Fu.

Then the being in the air clapped its paws.

Another explosion sound.

A dark air spread around, the world as if became grey, as If the forest was burning and countless wisps of smoke were clouding the sky.

The army of the dead, many of which they thought were put back into graves started to stand up once again. Their limbs were regenerating, the bones regrowing; a giant elephant, cut in half, suddenly separated its eyelids, and its eye started growing back, and in this eye, only darkness was, and more than that, the despair on the faces of humans it reflected.

"So he is the cause…" Hoarse voice of Du Fu awoke Li Song from the shock.

"Gather the army brat, we have to hold back."

"Yes, general." Li Song wasn't sure himself why he was whispering.

"That thing, if you know what it is, say, can it be killed?"

"Ah, yeah, you should aim for the crystal in its chest."

"Crystal… I understand. You will have problems brat, the beasts already almost completely slaughtered, the army of the dead is growing."

Li Song watched beyond the rising lines of the dead, and indeed, what remained of the beasts' army could not be distinguished from the corpses. They were still fighting though, but the fight was getting quieter and quieter.

"Wait, General are you…"

"I will be risking my life, the only chance of us getting out."

Suddenly the heat surrounding Du Fu became several times stronger. The soldier around him immediately stepped away, a second later even Li Song had to step back, even his Nine Filled Meridians were of no help in front of such strength.

The helm melted on the general's head, liquid iron flowing down his skin. His armor, already red of blood, started glowing.

Sh!

His extended his guandao along his hand, and suddenly, a bright flame covered the shining weapon. It was so hot that Li Song instinctually made several steps back, now standing ten meters away from Du Fu, and still feeling the burning sensation.

"Agh, you are hot, Heaven's Rage. I'm not even sure I can wield my own Spirit Weapon with my current cultivation. How pathetic, I lived for too long."

The flames of the weapon reddened covering Du Fu's body.

The ground under him, even stones, started to melt. The closed person to the Great General was Li Song, who currently was standing thirty meters from him.

"General, you…"

"Sorry brat, but I'm leaving this to you. I honestly don't know what you shall do if I fall, so, good luck."

Suddenly a burning radiance covered everything around. Even the dark silhouette in the air finally glanced at Du Fu, flames reflected in the darkness of its eyes. Everyone was looking at him now, including each of his thousands of soldiers.

"Now, get down."

A third explosion followed, times louder than any before.

A lightning of fire pierced the sky.