Hell Contractor: Rise of the Last God

The Last Messenger.

Bright was able to find a water source, a decent hunting ground for wild game for them to hunt and eat, as well as locate a possible entrance into the ground that could allow them to investigate deeper into the earth of the forest. Bright was able to swiftly return, and when she did, she found Ayanda and Levy sitting next to the fire while they prepared some fresh ingredients they had prepared. Levy gave Bright a lazy but smug look, and closed his eyes to keep on lying by the fire. Bright was a little offended by Levy's attitude.

"Why does your companion beast seem like he doesn't like me?" Bright asked Ayanda while ignoring Levy.

"Don't take it personally. He doesn't really like anyone." Ayanda chuckled to himself softly as he admitted this.

"Why would you even have him as a companion?" Bright was worried that Ayanda may have settled for Levy out of desperation.

"He's special. Without him, I wouldn't be alive right now. We met by accident, but I'd go through hell again if I have to for him." as Ayanda made his strange confession, Levy opened one eye to look at Ayanda before scoffing very softly under his breath.

"Was it that difficult to contract him?" Bright was shocked to hear a bit of what it was like for Ayanda.

"For you, maybe it wouldn't have been. I had to learn sacred arts on-the-go, but I managed to survive with the little knowledge I had." Ayanda seemed to recall his fight against Sipho, thinking about if he would have been as fortunate if he hadn't absorbed the Immortal Phoenix Sacred Art or even Taboo Slayer Divine Art. Thinking about how he also has God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, Ayanda never tested how well it could work in a place with spiritual vitality everywhere. As he starts to circulate it, Ayanda can suddenly feel himself absorbing the remnant spiritual vitality into his body, and seem to sense the source of the vitality below.

"Interesting..." a fierce glance from whatever was below also briefly connected to Ayanda. He suddenly had a rush of a similar vision to what Mohini had passed down, but for some reason all Ayanda could see was a wide landscape, with a lone willow tree that's been burnt down crumbling in the distance. Ayanda could only tell that there was a strange presence within the burnt willow tree. The vision ended very abruptly, but Ayanda felt something tingling on his back. He was worried for a second before the feeling was gone, almost like an itch. Ayanda was wanted to look and see if there was something there, but he didn't want to alarm Bright, so he sent a message to Levy in his Soul Scape.

"Can you see if there's something on my back?" Ayanda was trying to not seem nervous.

Levy took a quick glance, "There's nothing there. You've been circulating the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, that's what I saw." he replied.

Ayanda wanted to shrug it off, but deep down felt that it was too good to be true. Even the presence below can't be felt as deeply as before, it's like it vanished.

"Weird." Ayanda muttered as he went back to focusing on his God Blood Lightning Sacred Art spiritual vitality. When he circulated his vitality now, it feels richer and more potent, but ultimately it wasn't enough for him to store into his body, as it's not accessible like the vitality pools in God's Prison. Although Ayanda couldn't tell how he could venture down below, but he is starting to suspect that the vitality pools are something to do with spiritual vitality, and possibly directly linked to the Abyss Sect, as the rule over the Banish Empire.

Ayanda and Bright ate their dinner, with Bright practicing her movement techniques, and Ayanda attempting to study the daemonic text next to the fire. While they were both focused, a strange skeletal beast is soaring high above them, far too far away for either of them to sense, but Nez is there, keeping track of their movements in the sky.

The next morning, with a clear sky showing no signs of any beast flying over, Ayanda decided to tell Bright about his plans to further explore the path, but he found out that she may actually know a way in.

"I saw it yesterday. Since it was getting late, it would have been better to explore it now." Bright smugly told Ayanda about her discovery, clearly planning to dictate the pace of Ayanda's trip now. 

"Then lead the way, please." Ayanda had to follow Bright now to the place where they could venture below the earth to investigate the source of the spiritual vitality. Ayanda feels as if he needs to be closer in order to c***k through the block that doesn't allow him to fully comprehend the daemonic text.

Bright led Ayanda back to the area where she had spotted the way in, but then Bright strangely sensed something was amiss. Although they were walking in the same direction, she suddenly felt as though there was a thick fog surrounding the two of them. Bright wanted to try and warn Ayanda, but suddenly she felt Ayanda grab her by the waist and quickly fly right out of the fog.

Nez who was using his vitality to cast this technique, pushing out a strange toxic fog out of his body felt electrocuted by something and had to release the technique. He cried out in pain as his body convulsed in agony from the shock, which rings into his bones. Nez almost collapses, but forces himself up in order to chase after Ayanda and Bright in the direction he felt the break in his Tomb Fog.

Ayanda was using the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art now in order to understand the circulation better. Within the fog, Ayanda could feel his Immortal Phoenix Sacred Art being somewhat restricted, so he wanted to test if spiritual sacred arts can pose a threat to restriction techniques. It turns out God Blood Lightning Sacred Art worked, but he wasn't sure why he felt a discharge when he broke out of the fog, as though his spiritual vitality was able to attack whoever was controlling the fog. Ayanda ignored all of the and moved at an incredible speed with the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art movement, and Bright who was under his arm was astonished at his pace.

"This is at lease twice as fast as he was before! His second sacred art has movement techniques of this level!?!" Bright was beyond speechless, only due to how frightening Ayanda's movements techniques have been so far, "Not only can he use a sacred art that is a match to her own, but if his second technique is this fast, does that mean his third is a mythical level sacred art!" her heart had no idea how to take in what she is witnessing. Ayanda may outclass her as a prodigy, without her even being able to land a finger on him before, she knew now that he was really going easy on her. Even in the fog, she felt that she may have been at a disadvantage, but Ayanda was able to have them both escape unharmed.

As Nez is rushing through the forest, he rushes out of a bush and treads into a tranquil pond filled with pink waterlilies. Suddenly, he can't retreat as he's trapped in the pond area, like in quicksand.

"Dammit! What the f**k is this!!" Nez wasn't panicking, but was annoyed since he'll lose track of Ayanda and Bright if he remains here.

"Need a hand?" a sweet and gentle voice whispered gently, and Nez looked up to find a startlingly handsome young man laying on one of the waterlilies dressed in a silky turquoise suit, and half of a cloud like mask floating above the upper part of their face, mostly around the eyes. His cinnamon complexion was juxtaposed to the mask, with even his eye having a yellow pearlescent glow. 

"Why would I accept help from a weirdo like you!" now Nez was becoming enraged by how casually this strange person appeared and assumed he needed help. But then the mysterious person slowly got up and turned away from him.

"I'll help you since you're ignorant of how you've already offended La Sirene." they say calmly, with a smirk curling on their lips, "But I'm interested in seeing if you can really take on Ayanda." they said, and snapped their fingers, "Yemaya, get him out of here." and then a giant visage of a dark skinned God adorned with jewel, in the shape of sea shells, appears to wink at Nez.

Nez starts feeling his body being ripped out of the pond. But not only there, he felt like he was pulled out of a deep well, and when he returned back from out of the bushes, they vanished like a mirage, revealing a small statue of a beautiful woman, with half her body in the form of a dolphin, sitting on a rock. Nez quickly turns away to run, avoiding to look back in any way at all. At this point, he's lost his bearings, and now has to follow any trail he can find.

Ayanda is close to where Bright recalled where the entry point was, so Ayanda slowed down in order to have her guide them their properly. Ayanda puts Bright down gently after landing on the ground.

"What is that sacred art you used now?" Bright didn't hesitate to ask. She felt as if she couldn't ignore a sacred art with such frightening speed.

"You can't use it. It's a spiritual sacred art." Ayanda didn't want to have to make up a story about where he learnt it from. 

"Can you teach me that one instead of the one you weren't sure about before?" Bright asked seriously.

Now Ayanda was a bit trapped. He already had difficulties making up stories for his cultivation of Immortal Phoenix Sacred Art, but God Blood Lightning Sacred Art was Sango's, and more importantly, it may not be suitable for her. "You should really let your teacher decide for you. Haven't you been offered spiritual sacred arts before?" Ayanda asked trying to get her focus away from his spiritual sacred art.

"Teacher told me that I can only pick one after I've completed the mastery of my Burning Phoenix Sacred Art. Even though I'm a match for most of my seniors even, I still can't beat my teacher." Bright admitted, "But if I have a spiritual sacred art instead of another mortal one, maybe I can do better." she said.

"Your second sacred art is also mortal?" Ayanda was a bit confused. For Bright to have mastered two sacred arts at mortal level takes extreme determination that not many can handle.

"My second sacred art is Jewel Shrine Sacred Art. It's the sacred art my mythical companion beast cultivated naturally, and I was able to absorb it. It's thanks to it, I don't have to even summon my companion beast. But against teacher, even with my mythical companion, I still can't do much to even last a minute." Bright sighed in disappointment at her admission.

Ayanda was shocked, "This teacher must be at mythical or else there's no ways she'd be able to beat her that fast!" he thought to himself recounting his own capabilities, and considering if Bright really went all out, then Ayanda only estimates he could pull off a draw if he finds a way to out pace her. Ayanda reminded himself to never offend this teacher person unless he's sure of himself surviving their discipline if something happens to Bright.

Just as Ayanda was going to continue to plead his case, Bright quickly flashed, with strange red bolts rippling from her body. The red sparks weren't as prominent as Ayanda's, whose were more blood red but naked to the eye. Bright was clearly using her mortal vitality to replicate the movement technique of God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, but she could only handle a short burst. But that desperate display actually caused Ayanda to be alarmed.

"Bright is a genius!" Ayanda had to admit, even for himself he had difficulty grasping the overall concept, but Bright managed to simply pick it up after watching him circulate it once. Now he understood why nobody in her family was her match, and why her teacher beat her so quickly. If you let Bright see too much of your sacred art, she can identify how to use it against her opponents. Only now she was using that same trick to learn Ayanda's sacred arts, which were superior to any that she has been exposed to.

"Bright, wait. This spiritual sacred art has some really strict requirements." Ayanda was at a loss, but still had to try to get her to let it go. 

"Such as?" Bright responded seriously.

"For starters, can you see this?" and Ayanda summoned Sango from his ring, appearing in his spiritual form. Ayanda had tried it before, and noticed that Sango is willing to come out as long as he feels that his presence won't be detected by strong spiritual detection techniques. With only Bright around, Ayanda was sure that she wouldn't be able to tell, but strangely, Sango became intrigued with Bright.

"This girl... She feels like Lucky." Sango muttered softly.

Before Ayanda ask Sango about what he just said, Bright stared intensely into the air in front of Ayanda's palm, not noticing Sango at all. She was desperately gazing, but felt like her vision was lacking, but then suddenly, she heard a familiar voice of her companion beast inside of her, which sounded like a majestic emperor with a bellowing voice.

"There is a spirit there, my princess. A flame ball shaped sprite. He's testing to see if you have spiritual vitality flowing." the voice spoke to Bright respectfully inside her Soul Scape.

"So I really can't learn it?" Bright seemed disappointed.

"Not necessarily my princess. With Jewel Shrine Sacred Art, you can use it as a base to be reformed into a spiritual sacred art similar to the one he uses. You would be sacrificing the mythical sacred art you've learnt from me, but I can tell that the spiritual sacred art that takes it place would be far superior." the voice was resolute, willing to allow its master to discard a matured mythical power for a new spiritual sacred art. Not many mythical companion beasts would be serving, but Bright's companion beast has picked by Bright when she was younger, and they've never lost to anybody in the Phoenix Sect since then.

Just as Ayanda was about to take Sango back, Bright pointed to the fire ball figure of Sango.

"This right?" Bright asked coyly, with her eyes shimmering with a ruby red prismatic glow.

Sango was drawn into those eyes and compelled to help copy his God Blood Lightning Sacred Art to her, but held back due to Ayanda's control over him. Sango lost control of his heart and gave into the temptation of Bright's hypnotic gaze.

"Master, I... It wasn't on purpose." Sango quickly begged telepathically while maintaining a mysterious aura.

"If she want's the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, let her take it. It looks like there's no stopping her." Ayanda was afraid of what would happen if he denied Bright who's clearly had a breakthrough of some kind, allowing her to see Sango. He couldn't deny her now that she's pushed herself to his risky point. Without a strong cultivation base, a spiritual sacred art wouldn't bear much fruit in terms of combat, but at an advanced stage, from mythical and beyond, there are spiritual sacred arts that defy all logic, rendering the strong powerless.

"This!" the voice inside Bright was shocked at the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art cultivation that was being copied to her. It was resonating from Sango, so Bright's companion beast could vaguely sense it's presence. "My princess has an interesting friend. How does he have a God as a spiritual tool?" the companion beast thought to itself, now studying the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art, and allowing Bright to draw out it's crystalline magenta blood. 

With this transfusion, the God Blood Lightning Sacred Art starts to circulate within Bright's body, imploding the Jewel Shrine Sacred Art and replacing it. The red bolts of lightning before start to crackle around Bright, but she soon gets worn out. This was similar to when Ayanda first attempted to use God Blood Lightning Sacred Art outside God's Prison, and discovered the issue with his lack in spiritual vitality.

"Here, let me help." Ayanda lifted up Bright slowly, "You need to take your time and slowly draw in the spiritual vitality around you here. It will help you main your use of the sacred art. Most importantly, you have to find a way to have a constant source of spiritual vitality." Ayanda explained.

Bright was slowly getting up, then asked, "What about yours?".

"I'm still searching, but this forest has some traces of spiritual vitality below the ground. That's what I followed to get here." Ayanda admitted to Bright.

"So if we go down towards the source of that spiritual vitality, there'll be more potent spiritual vitality to absorb?" Bright quizzed in response.

"Most likely. All I can tell is that we have to go deep, past some old structures and ruins to get there. Judging the way its all underground, it's definitely not safe." Ayanda's understanding of whatever was down there was still making him feel worried about his curiosity, but he has to see if there's anything that he could use to help promote his God Blood Lightning Sacred Art. With Bright sharing the cultivation with her companion beast, they're in a similar position, but not as demanding as Ayanda's, due to a mysterious biological anomaly.

Bright had to muster up her remaining energy to get herself to lead Ayanda to the entrance to the hole she saw the previous day. It was almost midday now, so they had made good time considering the delay, as well as the sharing of the sacred art. Bight felt that now she was ready for the new challenge of mastering the new sacred art.

"My princess, you need to be ready. This sacred art won't be easy to master." the voice preemptively commented on her zeal. It understood more than anything that Bright was truly a genius, but it feared that perhaps she may be overwhelmed by how challenging her new cultivation base will be. Bright is lacking in having the same chance as Ayanda had in honing his God Blood Sacred Art against Sipho, using it sparingly with well thought calculation. Bright is still a bit sensitive, so she may not adapt as easily, nor will it be as assured. But regardless, Bright and Ayanda entered the hole that leads to a cave with a broken section of the stone path exposing a section of a tower with stairs leading down. There's overgrowth of weeds and roots everywhere, but they both descend the stairs carefully.

Nez has been running around the forest for some time now, hardly finding any trace of Ayanda and Bright, but as he was about to summon his companion beast, he rushes up to a spot and sniffs the area, "They were just here."