"A gem cannot be polished without friction. Similarly, a person cannot become successful without a sufficient number of difficult attempts." Confucius.
The war space was boiling and seething, attracting more and more vortices and clusters of aether. The energy beams themselves aspired to the center of the whirlpool and curvature, sacrificing themselves and getting up under the blows in order to attract new clusters of cosmic force. Bright flashes without a single flame shook the area where the battle was going on to achieve incomprehensible goals, or rather for different purposes and for different entities. Everyone who contributed to the events found an excuse for themselves, thereby calming their conscience and trying to gain an advantage in battle. Lightning and light rays with a low-frequency hum vibrated the airless world with the strongest pressure, pushing away weaker participants and expanding the halo of their battlefield. The priests, tightly covered by their large hoods, fiercely, and at the same time with cold calmness, expanded their attack zones, preventing their opponents from moving away from themselves, thus controlling them. The skills of both priests revealed them to be experienced and dangerous people, whom it would be ridiculous to underestimate. What surprised and made the priests fearful was that the techniques and skills they used were completely different from those of the Betaros clan. The masters who arrived at this treacherous attack realized their omission and wondered who these experts were who could use unknown and at the same time rather creepy techniques and battle seals.
— I didn't know there was such a master in the Betaros clan! — Did Venerable Arsun hire mercenaries and was ready for our arrival!? — One of the two experts on the divine kadama shouted to his partner, the same level, who was struggling to fend off the huge ice spikes with a strange poisonous aura. The ether, accelerating and swirling under the streams of energy seals, evaporated and absorbed, turning into aggressive and hard beams of ice lightning created by the Guardian and forcing the leader of the group in a silver mask, who was already pretty battered, to go into deep defense. He also tried to fix the situation with his magic trident, which he managed with great difficulty.
— Can you identify yourself, venerable?! You're clearly not from the Betaros clan! — the man in the red hood addressed the Guardian, putting protection in the form of a flat sword, which created an aura of a fire shield around its owner. Now it seemed to him that by closing the space, they had driven themselves into a death trap.
— What a sneaky question, from a man who himself is covered with a mask! You have made a grave mistake by coming here! You will not leave alive! The Guardian replied in a cold—blooded tone, creating a new attack seal with a poisonous base, which began to absorb ether with lightning speed. The Guardian was preparing a well-placed strike towards the two masters. Those who felt threatened and were already pretty tired, began to put up all kinds of protective seals. The seal rapidly rotated and filled with monstrous energy, flew towards the two experts who had gone into deep defense. When the masters arrived to attack, they could not determine the priest's power level. He seemed to be on the same frame with them, but the monstrous spiritual power suggested that their judgments were wrong.
A little apart from the Guardian, Irichtei was having fun with four masters, who clearly did not expect such pressure from one priest, who created many spatial holes from which he suddenly appeared, delivering rather terrible blows with a hail of sharp metal spikes.
— Oh, guys, well, where did you go? I'm not letting you go! I won't miss this chance to have fun! — Laughing, the priest shouted in the voice of Irichtei, sending a large portion of thorns towards the two masters and disappearing into one of the spatial holes. The thorns, like the wind, swirling and accelerating in the stream, forcefully began to break through the energy barrier set up by both masters. The four individuals, who had recently entered the initial stage of the divine level and were hoping for an entertaining trip, did not expect to receive such a rebuff from a single priest, who playfully repelled their attacks. They decided to combine their efforts into one powerful pressure seal and quickly surrounded Irichtei, creating runes with their fingers. Bright and burning threads spread out in a pattern across the space, forming one huge seal over the head of the mischievous priest, who calmly and curiously watched this action. Suddenly, the priest himself began to create passes with his hands and above the jointly created seal of the four opponents, a spiritual silhouette of a huge sword appeared and began to descend into the core of a round rune, which began to disintegrate with a bang and beams of energy lightning, unable to withstand the pressure. It was a complete fiasco and a rout of the masked robbers, and there was no trace of their former prowess. Irichtey, taking advantage of the general turmoil and impotence of the four opponents, began to rapidly appear in front of them and finish them off with powerful blows, creating a clawed paw of spiritual forces.
Crackling and noise, screams and exclamations filled the space in the center of the three starships. Zuhair, who was attacked by about eight experts at once, swung his saber, trying to reach as many enemies as possible with a bright light stream sharp as a blade. Initially, as soon as he got on Arsun's ship, he foresaw this chaos. His gut instinct warned him of an impending attack. Ever since he was associated with the Keeper of the Manuscript, his spiritual sense has increased significantly. The trajectory of the swing and punch, which turned into a burning and sharp ray, when in contact with opponents, burned the protective spiritual shield and contributed to the appearance of scorched wounds on the bodies and limbs of the enemies. Levels and cadams played a significant role when it came to combat conditions. All of his opponents were an order of magnitude stronger and at a higher level than himself. At some point, he was surrounded and a terrifying melee ensued. His saber flew off, knocked out of his hands, and Zuhair, in a rage, began to fight hand-to-hand. Of course, he had combat experience, but with such a mass and strength exceeding the numerical advantage, he could no longer cope. From the impact of the two experts, he was forcefully sent flying towards the ship and hit the hull of the vessel. The wounds he received immediately made themselves felt. Intense pain and despair gripped the guy's heart. Falla appeared right next to him. After examining Zuhair, she attacked the young master's offenders with fierce fury, wielding two long daggers of unusual shape. During the combat passes, the daggers created by Falla were filled with the energy of the ether and this made them even more terrifying. The daggers created a field that, upon contact, struck with a powerful shock wave. Two of the offenders flew away from the force of the daggers, and Falla rushed to three more masters, who, trying to bypass the girl, went to Zuhair.
— Can't handle two weaklings!? Well, where are your vaunted skills? A young and tall warrior in a white mask and with a huge axe shouted. He moved forward and his huge and burly figure towered over the rest of the warriors. It was clear that he was the leader of the group that had Zuhair and his girlfriend surrounded. He was clearly the leader, and by coming forward, he made it clear to everyone that he would deal with Falla personally. Grinning frighteningly, he attacked the girl with lightning speed, expertly swinging his axe. With one hand, he created a vortex and directed it towards Falla.
— Take care of the boy, losers! Finish him off, finally! — the leader shouted in flight and hacked with an axe towards the girl. He possessed a unique technique in which brute force prevailed and could break through the energy barrier. Falla, thrusting her daggers forward, barely held back the blow of the axe, but suddenly received a whirlwind flow in the chest. The blow was so strong that Falla could not stand it. The girl flew away with small wounds on her arms and it was obvious how much she was in pain. Everything went dark and slowed down in Zuhair's eyes. He saw a grimace of pain on Falla's face and a thug flying towards her with an axe and a grin on his face. He looked at the five warriors rushing towards him. A fierce anger and rage suddenly filled his insides. He felt his sea of mind boiling, turning a bloody color with its seething. Everything went wrong in his brain, leaving only one clear and raging intention — to kill! Suddenly, Zuhair's face changed and his tints of skin began to grow into dense scales. The scales were rough, and in the light of the lightning, they had the sheen of metal. His breathing quickened, and his bones and meridians began to rearrange. The heart muscles started working at double speed, pumping a completely different, wild blood into all the vessels of the body. Suddenly, he had a huge tail, framed by a huge snake's head. It was the mutation power that he had inherited from the Cleansing Fire maskhab. An unprecedented power boiled in the veins of the guy. Zuhair roared, and the crowned snake head on his thick tail roared in unison with him. Along with roaring sounds, streams of lightning shot out of the snake's mouth, ready to pierce through any flesh and any defense with their might. There was nothing left of the human form in the guy. Zuhair looked at the group of suddenly recoiling enemies and the beast that had awakened in him rushed towards them. Terror froze in the eyes of the masters who were trying to dodge the lightning strikes. The indestructible beast caught up with the enemies with agility, tearing apart their chests and tearing off their limbs. It was a real horror in the flesh. His altered indomitable body was surrounded by a bloodthirsty aura that seethed and demanded new victims. In two huge leaps, Zuhair found himself facing the giant in the white mask. Along with the growth of incredible strength, his spiritual sense increased, which sharpened to incredible heights, and he suddenly smelled something familiar about this large warrior in a white mask. He already knew who was in front of him, with such a familiar aura, and his thirst for murder instantly increased. He suddenly realized that his path to Victory was cut off and that his current opponent was no longer that weak youth, but a true universal monster, and prepared for battle. He was standing in front of a beast that was wagging its giant tail. The giant was still grinning, but this time his grin was nervous and tense. The guy in the white mask tried to suppress his fear and began twirling his axe, condensing the ether and gathering energy. Fierce malice and cold fury burned in Zuhair's eyes, and he prepared to leap. A thick stream of lightning burst out of the snake's mouth and swiftly rushed towards the giant. Along with the flow and the energy blow, the beast rushed towards the guy with the axe, whose powerful muscles were shaking, and the tides of metal shone under the rays of lightning flashes. His leap was indestructible and he crashed down on the guy in the white mask like an avalanche, brushing aside his axe like a straw. A swipe of a mighty clawed paw tore through the armor on the giant and he flew away with a distorted face towards his group. Following him, a stream of lightning shot out from the snake's mouth towards him. This stream was supposed to incinerate and scatter the remains of the giant in universal space. But the stream unexpectedly encountered an obstacle in the form of a strong barrier that appeared out of the blue. There was a strong pressure, and it was clear that the barrier was set up by a powerful expert with a high level of spiritual power. Slowly, in space, as if beams of energy were gathering at a certain point, a figure in a black cloak and with a hidden face under the hood formed. He created a field with incredible pressure and knocked back the beast with a wave of his palm. He was an expert at a high divine level, and he had been hiding and watching the duel in this enclosed space until now. He spoke, letting his mental ability enter. His voice tore the eardrums and created a strong confusion in Zuhair's head. From the intense vibrations, the guy couldn't move. Suddenly, two priests appeared near Zuhair, covering him with their auras and creating protective seals at the same time. Leaving their opponents in a sorry state, the Guardian and Irichtei rushed to help the guy who was a terrifying monster a moment ago. The voice of the person who put up the barrier brought everyone to their senses and forced them to work harder:
— This is your true inside, beast! You've been in this world too long! So it's time for you to die, monster! No one can save you! Unrestrained laughter was heard from this person, and he began to create a huge rune with his fingers, which began to take the form of a giant spear. The spear created from the runes had incredible pressure and tore through space, creating cracks along its entire contour. A huge seal for collecting energy and ether was spinning in the rear. Irichtey and the Guardian joined forces to create a protective seal. An incredibly powerful force wave hit the two priests' defenses.
— This man is incredibly strong! I'm afraid we won't be able to withstand the pressure! If I were in my true body, this runt would be an ant to me. — Yrikhtey shouted to the Guardian. — Unfortunately, I am powerless now! Something has to be done, or the kid will die here. Irichtey delivered his final thought, trying his best to hold back the thrust of the spear. The spiritual image of the spear slowly pressed both priests into the hull of the ship, leaving no room for maneuver. Zuhair came to his senses and joined the priests to help maintain the protective seal, which invariably began to crumble, unable to withstand the pressure. His body returned to its previous appearance, having undergone a reverse transformation. Zuhair's body spent a huge amount of energy to transform the mutation and was exhausted. All three of them understood that this was the end. Even if they don't die from the impact, they'll be treated well. In front of them was an opponent at the highest divine level. Without straining, he pressed his attacking seal with one palm, and behind him, covered by a protective cocoon, sat in a meditation pose and regained strength, a giant in a white mask. All the attackers watched the destruction of Misaka and his defenders with awe and from a considerable distance. It seemed like the end. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge hammer flew over everyone with terrible force and shattered the spiritual image of the spear with terrifying force. The hammer of black blued metal slid across the seal, scattering it and also flying back along its trajectory, was grabbed by a tall man with a mighty figure. His pale green cloak was wrapped around his neck, revealing his statuesque figure. His gray hair and beard were disheveled, and the man's heavy gaze weighed on those present with his insight.
— You're having so much fun here, and I wasn't even invited! — What kind of guest would call me a hospitable host!? I am Arsun, a hospitable man! Let me have some fun too! Saying that, Arsun swung his hammer. With a wave, the entire ether sparkled with bunches of lightning and rippled with an energy wave, sweeping away the ranks of the mountain pirates. Arsun was very angry and did not hide his irritation. He turned to Misaka and the two priests, saw the pitiful state Falla was in, and calmly asked:
— How are you, Misak? Are you all right? Can you help Falla? Help her. And leave this expert to me. I'll deal with him myself. — Having said that, he calmly turned towards the man in the black cloak. He gripped his hammer tightly and slowly floated in space towards his opponent. His loud and heavy voice tore through the space:
— You dared to attack my ship! They dared to hurt my guests! So be prepared for the consequences!
A monstrous aura full of killing intent began to radiate from his body and spread out in all directions. Arsun was also at the peak of the divine level and was undoubtedly ready to fight his opponent. The man in the black hood, who had recently received an incredible rebuff from Arsun's hammer, began slowly making passes with his hands, preparing for an attack.
— Isn't it too self - confident, venerable Arsun, voicing such threats against me? The man in the black cloak replied. He began to exude an equally creepy aura. Creating another rune that began to warp space, he began to shout out words in an incomprehensible language, increasing the power of the attacking seal. It was a forbidden skill from the dark arts. A huge figure of a creature began to move out of the twisted space, the aura of which spewed out poisonous fumes. It was a supreme divine technique that required an incredible expenditure of spiritual strength. Arsun, in turn, let go of the hammer, which hung in front of him and began to rotate slowly. The rotation began to accelerate and at the same time emit golden light. The light, like a spray of millions of vortices and bright rays, covered an ever-larger space, forcing the darkness to squeeze in. It was a battle between two divine skills, two high-ranked techniques. Suddenly, there was a monstrous clap that shook everything around. This is the crumbling dome of a locked space. Someone broke the seal and the gushing stream of ether brought unexpected guests with it. In an instant, another starship appeared in space. The coat of arms of the Manshur clan was clearly on the hull. A loud voice tore through the space:
— I didn't know that the Azure Palace practices dark techniques! Can the esteemed guest reveal his precious identity!?
But the reaction of the man in the black cloak to the spoken words was unexpected. He suddenly tore through the space where the passage appeared with lightning speed, quickly grabbing the giant in a white mask and disappeared into another dimension. The passage slowly tightened and annihilated in front of everyone's eyes. The remnants of the pirate army rushed into the confusion. The appearance of unexpected and very powerful people ruined and disrupted all the plans. The would-be robbers began to disappear into the openings of their starships, preparing to retreat as much as possible and at an accelerated pace. Seeing this, Venerable Arsun went berserk and brandishing his hammer, began to create waves of monstrous power, sending them towards the fugitives.
— I didn't let you go, you demons! Die! — Arsun shouted, trying to hit someone with his punches. In a panic, the fugitives were hit by an energy wave, and those who were lucky disappeared into the belly of the ships. Soon, the starships, having moved from their places, began to rapidly gain speed, disappearing into the void of space. Zuhair and the priests hovering next to him breathed a sigh of relief. The guy was next to Falla in the blink of an eye, hoping to help the girl in some way.
— Why did you let them go, venerable Cumus!? — Arsun shouted, still furiously staring after the departing ships. Suddenly, venerable Cumus appeared in space with another person. Kumus's companion hovered majestically in space and, looking at the picture of the battle, calmly said:
— I let them go.
The companion of the venerable Kumus and the culprit of the escape of those who attacked Misaka and his friends was Bilosh.