Lind was moving quickly but the signs of battle quickly beca apparent. Trees were broken down and gouges in the ground itself were clear. Even with the Corruption reducing the power Immortals could produce, Sky Realm was nothing to sneeze at!
It took far greater effort, but laying waste to the countryside was well within their power.
Blood was everywhere but he noted demonic was mixed with human blood. Corpses were not in one piece or were so mangled as it would be difficult to tell, yet he was unbothered. He had seen far worse.
The pair moved deeper until the scent from the living beca stronger. Lind's eyes narrowed as his ears finally picked sothing up.
"...ther! Big Brother!" The small voice of a young boy beca clearer until they ca upon an area that looked like a bomb had torn through it. The bodies were shredded but the cuts were too smooth.
No weapon could have done it in parallel so perfectly. Claws, however, could.
The strange thing was he did not sll beasts. It was humans for the most part but a few demons were dead there as well.
"I see at least 3 sects colors here but there could be more in this ss." He nodded at Delenn's words. They ca to an area where the orientation of the bodies were all like a wave moving towards the center and he found several trees leveled along with people.
He narrowed his eyes as they ca over a hill only to realize it was a hill of corpses. Soone had tried to use the dead as a wall.
Despite the gore, the size of the battlefield was relatively small even for Sky Realms.
They crossed over and found more dead. He noticed a few that were Heaven Realms but their foundation was incredibly poor. Their bodies were far along to decaying when they should be in better shape.
At the heart of it all was a young man and little boy. The latter was covered in blood but perfectly healthy. The young man, however, was barely alive.
"Big Brother! Please wake up!" The tear filled voice matched the tiny body trying to staunch the blood flowing from the young man. He had not abandoned himself to panic but Lind could tell death would have co if he had not arrived.
The pair wore simple robes that had seen better days if the child's one was anything to go by. The other factor that confused him, however, was he only slled human blood on them yet the boy had pointed ears on top of his head!
White hair of the purest snow color was on his tiny head and the young man as well. The young man had normal ears but his hand had claws!
The aura on them was also insanely strong. He saw the boy look up in terror but he held up his hands.
"We are no enemies. I can save him. I swear to Heaven and Earth." It was a minor oath so Heaven did not even respond but the boy looked desperate for any miracle.
Delenn took out a warhamr to guard them as he quickly set up a ward and began to take out elixirs. The young man had defensive wounds all over his body. It was clear he had been protecting the child.
"Your brother is a good man." He used his aura to guide the elixirs but frowned. It was like the body was a bottomless pool of Qi! He quickly produced duplicates to try to get an effect and only after he used 5 tis the amount of what he should have needed did the blood stop flowing as the various wounds began to close up.
He had only seen such an effect once before in his life.
He had only seen it in those with divine bloodlines! Specifically those that failed to master their bloodline.
Yet, despite clear signs of it on their bodies, he still only caught a human scent from them.
"May I check you out?" The little boy was weeping as he hugged his now rosy cheeked older brother. He did not answer but Lind scanned him with his Eyes and saw no injuries. It told him the older brother was very skilled considering the circumstances.
"I think they were caught up in the battle, not the targets." He accepted Delenn's evaluation but they had to move.
"Hold on to him tightly." The little boy did as instructed before going wide eyed as the pair floated up into midair!
Lind took them with them as he tore through space for a short hop past the battlefield. He did not detect anyone else alive but beasts were coming. He did not need to detect them to know it.
A veritable feast was awaiting them!
Green leaves and fresh air was quite welco as they ca to a clearing.
He set them down as he began to set up more sturdy wards with his weavings. The boy would recover and his little brother passed out after they arrived. It was likely too much.
"What are they?" He could not place them even though they had beast characteristics, they slled human to him.
Delenn looked at them in what seed to be pity.
"Failed Awakening. Humans that have beast bloodlines but when they or their parents awakened their bloodline, it failed. They do get an increase in vitality or other characteristics but manifesting characteristics is fairly rare. The fact both have it indicates their mother failed." He found that fascinating.
"Why have I never co across it before?" He did not recall any literature or even a ntion of it from anyone.
"It is not sothing beasts like to talk about but the greater reason is simply a lack of volunteers wanting to be studied. It only passes to 1 generation from the parent. If they have children, they will be human. No beast would take them, however." Lind could accept part of that but frowned at the rest. Why hide it?
"They may look healthy, but their progress will be non-existent once they reach the Sky Realm. The reason it is called a failed awakening is due to the fact that while they gain so benefit, they suffer from severe requirents to progress as they ascend the realms." Lind nodded as that explained the massive need for so many elixirs but that they barely worked.
All the benefits of power from their bloodline but all the difficulties of humanity multiplied as well. Failure indeed.
He felt curious but it was not the ti to look into it. He only needed to confirm his suspicion that they were in fact white tiger bloodline humans.
They watched over the brothers as various beasts traversed by. They also caught a few Maidens and other cultivators clearly scouting the area.
No one seed to be looking for them specifically but the Maidens were clearly a bit more diligent than the others.
"I think I have seen 7 sects in total but I also noted 3 clans as well. Assuming they have not joined any sect, that is at least 11 powers with the Maidens thrown in. This is very nasty." Lind nodded.
It was one thing to have open warfare but when things are so close and their goal so remote, it had created a tragedy of death and destruction with no end in sight.
The mont any single or group of powers advanced, the others knocked them back down to make it all level again. The supre powers were boxed in as much as the others due to how remote the Ruin was.
"Ahhh." A new voice finally spoke up and Lind turned to find the young man slowly rubbing his head. He noticed the claws that felt so powerful left not even a mark on his skin!
"Lan?!" The young man suddenly panicked but then cald as his little brother sleepily rubbed his eyes
"BORI!" The little boy nearly scread himself hoarse as he tackled his older brother.
The brothers wept openly in joy. Delenn looked warmly at them but resud her guard position. It was only in a bit when the older boy realized they were not alone.
He quickly put himself between Lind and his little brother.
"Stay behind , Lan." Lind did nothing as the little boy tried to get his brother's attention but he was not listening. A giggle left Lind as he looked at the pair.
"You have nothing to fear from , besides, a Sky Realm could do little to stop ." He let his aura leak out and blood drained from his face. Lind then pointed down and Bori looked down to see his little brother pouting cutely.
"The nice man saved you! He is a nice man!" Delenn's shoulders were shaking but she was clearly trying to contain her laughter.
"He speaks the truth, junior Bori. You would have died if not for his brave efforts to slow your bleeding. In that sense, we both saved you. He did well." Lan blushed but Bori felt confused if his face was anything to go by.
"You are not part of this insane war?" Lind shook his head but then paused before looking tired.
"I would like to say no but several people want
to join in. I suspect they will be forceful about it. For now, I want nothing to do with it." His sincerity seed to get through. "I am happy to escort you both out of here as you do not seem part of it either."
Bori nodded and looked tired.
"My village was nearby but was destroyed long ago. Our mother hid us away for a ti but died not long after Lan was born. Our father died not long after that. We are all we have left." Lind looked saddened.
"I will get you to your ho. Lead the way." He took down the wards but then sharply turned his head to the south. Delenn looked at him in confusion but he held up his hand and the boys held still.
"It's another battle. A bigger one." A frustrated sigh ca from Bori.
"They are always fighting! We are to the north. Co with ." They quickly moved north but Lind noticed a few more battles to the east and west, also to the south. It was a very big battle.
The war may be stuck but the bloodshed was hardly being avoided. How many had died with no results over the last million years?
He felt rage building but he needed to wait. There had to be a way to stop it before all Hell broke loose with the Ruin. There just had to be.
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