Sementara itu, di Kota Angora...
Di pusat perdagangan perusahaan Reborn ini, yang tersisa hanyalah kekacauan dan kehancuran. Banyak bangunan hancur, jalanan terkoyak, dan rumah-rumah porak-poranda. Para prajurit perusahaan Worcester telah menjarah semua barang berharga milik warga Kota Angora.
Jaku dan Sheina berdiri saling memunggungi, terluka, menghadapi gempuran dua kultivator Nascent Spirit. Mereka adalah jenderal peringkat ke-5 dan ke-4 dari perusahaan Worcester. Kekuatan mereka jauh melampaui apa pun yang bisa dilawan oleh kedua saudara Dragonborn itu.
"Hahahaha! Tuan Worcester pasti senang saat tahu Kota Angora telah jatuh," ujar jenderal peringkat ke-5.
"Sudahlah. Mereka sudah lemah. Bunuh mereka sekarang," perintah jenderal peringkat ke-4.
"Tapi di mana letak keseruannya? Sebelumnya, mereka punya tatapan menantang di mata mereka. Rasanya menyenangkan menghancurkan mereka perlahan. Tapi sekarang, mereka sudah hancur! Kupikir aku bisa melakukannya, tapi ternyata mereka melakukannya sendiri!"
"Lakukan saja," sahut jenderal peringkat ke-4. "Aku punya firasat buruk bahwa sesuatu sedang terjadi di wilayah Rebornian lainnya. Orang Tua dan Penyihir itu seharusnya sudah tiba di sini sekarang, membantu kita."
Jenderal peringkat ke-5 mengangguk dengan haus darah. Meskipun Jaku dan Sheina menanggung beban penuh kekuatan para jenderal Nascent Spirit itu, mereka tidak peduli. Selama warga Rebornian selamat, mereka rela terluka dan berdarah.
Sheina telah menginstruksikan Klon Persatuan untuk mengevakuasi seluruh warga Kota Angora sebelum hal buruk terjadi. Tidak seperti Bangsa Reborn, mereka tidak memiliki seseorang seperti Grieve untuk membantu melawan kultivator kuat seperti ini.
Sheina menundukkan kepala. Bahkan di saat seperti ini, dia tidak bisa menangis. Tanggung jawabnya sebagai sekretaris Michael berbenturan dengan rasa kehilangannya. Pada akhirnya, dia teringat pada adiknya yang nakal itu. Semua kenangan saat mereka bertengkar, saat Sheina menceramahinya, dan saat adiknya diam-diam menjulurkan lidah untuk menantang—itu akan menjadi kenangan terakhirnya.
Namun, tiba-tiba, sebuah suara halus wanita bergema dari sisi mereka. "Sedang melihat ke mana?"
Jaku dan Sheina membeku. Tubuh mereka menggigil kedinginan. Rasa duka dan kehilangan menyelimuti tubuh mereka. Jaku tidak bisa lagi menahan perasaan yang meledak dari hatinya. Air mata mengalir di pipinya.
"Dia... dia... tidak mungkin..."
Sheina tiba di medan perang, lengkap dengan Zirah Nascent-nya. Dia berdiri melawan sinar cahaya dari langit. Zirah putihnya yang bercahaya berkilau di bawah sinar matahari, seolah dia adalah malaikat yang diutus dari atas. Dia telah melampaui ranah demi-manusia.
Kedua jenderal Nascent Spirit itu benar-benar terkejut. Transendensinya terjadi secara instan! Dia bahkan tidak sempat mengalami tribulasi, dan langsung mendapatkan Zirah Nascent tanpa penundaan!
Di antara dadanya, mereka melihat sebuah mata. Mata ini seolah mengikuti setiap gerakan mereka, menembus pikiran dan tindakan mereka sepenuhnya. Saat itulah, rasa ngeri dan takut mulai menyelimuti jenderal peringkat ke-4. Dia tidak bisa melihat mereka, tapi dia bisa merasakannya. Ada dua tanda tangan yang mengalir dari realitas di sekitar mereka, melengkungkan jalinan ruang itu sendiri!
Jenderal peringkat ke-4 merasa bulu kuduknya berdiri saat menatap rekan Nascent Spirit-nya. Tiba-tiba, sebuah anak panah menembus dada jenderal peringkat ke-5. Tepat menembus jantungnya, bahkan menembus Zirah Nascent-nya yang tangguh.
Darah menyembur dari mulutnya. "Ap—apa..."
Jenderal peringkat ke-4 menatap rekannya, lalu mencabut anak panah dari dada itu. Di sisi lain, dia merasa kulitnya berderak. Dengan bulu kuduk berdiri, dia merasa seolah awan akan menurunkan petir ke arahnya. Tapi itu tidak masuk akal. Tidak ada awan di sini!
Di satu sisi, jenderal peringkat ke-4 merasa seolah ada sesuatu yang sedang mengawasinya. Semacam dewa yang menatap sosoknya yang kecil, menunggu untuk meremukkannya. Kekuatan yang mereka pancarkan memiliki denyut yang sama dengan jenderal Nascent Spirit. Tapi itu tidak masuk akal. Bagaimana mungkin? Kecuali...
"Belum," kata jenderal peringkat ke-4. "Pekerjaan ini belum selesai. Kau sudah bersenang-senang. Sudah waktunya kita menyelesaikan tugas kita di sini. Bunuh dua hama ini. Aku sudah muak dengan mereka."
Namun, sensasi itu terus bertahan. Dan tepat saat mereka hendak bergerak, mereka semua merasakan embusan angin dingin bergema dari Selatan. Sheina menatap mereka, dan pada akhirnya, penglihatan sang jenderal mulai kabur. Kakinya lemas, dan dia ambruk ke lantai. Dia tidak tahan lagi.
Meanwhile, in Angora City...
Here in the nexus of commerce for the Reborn company, there was nothing but chaos and destruction.
This realization made the 4th ranked general completely speechless.
Then, he turned to look at the two Dragonborns.
On one side, the 4th ranked general felt as if something was looking at him. A god of some kind, looking down at his puny figure just waiting to squish him down and smite him.
The power that they were emanating had the same pulse as that of a Nascent Spirit general. But that didn’t make sense. How could that happen? Unless...
An arrow pierced through the 5th ranked general’s chest. Straight through his heart, bypassing even that of his tough Nascent Armor.
"Hahahaha! Lord Worcster will be pleased upon learning that Angora City has fallen," said the 5th ranked general.
They were the 5th and 4th ranked generals of the Worcester company. Their strength was well above and beyond anything that the two Dragonborn siblings could fight against.
However, in the end, she couldn’t help but think of that rascal of a brother of hers.
Two signatures were flowing from the reality around them. It was warping the very fabric of space itself!
As for the Unity Clones... Sheina had instructed them to evacuate the entirety of the citizens of Angora City before anything bad happened to them.
Unlike the Nation of Reborn, they didn’t have someone like Grieve to help them fight against powerful cultivators like them.
"We don’t need them! We’ll kill them—"
Nevertheless, those sensations persisted.
Suddenly, a womanly ethereal voice echoed out from their side.
And just as they were about to move, they all felt that cold breeze echo from the South.
"But where’s the fun in that? Before, they had that look of defiance in their eyes. It felt fun breaking them slowly. But now, they’re just broken! I thought I’d get to do that, but instead, they just did it all on their own!"
Multiple buildings were destroyed. Streets were torn apart. Homes were upended. The soldiers of the Worcester company had ransacked everything valuable from the citizens of Angora City.
Tears streamed from his eyes.
Jaku and Sheina stood with their backs against each other, injured, as they faced the onslaught of the two Nascent Spirit cultivators.
And on the other side, he felt his skin crackle. With his hairs standing on end, he felt as if the clouds itself were about to rain down lightning towards him. But that didn’t make sense. There were no clouds here!
All the memories of them bickering, of her lecturing him, of him secretly putting out his tongue in defiance. That would be her last memories of him.
"She.... she... no way.."
Sheina arrived in the battlefield, complete with her Nascent Armor.
But they were gone.
"Oh what’s this? Looks like we’ve truly broken them down this time!" said the 5th ranked general.
"Just do it," said the 4th ranked general. "I have a bad feeling that something is happening in the other Rebornian territories. The Old Man and the Witch should be here by now, helping us."
The 5th ranked general nodded with bloodlust emanating out of them.
In between her chest, they saw an eye. This eye seemed to follow their every movement. It seemed to see through them completely. Even their thoughts and their actions were completely open for it to peruse.
Her legs turned jelly, and she collapsed onto the floor. She couldn’t take it anymore.
The 5th ranked general coughed up blood. But he was still hanging on. He could still fight. "Come on! We have to find them before they truly transcend to the Nascent Spirit realm!"
And in the end, her vision started to get hazy.
Her bow in her hand, she certainly looked the part.
Both of them turned towards the voice and were completely flabbergasted. It was the woman from before. The one that called herself a Dragonborn.
She told herself she couldn’t cry. She couldn’t break down. She had to stall long enough for the Unity Clones to come back so that they could deal with these Nascent Spirit generals.
"Whatever. They’re already vulnerable. Kill them now," ordered the 4th ranked general.
Despite Jaku and Sheina taking the full brunt of the Nascent Spirit generals’ powers, they didn’t mind it. As long as the Rebornian citizens were safe, they were okay with being injured and bloodied and beaten.
The 4th ranked general felt his hairs stand on end as he looked at his fellow Nascent Spirit general.
She stood against a ray of light from the skies itself. Her radiant, white armor glistened upon the sunlight, as if she was an angel sent down from above.
It was at this point that dread and fear started to overcome the 4th ranked general. He couldn’t see them. But he could feel them.
"Where are you looking at?"
"Not yet," said the 4th ranked general. "The job is not finished. You’ve had your fun. It’s about time we finish our job here. Kill these two pests. I’ve had enough of them.’
Immediately, both Sheina and Jaku froze. Their bodies shivered from the cold. A sense of grief and loss were overcoing their entire bodies. And in the end, even Jaku couldn’t hold back the feelings bursting out of his heart.
She had transcended into the realm of demi-gods.
Beside him, Sheina had her head down. Even at this moment, she couldn’t cry. Her responsibilities as Michael’s secretary were conflicting with her own sense of loss.
Blood bursted out of his mouth. "Wh—what...."
The 4th ranked general looked at his partner, and immediately pulled out the arrow from his chest.
Hearing those words, the 5th ranked general nodded. He wiped the blood off of his mouth and scanned the entire area.
Both of the Nascent Spirit generals were completely shocked. Her transcension was basically instant! She didn’t even have the chance to have her tribulation, and she simply obtained her Nascent Armor without delay!
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