Building A Carnal Empire In The Fantasy World-Chapter 28: Collapse I

The battle between Commander Aldric and Count Varnell had reached a breaking point. Their clashing powers sent shockwaves through the entire east wing of the Blackwood estate.

Stone cracked and mortar crumbled as Soul Vein level energies tore at the very foundation of the building.

The sheer force radiating from the clash of such powerful cultivators shook the earth, sending tremors through the surrounding landscape.

In this world, power was stratified into distinct stages, and each represented a monumental leap in strength, control, and spiritual depth.

The first realm, Mortal Rank marked the beginning, where practitioners tempered their physical bodies and awakened their latent energies, building the foundation for cultivation.

Ascending to the Earth Rank, cultivators harnessed the primal forces of the world, their strikes capable of shattering stone and bending rivers.

The Spirit Circle Realm followed, where one’s spirit fused with their energy, forming a radiant circle of power that could manipulate the elements and project force across vast distances.

Advancing further, the Essence Core Realm saw the formation of a dense, pulsating core of pure energy within the cultivator’s body, granting unparalleled resilience and the ability to reshape the elements itself.

Finally, the Soul Vein Realm, the known pinnacle of these stages in the middle parts of the kingdom, transformed the cultivator’s very soul into a conduit of divine power, their every movement rippling with the potential to sunder mountains or calm raging storms.

As Soul Vein masters battle, they unleashed torrents of energy, their auras intertwining in a cataclysmic dance that threatened to unravel the very fabric of the world around them.

Each strike carried the weight of their cultivated essence, tearing through the air with a force that rippled the air itself, leaving trails of shimmering light and destruction in their wake.

Count Varnell’s white-hot flames met Commander Aldric’s holy light in a spiral of destruction that climbed toward the ceiling.

Where fire touched stone, the rock began to melt. Where divine radiance struck wood, it burst into sacred flames that burned cold and blue.

"You cannot stop me!" Count Varnell screamed, his voice raw from shouting over the roar of his own fire. "I am nobility! I have the blood of royalty!"

"You have the blood of slaves on your hands," Commander Aldric replied lackadaisically, his massive sword beginning to glow with the same holy light as his shield. "And that stain will be cleansed."

The commander took another step forward. The wooden floor beneath his feet burst into flames, but the fire parted around him like water around a stone. His consecrated armor blazed with divine energy, turning him into a walking pillar of righteous fury.

Count Varnell poured more power into his attack. The flames around him turned from white to gold, then to something beyond color—a heat so intense it hurt to look at directly.

Several of the remaining Church soldiers, whether the inquisition team or the flame knights had to back away, their armor growing too hot to bear.

But Commander Aldric kept advancing.

The count’s eyes went wide with something approaching panic. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. He was a Soul Vein Realm expert, although newly advanced, he was one of the most powerful cultivators in the kingdom.

His fire magic could melt castle walls. Yet this Church commander walked through his flames like they were nothing more than warm air.

"What are you?" Count Varnell gasped.

"Justice," Commander Aldric said simply.

He raised his sword and brought it down in a overhead strike that split the air itself. The blade moved slowly—not because Commander Aldric was slow, but because the sheer power behind it distorted the air and elements around the weapon.

Count Varnell tried to block with a wall of solid fire. The flames crystallized into something harder than steel, a barrier that should have stopped any attack.

Commander Aldric’s sword cut through it like knife through butter.

The count threw himself sideways, rolling across the burning floor as the massive blade carved a deep furrow in the stone where he had been standing.

The cut went deep—so deep it revealed the building’s foundation stones beneath.

"Impossible," Count Varnell whispered, staring at the destruction. "You’re just a Church dog. A fanatic with a sword."

"I am the will of the sacred flame made manifest," Commander Aldric replied, turning to face him. Through the skull helmet, his eyes burned with cold fire. "And you are an abomination that must be cleansed."

Count Varnell scrambled to his feet, his fine clothes singed and torn. For the first time since the battle began, true fear showed in his eyes. He looked around desperately, seeking some escape, some advantage he could use.

The auction room was a ruin. Bodies lay scattered among the wreckage of wooden booths. Blood pooled on the cracked stone floor. The red silk hangings had burned away, leaving only charred remnants clinging to the walls.

Most of the Church soldiers had pulled back to the main entrance, giving their commander room to fight. But they kept their weapons ready, watching for any sign that Count Varnell might try to flee.

"You want me so badly?" Count Varnell snarled, his panic turning back to rage. "Then come and take me!"

He raised both hands above his head and began to gather power. Not just his own Soul Vein cultivation, but something else. Something foreign. The temperature in the room suddenly spiked, and the air itself began to burn.

"He’s drawing power from the estate formation itself!" one of the flame knights shouted. "He’s going to bring the whole building down!"

Commander Aldric’s head snapped up to look at the ceiling. Cracks were spreading across the stone like spider webs and barely visible red net-like lines were starting to appear. Dust and small pieces of rubble rained down as the building groaned under the strain.

"All forces, retreat to the courtyard!" Aldric commanded. "Now!"

The Church soldiers didn’t need to be told twice. They turned and ran for the exits, their heavy armor clanking as they moved.