Chapter 3600 Flowing Strength (Part 1) "That was no accident and there's no way a kid that young took the initiative." The Blood Warlock said. "I bet you ordered him to do it." "I agree. That's most likely the case." Lith stepped out of the dark tunnel while emerald flames engulfed Ragnarök and violet ones burst out of his mouth. "Hand me over the prisoner, and nobody gets hurt." "Verhen?" The two Awakened turned their heads to look at the newcomer, forming a new barrier to keep Lith away at the expense of the one trapping Salman. "How did you get here?" "I followed the Rezar on my own." Lith replied. "If the World Tree can't hide from me, what chances do you think a hybrid has?" "I meant how did you bypass my security measures?" Axiran snarled. "I have no reason to share my secrets with you." Lith cocked his head. "As I see it, we either call the Council to settle this dispute or do it on our own with a Spirit Duel." "No way!" Axiran and Iraka finally agreed on something. "Fighting one-on-one against you during the day would be suicide for me!" The Blood Warlock said. "And what use would my Spirit Spells be if I had to fight a Divine Beast without my equipment and in such a confined space at that?" She said. "Your mere touch would be enough to kill me." "Yours are valid objections, but they are not my problem." Lith smirked. "Feel free to come at me at the same time if you want. Yet, I wonder. Can you trust each other? Can you afford to focus on me and let our little Rezar friend break that thin Spirit Barrier of yours? "What if he escapes during our fight?" Salman gasped at the revelation and hammered at the wall with his massive clawed fists coated in a hammer-shaped hard-light construct. "Why did you tell him that? Are you insane?" Axiran cursed as he had to reinforce the barrier with so much mana that it became visible to the naked eye. "I'm just evening the field." Lith said with his most obnoxious tone. "You, Axiran, have the home advantage while Iraka has the numbers. Yet none of that matters if you don't give you the time and opportunity to deal with me. "I've found him once, and I can find him again. Can you two do the same?" The answer to Lith's questions was no, and the Awakened knew it. They stared at him in hatred, but they hated each other even more and were too afraid the other would backstab them to make any move. As for Lith, he had no intention of fighting. He was buying Solus the time she needed to take control over the mana geyser. At that point, the arrays would become irrelevant, and the two regional lords would have no chance against him, even if they had joined their forces. A few precious moments later, Salman produced a crack in the Spirit Barrier, pushing Axiran and Iraka to the verge of despair. They disliked each other, and there was little to no trust between them. Yet the idea of Lith getting his hands on the Rezar, of the upstart youth gaining another priceless treasure while ancient beings like them were left empty-handed brought them closer. "Do you realize that if we call the Council, we all have the same chances of being awarded the Rezar?" Axiran tried one last attempt at mediation. "If we are unlucky, the Council representatives might even take days to make their decision and interrogate him as much as they want! "We would give them a great gift for nothing. We should keep this issue private." "I disagree." Lith shrugged. "As I see it, this case is cut and dry. Iraka chased the Rezar and then lost him due to your arrays, so she has no claim on him. You wouldn't even know the Rezar was here if she hadn't been forced to inform you. "That and the fact that this place isn't even part of your underground complex, Axiran, gives you less rights over the Rezar than Iraka's apprentices, who at least helped her from the start." Lith pointed at the arrays stretching from the mines into the Rezars' safe house. "I, instead, found the Rezar on my own in a few days and by my own means. According to the Council's rules, he's mine. I even offered you a Spirit Duel, but you turned that down. 'Axiran's claims are the feeblest since he took no part in the hunt for the Rezar, and this is neutral ground. He has no more authority here than any Awakened Elder. I found the Rezar first but failed to capture him. 'According to Council law, arguments between Awakened at the same core level must be settled through combat. I lost my priority the moment I refused Verhen's challenge. But that's only if the Council gets involved.' "When the Council representatives hear about this, they'll give the Rezar to me. Besides, I represent Faluel's interests and have Ripha Menadion on my side. Who do you think the Council will try to fawn over?" Iraka pondered those words and realized that Lith was right. 'Axiran's claims are the feeblest since he took no part in the hunt for the Rezar, and this is neutral ground. He has no more authority here than any Awakened Elder. I found the Rezar first but failed to capture him. 'According to Council law, arguments between Awakened at the same core level must be settled through combat. I lost my priority the moment I refused Verhen's challenge. But that's only if the Council gets involved.' A telepathic command to her disciples and a nod to the Blood Warlock sealed a silent temporarily alliance. "He's right." She sighed. "We have no chance of victory in a court of Awakened law." "But we do have it here!" Axiran released a second blood-red lightning bolt and aimed it at Iraka. She absorbed it in her body, boosting her abilities fivefold, and shared it with her apprentices through her tier five Highmaster array, Flowing Strength. Iraka and the five blue-cored youths were now connected by a six-pointed star inscribed in a prismatic circle. Iraka wasn't as good as Raagu despite being much older, but she would still easily claim the title of Master Warden in the Kingdom. She had modified Silverwing's Hexagram into Flowing Strength, making it suitable for real combat. Silverwing's Hexagram had been created as a teaching tool. It had too many restrictions and its mana cost was too prohibitive to be used on the battlefield outside of a few niche situations. Flowing Strength circulated the six elements just like the Hexagram, but instead of turning its power outward against the enemy, it channelled the elements inward to strengthen its casters. The magical formation established a deep bond between the six Awakened, allowing them to share their thoughts, vitality, and mana freely. The full power of Iraka's bright violet core that her old body could sustain for a short time now posed no burden to her. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 The excess energy was passed along with the Blood Maelstrom onto her disciples, who were in their prime. The five youths had their physical and magical abilities enhanced as well, reaching an individual power at the peak of the deep violet. In exchange, Iraka received their boundless vitality and the stamina she needed to control her most powerful spells without the need to use Invigoration. Under the effects of Flowing Strength, Iraka was no longer a thousand year old Awakened at the end of her rope. She had the wisdom of her age and the strength of her apprentices' youth.