The Ascension Of The Celestial Priest

At that precise moment, just before the destructive orbs arrived and mayhem ensued, Lukas strangely felt disconnected from everything. He felt detached from his own body and his immediate surroundings. He still saw everything that was happening but it was almost like a dream where his senses were heightened, time seemed to slow down and his heart was suddenly at peace.

He found that he truly wasn't afraid of his impending doom. He wasn't terrified of the approaching miniature suns. But a part of him still twitched when he sensed concern from Mira, and witnessed the intense emotions that coursed through Geoff's face right up to the time the orbs exploded into his vicinity and everything around him was engulfed in fire, heat and smoke.

Feeling like a stranger watching the events unfold, it was only but a moment in the chaos when he was suddenly surrounded by a white bright light. The flaring light promised him peace, swallowed his deep fears and placated his heart long enough for him to let go of his control causing his consciousness to rapidly dissipate into a warm hug of darkness.

Meanwhile something strange was happening in his soul altar. The Godly Statue within the expanse of endless clouds began flickering, like an ember trying to ignite to life. His Elemental Star; the one he hasn't been able to fully control twinkled in tandem too, almost as if it resonated with it.

Within seconds, the elemental Star swiftly detached itself from the hands of the beast like figure* and flew to the Godly statue before it came to rest on top of the statue like a crown. The moment it settled, the first of the seven circling stars glimmered to life and it was then that something astonishing happened.

DINGGG!!!

A huge deep bell like sound rang through the burnt fields, spreading such strong reverberations that it emanated from Lukas's body like a ripple. The shock-wave formed blasted the flames apart, revealing him to everyone where he stood tall at the center of the blaze, his eyes closed, with not even a hair on his body singed from the crimson fire.

Staring in disbelief, they could barely register what was happening before the resulting blast carried through the air and shoved them away from the smothered flames. Both Mira and Geoff were caught off guard as they thrown back even further while Ulqiorra minions were respectively swept off their feet, face planting into the ground with their hearts unsettled and terrified. Only Ulqiorra himself had the mind to materialize a crimson shield around him but even then, the resulting force was enough to propel him several steps backwards before he could properly stand on his feet.

It was with total disbelief when Ulqiorra finally registered the fact that Lukas was still alive. The resounding wave had stifled the intense amalgamation, leaving Lukas unharmed in the midst of the surrounding conflagration with dazzling motes of lights that hovered around him like glittering diamonds.

His followers paled in response. They were absolutely sure that such a supreme spell couldn't be survived by a mere Late Mortal priest especially when its firepower was already the approaching the ranks of an Earth mage. This were proud for their maestro possessed by being able to cast such a powerful Vermilion spell while he was still in his Peak Mortal Stage.

But then a sudden change occurred and it was a pillar of white light that rose to the skies, fully covering Lukas in its bright blinding glare. Disoriented from it, a sharp flare of terror passed through their hearts when in the midst of sudden thunder and encroaching dark clouds, a huge gigantic figure with indistinguishable features materialized directly above Lukas. It roared to life before it directly disappeared into dazzling particles of light that cascaded on him like snow that swept through his body in a soft ethereal radiance.

Within the immediate calmness that followed where almost everything on the charred ground went still, a soft lilting voice was heard.

"It has been a long time" it softly yawned as if it came from a deep sleep, "even though it's only for a moment."

Lukas who had long been standing still slowly came to life and almost all of them could immediately tell something was different. As he casually opened his eyes, he revealed soft glowing irises that shook their hearts and minds by how unreal they seemed.

A gentle breeze suddenly picked through the meadow, and they could see a transformation taking place. His gleaming robes rustled in the wind as an easy smile slowly formed on his familiar and yet foreign face. His usual handsome face was now almost divine; with radiant light shimmering around his visage like a halo. The surrounding motes of lights fluttered in the purified air like crystalline butterflies mirroring his every move. His whole demeanor had changed and from what they could tell, they could have sworn Lukas was seemingly possessed by something vastly more powerful that they could ever fathom.

He took only a step but it was almost like the heavens breathed. Waves upon waves of might rushed out like a tide and it took their whole strength to barely stand against it. The air was electrified and when 'Lukas' only glanced at each and every one of them, a feeling of abject horror and obeisance crossed through their hearts. It was pure fright that froze all of them in their steps, confused and terrified by what they were witnessing.

When he finally finished (which to them felt like forever), he sighed and the whole world suddenly dimed in sorrow.

"This was not what I was expecting…" He whispered to himself, his angelic voice hitting their senses hard, almost forcing some of the weak minded followers of Ulqiorra to kowtow and confess their devotion.

Ulqiorra visibly paled and it took all of his courage to ask the very question everyone had in their minds…

"W-Who are y-you?"

The new and reformed 'Lukas' only slightly swiveled at him and his resulting smile almost stole his soul. Inwardly embarrassed at himself, he vehemently swore that whatever he was facing, it was definitely something not mortal. Such ethereal beauty and allure seemed almost celestial and if it wasn't for the fact that it was the priest's face he was seeing; Ulqiorra would have directly thought that he was face to face with an ancient transcendental figure of the years past.

The new 'Lukas' mused to himself before he lightly shook his head, the translucent butterflies following his every motion. "It doesn't matter who I am..." he told him, "What matters is that you have been a very naughty child, young one…"

Ulqiorra was at loss for words. Naughty? Young one? What the hell was he talking about? He was about to retort when the radiant 'Lukas' swished his left hand and the white slender staff that had fallen to the ground simply flew into his grasp at once.

"A small punishment will do..." a seemingly soft verdict came from his mouth. With a snap of his fingers, the world immediately responded as the afternoon sun dimmed even further and directly above 'Lukas', a dark patch swiftly materialized before it rapidly grew in size that almost covered all of them like a canopy of darkness.

"Summoning the Night Sky; Falling Stars."

His cadence filled the whole area and in just half a heartbeat later, the dark patch on the sky transformed into true night with stars that glittered across it like jewels. One star after another materialized along the make-shift night ending with 'Lukas' having a circle of 5 star stars that hovered directly above him like a starry crown.

Awed by what was impossibly happening, Ulqiorra was the first to snap of out of his trance. A feeling of dread washed through him and the first thing he did was to loudly shout in the air the only command that made sense with what they were currently witnessing.

"RUN!!!"

he shouted at the same time when 'Lukas' gave his final order.

"Descend!"

With that, the heavens were silently ripped apart as each star, one after another descended from above like a meteorite hounding after the sinners below.

The Stars streaked across the sky like white comets. It was only a half beat later that Ulqiorra's followers had the mind to make a run for it, trying to escape the falling threat that clearly aimed for their lives.

But there were a little too late.

Both Geoff and Mira were petrified. They were transfixed as they stared at the make shift night that covered the skies above. They stared as the stars materialized into being and they still stared as they streaked across the skies like bolides hounding after their enemies' lives. They have never seen a spell of such magnitude before and to think that it came from a priest Mira had once deemed unworthy…

"Are they… stars?"Geoff asked unsure of what he was seeing.

Mira slowly nodded, her glacial aura non-existent under what was currently happening.

"They are falling stars." she muttered to no one in particular. It was all she said, even as she realized the impossibility of what she uttered.

Ulqiorra in turn didn't even have the time to admire the beauty of such transcendental events unfolding in front of his very eyes. All he knew was that his life was in danger and if he wasn't careful, he might as well loose it here in the random woods, forever meant to be buried and forgotten. As one star after another descended onto them like homing projectiles, Ulqiorra felt his body's hair rising and he instinctively knew.

He could never outrun the starry spell.

Unlike other spells usually casted by powerful mortal mages, he intrinsically sensed that the rushing spell casted by 'Lukas' had locked on to them like flies and so wherever they may try to run to, the spell would forever meet his mark. That meant the only way he and the rest could survive was to meet it head on. Because regardless of the fact they could even outrun such a strange spell, the summoned stars were descending faster than their puny feet could carry them and that meant they had little to no hope of escaping it the first place.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks before he summoned a crimson talisman into his hands. He only had a moment to stare at the streaking star before he decisively crushed it, his heart bleeding tears he could never show. The Crimson talisman he had just used had taken him a long time to obtain, and it was with unrelenting obsession that he was able to finally lay his hands on it. His brothers had jeered at him for wasting his available resources to get it and he had even gathered the ire of his elders in doing so but he hadn't cared. He knew how vile the world of magic and might was and it was with paranoia of his life that pushed him through every obstacle to finally possess it.

The Crimson Talisman he just crushed was a Grade 2 Talisman and within it, a powerful spell was sealed due to the conjoined efforts of one of the powerful earth mages from his great noble family of Firaun and their Official Talisman Master. From the precious materials used and to the expenses he had to pay, it was meant to be his trump card, the last resort he could use to protect his life the moment he was truly in danger.

But to think that he would be forced to be use here. He could only curse at the priest and whatever force possessed him. For it was clear as day that what he was facing, it was something he would never have deigned to cross if he knew it ever existed in the first place.

Affording not to waste time, once the talisman was destroyed, a peerless cry resounded throughout the fields. It was a cry of beauty and power as with the explosion of fire, a magnificent bird of vermilion color with long l.u.s.trous feathers materialized from the flames. The 2-meter bird seemed so lifelike and real that it was only through its eyes and the surrounding flames that one could only have inkling of its true magical nature.

'The Ancestral Vermilion Bird Manifestation'

Ulqiorra muttered in his heart as the bird flapped its elegant wings in the air. Its pale ruby eyes seemingly stared at the incoming comets. Before Ulqiorra could utter a sound, the bird by its own volition flew through the air in a wave of red and fire and lightly perched on Ulqiorra's shoulders. It brought its wings together as it finally dissolved into a magnificent rounded shield that fully covered him from head to toe. The resulting sphere possessed such intricate designs on the surface that it seemed almost immaterial with runes glistening on it like small red stars of its own.

But sadly Ulqiorra didn't even have time to admire the beauty of what he had taken to sacrifice before one of the five stars finally arrived and he was left wondering if he would ever be able to get out of this one alive.

*reference Chapter 7; The Godly Statue, just in case.