Three Hundred And Twenty-Nine / Side One Hundred And Twenty-Four – Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan
“Sister-in-law, you seem exhausted.” I said, watching Selensha leaning on her staff, fur stiff with silvery sweat, her eyes tired. “Why not retreat? We-we are here now.” As if to prove a point, I raised my hand, feeling the delightfully intoxicating feeling of lightning elent coursing through my body. As it rose, shimring energies rushing from , a mixture of green and yellow forming another, more subtle colour, tinged with purple, I could barely contain my excitent. Even so, it wars with my fears. No, there is naught to fear, I know this.
“I’m fine, I promise.” Selensha replied tiredly, and once more I contemplated how she was far too good for my brother. “The Moonlight Mist Realm… and my healing… I can save lives, turn the battle to a favourable one.”
“Well, I do-do applaud your resolve.” The lightning within rose to a crescendo, and my amber gaze fixed on the tank ridden by the black-cloaked figure and several others. Wind. Feel the movent of the air. Fire, the spark to ignite the fury that smites evil. Well, I know enough to know that technically, electricity is not fire, nor is the plasma generated by the high temperatures. But… well, thinking of lightning as fire to smite evil is the Fae way. I can believe both, and both can be true. “Begone!” I flapped one hand and the lightning was released, crashing into the tank in a solid stream, arcs lashing everywhere, burning the undead horribly, superheated air scorching them. Monts later, thunder resounded, and the defensive shield one of their Candidates was wielding, protecting the tank and its riders from harm, shuddered, once more shrinking inwards, and I was delighted to see sweat on the face of a female within, her expression one of desperate concentration.
I see. She is not unappealing to the eyes, by any ans. A sha. She could have made a wiser choice and found happiness. I cast glances around, at the dead and dying, the fragile, damaged Moonlight Mist Realm unable to restore Fae with truly grievous injuries, as well as the spirit lights that danced around once more. Instead, only death awaits for this. Enemies… well, Akio still fights against it, but… the ti where he allows those unworthy to live has passed. Pleased, I curled my lip, proud of his growth. He was always too soft, but I did rather love that about him. But a ruler required steel under the velvet, and now Akio was being forced to develop such steel, aided by foolish enemies such as Kondou Kazuo and these. I suppose I should be grateful, so I shall grant a rciful demise.
“Sister, I am concerned for you-you!” my brother complained, though the way he continued to shoot his arrows of wind did satisfy . “But, I do suppose you have no intention of retreat. Instead…” the expression on his face was a gentle one I had never seen before, and it montarily halted my attacks. “… it must-must pain you, remaining here. I know you wished to go-go with him.”
I raised one eyebrow, shocked. Such insight, from brother Shaeraggo! Wonders shall never cease. And he is right, but… “You are indeed-indeed my brother, for you know well.” More lightning forked from my hands, but I decided to switch to wind elent next, as I had a greater supply of it, originally being a Fae of wind. And I broke through my limits learning lightning. I have this too… withdrawing the pink jade bells that had served well ever since we had liberated them in our desperate battle against the creature in Inuyama, I let my wind flow. “However…” a near invisible tide of wind blades hissed from , battering the tank and the surroundings, mincing the undead and furrowing the ground. The fire elental staggered, cut apart, but it quickly reford, and I clicked my tongue. Yes, wind is weak to fla. A sha. “… I am needed here. After all…” I looked out at the battlefield. Shiro, or the spiritual being within her, was riding a flaming chariot, duelling with the fla elental and the tank. All around them other vehicles were bring destroyed, and the enemy was running out of forces.
“… Shiro is here. I shall keep an eye on her. Akio would grieve if she falls-falls. Though she does seem stronger. Well, I trust Akio can handle matters. Those others like him from this city, as well as Master Ulfuric, they shall not-not be defeated easily. Besides, I am needed here!” I conjured more wind, focusing it down into a fine spear, sending it forwards, whistling furiously. It struck the shield of energy protecting the tank, halted, but the force continued, drilling into it, until finally it scattered, spent, yet the barrier was now extrely pale, and the radius had dropped significantly. “No barrier can resist forever. Apply enough force, and all-all shall break!” I said in satisfaction, only to frown as a different sort of barrier appeared.
A purple spray of spatial elent heralded the opening of a door in space, and the fire elental howled as one arm was swallowed up, the opening then vanishing. The elental grew a new arm, roaring, the very ground trembling, but I did not fail to notice that the height of it shrunk a little. Clever. That woman is strong. Beautiful too. But dark. Not a fit for Akio at all. “Well, even that barrier has weaknesses.” I said, reinforcing my point. “Another spatial attack, or overwhelming it from multiple directions at-at once. There is not-not any unbeatable technique.” The slash in space opened again, lopping off a leg, and the elental was now shorter to all observers.
“Now the second one is starting to panic.” I observed, and beside , Haru agreed.
“Yes. And the zombie horde is slackening off. That destruction…” she looked at the grinning Hyacinth, who had turned the zombies far enough away from the fla elental into a sea of mushrooms and mould. “… it won’t affect us here will it? I’m not worried about myself, but…”
“It shall be fine-fine.” I assured her, smiling. From an unwilling enemy, to a good friend. Haru pleased . She reminds a lot of Ichika. I have been too busy to spend much ti with her lately, but soon, we shall have so peace and quiet for a while. I believe we shall go out. Maybe with Akio’s friends. That might be fun.
“Hyacinth knows well what-what she does. Now is your mont! Help strike through the wavering shield! You too, brother! Ixitt, bring all your weapons to bear as well. This is not-not the ti for caution, but destruction!” As I gathered wind, a devastating, swirling mass of vibrating energies, I looked at my exhausted sister-in-law. “You really should-should learn another elent, or work out how-how to attack with water effectively. There cos a ti when defence, healing, is not-not enough.”
Putting that aside, I threw my attack, watching it whine through the air. Arrows were impacting the shield, and they were followed by a burst of light bright enough to force to squint, my eyes watering. Haru had focussed all of her light into a brilliant beam, and the shield had cracked. Her expression of joy was short-lived, though, as the tank returned fire, a heavy shell whirring through the air and striking her in retaliation… only for it to pass right through her, exploding harmlessly against a Defensive Emplacent, though the Emplacent was destroyed.
“I forgot I was a ghost for a second.” Haru mopped her brow, wiping away non-existent sweat. “I thought I was going to die again.”
I laughed at that, but my attention was on my own attack. The fire elental was down to half its height now, gradually being eaten away by the spatial arts of the imperious female with Shiro. The strange female, Suzu was there too, though she seed to be doing little, other than cheering them on. However, the being within Shiro was never going to miss her chance. As my attack slamd into the cracked shield, flowing like the wind it was, entering within, the tank was cut and scratched, deep gouges slashed into the long cannon, rendering it useless, wind finding a way inside to kill the crew within. Of course, they were not my true target…
The tangle of vibrating blades of air unravelled, lashing out like whips. Using my ability to perceive space, setting up such was a challenging feat, but one a powerful warrior such as I could handle. The one who was struggling to hold the shield was caught up in the blast and was sliced apart in a welter of gore, her limbs and head severed. Another enemy defeated. Soon I can rush to Akio’s aid…
Flas blazed, and the fire elental vanished, as the possessed Shiro, her hair blazing a brilliant, attractive crimson, had leapt aboard the tank as soon as the barrier flickered and vanished, bathing the surviving two enemies in her hungry fires. A sha. Those scars truly are terrible. Well, in ti Bintara shall remove them, and then Akio shall make her his in truth. I shall have to offer my guidance, after all, I am quite-quite the experienced female now… as I licked my lips, expecting the battle to be over, I heard a shout. Sohow, despite my attack having killed the wielder of the energy shield, Shiro was trapped within a glowing bubble, an expression of frustration on her face.
Monts later similar bubbles enveloped her comrades, and as the flas died off, my eyes went wide in anger. The cowled figure was surrounded by a glowing shield of his own, holding the severed head of the female who was operating the barrier. Despite blood, silver and crimson, dripping from the severed stump, her eyes were still moving, mouth working soundlessly, pleading, or praying, I knew not. I see. That. Such… evil.
Beside , the others were equally as horrified. My brother spat out a Seelie curse, while Haru had turned white, quite the feat, considering how pale she was normally. Only Ixitt seed composed, frowning. “So that is how they are doing it. Quite the dark masterpiece. I would dearly love to understand the mind of a being capable of conceiving such a mad plan.” He said, his words backhanded praise.
Indeed, it was truly vile, perhaps even equal to the horrors Duke Myrcolaxriath had wrought, and not dissimilar, in so ways. The cowl had been burned away, revealing a pale, dark figure, burns on his hands and face, one eye a milky white. He was holding a number of bone blades, no, holding was not the proper way to describe it. One was jamd into the severed stump of the female, while two more were pierced through the palms of the surviving enemy. He was grimacing in pain, but…
“I am extrely angry.” The man spat. “Having to work with such pathetic fools is tireso. I had hoped they would be able to provide a worthy distraction, feed the being that I must overco. I even managed all this…” he gestured to the re handful of undead left, the despoiled dead now either destroyed by light, fire, lightning or deadly spores. “… well, no matter. Death cos to all, and I rule over it.” he smirked, his burned gums exposing charred teeth. “Well, I would have preferred a whole body, but…” in a display of horror, he bent down and kissed the severed head. “… well, she is easy to carry, at least. As for the rest of you…” I panicked, as shields started appearing. Ixitt was trapped, along with a number of his engineers. Selensha and my brother were caught too, as was the raging Grulgor, who battered the barrier with his aty fists to little use. I leapt aside, narrowly avoiding the sa fate, attacking with wind, fla, light, lightning and anything else I could muster, only for them to hamr off his new shield.
This should not be possible. Akio, he could do it, perhaps, but this monster should not have the strength to use her gift so effortlessly, especially not after controlling the undead. The ether alone… I stumbled, and howled in frustration as a sphere ford around , trapping , casting a dull yellow tint over everything else. But that mont of carelessness had been because I had realised the secret behind their power.
“Of course he does not-not have the aether Akio does. No, he is drawing it in endlessly from another source. The blades. And his-his body.” My mystic eyes and my experience with Chirurgery allowed to perceive the corruption within. A vast amount of dark aether was being pulled in, transmitted by so sort of spatial energy, and it was fuelling and boosting his arts, and now hers too, trapping us here.
“… well, she never did know how to properly leverage her skills.” He smirked, running a hand over her cheek, the blade pierced within his palm laying it open to the bone. “… almost none of the fools do. Well, I am chosen by Death himself! I judge who is fit to die, and still serve! Well, her barrier, she thought it for defence, but as you see…” he ranted. “… it is a tool of offense, a prison for the unwary. Do not fret. I see there are plenty worthy of being my corpse brides. In terms of appearance and power, many of you will suit , the Judge… no, soon to be the Emperor of Death! I shall steal all I can from the vile usurper who binds , and then…” he stepped forwards, only a few free to stop him, his one-eyed stare on Haru, who was frozen, confused and terrified.
“… well, I believe you are the secret to setting free. That light.” A few attacks from unbound engineers and the remaining Emplacents hamred off his shield harmlessly. “And is this not destiny? I rule Death, and you… you are already dead, no?”
As Haru shuddered, I pounded my fists impotently against the barrier, enraged. Haru. You need to fight back. Or else… my brain worked, trying to establish a way to break out, to go to her defence, as she floated there, like a mouse before a snake. “Haru, snap out-out of it!” I roared. The barrier did not seem to stop sound, as I could hear through it. Nor light, as I can see through it too. Curses, perhaps the mortal world has tainted , for the contradictions now enrage . If it does not stop sound, I should be able to use wind through it… “You are not-not weak any more, and this fool is not-not Kondou Kazuo! Akio believes in you! I believe in you! You believe in you! Fight! Only by fighting can you protect yourself, take-take what you want!”
Haru jolted as the dark necromancer approached. Brilliant light flared, radiating out from her, washing over everything, just as a vivid violet slash opened in space…
********
Reaching Tsukuyomi-jinja I was surprised to see a shimring do preventing my entrance. I could see through it, but when I tried to pass through it was like an immovable wall. Within, the scene was desperate. Cultivators, a group of rather handso spiritual beings, and a number of enemy Candidates, they were all attacking. One Cultivator held up a Talisman and was preparing to use it against what looked like Prince Shōtoku. Annoyed, I unleashed a bolt of light, and was surprised to see the Cultivator fall, beam passing through the barrier and the back of his head with equal ease. That’s strange, so the barrier doesn’t block attacks?
Taking advantage of that flaw, I quickly dispatched several opponents, but soon I was being blocked by a massive pair of tal hands that seed to move independently, flying through the air. One flew out of the barrier, moving many tis faster than a person, but with the buffs from my enhanced Chakra Network and the temporarily higher level of Body Enhancent and Split Thoughts, avoiding it was easy. As it slamd into the ground, leaving quite the impressive crater, I swung Cutting Twilight, and the rending of space sliced several of the heavy tal fingers off. The hand shuddered, balling into a fist, and it flew at once more, blade clashing with knuckles, sparks flying.
“Strong…” I muttered. “But… nowhere near strong enough!” I pushed back, blade slicing deep. Foehn blazed, and the hand retreated, avoiding the falling droplets, which passed through the barrier after a montary resistance. The hand was taunting , slowly starting to repair itself, the ground shattering and transforming to tal, and as I attacked with wind and light the hand blocked every ti.
Well, life would have been easy if I started with an ability like that. It’s like those magic hands from that famous role-playing ga. Well, out here, it’s going to be hard to take it out, as it can easily evade and regenerate, while blocking most of my attacks. Hmm…
My thoughts were taking re monts, which was vital as within the barrier I could see the situation was finely balanced. The beautiful shrine was a mass of burned trees, shattered buildings and fallen archways now, and even the Emplacents Taishakama-san had established on the border of Tsukuyomi-jinja for added insurance were falling one by one. He was there, battling, alongside Kinkawa-san, who had called out the horrid swarm of shadowy, bald little creatures that occupied his shrine from his dark cloak. They were fighting well, using their numbers to counterbalance the Cultivators, swarming up their legs and dragging them down, wielding bone and bronze knives and even heavy stones to finish them, but then a massive golden statue three tres tall, with six arms wielding nets, spears and swords, crashed through them. Kinkawa-san managed to use his shadowy cloak to ward off the blow from a sword, but he was hurled aside, arm broken painfully.
Hakue-san was there too, the nephew of Bankei from the once-neutral shrines was bleeding, yet he was standing firm beside Prince Shōtoku and his own kami, the Kofuku Jizo, who had changed from the genial, sandal-wearing youth into a powerful stone statue with a radiant halo of light energy behind him, his fists battling against eruptions of stone spikes that were pouring endlessly from the ground. Within the circle of defenders was the unveiled Tsukiko-san, shaking, teary-eyed yet resolute, as if accepting her fate. I tried unleashing wind to help them, but again It was blocked by those damn hands.
Fuck, I need to get in there. Ulfuric is hurt badly, I can see, looks like Daiyu is in there, Bintara too, Kamaitachi, allies from Kyoto… I can’t do shit from out here. Frustrated, I considered my options. This barrier was tricky, if it was a physical one, I could easily break it, given ti. After all, I’d broken Territory barriers that were Rank 2, so I doubted any personal barriers would be stronger at this stage, although my Eye did pick up a sickening amount of aether invested into it, so perhaps I was wrong on that. No, I need sothing that can affect the barrier itself… huh. Really… my mind went back a few monts, to when the Foehn had splattered it. For a mont it had clung to the barrier, before falling through. My Foehn had also been strengthened by the buff from Shiro, which was a wonder for another ti. She’s a true Candidate now. I’m both worried and happy for her… no, think. Can it work?
I had used a lot of Foehn, but with my strengthened abilities I was replenishing it at a tangible rate so… “Co on, hungry fires. You spent god knows how many years feasting in the desert on that wind elent, that must have been boring. Try… try eating this!” Foehn sprayed through, but again it lingered for a mont, as if able to touch it. A second try, and I thought the fires would take, but no, they rely sowed a blaze around . Cursing loudly, the hand taunting still, I supplented the Foehn with wind, fanning the flas, and tried using aether too, imagining what I wanted. Aether flooded out of , but I had never been so bursting with it, and the Territory was an allied one, so I had no worry regarding it fighting . Foehn flickered, the yellow tinged with purple, and it then spread, forming a flaming doorway.
Just one problem though… the barrier was regenerating almost as fast as Foehn could devour it, so there was no way through without passing through the Foehn. But then, I’ve done that before. Idly rembering the ti I showered myself in flas to face Shaeraggo, I grinned. This ti I have more advantages…
Drenched in water, wind around as an insulating barrier, I leapt through, bursting in like a fiery cot. Panicking, the hand flew at again, a second coming from my blind side, which wasn’t blind due to my extended visual range I kept up at all tis in the Boundary. “Break for !” I roared, determined to protect everyone I could, grieving for the dead, as so of my subjects had perished here, beyond even Shaeula’s restorative powers. Imbuing my blade with a tide of light elent, Cutting Twilight shone like a holy sword from the myths, and it sliced clean through the first hand. As it retreated, I spun gracefully, the second hand eting the sa fate, fingers shattering.
“No retreat!” I promised, earth elent erupting into mud that trapped the fleeing hands. My sword flashed, light energy discharging, shimring violet as it was partially converted to spatial energy, and the first hand simply exploded, remnants sucked into the mire. The second hand was slowly regenerating, but now I had a better target in mind. There. My Eye spotted a Candidate I believed was the wielder, based on what intel we could scrape up from Yasaka-san’s Book. He was huge, getting on for seven feet tall, amazing for an Asian. He had a squashed nose and a number of facial scars, and his own hands were gnarled and pitted, the fists of a fighter.
“Just fucking die!” I yelled, moving with incredible speed, upon him in re monts. Flas blazed as Cutting Twilight cut him from shoulder to groin before he could react, my speed in excess of five tis his in my current buffed state. As his eyes widened I sent Foehn to destroy the sli within him, not out of compassion or so that he wouldn’t be devoured, but rely so that I would get the gain, rather than the golden-eyed devourer. If only I had ti to take out the Divine Favour… I lanted as I spun around, ready for my next target. I’d be able to get a noticeably greater reward. Well, no use wishing for that. A level-up ssage flared in my vision. I can always grow stronger, but I can’t replace the dead…
As I flicked silver and red blood from my blade, steaming from the heat of Foehn, the remaining hand turned to tallic sand behind , vanishing.
My next problem was who to rescue next. The obvious first choice was Tsukiko-san, as she was being hard-pressed, but there were many strong allies there already, and while the golden six-ard statue and the earth attacks were overwhelming, her protectors were still holding their own. Ulfuric was in a bad way, having beco near-berserk, though his enemies were falling around him, attacking with an unusual, desperate recklessness, as if they were maddened berserkers themselves.
It seed Daiyu was also up against it, being sward by Cultivators, though in her beautiful combat stance, the Jade Yang Stance, she was giving a good account of herself, despite being attacked by many foes, so wielding esoteric arts and Talismans, the last of their Sect legacies, no doubt. I then froze, immobile. What the hell? There was a middle-aged Cultivator, his face streaked with burns, carrying a barrel-sized blob of flesh in his arms, the transparent, faintly yellow goop filled with spiky yellow bones, and ringed with dozens of open, gaping mouths, drooling sli that exuded imnse amounts of dirty purple elental energy and dark chakra, yellowing fangs curved like shark teeth. As I was frozen, a dozen tongues lashed out, seizing so of the fallen warriors around Ulfuric, pulling then in, where they… disappeared, vanishing in a blur of purple mist.
The blob laughed, making chewing noises, and I found myself wanting to throw up. My Eye blazed, and all I could get was question marks for a description, and that it was a Parasitical Clone Of ????????.
That needs to die, but first… my Eye had seen sothing else, a man that nobody else seed to have spotted, creeping forwards, shrouded by a thick fog that made one want to look away from it. His eyes were burning with hatred, and he was raising up his bone sword high, ready to thrust it into the vulnerable back of the fallen Kinkawa-san, while in his other hand he held a heavy pistol, pointing it at the head of Prince Shōtoku. Gripping my sword tightly, I pushed, aether flowing from to boost my speed, and the ground below cratered inwards, the force scattering rock and earth everywhere as I flew forwards…
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