A Bloodstained Plan

Despite Nezumi's attack reducing the majority of the Shi Mountains into a massive wasteland, the radiant afternoon sky stayed bright and lively, dotted with thin white clouds hovering lazily in the gentle breeze.

However, in the quake of Raijah's rage, large pillows of heavy blackened clouds formed, blotting out the sun's golden glow and replacing it with an ominous gray.

Chains of lightning illuminated the mountains, zigzagging across the blanketed sky.

Under the brewing thunderstorm, Cora's battle with Nezumi's waged on.

With her body's condition rapidly depleting, Cora made sure to exert the full extent of her power.

She hurled fists, kicks, and elbows at Nezumi, attempting to beat him with her entire body.

Nezumi took the blows well. Keeping his composure, he blocked and dodged as he saw fit, patiently waiting for an opening to attack.

Being nearly twice Cora's size, Nezumi managed to push her off, presenting him with the opening he'd been patiently awaiting.

Pulling his arm back, Nezumi drove his fist into Cora's nose.

Head flying as her eyes locked on the ominous sky, Cora stumbled. Her bare left foot slid on the dirt, but she braced the heel of her other foot against the rough ground, regaining her balance.

Nezumi prepared another punch, but Cora was a step ahead. She took a step forward, left leg pulling back, and struck out.

Her instep slammed into Nezumi's crotch.

Nezumi yelped with pain, dropping his head as he leaned forward.

Grabbing the back of Nezumi's head with her fingers, Cora forced his skull down, ramming her knee upwards into his face.

Nezumi stumbled back, struggling to stay on his feet.

Cora slapped him, over and over, her hands a flurry. With each slap, his face grew hotter, stinging like boiling water.

"Val! " Cora shouted between hits. "How could you betray Val of all people? And what the hell makes you feel entitled to learning doragonken anyway? There's nothing I hate more than entitlement. It's just a silly excuse for arrogance."

Nezumi replied, "All this coming from a royal? Don't make me laugh."

Nezumi grew silent, blocking what he could with his elbows and forearms. But Cora snaked through his defenses, slapping so hard her hands hurt.

He fell to the ground, landing in a pool of murky water.

Cora reached for Nezumi's hip, where he had fastened Ame-no-Ohabari with a wooden belt made out of his prana.

"Stupid bitch!" Nezumi grabbed Cora under her armpits, picking her off the ground and throwing her into the distance.

Cora flew backward. Her feet landed first, skimming the dirt. She tried to catch herself, but her body folded as an invisible fist crunched into her ribs.

"He's using his ririsu," Cora noted as she staggered back.

With her current situation, Cora internally admitted that she couldn't win.

"A little more power," She muttered through gritted teeth as she slightly increased her blood flow.

Her body felt as if magma instead of blood coursed through her veins. Every slight movement grew increasingly painful, but she pressed on nonetheless.

Cora felt Nezumi's fist land on her face. But unlike before, she didn't budge. Her newfound power decreased the strength of Nezumi's blows to that of a child.

Now, with his fist still touching Cora's face, Nezumi had unintentionally revealed his location.

"There you are," Cora remarked.

She gripped his invisible arm with her hands. Pulling and spinning him in a circle, she chucked him into the distance.

Nezumi became visible as he spun wildly through the air until his momentum finally came to a halt near the cliff ledge bordering the expansive blue ocean.

Cora dashed in his direction, throwing a significantly weaker follow-up punch.

As Cora struck, Nezumi casually caught her fist with his hand. He then squeezed her hand, brutally crushing her fingers into molds of flesh.

"Side effects kicking in?" Nezumi grinned, "I knew they'd hit eventually."

"Doragonken: Twin Dragon Fists!"

Nezumi sculpted his prana into two large dragon-shaped shrouds.

Both fighters were wounded and smeared with each other's blood. And despite Cora's wounds and pain drastically overshadowing his, Nezumi fully intended on doing more damage.

Nezumi's fists drastically increased the pool of blood surrounding him and Cora. And with each blow, she grew closer to the cliff ledge. Closer to falling into the depths of the ocean.

Nezumi pinned Cora's neck under his foot, dangling her head over the torrent of raging water that awaited below.

Nezumi advised her. "In your condition, you wouldn't be able to swim very well now, would you? If I were to let you fall into that water, it'd only take a few minutes for those waves to bury you."

Cora's silence all but confirmed to Nezumi that he was correct.

Nezumi added, "I have a proposal. You accept, and I'll spare your life.

"All I ask is that you apologize on behalf of the Shi Family. Apologize for denying me."

"What?" Cora asked in a tone that implied refusal.

"This isn't a yes or no situation. It's life or death." Nezumi applied pressure to her neck. Chunks of the ledge fell into the ocean as the waves pounded on the base of the cliff.

Cora muttered something, but Nezumi failed to hear her over the turbulent ocean waves.

"I didn't hear that, Cora," Nezumi said. He leaned forward, hand cupping his ear. "What was that?"

"Crystal Prana: Blood Binding!"

Nezumi's blood flow halted, leaving his face pale. His entire body felt numb, swollen, and heavy. Unable to breathe or move, Nezumi stood frozen in place, baring an expression of complete shock.

"You're probably scratching your head and wondering what's going on. Well, that's if you could scratch your head," Cora said as she forced herself to stand.

She glared at an idle Nezumi.

"We both came into this fight with open cuts and wounds. And throughout our clash, my blood seeped into your injuries, mixing into a single substance.

"Take a look at your feet. Even now, you are standing in a puddle of my blood. That blood is actively entering your circulatory system through those cuts and wounds.

"I may not be able to control your artificial blood, but I can manipulate my own. And since the contents of my blood blended with yours, I gained power over your bloodstream.

"Your brain probably isn't working correctly, so I'll explain in simpler terms. You can't move because I halted your blood flow by mixing our blood together.

"The outcome is right before your eyes. It all went according to plan."

Cora walked toward a stumped Nezumi, unfastening the sheathed Ame-no-Ohabari from his belt.

Cora muttered, "I need some rest." She looked down at her tattered clothing, which emphasized her shapely figure. "And a change of clothes too."

She tossed Ame-no-Ohabari into the air and dropped to the ground, nearly passing out from exhaustion.

"Whenever you're ready, Val."

A violet blaze of prana ensued as Val appeared.

She snatched her ririsu blade out of the air and unsheathed the sword, channeling her accumulated energy into the katana.

"Sealing Prana: Trinity Burst!"

With a sudden burst of speed, Val lanced her blade through Nezumi's chest.

Nezumi hit the ground with a resounding thud. His blood had begun to flow, but he was still unable to move a muscle as crimson leaked from every crevice of his body.

"Trinity burst deals its victim with three temporary seals in one attack," Val explained.

"The three seals I placed on you are: a prana seal, rendering you unable to manipulate prana. A movement seal, leaving you sealed to this very ground. And a healing seal, so your wounds won't be going anywhere."

"It was an excellent plan," Val turned to Cora, who lay resting on the nearby ground.

Val knelt by Cora. Her eyes were closed, her heartbeat was rapid, and she breathed in a slow unrhythmic pattern.

"She's exhausted," Val noted.

"Come to think of it. I've been gathering prana to extend the timeframe of my seals ever since Cora informed me of the plan. And before that, we fought Nezumi, and I carried Cora several miles from the scene.

"Resting doesn't seem like a bad idea."