28 Chapter Twenty-eight: Temari Daemon and Arrow Daemon

All at once, a violent surge of noise had interrupted their conversation. Shattered wood rained down on their heads, and the rampant smack of rubber caused the room to shake and fresh air spilling in through a gaping hole in the wall.

"An attack from outside?" Shiro thought as he hesitates from raised his head while continuing to use his body to protect Cassia in case of a second attack.

Then, just as terrifyingly abrupt as it had begun, the assault was over. There was a faint echo of something hitting into something else, like a ball one might play with as a child, as the dust began to settle around them.

"You were right, Yahaba!" She said, "A building just appeared out of nowhere!"

"The handiwork of technology adept at hiding objects". Yahaba said. "And is the samurai accompanied by a daemon? What's going on here? There is another one"

"Isn't this fun? The more the merrier"

"Still, I have to say, Susamaru...Your way of doing things is so immature. You splatter me, my kimono is covered in dust" Yahaba complains.

"Stop being so uptight, your kimono is fine," Susamaru said. "And besides...We Found 'em!"

"A Temari! A Temari! caused all this damage" Keith said. Looking at the damage below.

"Oh, no! You were tracked!" Ulaz said.

"What? Us?" Lance responded.

"If Zarkon knows we're here, it's because you ratted us out." Keith spat out.

Looking out of the hole, Shiro saw the female Daemon chuckled and throw the Temari balls, towards the house once more, getting his staff out, Lance slashed at the incoming balls in half, but they still moved at hitting them.

But with only that, even if although the force of the impact is lessened, it can still move once sliced and will disappear shortly after.

"Ulaz" Hazar shouted as he was trying to defend him. But unfortunately in muted horror, Hazar's head was completely sheared from its body, a bloody spray covering Ulaz's face as the boy's body went limp.

"Hazar" Keith gasped. Realizing the gravity of the situation finally caught up with him as their attacker summoned their Temari with a triumphant laugh.

"Dammit!" Keith cursed "Shiro, Take Cassia immediately out of the room so she can be safe".

"We have a basement, take her there," Ulaz said.

"Understood! Shiro" Keith said, before going back to defense mode again with Lance.

"Keith, I'm sure you hope you know what you're doing," Lance said, following behind him.

Keith ignored Lance and as the dust settled, they got a close look at the two dark daemons. The female was pale-skinned with bright hazel eyes with cat-like pupils and black hair with orange-colored ends. Wearing a black kimono on top of an orange kimono. She was carrying the Temari balls in her hand.

Behind her to the left was a demon with gray-tinted skin with a necklace of large white pearls. His eyes were shut closed, but on the palm of his hands were eyes with arrows within the pupils.

Keith and Lance marched out and stood at the front, waiting for them to make a move.  

"That's one down!" Susamaru said.

"She's giving off totally different energy than any of the other daemons!"  Keith told Lance.

"I can see that, is it stronger? It's really thick energy!" Said Lance. "It feels so heavy in my lungs!"

"The samurai that have the quintessence Crystal, you mustn't know where he is"

"They're targeting Shiro," Keith thought.

"Ulaz? Please find a place to hide!" Keith said, "I'm the one those daemons are after!"

"No, Keith I want you to fight without worrying about us". Ulaz told him "We'll be fine without your protection. We're daemons too"

"All right, It's all over for you now!" Susamaru said. Throwing the second wave of tamari balls.

"That Temari will only swerve if we dodge it." Lance said, "I just have to concentrate"

Concentrate he just, senses the ball coming from a mile away, from the sounds of water droplets, it was like he was being rattled. He had made or he would die.

Lance followed his instinct and stabbed the tamari in its place.

"Oh, so you thrust at the curve diagonally to soften the Temari's blow," Susamaru thought. "however" the tamari, now on Lance's staff, still had enough strength to move but just barely like a regular ball.

"How does it move around like that" Keith Wondered.

"I don't know, but It swerved so unnaturally when hit Razar," Lance told him as he witnesses Razar's head being generated.

"Razar," Ulaz said, responded to Razar's regenerate head.

"Ul...Ulaz, I told you not to get caught up by the samurai and I was right" Razar said as his head was regenerate, "My sister's technology is still a work in progress!"

"Yes I know, the technology can be able to conceal the presence of buildings and people, their energy," Ulaz said, "but it's not like it's can mask

their very existence!"

"But The greater our numbers,

the more traces we'll leave, and the greater the odds that Zarkon will discover us!" Razar explained.

"Those Galra got this close to us," Lance said.

"Yeah I know, yet there was no energy around until we came under attack!" Keith said. "That was the technology, huh?"

"Hey, he's babbling! What fun this is!" Susamaru said, taking off his kimono to show a small sash covering her chest. Arms started to grow out of both sides of her body, growing four extra parts of arms. "To be killed by me, one of the druids of the four directions...You should be honored!"

"The four directions?" Keith wondered, raising his dagger point.

"They serve directly under Haggar!"

"Now then, let's keep playing! Until the morning comes" Susamaru said as she threw out six Temari balls towards Keith and Lance as they flew towards him from different angles. Causing major struggles within the building as Keith and Lance were holding their ground together.

"If I were to cast my spell now," Ulaz thought "it would affect Keith and Lance, as well, And Razar needs time to prepare

to switch to attack mode. But if this goes on..."

"There it is again!" Keith said, slicing balls, left and right "Even without hitting anything, they changed trajectory!"

"We go ahead and slash them, it blunts the blow," Lance said, slicing balls with Keith, "but then they hit us anyway!"

"Two different filled with energy, There are two daemons!" Keith said, "Their energy tells me where they are!"

"But," Lance said, his mind was to focus on Ulaz and Hazar's safety as they suddenly getting pummeled by balls. Leaving holes in their bodies.

"Ulaz, Hazar no" Lance said, in shock.

"It's no good! We don't have time to protect them!" Keith said.

"We'll be healed soon enough! So don't worry!" Ulaz said, responded.

"Hey, idiots. If you look at the arrows,

you can tell which direction they're going!" Hazar said. "Dodge the arrows!"

"Arrows? What arrows" Keith said.

"Seriously, you can't even see them?" Hazar said, grabbing a piece of paper. "I'm going to lend both of you my sense of sight! That should at least enable you

to behead that Temari woman!"

Using Hazar's eyes, they can count on the arrows, "I can see now!" Keith said. "She was using these arrows to control..."

"Me too, the trajectory of the Temari!" Lance told him. "Thanks, Hazar, we can see the arrows now, too!"

"Then, hurry up and defeat her!" Hazar shouted at them.

"Keith" Shiro yelled, having to arrive at the scene.

"Shiro, let's go outside!" Keith told him, "Take care of the daemon up in the piles of junk!"

"Ok," Shiro said, "but Keith, be careful". 

With that being said, Shiro jumping out while Keith and Lance walked out and stood at the front, waiting for them to make a move.

"Are you sure you should be able to handle this, she's pretty tough" Keith told Lance.

"Don't worry about me, I handle a bunch of tough girls before" Lance said.

"Very well," Keith said. "Just don't ask me if your head does fly off", disappeared from his spot running towards Susamaru and then "swoosh" the daemon threw out more Temari balls towards Keith as they flew towards from different angles.

"Constellation breathing, second from Pisces" Keith used the second form as he moved forward, leaving a trail of water as he made multiple consecutive while twisting his body in a flowing fashion. Getting closer to Susamaru, Keith quickly came and slash towards her arms.

"Swish! Splash" all of Susamaru arms were cut in one stroke.

"Agghh! That attack was never I see before" Susamaru yelled out.

"What?" Yahaba said, looked in surprise. "This has never happened before" Yahaba muttered, waving his hands around.

"That was amazing," Lance thought as the balls were redirected towards his direction, "he took down that girl in one in fell swoop"

"Don't just stand there help me finish her off" Keith shouted at Lance.

"Right," Lance said. "looks like it's all over for you," he told Susamaru who was completely armless.

"That move, it came from the samurai," Susamaru said, "if I'm not mistaken that is".

"That's right," Keith said, taking a defensive stand, "I'll never let you take your Hands-on Shiro"

Elsewhere, In a location in the junkyard, Shiro was wondering about find that second daemon, "come on where are you, how much longer? That Keith and Lance going to hold out"

Luckily his wish was answered when he sees Yahaba up in the piles of junk.

"I find you," Shiro said, before jumping up the pile, delivering a punch to Yahaba. However, just he got close.

Yahaba shouted, "Don't stir up dust like that, you are filthy!" Moved his hands he used his arrows to toss Shiro away.

"Ah, what the hell was that? Shiro said as he tossed aside, like a rag doll. But besides this, the arrows suddenly disappeared on the tamari balls.

"They're gone! I don't see them anymore" Keith said.

"That's fantastic," Lance said, faces Susamaru and remove his beads around his right hand. "Time to summon the ice cream" Lance performed, fiercely twisting his upper and lower body, freezing all the surrounding balls as they approached.

"Not bad, Lance," Keith said.

"Really you think so," Lance said, closes his Handoff, "that's the first time someone actually freezing me"

"Yeah but you need better puns"

"Now, to deal with you," Keith said, looking forward to Susamaru, preparing for the final blow on her, however, before he can get close. He answers this simple question.

"Hey, Ulaz, Are these two daemons

closely related to Zarkon or Haggar?" Said Keith, asking Ulaz who is still in recovery.

"Most likely".

"Then, I'm going to extract blood from them for sure!" Keith said.

"I have two favors to ask of you," Ulaz said, before the attack. "One, permission to study of your blood and Two, to retrieve blood samples from daemons" Ulaz concluded.

"What for, I don't understand," Shiro said.

"Your arm, is a daemon one, as I already explained before" Ulaz added "I meant demons whose powers are more

on par with that of Zarkon himself".

"It won't be easy to extract blood

from such daemons".

Remembering that, Keith knew the reason they have to collect blood but what for reasons that he needs Shiro arm or how to extract blood from it.

"You think you're going to extract

blood from us?" Susamaru said, "I don't know what you're scheming, but I won't allow you to do anything to displease the empire.

"If you think you can extract blood

from us Four directions, then have at it!" Susamaru yelled at them as her limbs regenerate.

"Watch your back!" Hazar said. Don't let your guard down for a second! If those two really are four directions, then they're undeniably more formidable

than any other daemon you've killed until now!"

"Right! Understood!" Lance said.

"He's right, this is different" Keith said, softly, of all the battles he's been put into. This one was his toughest one of all. "Watch my back, don't let my guard down for a second."

Before he could call out in surprise, all of Susamaru's limbs have finally grown back.

"She grew new arms in such a short time!" Surprising Lance.

"Well go figure, she's a lot tougher than any daemon that I face before"

Back at the sidelines, "Ulaz, Let's use those two as decoys and escape!". Hazar said

"What, do that we're not going to do that," said Ulaz, complaining.

"just kidding," Hazar said.

Then suddenly, Shiro dropped to the ground with a look of disbelief in his eyes. Keith saw this and quickly grab him from suffering any injuries.

"Shiro, what happened," Keith said, "are you okay".

"Yeah I'm fine, but I found him." Said, Shiro.

Ignoring this, Yahaba turned towards Susamaru and said, "damn you, I just found a good spot from not getting filthy, until you ruined it". Pulling his hand back, Yahaba took control of one Susamaru's balls and launch to Shiro and Keith.

Moving quickly, Keith and Shiro got out of the way. "Are you okay, Keith, Shiro?" Lance said. Concerningly.

"Yeah we're fine," Shiro said.

"Now then, why don't you both die at once?"

"Hey, half Daemon, samurai!" Hazar shouted You get rid of that arrow man first! We'll take on the temari woman

with Shiro!"

"Shiro, whatever you do, don't push yourself too hard". Keith said.

"Okay, I'll protect Ulaz," Shiro said. "Just make sure you be careful too"

"I'm counting on you". Keith said as he and Lance swap places with Shiro.

"I swear...I'm going to extract their blood! Even means I have no idea what's going on but I'll fight and win!" Keith thought as he ran towards Yahaba with Lance.

"What a grimy little urchin you are. You stay away from me!" Yahaba said, waving its hand with the eye towards Keith as it closes and releasing a purple wave.

Suddenly, a bright red arrow appeared from under his feet, causing him to slip as he swung his dagger forward, missing the daemon.

The red arrow pushes him away and imbedded itself into Keith, controlling his body. "Thack".

"Gack!" Keith coughed out as he was slammed into a tree.

"Keith" Lance shouted and soon the arrow controlled him too and launched him around the junkyard, into the ground and smashing into trees. "Boom, Thump and Thwack"

"Lance" Keith shouted in his hand. "This hurts! I mean this really... It seriously hurts!"

"Come on, Unleash a move to blunt the attack!" Lance thought as he blocks Yahaba's attacks with his staff and patch of ice.

But back in the fight in hand, with Susamaru, Hazar rushed to her, sending punches and kicks its way. The daemon raised it's hand to block the strike.

"You hurt my friend, Ulaz" Hazar told Susamaru, "I'll never forgive you for that!"

"Ulaz, Hey, Susamaru, the one over there..." Yahaba said, "Wouldn't that be Ulaz the Fugitive? What a great souvenir he'll make!"

"Is that right?" Susamaru said, preparing another hit of balls, "now we have two targets".

"Oh no you don't," Shiro said, putting a swing from his sword.

"Idiot!" Hazar shouted

"You mustn't hit it!" Ulaz warns, but it was too late, a ball had successfully hit Shiro, ripping off his daemon arm in the process.

"Shiro" Ulaz shouted, looking back at Susamaru in anger.

"What fun this is! I like kemari, too!" Susamaru said, send a kick to push Shiro back into the house.

"Yahaba!" Said Susamaru, "Will four heads be enough to take home?"

"No. We're taking two." Yahaba said, "The samurai and the fugitive."

"Shiro, are you all right" Ulaz added as Shiro was sitting down in pain.

"Yeah I'm alright," Shiro said, "I can't believe I lost another arm"

"If it was a regular arm, it would have been the end of you" Ulaz responded.

"What do you mean by exactly," Shiro said, putting on a brave face.

"As long as it a daemon arm, it could regenerate slowly," Ulaz said, looking out the bleeding area where the arm used to be, "you will recovering so slowly. This medicine will help heal your arm right away, all right?"

"Are you sure?" Shiro said.

"I'm sure," Ulaz said, putting on a small smile.

After recovery, Lance and Keith were buried exhausted. "That took quite a bit out of me," Keith said, turning towards Lance's fight and location.

"I know right, but What should we do?" Lance told him. "We can't lose no matter what!"

"I hate to agree with you but you're right," Keith said, "but Any move would be pointless"

"Yeah unless you can land a blow

in the opening with pinpoint accuracy!"  Lance explains, "If I'm off by even a little, the movie won't be nearly as potent!"

"Are you sure about that, He'll only change the dagger's direction

using his arrow skills!" Keith added. "And I hate to say it, but those eyeballs

on his hands are creepy!"

"I know right, Though I hate to say it!" Lance said, The speed of this arrow! It's not going to disappear until it hits one of us!"

"And I can't slash it with my sword!" Keith said. "The instant the blade touches it, I'll get blasted away

in the arrow's direction!"

"So our only option is get hit by those arrows and suffering a painful death, got it," Lance said, "What should we do?"

"It's all going the way I want it to!" Yahaba said, sending an arrow to Keith's way "Your arm's going to get twisted right off!"

"Keith, your arm" Lance shouted as he  witnesses Keith's arm getting tied up by Yahaba's arrow

"I know" he yelled as Keith charge at a tree, in hopes of removing the arrow from his arm. Forming up backward twist.

"So, you eluded it by spinning in the same direction as the Kouketsu Arrow?" Yahaba said, "Damn monkey!"

"We can't take much more of his attacks!" Keith said. "We gotta strike back!"

"We gotta change the arrow's direction

without touching it directly!" Lance said.

"It's about time for you to die!" Yahaba shouted, unleashing another fury of arrows at Keith and Lance.

Keith charges at the daemon attended to Adapt his moves! And gather the arrows into one place, his form, the form to envelope the arrow! Then use the footwork of the second Form...to close in on him!

"What? How!?" The Daemon yelled, sending even more furies of arrows.

Luckily, Lance and Keith charged together, getting past the arrows, dodging them, gritting his teeth, Lance sent a low sweep with his staff, cutting off the Daemon's legs.

"Keith! Now" Lance shouted

"My dagger's so heavy!" Keith thought as he Twist! And the Envelope! The arrows.

But he got this, "Second Form...Modified! Pisces" Keith shouted, as he jumped sideways and twisted his body, slicing at the fallen daemon neck and severing it from its body.

"Gack!" Yahaba shouted as his head with getting cut off.

"We did it!" Lance said as leaned on his as he slowly recovered. That fight took a lot of energy from him. Both him and Keith but nevertheless they got the job done.

"The move loses force when it's not underwater!" Keith said. "But thanks to my opponent's attack, it gained power and I was able to envelop the arrows!"

"Damn!, Damn! All the heck" Yahaba shouted as his head and body were getting disintegrated into nothingness.

"All I had to do bring back your friend's head and I would've won his approval!"

"That's all would it take" Yahaba yelled at Keith and Lance looked on, "I'll never ever forgive you! Shoving my face into this vile dirt! You both going down with me!" With the last of his strength, Yahaba releasing a purple wave of arrows on Keith and Lance.

"Oh no! He's gonna get me!" Keith said as he and Lance were embedded by the arrows, controlling their bodies in opposite directions.

"I'm getting pulled by a force

stronger than the arrows he's hit me with!" Keith thought as the arrows were controlling him and Lance again.

"I gotta unleash move after move

and go on the defensive", Lance Wondered and swung his arm, executing his ice powers into locations where he and Keith are.

"The pressure is bearing down on my body", Keith said, "and I can't swing my dagger!"

"Don't worry about it" Lance said. "Let's not get beat in here" with that being said, Lance kept on releasing his ice moves to prevent the hits.

"I've never made this

many consecutive moves before!" Lance thought as he feels like his entire body was getting frozen.

"Nowhere near enough!" Yahaba yelled out as the nearest integration. "More... Suffer more!"

But how many more times? How many?that Keith and Lance Don't think about it! But in the only thing they could do is Just keep unleashing moves! Keep throwing them out!

"Not yet!" Yahaba said, quietly "It's still not enough yet!" With that, his body slowly fades away into nothingness, finally putting it into his arrows.

"Hff pff" Keith and Lance fell into the ground, all exhausted. "Man that was close," Keith said, "I've got a broken rib and leg."

Keith runs up to Lance who was partly Frozen. His body is covered in ice. "Lance, are you all right"

"We did it, we are a good team," Lance said to Keith, closes his frozen hand. "N-No good! I'm too exhausted to grip my staff!"

"We gotta get over there!" Keith said, putting him underneath his shoulders "There's still one more daemon to go!" Keith turned and walked back to the collapsed wall.

Hazar would have sworn that it was snowing. But that didn't matter, only have to do with a focus on Susamaru and her balls, which she basketball it into the dirt.

Bet there was no snow anywhere the sky, making it the perfect opportunity to spread dust.

"Ridiculous!" Said Hazar "It's child's play for me to evade a linear attack like this! Locating you is a breeze, as well!"

"The same goes for you!" Susamaru said, send another ball at Hazar, "No matter how well you might conceal yourself, I can see you clear as day!"

Hazar gaps. His mind and body were in a vibrating, distorted, almost shimmering state of the sensation of being hit. But luckily someone came to the rescue with swing up his sword like a baseball player.

"Hey, you owe me an arm," a voice said in the distance, it was Shiro, back and ready for action.

"What fun this is!" Susamaru chuckled softly and summon another ball.

"Hey, you!" Hazar yelled, "Don't be so rash, you're not immortal"

"Thanks for the concern," Shiro said putting his stands like a baseball player.  "I'll be careful this time"

"The balls are like boulders," Shiro thought, Bile caught in his throat, burning with familiarity with the other fights he's gone through. "If I keep swinging back and forth, I might be able to slow her down"

"Here it comes!" Hazar shouted in front of them. Susamaru kicks the ball. But Shiro slice it. So much to her surprise.

"How dare you sliced my tamaris" Susamaru yelled out. "How insolent!"

"That's funny, I think the insolent one is you," Shiro said, putting his sword down to the ground. "Attacking people who obviously I have no interest in your conflict, well I ain't going to let that harm these people, not by a long shot.

"Look at him," Hazar said, softly. "Ulaz, what did you do to him" Susamaru threw her ball at Shiro, only getting sliced afterward, unable to hit the target.

"Unbelievable. Ulaz is this..." Hazar said.

"I used a healing serum on him. Nothing more." Ulaz told him, "Made exclusively for daemons. It doesn't make one physically stronger. What we're seeing is Shiro's own power"

He was right, Solely on his own... Shiro is gaining strength at a rapid rate. Even more powerful than he was before. A clean-cut was seen cutting through the air, past the next of the air, past the next neck of the Daemon.

"However, his opponent is also formidable." Ulaz thought. "If she were to go all-out, Shiro wouldn't stand a chance. I've got to do something."

"You're an amusing man!" Susamaru chuckled at Shiro.

"You're not bad yourself, Susamaru," said Shiro, "especially for a member of the four"

"Thanks, but This time, I'm going all-out against you!" Susamaru said, "I wonder how long you can hold out!"

"Maybe I will," Shiro said before he could go in all out. Ulaz enters the field.

"Ulaz"

"If you're a member of the four directions, then I have a question for you" Ulaz responded.

"You're in my way! Step back, you damn fugitive!" Susamaru yelled out.

"Just tell me one thing please". Ulaz told her. "Are you aware of the witch's true identity?"

"Wha-What the hell did you say?" Susamaru said, sending off a surprised look.

"That woman is nothing but a coward". Ulaz explains, "He lives in constant fear of something."

"Stop it!" Susamaru said, "Damn you! Stop it!"

"Do you know why it is that daemons can't band together? Or help each other during the war" Ulaz added. "It's to prevent other demons from banding together and attacking him. Daemons like you are being manipulated"

"Shut up, shut up!" Susamaru yelled out "No way is he that petty!"

"What is it," Shiro said before a hand was put on his mouth. It was Hazar and said, "Ulaz is casting a spell."

"The power he wields is mind-blowing! There's no one stronger than him! Not The Priestess" Susamaru yelled out.

Plop, Susamaru quickly drops everything with a look of disbelief that makes someone bury their own grave.

"You've uttered that name out loud, haven't you?" Ulaz said, "That will trigger the curse."

"Magical Aroma of Daylight." Hazar explains to Shiro, "It weakens its target's brain functions, rendering that person

unable to lie or keep secrets. It's immensely potent."

"I do feel sorry for you, but...farewell," Ulaz said.

Just then, Susamaru yelled out, begging for forgiveness in a blood-curdling scream that tore across the night. Keith and Lance felt sick when they realized something horrible, looked up to a truly horrific sight. Gigantic arms, larger than most of the surrounding trees, had burst from the demon's stomach, torso, and mouth, almost managing to mute the gurgling sounds of the woman's distress as body tears apart after falling victim to Haggar's curse.

The gory scene leaves everyone in a state of shock as her body is dismantled, it made Shiro want to gag, while Keith and Lance merely stared at the sight in horror.

"Did she just die?" Keith said as this thing's going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

"She will die momentarily" Ulaz responded, "That's the curse. Her physical body will be destroyed

by Zarkon's cells still in her body. In general, people who served the empire. It's pointless. The hopelessness the people around the Galra empire feel".

A fervent Hazar managed to pull Keith and Lance's attention back from the disturbing sight. "Don't go inhaling Ulaz's spell! Trust me, the human body can't take it"

"Keith, Lance, Shiro" Ulaz said in a low tone. "She is not one of the directions, the four directions have colors that represent the elements, engraved on their eyeballs, but this demon doesn't have one, same goes for the other, they were too weak to be a four-direction".

"Too weak? At that level?" Shiro said.

"If Ulaz says so, there's no mistake about it, Still, who knew there were such stupid daemons?" Hazar explains. "She physically injured Ulaz. She got exactly what she deserved."

Ulaz then soon, sticking a needle in its remains of a body. " I hope this blood will be instrumental in developing Sokka's serum".

"I'm sorry you had to see that," said Ulaz, apologize "I must see Dorma completed it"

"Don't move a muscle!" Hazar said, "You're on your own now! don't want to leave Ulaz's side! Not for a second!"

After Hazar leave them, to their own devices, Shiro walked up to Keith and Lance and said, "how are you feeling!"

"Broken both in and out" Keith remark.

"Easy for you to say you feel like a frozen popsicle," Lance said. "I was the longest time since I use my ice powers, it almost killed me"

"Well I'm glad you're both alive", Shiro said, padding Keith's shoulder, "We better go inside, maybe Ulaz will have to whip up some serum for you guys"

It really was a tough battle for both of them, both physically and mentally, the fight of Altea has just begun.