The Blood Dawn Rising. (Part 5)

As we open the window of our soul to each other. I stand, readying my polearm and aim at her. The sound of the wind and shaking steel vibrates as soldiers stand ready and aim.

We stand against each other, as our mind drowns in the thoughts of what we conspire, staring into each other as we wait for one another to make their move. Like a battle of wits and will, mind against mind, the one move that will determine the victor of this grand stage Like master against master...

(Well, that's what everyone is thinking! But seriously, I'm just buying time until reinforcements or something arrives by doing this stunt!)

I focus around d the room, feeling and sensing the qi of everyone in this room. from the weak qi, emanating from Sis Fei and the collapse girl, the weirdly identical yet different qi the soldiers have, till the horrendous aura of pure maliciousness emanating from the beast Sis Yuwei called "mother".

(Wait... She said that is not her mother, so... Ah, whatever! so what will Sis Yuwei do now? What about Sis Rubeca? Or even May? Why do I get stuck with this strategy thinking, which is not me!)

When the monster's finger twitch I quickly shout:

"F-fire!"

The soldiers quickly shot at the monster, raining down volley after volley at it. The monster ignores and charges at me, using this chance I quickly shout:

"Quickly attack from the rear. S-slow it down!"

The soldier that is behind her starts charging their swords and shield at her as I see their steel catch in flames and slash at her. She keeps ignoring them and still charges at me. The soldiers infront of me tighten the gaps of the shield wall till only their weapon are coming out, a swordsman with the huge shield in the forefront while the medium shield is on the second and third line pointing their spears at the beast.

The monster charge without losing momentum even when besieging in all sides it still smiles at me, seeing its head just got shot and losing a quarter of her face along with one of its eyes, yet, she's not stopping. Her face catches on fire before regenerating a new eye.

Realizing the damage it can deal, I quickly charge my blade and gather all my qi for a huge attack. I jump high and gather all my might.

(Time to use my trump card! Well, I already use this once against Rana).

I spin around until I create a small tornado made of my qi. Floating in the air as I feel my eyes getting heavy and my breathing becomes more out of control from all the arts I use.

(I still haven't fully grasped this technique unlike May, but, if I don't try, then Sis Fei- no all of us will be in jeopardy!)

The monster fire multiple fireballs at me and finally kill one of the soldiers, grabbing its small blade the size of a dagger in its arm and turns it into the curve blade from before and opens it's arm wide as it swings it's blade left and right. Cutting some soldiers and making the flying units retreat further. When I saw it open it wide mouth-

(Now!)

I spin for the last time, as all of the tornadoes I make gathers on the tip of my polearm I shoot it out thinking:

[Immortal calamity dragon technique, chaos path: Triple Apocalypse Roar]

Slashing mid-air, sending three dragons made out of my qi spiralling at the monster. As I fall to the ground.

(This time it's much much bigger than the one I send at Rana!)

As the dragon went in, the beast dodges a little, the attack obliterates half of its upper body separating its remaining arm from the body and its guts splatter around the ground and soldiers near its vicinity and the remaining attack went to the darkness before exploding and makes a huge beam of light.

"Barley bread, I missed!"

At least this will slow the monster down. The monster still runs but lost its momentum, the soldier behind stab at its feet and the monster runs even slower until it just arrives on the front of the line and stomp on the soldiers, the soldiers counter and attack the beast with both magic and their flaming swords.

(This is much easier than expected.)

Still lying on the ground, my eyes start to darken.

(Dammit! Not now!)

"Hold it back! I'll restore some of my qi to use another move!"

"Yes, Sir!"

I quickly take a sit down, crossing my legs and started cultivating to restore my qi. I look back and see the soldiers that are recovering are helping by buffing the lines and me... Sadly those buffs won't even affect me.

I look at Sis Fei and the girl seeing them still collapse behind me. I look back at the monster when suddenly A soldier come flying at me.

We smash onto each other and fell flat on the ground. The soldier looks at me saying:

"S-sorry, my L-Lord..."

His hands grow limp as his sword and shield fall to the ground while the gaping hole in his armour pours out streams of blood. My hands start to shake as my armour is covered red, I drag his body off saying:

"I'm sorry and thank you."

I stand once more with my shaking feet, feeling more awake from the sudden surge of emotion inside of me. The beast stomps one soldier after another, it has somehow reattached its left arm back and regenerate its limbs. The monster grabs one soldier and eats them by plunging them inside its large gaping hole that reaches till her stomach, as she eats her lower body becomes bloated and I could see the hands moving inside.

"Do not falter! keep fighting! We will win this day..."

When I tried to move forward, I suddenly lose the feeling of my feet and kneel as I feel my power seeping away from me.

"Keep fighting!"

I scream as I start to cultivate for just a while longer. I see the soldiers getting killed one after another when the monster finally breach the line and run past through.

It gallops quickly to me, and I have no choice but to stand and prepare my weapon once more. The soldiers dive and charge infront to cover me. Yet, the beast just easily kills the soldiers like swatting a fly with its curved blade, as it gets closer I quickly scream:

"Take the wounded out of here, I'll hold it off-"

The beast swings its sword at me and I quickly stand up, raising my weapon to block it.

"Aaaaagh!!!"

The weapon clash and I hold the beast back as much as I could. It was but futile resistance, the force cracked the floor beneath me, my feet begin to bend, before long I was forced to kneel. The beast raises it's huge feet as it prepares to make another stomp.

The soldiers suddenly arrive and manage to cut the monster head off while another comes and help to slice and thrust the beast from the rear.

"Kill the monster! Protect the knight!"

The monster suddenly raises it's sword and feet, using this chance I quickly dodge by rolling to the side. And the beast stomps the ground shaking the entire room and cracking the broken floor even more.

Two soldiers shoulder me saying:

"Don't worry sir, we are all now moving back and regrouping with the mistress."

"W-what about Sis Fei?"

They flew off carrying me saying:

"The young mistress and the captive are now being evacuated to the medical bay."

"Then, why did you come back?"

"We can't let someone from the almighty dragon family die like this-"

His sentence was cut short when the monster suddenly crushes the man with its hands, pulling him over and eating him. The beast smile and jumps delivering another slice with its curved blade. The one soldier left that's shouldering me, threw me away and blocks the attack as he slams to the ground, trying to push back her attack as I fell.

The beast suddenly moves ahead, kicking the soldier on its side, bending his body to a semi-circle before he splits into two and eating him.

Still holding my weapon, I drag myself to the door but it was no use. The beast jumps past me and exits the vault. But, it turns around and walks closer to me.

(What is it trying to do!?)

I drag myself back again trying to get away. When I suddenly feel something holding me down.

(Oh no! The beast has finally grabbed ahold of me!)

It raises me tight and drags me up to look at the beast face to face, as it somehow attaches it's head back. It smiles saying:

"Thanks for the meal, boy. Thanks to you, I was able to regain a bit of my sanity, sadly even when going crazy, he won't let me kill you or he will take this chance away from me. After all, your soul resonates so similarly to him~"

"What?"

(Wait, didn't Rana said the same thing to me? No matter!)

I raise my polearm and thrust at her face, yet, before the tip of my weapon can reach her head, she suddenly squeezes her hand, almost crushing me.

"Aaaargh!"

She squeezes me harder as I hear my armour making some weird burning noises, the sound of metal bending resound in my ear and before long I was forced to let go of my weapon.

"Don't try anything funny Sova, I only have one wish, fulfil it and I will let you go and meet with my daughters.

"Never- Aaaaaargh!!!"

She squeezes me again and the pain continues as I hear my armour starts to move on its own and begins to forcefully open up whenever it can. She moves away near the entrance out saying:

"Oh, sorry, I guess that came out to malicious. Um, let me think... So, Please~ this involves my family, Sova. I heard your family is everything to you so please help me. Ah! You know, Little Yu (fish) sometimes talks about you when we are alone you know?"

"Huh? Wu-what?"

"She likes to call you stupid and rash, yet diligent, kind, honest and accepting (with a bit of a bird brain density level too). I accepted the deal with him when my soul was suddenly dragged back to this body who was surprisingly not cremated yet for some reason. Sova, Let me see little Fei, My second daughter. I'll hold this unsatiable hunger back until so, I promise you!"

Finally realizing that she is a spirit repossessing her own body. I remembered something unpleasant during my training, I grit my teeth, finally making a decision. I stare back at the beast saying:

"F-fine, so let me go!"

"You are truly the kindest soul."

She smiles pleasantly and lets go of me, I fell to the ground and the armour suddenly ejects me out, flinging me far.

"I heard little Yu saying that you are very feminine even for a guy, so much so that you are keep mistaken for a girl. Now I know why."

"I'm a guy," I retorted back at her.

I search around to look at where my weapon is when she continues saying:

"Yes, yes, I know. But you're so cute~ Well, the super soft kind of cute even with a scar on your face, that's quite unfair~ I thought that my daughter was exaggerating for once. But, seeing it myself now is so~ un-be-lie-va-ble. It's like you're deliberately making yourself look so feminine similar to the practices inside the Theocracy, where males can become females through advanced magic."

"So what? I never chose to born like this?! I tried my best to be a guy you know!"

When I found my weapon, I crawl and try to grab it when she continues saying:

"Oh Sova, please don't be so grumpy~ To be born that cute is the dream of many girls you know. Be grateful, besides I have to disagree with what you said there. You can't have such silky smooth hair, that beautiful face with such soft lips, mmm.

And that cute feature along with that pearl white skin constantly without taking extreme care and with the help of some cosmetics. Unless someone is deliberately taking care of you. Someone who really loves you that he/she would spend so much time helping you look like that do you know any?"

"Scuse me, what!? How should I know!?"

(Wait for a second, Nicole would come to my place every week, where we usually hang out. Every time I shower, he enters and helps me put some weird cream on my skin, hair along with my face. Saying that it will help me, and the last week before my training he put some different cream than the usual saying something like:

"This one is much much better and can only be used once after a very long time."

Could that be it? Come to think of it, why? Wait, I think he started doing that when he asked me those personal questions back then and that long hug he gave me when I answer him... No matter, he cares for me and I'm grateful for that).

I grab a hold of my weapon and decided to cultivate a little since the beast is talking to me.

"Use the time well," is what May said to me.

"Are you perhaps cultivating? Ah! I see it seems you must be stress from all that battle and wish to replenish your energy. Don't worry I can wait. The prize that awaits me is even greater still, I will wait another thousand years if it gives me the chance to meet and speak with my second daughter.

I'm just completely exploding with joy right now, knowing that I could see my daughter without the urge to eat them and without bloodshed since you are there to convince them. He he he he, ha ha ha ha, ah~ Let me tell you about my daughters while at it if you don't mind."

She holds her face as she moves around and giggles pleasantly saying:

"Well let us start off when I first bear my cute Yu. Oh, how happy I was to think a name for her with my hubby at first we thought her name would be Ji (chicken)-"

I grip my weapon in regret and my heart feels sour as I hear her talk.

(For I know what's going to happen).

*********************************************************

"- and Oh! Back when she was still five, she was so gullible too, when I told her that you can grow taller when you dance around the hallway while singing loudly. And she actually followed what I said enthusiastically!

When I finally can't handle the laughter and tell her it was a lie, she thrashes around trying to hit me, knowing I was still a ghost. I guess that's when she starts to learn qi from uncle Lixue and begins to take everything everyone says with a pinch of salt thanks to that and I kinda regret doing that now... But Whew~ Ah, I'm still happy that I wish someone hold the memory crystal to keep that moment."

Time passes a while as the beast lingers around me as she tells me about Sis Yuwei and sometime Sis Fei, about how Sis Yuwei can communicate with spirits with her naked eyes and other personal information about both of them which I don't really need to know...

(Yet, why is nobody coming!? Where are they? Is there other breaches in the other areas too?)

I finally regain some of my strength and stand with both my feet. I stretch my body and hold my weapon with both arms, tightening my grip as I ready myself for one last move. When the monster looks at me saying:

"Ah, are you're done? That's quite fast, now if you would please Sova, I'm truly grateful for you. Let me tell you more as we travel. Ah, I wonder if this is what my mother feels like when she tells about me to her neighbours back then. Now I know~"

As the monster moves ahead of me and focus its attention at the darkness, I gather up my qi once more to enhance myself saying:

"Sorry..."

I swing my weapon and send one last qi wave blast thinking:

[Almighty roaring tiger technique: Mighty Slash]

The beast turns around in shock and panic as it tries to quickly block with its one arm, but the attack went through, cutting her hand and body in half.

Her upper body flies high and falls behind me. But this time, her body didn't catch on fire to heal, the lower body stops moving and falls over, spewing out the dead guards melting body. The upper body convulses uncontrollably as its guts spew out from below and blood flow from its mouth.

"W-why boy? I promised didn't I?"

"I know, but I didn't promise. I learn something the hard way about spirits that you can see with your naked eye during my training. For my soul was almost dragged to the spirit world just because I was kind enough to help her. Luckily Sis Rubeca was there to save me and teach me a lesson.

She told me to follow this above all when contacting spirits, is that the dead should just stay dead and never trust a spirit in the mortal world will fulfil what it has promised."

"Ha... Ha ha ha ha ha!!! I *hick* was stupid *hick* for asking... YoU DaMN bRoKeR!"

She moves her arm to get up as her upper body drag itself away. Feeling my legs grow weak and my arms start to limp. I grip my weapon tight as I move forward with my last strength saying:

"I'll end this quick, I'll make sure of it."

"Stay away from me! I will see my daughters and I'll take care of them!"

She drags herself away as I hear her crying. I take one step closer to her as my vision begins to blur, my eyes become even heavier than before.

As she continues to cry and drag her self away, I start seeing visions of a familiar woman with brown hair crying in her room, a man with blonde hair and a sharp jawline comforts her as he gave her a hug and whisper something in her ears. When the man and women finally face me, the man with purple eyes and the women with her dark brown eyes shine in the dark as they look at me.

"Mom... Dad?"

I shake my head and begin to focus what's infront of me as I move forward, making a spear blade with my qi on the weapon.

"I promised my hubby that I will oversee them, I promised him that I will see them grow! Stay away from me you broker!"

She tries to drag her self to the vault that leads to the darkness. When she finally stops at where the huge shattered floor is and cough out more blood and more flesh spill out from the gaping wound below her.

"Call me what you want, I'll send you back to the spirit world. After all, Sis Rubeca told me to show all your kindness to the one who's alive and end to those who passed away."

I try to move faster as I said that. She tried to move her giant arm with no hand when it suddenly starts to fell off and before long one of her eyeballs falls and roll over. I step on it as the insides spread all over, I stand on top of her now.

(I may never agree with this method but it won me the battle...)

I raise my weapon high, aiming at her heart saying:

"I'm sorry, may your next life be better."

(Sis Rubeca says a mantra originating from the spirit church to send them away, I remember it too well).

{Those who trespass life and death may they live in peace and tranquillity in their next life before blessed by the spirit king then mould to flesh}

My weapon shines a white light just like Sis Rubeca back then and weird runes similar to the one Rana cast when she tried to end Aoi now circles around the tip.

"S-stop please..."

She begs for the last time, I replied saying:

"Don't make this harder than it has to be."

And send the final blow, stabbing where her heart is supposed to be, her body burns in flames when her flesh touches the black steel. The runes spread through her body as she screams in terror.

She tried to raise her body but can't, she looks at me with her five eyes shining in bright red while her body burns saying:

[Rand Struto Vasti]

Her body shines bright, feeling my danger senses going off, I quickly pull my weapon and grab a dead soldier's shield beside me, before long she exploded. Blinding me in bright light and the burning pain envelopes me. I lost my footing and suddenly feel like I'm falling.

My body crashes onto something before hitting the ground.

"Argh! Ow, ow, ow..."

I still hold both weapons tight. When I look around, a monster quickly pounces on to me, I raise my weapon with haste and thrust the monster's head. Seeing its body limp, I tried to move my body around. Feeling so much pain as I move my leg and remove the monster lodge in my polearm.

(That was really close and this shield is fudging heavy)

It's total darkness everywhere I look but up. The soft light basks me in its light as the darkness creeps around me. Wait...

(A hole has appeared in the room, oh no! The monster will get in there!)

I look around me and it seems the distance between me and the hole seems to be far away... But how did I survive?

I look around once more to see the monster now circling around me...

(Dumpling doughnuts! Is this truly my end? You know what, I don't really care anymore.)

"I will live."

I tried to stand but I quickly feel excruciating pain all over my body. My eyes darken and I start seeing another vision, a woman in her twenties with long jet black hair wearing a maid outfit I saw in my dreams a while back, smiling as she wipes my mouth. She looks at me with her shining blue eyes saying something.

I grit my teeth screaming:

"Bagel, brownies, fudge tarts! I won't let it end here! Don't you dare Fall now Sova!"

When somebody replies saying:

"Yes, we can't let it end here."

A female voice resounds from beside me. I look to see the half-dead body remains stuck to another monster's head as she seemingly fuses together with the monster.

Suddenly, tentacles from before sprouted out from the darkness and pierce her body, it enters inside, crawling beneath her skin as I see the tentacles move uncontrollably when at the end of the tentacle, a hideous monster with six bloodshot eyes goes inside her. She now controls those tentacles and she quickly attacks all the monster in the vicinity, dragging them all to her and forcefully fusing them with her body.

She grows bigger as the light from above shows her disfigured and ever-changing shape. She's now nine feet tall and still growing, her body is a mix of horrific limbs and faces of despair that is stuck on the body. Her eyes multiplied and so does her limbs begins to look like the previous four-legged beast she was before but more nightmarish.

"BoOiY, I neVeR knEw tHAt sOMeOne wItH YouR FAce CoULd haVE sUcH a cOLD bLoOdED deTerMinAtiOn."

Her voice becomes crooked as her thousand eyes start to shine blood red. She walks closer as I hear each of her stomps cracks the floor she treads. Her aura becomes murderous and my body shakes without stopping, winds blow to her direction, circling around her as her body starts to shine again.

(Oh no!)

I enhance my eyes with qi to see in the dark and drag myself away to a place with a path, grabbing the shield as I walk when the light disappeared.

I look back to see her now walking below the light that comes from the whole above. Wearing a full plate fish scale armour that covers her whole monstrous body. Her head is now covered with a fish head made of steel that looks like a demonic fish with huge white eyes and black hollow pupils, sharp razor teeth and a weird rubber-like rod with a gem on the end that shines green. In the middle of her armour is an insignia that looked like a jumping monstrous fish.

"No way..." I whisper slowly as I stand.

"BoY, yOu wiLL rUiN the dAy yOU crOSs mE."

I ready my spear and shield as I look at her saying:

"I never promised anything."

"SHut uP, BOy. I reGrEt eVen SpEaKing to yoU... NO! I regRet letTing YoU tO EveN MeeT mY dAugHters iN tHe FIRst PlaCE!"

I stayed silent as I gather my qi and make my weapon to a poleaxe. I put my left leg forward and turn my body to the side while still looking at her. She spits out a huge bone and holds it with her left hand. The bone shines enlarging into a gigantic curve sword from before.

She quickly takes a stance, raising her sword high above her head, she dashes forward before disappearing leaving behind cracks on the floor.

Appearing on my right, she swings down her blade, I quickly dash to the left dodging her attack and threw the shield at her knowing that it only slows me down.

She grabs the thrown shield and crushes it easily. Kinda realizing I what situation I just put my self into, I steel my resolve.

We stare into each other when she quickly disappear and appear beside my left. Swinging her blade horizontally, I duck and dodge her attack when the blade passes above my head she quickly redirects her blade back at my neck. I move forward and quickly use the pommel and hit the blade up with all I got, parrying her weapon. Yet, before I knew it, a palm aiming at my side comes forth and the best I could do was block it with my weapon.

Her attack hits my blade and I was propelled and crash into the wall beside me. Without my armour, I'm quite sitting ducks out here.

"Ah, ow..."

I hold my right arm that feels all the pain when I see her now swinging her blade diagonally from my left again. I bend my head to the right and duck a little, dodging the blade barely as it cuts my hair, I quickly counter by spinning around and sending a qi wave blast, but She uses her palm once more and disperse the wave easily and the attack is still coming.

(The same trick won't happen twice!)

I quickly swing my poleaxe at the side of her hand, as my qi blade hits her, my qi blade disperse as I feel the impact and manage to redirect it to the left. I quickly spin swinging my poleaxe from below and release a qi wave blast aiming at her right arm.

As my blast hit the armour, it does nothing. Not even a tiny scratch was there to see...

(I see, my attacks won't even damage her armour...)

Her blade was already coming at me, diagonally striking from the below. Now with my weapon losing its blade.

(Since my qi won't even damage her armour than a blunt attack probably will).

I twirl my weapon and use that momentum to parry the blade up. Not stopping there I quickly dash back and before I know it she was smashing the wall with her palm.

(Thank goodness I take my distance).

When I saw blood spilling out the gaps of her helmet and armour saying:

"StOp MoViNg aNd lEt me MurDER yOU!!!"

She starts to hold her sword with both hands and raise it high her head saying:

[Eternal transcendence phoenix technique, enlightened path: thousand feather flames]

Her blade was quickly coated with a fire tornado and she quickly swings her blade at me from afar. Small shards of flames approach me. I quickly twirl my spear, deflecting, dispersing and blocking her incoming attacks as the flames disperse around me.

Feeling the burning heat even when coating my self with qi, the flames that engulf my surrounding started to circle around me from below. Realizing something going to happen, I quickly stop twirling and dash to the right. Feeling some of the shards slashing my left arm and left leg. The circle erupted a huge pillar of flame leaving no darkness in the area just for a moment.

Seeing my right sleeves are burning, I quickly tore my sleeves off when another attack was already incoming. A vertical slash from above, already tired mentally from all that's happening. My eyes start to become heavy again...

(But, I can't stop here!)

I turn my body to the left and swing my staff with both my arm to hit the side of the blade, redirecting its course to the ground. As the blade digs to the ground, I was suddenly palm into the wall on the right. Smashing hard as I hear something break in my right arm.

"Aaaaah!"

My right hand lets go of the weapon as I lost the feeling of my right arm. Not stopping there, she quickly swings her blade once more cutting the ground, I grab my weapon with my left hand and dash back.

Dodging her flaming sword as it cuts deep into the wall. She pulls her blade out and holds her weapon with both her hands again, blood spurt out, even more, her whole body catches on flames as her six eyes glow red saying:

[Endless raining petals technique, autumn path: raining petals fall]

Her flames quickly turn into petals and surround her blade. She swings her blade horizontally. This time, I just collapse to the ground flat, leaving the swing to hit and obliterate the wall as it makes a huge blast before dispersing.

The stars shine so brilliantly in the sky as it basks me in its light with no moon in sight. When I look at the open gaping path that leads outside, I could see the endless urban area as it stretches past the rocky paths. Everywhere I see is destruction, destroyed towers, and tall buildings... Not looking below at what is on the streets.

(Aren't we inside the palace? How did we get the outside view when the palace is surrounded by hills? Don't tell me her attack actually created an entrance out?)

I stand with the help of my weapon when I sense another attack. I use my weapon's pommel and strike at the ground to push me back. Barely dodging its attack as it slice between my legs.

(I should've just waited until we regroup then attack her, I should've have run away... Can I even do that? Did I made the wrong choice?)

I look at the path the monster just create when the monster suddenly strikes a palm from above, I quickly tighten the grip and dodge back managing to stand in the process, as her palm hit the ground, the earth shook and I almost fell once more if it's not for the help of my retractable staff. My right arm limp, my legs weak, and my body hurts all over. While she is still full of power and ready for another strike... She gallops slowly towards me.

(I'm sorry everyone...)

When my legs suddenly give out and force me to kneel, a flash hits my eyes, there my father and mother give me a pet in the head as they show me a picture book about a hero bringing back his people.

Another flash hits me, showing my time with May, Aunt, Nicole, and Sis Rubeca together having a gathering dinner happily.

"I heard that you will see your life flash before your eyes before you die..."

I grip my weapon tighter, I grit my teeth as I open my eyes wider, I stand and face the beast, taking a stance as I gather the remaining qi I have.

(To ham with that fate! I will make it out alive and reunite my family!)