The Cloth Banner’s Help

The other four Kalhas too were similarly stuck, unable to break free. The Water Qi seeped into the Aeki at a steady rate, turning the Kalhas silent, for they were resisting it with all their might. By staying still, they expended less energy, conserving their strength.

Re'Kha swam through the water, peering her head through the vat as she gasped for breath, wheezing a couple of times before her breathing stabilised. She took in a deep breath before diving into the water, using the Aeki's lid to scoop the water and throw it into the air.

The water sprinkled all over the place, with some of them falling on the Kalhas, damaging them. Those that were sprinkled by smaller drops were badly injured while those that came across droplets the size of their bodies lost their balance, falling into the water below.

The impact damaged them while the force prompted the Water Qi in the water to collide into the Fear Qi in their bodies, destroying them wholly, causing their optic nerves, and the forked tongues peeking out of their lens to vanish, leaving behind normal-looking eyeballs.

Re'Kha used her Water Qi perception to notice the eyeballs falling and floating on the water surface, using the Aeki's lid as a paddle to push them to one side. She then continued to sprinkle water into the air, sensing more and more eyeballs fall.

She dared not attack using her Magic Artifact, for that would shed their blood and body fluids. And, when they mix into the water, before the Water Qi in it could destroy them, they would affect her to a fair extent.

Moreover, as it continued to increase, the water would become polluted, and as she would be affected more and more, Fear Qi would continue to generate within her and soon overwhelm the Water Qi. That way, she would become delirious and offer herself to the Kalhas, her only fate would be for them to plant themselves in her eyes and control her body.

And, as time passes, numerous Kalhas would be born from her until she was completely sucked dry. The worst nightmare-inducing fact was that she would be conscious of everything all along. For, that would generate more Fear Qi in her which was basically nourishment to the Kalhas.

Such was the fate that awaited every being controlled by the Kalhas. That's why, she refrained from launching any attacks, solely focusing on splashing water into the air. After every interval, she would retreat and plunge her head into the vat, breathing in the air within it.

As it was enclosed on all sides, with its entrance submerged within the water, the air within was unaffected by the Kalhas. But, the air was limited, with Re'Kha feeling weak with her subsequent breathing attempts. She knew that she couldn't persist forth in such a manner, increasing the flurry of her attacks.

At least, thanks to the Water Qi she had filled in the granary, the potency of the attacks of the Kalhas were reduced. After calming her beating heart, Re'Kha plunged her head into the vat once again before increasing the range of her Water Qi perception.

She wished to find the spots of the remaining Kalhas. For, her recent attacks failed to cause any eyeballs to fall into the water. As her range increased, she noticed the absence of any Kalhas within the granary, or at least, in the lower portion. For, her water splashes even reached the ceiling, preventing them from having any safe place to hide within.

So, they had retreated towards the entrance, huddling around the Aeki. The water hadn't reached there yet. Though, it was only a matter of time, for the water levels were climbing up the steps, with only three remaining before it reached the top surface.

The moment she perceived them, the Kalhas simultaneously glanced her way, peering through the water to look straight at her. She fell unconscious immediately, entering a state of delirium. Her hands moved towards her eyes, noticing that she lacked any eyeballs to pluck out.

Her hands then moved to the Tikka jewellery on her forehead, intending to pluck out her third eye when the cloth banner constricted her movement, preventing her hand from touching her forehead. Moreover, the cloth banner covered her body completely, including the nostrils, except for the part beyond her wrist. So, it acted as a layer of defence against the assaulting Fear Qi.

The cloth banner siphoned the Fear Qi, starting from the head to clear her mind a little before Re'Kha gained enough initiative to control herself. The cloth banner continued to absorb her Fear Qi while she swam towards the vat, out of breath.

Re'Kha inhaled the air within the vat, noticing it made no difference to her current condition. She then completely exhaled, coming out of the water to swiftly inhale a mouthful of air before entering the water.

A strange odour—unleashed by the Kalhas—was mixed in it, causing a tangy taste in her tongue as her mental state went haywire. If not for the cloth banner, and the Water Qi rich environment, she wouldn't have survived.

The air allowed her to stay underwater for a fair duration as the cloth banner fully absorbed the Fear Qi, normalising her condition. Re'Kha sensed the eyeballs covering the water surface, thinking for a second about the capabilities of the scouts she had to face next.

She opened the lid of numerous Aekis, watching the food within them float to the top, with some of them staying at the bottom, while others mixed into the water. The food at the top mixed with the eyeballs, making them seem no different from edible food. As the waves splashed forth, they mixed up more and more, camouflaging all the eyeballs within the food.

Re'Kha swam above the flight of stairs, arriving at the edge of the water surface before unleashing a palm projection, aiming a bit above the Aeki.

The palm projection was amplified by the Water Qi in the surroundings, increasing in strength as it collided into many Kalhas, shattering them into pulp. Without any pause, she unleashed two more palm projections, aiming at other places. The flurry of attacks also riled up the ambient Water Qi, acting based on the will imbued in the Water Qi making up her projections.

The Water Qi collided into the Fear Qi of the Kalhas, soon turning them into normal eyeballs that fell on the floor. Re'Kha climbed over to the surface, gasping for air as the effect contained in it made her body uncontrollable, stumbling to the surface. She continued to inhale the air as the body fluids of the Kalhas mixed into the water, polluting it.