Chapter 57: Fighting a Titled Douluo, Awakening, and Return of the King.

Chapter 57: Fighting a Titled Douluo, Awakening, and Return of the King.

A full moon rises high up into the night sky. A cold sweat covers most people in the Sun Moon Castle garrison. A collection of rangers and long distance spirit masters stand upon the high walls, none have their martial spirits out but at most they number just around 200. Evenly spaced out while facing the enemy across from them with the exception of one area that has 120 members grouped up and confident but still sweating due to the pressure before them.

Across is a collection of varied spirit masters ranging from Spirit Elder to Spirit Douluo with a group of figures at the front with 2 specifically standing imposing against the Sun Moon Castle. These 2 figures are titled douluos from Spirit hall.

One has short black hair with one or two hairs in front of his face. He has brown eyes and markings on his face that make it looks sunken, akin to a ghost. This is Gui Mei the Ghost Douluo, a level 93 Titled Douluo (hasn't reached 95 yet like in canon).

The other bearing a slightly feminine disposition with light brown hair tied into a ponytail and and wearing a flowing female dress and "big sunny eyes" (official wiki phrasing). This is Yue Guan the Chrysanthemum Douluo, a level 92 Titled Douluo (also hasn't reached level 95).

Behind them are 4 Spirit Saints and the commanders of the army from the Balak Kingdom. Following this prestigious group is a collection of spirit masters from a wide range that numbers 1789 in total. Their original numbers were over 2,000 but the persistent raids and delays had caused their numbers to slightly dwindle. It's an extreme sense of shame because they had lost so many but they couldn't even kill one of their enemies.

A pent up rage is expressed on all members of the Balak/Spirit hall entourage with the exception of the two titled douluos who have uncaring expressions except the Chrysanthemum douluo who is looking at the scenery in a carefree manner.

"Present a preliminary attack using a quarter of our forces, 2 spirit douluos will join the fight as well to direct the people. This will be a short bout to get an understanding of the enemy forces. I expect small casualties based on their numbers shown. Even if they are hiding more, it won't be all that more than what is shown" Gui mei the Ghost Douluo states. He has had a refresher course on some war tactics during this journey

"Hey Mei-Mei, why aren't we just going all out from the start? Wouldn't it be faster to just send everyone, or even just us 2 to take down the enemy?"

Chrysanthemum douluo's feminine voice rings out a few questions for his good brother the ghost douluo, casually revealing his nickname which makes all 4 commanders behind them shake as they hold in their laughter. This makes a tick appear on Gui Mei's forehead as he quickly calms down, having been used to Chrysanthemum Douluos antics from their long years of friendship.

He calmly states. "If we both charge in then what makes us any different than the Sun and Moon Douluos that took over this kingdom in the first place? We can't stoop as low as them. Our actions reflect upon Spirit Hall." Yue Guan nods, he isn't dumb. Just playful and just wants to go back to tending to his garden back home or just flower watching.

("He is fascinated by flowers and such and has extensive knowledge in immortal herbs"-first line of personality section from wiki. Idk why so many fanfics I've read all make him out to be some super badass wearing cool colors and hard expressions when he is in fact pretty childish. I get he is 95 hyper douluo in canon and has to be serious when Spirit halls interests are threatened like when he attacks Tang San en route to Spirit Hall during competition but he is in fact, a 'normal' person who reached a high level. Much lighter upbringing, he was just poor as a child. As compared to ghost douluo who was shunned as a child and nearly drowned b/c people thought he would be an evil spirit master or something)

Two of the four spirit douluo commanders are selected to lead the charge and half of their units are gathered up which equals to 500 people. Strategies are announced and jobs given. Soon the set of 500 spreads out to cover a wide area of the wall. Seeing their actions, Xue Tie sets out a few of his own commands which his people follow but only a select few actually move.

The 500 begin encroaching while summoning out their martial spirits. At least 4 out of 5 of them have beast martial spirits, providing them physical boosts then at the commanders signal, they unleash spirit skills and begin to charge at the wall. Testing it's durability and how the enemy responds. They are quickly interrupted due to all the currently garrisoned spirit masters unleashing ranged skills. The army members also fall flat onto various pitfall traps laid out before the hidden moat. Xue Tie's people are summoning earth spikes while also ensuring the moat is not revealed.

The low level members of Xue Tie's groups are hidden inside tunnels that connect to the pitfall traps, they go in for the kill on their shocked opponents. The initial confrontation goes alot like the regular raids they had suffered under but the difference is that two Spirit Douluos are flying forth at the walls which naturally gathers quite a bit of attention.

But their attention is stolen by a cloaked figure who has released a beam of fire that swipes both spirit douluos. They are able to block the beam but their flight is interrupted and they stop short of the wall. The cloaked figure stands upon stone blocks with a silver spear crossed in their hands.

"Your gonna have to try harder than that if your going to do anything. If not then just go home. There is nothing wrong with Sun Moon being independent" Xue Tie proclaims as he looks down upon the two commanders. They grit their teeth and jump up again. Xue Tie also takes flight and the battle begins.

With his spirit power being roused, the rings belonging to his armor show themselves and this causes a shock to all gazing members of the garrison and even more so to the invading army. Black, Black, Black, Black, Black with a hint of red ,red, red. Xue Tie is decisive and goes for a stab with his spear while using his personal skill. Blood Drain in hopes of quickly defeating one enemy but it is for naught as both work together to block the strike, leaving and opening for them both to strike. A rapier and Horse hoof approach Xue Tie when another cloaked figure gets in front and unleashes a 5th spirit ring. A tornado is unleashed in mid air that stops both enemies, pushing them back.

They suffer minor injuries from the wind blast, at least until Xue Tie uses his own 5th ring and the two tornados into a larger one. It doesnt affect the ground below as the base of the giant tornado is set around where Xue Tie and his martial spirit avatar are. The only thing affecting the surroundings is the sharp wind but he activated the skill far enough from the wall itself so as not to affect the rangers there. The giant tornado buffers the two spirit douluos with larger cuts. This is especially true when both cloaked figures direct the tornado with their hands, releasing small ones that with their combined movement are also enhanced and no different than bombs smacking against them both.

Xue Tie also releases multiple beams of his skulls fire in quick succession. Creating an impromptu flamethrower that scorches both commanders until a flower petal flies in between and expands to create a barrier.

This barrier was created by Chrysanthemum Douluo who summoned his martial spirit and used his third skill to create the barrier. He brings both commanders back while Ghost Douluo says

"All forces retreat, we have learned enough" His words are like a saving grace for the lower level spirit masters amongst the attacking force as they quickly make their way back. The entire army then retreats a bit further from the castle walls while Xue Tie also sets down while dissipating his avatar.

"Rest while you can, the real battle will begin soon. We don't have to kill them, just intimidate enough that they retreat". His words are also a load off the garrisons' backs as some who overuse their spirit power sit down to rest a bit while others stand at the ready in case of anything. They were given a pretty good show of high level combat but it was cut short.

Xue Tie returns a bit closer to the central staircase leading to the Throne room where a hooded figure is leaning against the wall. The figure asks.

"What do you think is likely to happen next?" A voice that bears a striking resemblance to the Moon Douluo is heard but only by Xue Tie.

"Your probably going to have to fight Chrysanthemum Douluo while I engage Ghost. My people know what to do about the army, we have a moat afterall. Cant beat that '' He says the end part a bit sarcastically.

"They can just jump over it." Moon Douluo responds logically but Xue Tie just shakes his head.

"You misunderstand, the moat itself is not valuable as a defensive measure but an offensive one. It's the fact that we have such a large amount of water that the regular army will fall and we will win as long as we hold on long enough" he clarifies which only seeks to confuse the Moon Douluo more as he cant see how the water will be utilized offensively, even with spirit rings. As there are limits to most spirit masters capacity for water manipulation.

An hour of rest is done as the encroaching army returns. Both Ghost and Chrysanthemum Douluo take flight and begin approaching, floating over to the castle walls while the rest of the army approaches from the ground including the 4 commanders. The two injured got patched up a bit from some low level healing items.

"This is your last chance to surrender. You shall have no quarter once the battle begins again. Death will be your only possibility" Ghost Douluo delivers an ultimatum to which Moon Douluo reveals himself while saying.

"It is your last chance to surrender, You who instigate bloodshed and weaken ourselves when Star Luo lies on the border, ready to swoop in. You are the pompous fools who don't know when enough is enough. You were given many chances to retreat and let us be. Now we can only fight"

"Hey Mei-Mei. I don't like his tone, so ill take care of him, you have some fun with the other kid. Let's go Moon Moon, we won't want to break your precious castle apart as this place still needs to be recovered by heaven Dou" The moon douluo nearly trips after hearing the horrible nickname. He summons his martial spirit which is a Moon eclipsing staff and flies away. His level 93 spirit power is showcased which makes Chrysanthemum Douluo pause a bit as they get more serious while summoning their Chrysanthemum martial spirit.

Ghost Douluo instead looks to the cloaked figure of Xue Tie while summoning his martial spirit, Ghost Demon. It looks like a purple version of Gui Mei himself but with demonic wings and red eyes. It settles in around him like a smokey aura as he rushes forth at Xue Tie.

"Oh, you're approaching me!" he says with a cheeky grin as his martial spirit avatar is summoned behind him, joining the rest of his men while he extends his own wings to confront the ghost Douluo. It looks like they are about to collide when ghost douluo phases through him like a mist before reforming again.

"You cant touch me. So just surrender nicely and i will kill you quickly for your atrocities against Spirit Hall."

"You're calling out on my atrocities but have you looked at Spirit Hall itself and how it suppresses both Star Luo and Heaven Dou and the 4 clans. How many people have been ruined by Spirit Hall and your most notable contribution if any. Is the awakening process done in both big and small locations. But even then, you do that for selfish reasons to recruit talented people ahead of time. You aren't worthy of talking about justice or retribution. I acknowledge im evil, which is why I can rightfully dispense vengeance for all those who have suffered under your hands" Xue Tie announces and the battle down below has started as well.

All 1.6k spirit masters rush forward and with the ground no longer being reinforced. The moat is gradually revealed and many are confused by the water. As even the subordinates were not aware of the moat until now. To trick the enemy, you must trick your friends. The fighting continues for a good few minutes as the moat is fully revealed and blood begins coating the ground.

Going back those few minutes, Xue Tie and ghost douluo engage some more. With Ghost douluo unleashing his spirit rings in quick succession. Evading, clawing out a ghost like palm or soul targeting projectiles. Xue Tie mostly tanks the attacks except these strange projectiles that give him a strange threatening feel. Once a few minutes like this pass with neither side getting an advantage. Xue Tie yells down.

"Slaughter them"

Once the words are said, a figure jumps down from the castle walls, they are accompanied by the martial spirit avatar as a protector. A buffalo martial spirit envelops the first person and soon strangely enough, water begins to rapidly gather around them until it becomes a solid orb of water. Ghost Douluo is shocked and says

"Water Domain? Isn't that Du Lie who went missing a year ago? But he is here and listening to this persons command ... .The martial spirit that is so similar, the first four ring arrangement and hiding his face behind a strange mask that neither me nor Guan can see through. Xue Tie??" He mutters but Xue Tie is naturally able to hear everything due to their close range.

"Ding ding ding, correct but no reward except this. TRES" A red ring encircles Gui mei as well as many people down below with at least the 4 commanders being included. Everyone affected is confused by this. Gui Mei himself is a bit panicked and rapidly resumes his attacks to not give Xue Tie the chance to continue. Even if he has to kill him here and now. He begins using his higher up rings which include his avatar that functions similarly to Xue Tie's, essentially a martial spirit clone that begins attacking Xue Tie but it doesnt come with spirit rings unlike the former's.

With his identity revealed, he no longer holds back and begins using his first 4 rings while also using his 6th to double his boost so that he can hold on more with it being 2 against one. Down below instead a giant water drill is made under Du Lie's domain control mixed with his third spirit ring to create a water based drill. He uses the very combo that he showed off against Xue Tie during their reunion.

This terrifying combo immediately begins tearing through hundreds of spirit masters that get close to the wall. Which is quite a few of them as many are close range experts. With Du Lie's action, a new group joins the ranger garrison above while at least 200 more people jump down to join the fight as the full force of Sun Moon is unleashed at this moment.

Even if they were unaware of the moat, they knew that once the real battle starts and is in full swing, they should come out. It's just a coincidence that they came out once the water drill began.

As for how Du Lie figured out a domain, it's mostly Xue Tie dispensing the science behind water and training his control over this past year that Du lie was able to awaken the water domain a few weeks ago and only recently gained basic control of it to be able to accomplish this task. It helps that he has reached level 65 Spirit Emperor to support his work

The combination of water domain, Xue Tie's reappearance, and the slaughter of the following army was a triple shot to the mind of Ghost Douluo who envisioned that this battle would have been far more manageable. At most they would have struggled against the Sun Douluo and the Moon Douluo but the Sun Douluo hasn't shown himself yet and Xue Tie's appearance alone broke his confidence. Even more so when Xue Tie brought out his trident and the Black, Black, Red, Orange rings are shown. He nearly fainted on the spot but his lapse in mentality was enough for Xue Tie to deliver a powerful claw mark onto his face.

Xue Tie did this by combining the 2nd skill of his armor and thus coating his own hand in his fire then clawing out. So while less damaging, it creates a branding effect upon the struck enemy

"GAAAGH" Ghost Douluo groans in pain from the searing pain. It's his first real hit he took in this fight and even more so for a long time as his evasive abilities are unmatched but this taught him a valuable lesson to not get distracted in battle.

On the other side of the field, Chrysanthemum and Moon Douluos are fighting. Moon Douluo is passively strengthened by the moon which means by all logic he has the upper hand but that is not the case. Amongst the two brothers of sun and moon. He is a support spirit master and has been relegated to creating barriers to block or attempt to smack the Chrysanthemum douluo. He has been on the back end this whole time and has accumulated quite a few injuries but they are all mostly minor and look worse than they seem.

As all 3 battlefields continue for a few minutes more, A surge of energy originates from inside the castle palace and soon a priestly figure comes out with a bronze sword that has a sun emblem on it's hilt. This figure is naturally the Sun Douluo who jumps up to join Moon Douluo in quickly suppressing Chrysanthemum but Yue Guan is no slouch. Even if he is fighting two titled douluos, he is talented enough to hold his own and his own spirit power breakthrough in the midst of this all. But his new power isn't stable yet and as such quickly gets injured.

Xue Tie who is off to the side is impressed by the skill of the Sun douluo but he has his own hands full, especially with the weird feeling he has been experiencing. He has been rapidly switching between his armors and tridents spirit skills. To the point where it feels like the two are almost getting attached to each other. Not some sort of attachment like emotions but an indisputable bond that can only grow stronger and thus strengthen him as well.

He gets smacked away by Ghost douluo and crashes heavily into the ground, he isn't all that injured but he is too focused on this feeling that he senses another type nearby that emits a similar 'pulse'. When he looks over, he sees the Sun and Moon Douluos back to back with their martial spirits resonating until a fog envelopes them as a powerful aura begins bursting out.

A statue-like figure in ancient clothing (imagine pretorians from Rome) with a bronze sword. This figure strikes down his sword at Yue Guan. In a situation that would have killed Chrysanthemum douluo. Only to be saved by Ghost Douluo who drags him away whilst getting majorly injured himself as they escape.

Xue Tie fails to capitalize on the feeling he had but from the sight he witnessed as the statue separates into two figures of Moon Douluo and Sun Douluo. He at least knows what he is trying to achieve but that doesnt make the feeling any less demoralizing that he failed to reach it.

The battle instead is reaching it's final stage as Du Lie was stopped by the combination of 4 commanders but only after suffering major injuries and calling all people to retreat as they hold off Du Lie and Xue Tie's other forces that were less pronounced but nevertheless influential in this battle.

The remaining 600 soldiers from the Balak Kingdom all retreat along with 3 of the 4 commanders as one had to sacrifice himself to stop the annoyance of the Sun Douluo who proclaimed.

"This land is not welcoming to the Balak Kingdom, never return lest you have a death wish"

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

longest chapter yet. 3.6k words. I got confused last time I talked about my longest chaps and thought I had a 3.3k chap before but I didn't and so the last one was the longest

until now.

also in regards to the last vote. there was more results for remaking my early chapters but it was evenly split on remaking the whole 27 chapters of the first arc and just 20 chaps. so I'll settle for remaking 23 of them.

so from today onward until I finish, there will only be a new chapter every two days unless I get 5 or more comments (only 4 comments/likes in total about the poll) here to just not do it then I'll stop and continue like I'm doing now