Mike was sitting, patiently waiting for changes in the situation, occasionally, small, lesser demons and minor devils would venture toward the shield netting that had been set up with the formation. They would instantly vaporize and return to a collective state like steam returning to the wind. None of them had confidence in blocking the larger devils or beings of immense power with the shield but for the smaller ones, it was working. Several times during the wait Mike seemed to become impatient, everyone saw him check his wrist for a non-existent watch, searching for the time.
Expressionless, Vira watched.
Kuzunoha had a book in her hands, she knew it could be a long wait and the formations would activate every half hour or so to dissipate one of the minor devils.
"What are you.." She couldn't figure out the word and switched languages, "{Reading?} Vira asked.
"A story from my ancestors, It talks about great demons and devils but it quite old." She smiled and put the book away. "Your speaking is coming along, except for certain words like names and actions, you're learning a lot faster than I could have predicted."
"Was that a compliment?" Vira pretended to turn her shoulders.
"I suppose it is." Kuzunoha giggled while covering her mouth. "So. Explain this arrangement you have with my Husband."
"..." Wu Hai stood by the side.
Vira put her hand on her stomach and started to share the details with Hana, the Emperor watched in horror as they began to exchange explicit conversation and wondered what his future backyard would look like. Visions of charred landscapes and roasting pits filled his imagination.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Energies were flowing around the maw of the hellmouth formation's rim, like a force was probing its existence for weak points.
Mike was the first to notice what seemed like patterns too coordinated to be random. "Guys. Something is happening." Though they were hidden, he kept his voice down and pointed to the disturbance.
'Che' Vira sneered.
"What is it?" Wu Hai asked inquisitively.
"{Corpse Swarms..}" Vira's face paled, as a Demon, her body was created through the merging of corpse parts and reanimated by her Core. "{They go after loose flesh in battlefields and tear apart lesser demons in hell. I've seen great swaths of them envelope armies of underlings, we are all a bit stronger than necessary to withstand their attacks. What is worse is that they are strongly attracted to Demon flesh.}"
Wu Hai took notice, he himself was equally at risk. "Will they break through the shield?"
"{Its unlikely, but if enough of them keep trying the shield will gradually fall anyway. Right now its only killing the front runners as they slam into it.}" Vira's eyes studied the patterns it was attacking in, wondering if they had been discovered however moments later, a small figure appeared near the edge of the Hellmouth.
It was standing outside of the formation, looking at the power emanating from it.
"This could be bad, it seems to be drawing the attention of the swarm." Mike called out and watched the entire swarm crash against the formation repeatedly. Each time the survivors would regroup and attack again, joined by more that flew from below.
"{There is likely a great swarm nearby. I wonder why that creature is approaching the swarm or is it..}" She trailed off and saw something she didn't expect.
A hood was tossed back from the creature's face, revealing a red skin, much like the Demon Queen. Her face was different but her horns looked the same. "{^@%&@%G$#!&#*&*}" She chanted a curse and red energy swarmed out of her hands, mimicking the Swarm and pounding against the shield.
"{Impossible.}" Vira rushed out of the shield before anyone could stop her, she charged to the other Demon's position and stood next to her. "{Stop.}" She didn't know what had come over her, or why she had even tried to get the other Demon to stop but the words had already escaped her mouth.
The Red Demon turned its vision to her and then moved its hand toward her position, swinging the illusory swarm in her direction.
Vira swatted it away and flew into the air, her appeal had failed and now she was at a loss. The illusory swarm followed her every move and she was put on the defensive. Just then, when she had slapped it away the first time, flesh had been cleaved her hand. It stung, a feeling she would not soon forget. "{I believe I may have underestimated my opponent.}" Vira burst red lines from her fingertips and spun around, shredding the swarm in half but as it was comprised of so many moving parts, only a handful of the images disappeared.
"Can I go help?" Mike asked and Wu Hai nodded, collapsing the shield and formation, storing them away.
"It can't be avoided. I'll get its attention, you help Vira regain the offensive." Wu Hai flipped his hand over and a large bone hammer appeared. It was covered in dazzling runes and formations but it was more conveniently shaped than the Crusher. There were energy channels carved into the blunt end of the weapon, Chimera teeth weren't terribly hard but they could channel energy of virtually any type. Wu Hai wrapped the bone hammer in white light energy, it burned his eyes to look at it. "Go."
Mike exploded from his position and countless ice crystals began to form and tear through the swarm, breaking up its magic and slowing its recombination. It was enough to slow its approach on Vira and she fired again.
The Bone Hammer made contact with the Red Demon's abdomen directly under its rib cage, redirecting its focus and attention directly toward the Emperor and the sensation of purification coming from its chest. The strike did nothing to change its composure but several ribs broke under the pressure and the hammer snapped. Wu Hai threw it away and a spear appeared.
He charged again and kept needling for the demon's face. Feeling the sense of an ambush, Wu Hai put up a shield at his backside just in time to scatter the swarm before it surrounded him. Flickering from his position he appeared behind the Demon and stabbed through its head. For a moment, he though maybe he had won but the Swarm hadn't dissipated.
Mike evaded elegantly and sped along side Vira through the air. He seemed rather captivated by her but knew she was the Emperors woman. Still, he had to admire her just a bit and then shake it off. He began to chant in the air for a second then thrust both hands out and the ground below started to turn to permafrost, gripping at anything it touched.
The Red demon was stuck, unable to pry itself free but so was the Emperor. They stood deadlocked in a slash fight, each cleaving flesh from the other. The Emperor's healing was so much more profound than the Red Demon, he sent his hand into the Red Demon's body and began to rummage through its chest, searching for the Core.
Flesh on the Emperor's arm was being eroded rather quickly under the constant strikes from the Illusory Swarm and then, at that instant, the formation over the Hellmouth shattered. Wu Hai flew backward with his fist closed tightly, in his hand was a glittering black ball. The Red demon slumped over and was engulfed by the Corpse Swarm.
The Illusory Swarm had dissipated, vanishing like a fart in the wind.
Vira yelled "{We're not done!}"
The Corpse Swarm turned to the Emperor, he had broken free of the Ice with his flames and escaped with the Core, his hands, though free of the core were still covered in the same scent.
"On me." Emperor Zao called out to his group and began channeling a teleportation circle. When they were all in range, he teleported them all away.
They landed several hundred yards away and Wu Hai threw out the formation. The Swarm had yet to locate their new position. Once they were inside, the swarm seemed to have lost their scent entirely and flew toward the forest. Thousands of different caws and distant thrashing could be heard. "Looks like they've moved on to the wildlife."
"Yes but our preparations have been spoiled." Kuzunoha pointed out an obvious issue that hadn't been brought up.
"If it cracked this easily, Darkwing would have just blown by it." With the Red compass in his hands, Wu Hai saw the needle move slightly, Darkwing was on the move. "He's on the move but I can't tell if he's headed this way. Let me blip around and check the compasses heading." He disappeared a few times after channeling and returned. "He's not headed this way just yet but if he's moving, maybe he is chasing his prey or running away from something."
"That means that he might not be at full strength." It was hopeful but Mike still had it on his mind. "Given what just happened, this could be more troublesome than we thought." He rubbed his chin and tapped Wu Hai on the shoulder. "Why didn't Zhan come along?"
"He's still broken. He said that if Darkwing appears, that I know where to find him but otherwise he's moved away from his old life and fully embraced his new existence as the World Tree Foil Viper King." Wu Hai shook his head in disapproval. "I wish he would come to his senses but he's invested everything. I hope that I can give him the peace he needs to free his burdens."
"That's rough, but I can see why he would choose to live that way. Wild. It's very alluring, especially for the Dragon blooded." Mike ate some fruit and passed some out to the others. "Want some?"
Wu Hai took a slice and swallowed it, it was sweet. "Thanks. I have been to the World Tree, it doesn't take much effort to arrive but my Brother keeps me at arms length. When Darkwing Arrives, I will probably retrieve him once the fighting begins. The only task I want all of you to do, is keep him busy and wear a communication stone. We might not have phones or radios but communication can wins wars, not just battles."
He stared at the compass like a boiling pot of water, waiting for the heading to change once again, shift or just jump. It was terribly annoying and took a lot of his patience. "Wahchung, get out here."
Wahchung appeared. "Yes. Master."
"Keep me informed on the progress of Darkwing's position and don't disappear this time. When he begins to come this way, tell us. I'm going to absorb the gray stone, waiting seems to be all we can do and we don't know if it will take days to meet with confrontation." He sat down and pulled out the gray stone soul core remnants. "That will be all, remain out and keep watch." Wu Hai knew it was a lot to ask for but Wahchung's personality was perfect for a lookout, his hyper-vigilant nature made him a great alarm.
The Gray Stone soul core of the Ultinian was giving off a lot of radiation, as it was from the Adult male rather than the son it was much more refined and filled with power.
Wisps of Gold and Gray flickered and popped like firecrackers around the Emperor as he went into meditation. Although silent, they gave off certain vibes each time they dissolved into the air and gathered to the Emperor's Core. The spot, although extremely obedient still felt the strong urge to consume the rock laying in front of it. Its unique nature of the Rock drove the spot's instinct to consume it, so much so that the Emperor could taste the rock as it was floating in front of him.
The stone was slowly being eroded, chip by chip. As each chip flew away, streams of energy flowed into the Emperor. The others who were underneath the protective shield with him were also experiencing some changes and the radiation from the stone soul was affecting them in ways they couldn't understand.
Mike felt a burst of energy, Kuzunoha and Vira too. A hot energy, like the warmth of the sun was rising from inside their bodies. It boiled the blood and stirred the body, sweat appeared on all three of them and then a Golden Light appeared. Simultaneously they all had been forced through a bottleneck together.
"%!$&!" Mike stared at the two girls after shouting and remembered his words. "Oh.. sorry, it was an exclamation.. don't mind me. Wow.. that was some push." He jumped in a circle and waved his hands like they were stinging. "What was that?!"
"The Soul Remnants of an Ultinian." Wu Hai cracked a smile and stood up. A golden light wrapped his body and a small bit of the Gray Stone remained. 'Okay, you can have the rest.' He spoke to the White Spot Demon in his body, it crept out and a small tendril grabbed at the Stone, pulling it under his skin and into the body.
"That's still creepy." Mike joked a little and then sat back down. "Okay, more Hurry up and Wait.." He laid back and pointed his eyes toward the sky. Thousands of birds filled the skies above and around the Hellmouth, the Corpse Swarm was ravaging the region.