It wasn't Vira alone that felt fear over the events that were spiraling out of control, Kuzunoha and Mursayade shared her every thought in the heat of battle. It had been happening often ever since they joined the campaign. When Vector had been grabbed by a hand of death, Mursayade's reaction had been shared among them all. Now, under pressure they had even managed to thwart at least the opening shot of what was about to be a bloody conflict.
A Royal Family of the Sutrali Alliance had betrayed the own soldiers in a moment of squander. They had come down to steal the rightful prize of the others and had taken steps to ensure their deaths. The Green Emperor remained silent as he judged the situation, then, with a wave of his hand, a scimitar appeared in his hands, it was made from the same green mist that covered his face. "From nowhere you deliver such gifts, seems I won't be bored after all. Four beauties and a Divine Beast, you've even killed that stupid Crow, this should be entertaining."
What could only be described as a tongue lashed out at Puyai during his leap. The Green Emperor wrapped the end of it around Puyai's neck, then, he flung him around until he stopped moving. Tossing Puyai aside, The Green Emperor turned to face the girls. The tongue waved and retreated into his face portal, "Fun indeed."
Noyuki blipped to the side of the others with a spell circle channeled, grabbing onto Mursayade and Mursayade grappling the others, they vanished into thin air.
"Plan?" Noyuki wanted quick details.
"No time." Kuzunoha kicked Noyuki away. A beam tore through the group, it narrowly missed them all.
"Go help Vector, take this." Mursayade threw the Storm Crow's Core to Noyuki.
The Female Ancestor appeared next to Mursayade and backhanded her across the sky, with a free hand, she grabbed Vira. Vira routed her energy into her flames and forced the Ancestor to release her grip, the flames traveled up her arms and burned her severely.
The Ancestor chanted for a moment and spun to kick Vira away.
Vira was knocked back a few feet but her flames increased in temperature. she had always burned the hottest out of the three. "I've got this. Go, I can handle her."
Illusory bone wings spread out behind her, then Kuzunoha and even Mursayade. A fire burned between them, "No. We fight together." Mursayade felt the increase in her perception and speed, she waved some hand signs and threw out a formation plate.
The Ancestor was caught in the column, a beam of green light tore through the sky and passed within inches of Mursayade's face, she looked down to see the Green Emperor shaking his finger back and forth in a ticking motion.
Freed, the Female Ancestor flew down. "Your majesty, Thank you."
"Weakling." He kicked her down. "Get the other one if you can't handle that which you've chosen." The Green Emperor pointed his hand, spread his fingers and fired five green beams out into the sky, they traced after the group."
"Where is the other one?" The Second Prince and Third had kept an eye on the Divine Beast, there had been no movement. "Search the skies." Panicked was the proper word but neither of them would use it, they both searched at the horizon and followed it back to their position.
'Where is she?' They panned around but no trace of Noyuki could be seen.
Sutrali were scrambling just outside of the battlefield, their General had been slain in front of them and the Green Empire's Royal Family had made no efforts to quiet themselves while they boasted about giving them a warriors death. The Sutrali had been discarded like useless trash after a hard fought battle.
They charged.
"A wasted effort." The Green Emperor repositioned his hand and swept it across the grasslands that were pock marked from the earlier battle. A significant amount of the Sutrali died in that moment, a handful of them remained, blown or knocked down into the craters themselves and saving their lives. He stepped forward, walking slowly in the air toward Vector. "Divine Beast.. what a wonderful addition to my forces, soon, those Sun worshipers won't know what hit them."
An Orange beam slammed down directly in front of the Green Emperor. Nothing had appeared but a voice sounded. "What a reckless action, using such an opportunity to steal what was mine." Orange hands reached out of the beam and grabbed at the Green Emperor.
The Orange Emperor, Rìshí Huǒ had come.
Spikes made of various rocks and ore began to drift out of the soil, they loomed across the sky behind the Orange Emperor. "You've killed the Storm Crow and while I don't believe it, You will still die today for my troubles."
A wash of foul smelling fluids splashed out among the debris that had been scattered across the landscape. It carried not only the smell of death but death to everything it ran toward and the spikes were sent out at the same time.
The Sutrali were not immune to the effects that splashed in every direction.
"You will have no where to run and when I'm done with you, I'll come for both of those cores." Rìshí Huǒ blew a fine mist of dust out and vanished.
The Third Prince rocked to one side and then fell over. He was unable to speak and sucking the air like a dying fish. Foam came out of his mouth and he swung his arms around wildly. A large needle drafted into his hand, hidden among his sleeves. He stabbed himself in the arm, it helped him regain his breath but there was a poison on the needle. It was all he could do to change the situation, he was about to suffocate and blackout.
When third prince regained his ability to move, it was already too late.
It landed, a piercing finger of the Emperor of the Sunset Empire.
As it stuck through the third Prince's forehead, there was a clear groan from the Emperors. Both of them were feeling the effects of the attack. The Orange Emperor looked like he was enjoying himself far too much, it made the Second Prince angrier than watching him torture one of his younger brothers to death.
"They're all dead!" Ebata laughed. "Its all mine.. All mine... Ah." The words were caught in his throat. The needle, which had originally been in his brothers hands, the one that was intended to kill, had been lodged into the Second Prince's neck.
Rìshí smiled, though, no one could tell.
The Second Prince turned to a spirit stone, his clothes and armor, jewelry and weapons fell to the soil.
With two of the Green Emperor's children killed and their spirit stones in his hands, Rìshí crushed them between his fingers.
The Female Ancestor laughed, "Finally.. those stupid brats are dead. I'm free.." She watched him crush the spirit stone from the Second Prince in his hands and looked at the Green Emperor's condition, they were both struggling to stay alive. "This Divine Beast should never belong to anyone, besides me."
"Keep Dreaming." Kuzunoha thrust the Crusher blade into the Ancestor's back. Her approach was silent, the Ancestor had momentarily forgotten her place. In battle, it costs people dearly.
Losing sight of an enemy for even a moment, will almost always result in heavy consequences.
The two princes had died, the Green Emperor was about to die. The Orange Emperor was running amok and the distractions in battle had cost the Royal family dearly.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Opportunities were few and far between and opportunities not taken are ultimately a waste.
Watching political turmoil and assassination happen in front of her, Noyuki knew it was the perfect time to make a move. She had vanished with the Storm Crow's Core and reappeared next to the wound in Vector's chest.
There was no recorded information that Wu Hai or Noyuki had seen that pertained to how Divine Beasts behave or continue to exist when they are dormant. Information of that caliber would likely have been kept a closely guarded secret.
Insides of his chest had begun to scab over, there was even a rudimentary scale being formed.
'He's healing... that's good.' Noyuki remained silent and placed her hand inside the open wound to probe his body. She could hear the clashes going on above her, the people dying in the background. In his body, she found his core. Orbiting Vector's core, a brilliant blue light haloed and spun in a helix.
Dense continuations of energy flowed from the orbiting light, flowing toward Vector's Core.
'I thought he was done with absorption.' There was no Hesitation, she shoved the Storm Crow's Core directly into Vector's chest cavity. There was nothing she could do besides pray for a positive outcome.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
The Orange Emperor felt the existence of the Core before it was inserted but the feeling lasted only a millisecond and he had his hands full. The Green Emperor's Forces had been caught off guard by his sudden appearance but Kuzunoha, Vira and Mursayade were directing attacks at him from all directions. They fired in unison, he would be able to hit one of them but not all three.
Noyuki looked up, her arm was penetrating the wound on Vector's chest all the way up to her shoulder.
A Sharp Roar came from Vector's Body, he screamed out in pain.
Noyuki was batted away instinctively.
Vector had no presence of mind and his body felt like all his nerve endings were on fire. Electrical charge built around his body and swam across his scales while he cried out in suffering.
"Bitch!" The Orange Emperor turned into a fluid mass, he lunged toward Noyuki.
The others dove to save Noyuki, but timing was going to be impossible.
A blue figure leapt in front of Noyuki, as it was swallowed by the fluid and blocking its trajectory, Noyuki could see Puyai's face twist into stone that was swallowed by the fluid.
She used the moment to escape, rejoining the Trio. "This is.."
"Vector's body!" Mursayade watched as the massive wings twitched uncontrollably in a seizure like motion. "What's happening to him??"
"We need to go!" Kuzunoha saw the Orange Emperor turn back around and slaughter everyone that was in close proximity to him.
The Orange Emperor moved toward Vector when he was done. There was no time to run, they had to confront him or Vector would come under attack.
The four of them appeared between Vector and the Orange Emperor.
Noyuki had been channeling her abilities but this opponent was not like the Orange Queen.
The Orange Emperor formed a thousand spikes that poured from the ground like teeth, they lunged outward.
Another Cry came from Vector and he rolled. His body tumbled and his wings flattened the landscape. The Orange Emperor was forced to move out of the way or be pulverized underneath the weight alone. If he wanted to kill the Divine Beast, it would take more than just an instant and he wouldn't be able to do it if the beast was being defended.
Kuzunoha pointed the Crusher blade at the Orange Emperor, "Where would Iasyou take a prisoner!"
It was a worthless question to the Rìshí Huǒ, he ignored her and threw out a blast of nastiness toward the sky. It scattered and swallowed the remainder of the grasslands, hundreds of small creatures came out and consumed the spirit stones that littered it.
Orange and Red Beasts came out of the fizzing holes, they had wings and immediately began to swarm the sky around the puddles. Like a swarm of hornets, they all had stingers on their bodies.
"Running from me, hiding in the sky. That was smart but how long can you really hide?" The Orange Emperor turned back toward the Divine Beast's twitching body.
He clicked his tongue in anguish. 'To think that someone on this battlefield actually had Ste'Dugen's Core.' The Chains of lightning that swirled around its body were dissipating, 'Looks like its over for you!' Raising his hand, an orange blade came out, it pulsed in an eerie light.
He stabbed it into Vector's Chest.
The Orange Emperor began to laugh uncontrollably, he waited for Vector to turn into a spirit stone.
There was simply too much at stake, Kuzunoha, Vira, Mursayade and Noyuki were only inches away in an instant but Vector had been stabbed.
A Rumbling from the sky caught them all off guard.
The clouds above seemed to crystallize and in one large cutting wheel, it lowered to the battle field with Vector at the Center. Chimes could be heard but no one could tell what direction they had come from.
The Sky was falling, it brought with it a terrible wind that tore through the mountains as the many miles thick of ice fell to the ground below. The cool deep crisp air made the landscape resemble a world of Ice.
Vector Roared and Lightning began to swallow the space tens of meters from his body. Ice broke, shattered, reformed and grew. More lightning poured down, it seemed almost fluid as it passed through the air.
'..Mike.' Mursayade's eyes were filled with tears, Vector's body pulsed with energy. "He's Alive!"
The ground exploded, white-gold-blue light tore through the heavens. It was like a Nuclear blast that spread out with Vector at the center. Only those directly next to him had even the slightest chance of survival.
A Blue-gold Claw that crackled with lightning crept out of the light, it crushed the remaining edges on the bed of ice below his feet into a fine powder and shook the entire region. Roaring at such a large size sounded more like the crash of the heavens, Vector was furiously venting his pain. His body burned from the insides, energy was accumulating extremely fast and he couldn't figure out what to do.
Vector turned and raised his head, to the side of him, a glaring orange figure stood with a blade, the same blade that had just tried to penetrate his body and end his life.
'PON-on-on.'
A beam cut out of his mouth, it swallowed Rìshí Huǒ in its light. Vector felt like he was vomiting energy, it came out quickly and uncontrolled.
'Pon-on-on' Vector roared again in agony and another, much wider blast sliced through the soil.
The girls held onto each other and stayed near Vector's Body, hidden behind the blast waves.
Mursayade covered her mouth, she had seen destruction, she had even seen complete decimation to a region but Vector's attack had cleaved at the Ultinian Tier, it was so deep in fact that Everything in front of him seemed to vanish, a hooping blast had poured across the region. It tore through the forests, the lakes and rivers, the mountains and sky. It was like they had been erased, a deep chasm led to the sky below.