Olly intensifies his grip on Miri, causing her to scream in agony. Navar's eyes widen with rage, a look of fury etched on his face. "Let go of her, you bastard!" Olly loosens his grip, allowing Miri to fall out of his grasp.
He hops away to a safe distance, and the soldiers advance, bombarding Navar and Miri's defenses with a barrage of ion blasters. "Eliminate them all now!" Olly's gaze narrows as he examines the white energy coating Navar's sword. "So he has Light JōKai. It's not often you see Supernaturals of Light and Dark around each other."
Miri rushes over to her chained allies and loosens their cuffs. Once their cuffs are loosened, Chitose grabs her magic stick, which has fairy wings at the end. "My allies and I require defense! Magic Spell Fairy Sorcery: Pixie Shields!" Eight fairies appear from Chitose's mage stick and create shimmering, translucent shields around her and her allies, covering them from all directions. "We only have five minutes under the protection of this shield. "So if you have a plan, it's good to come up with one now."
Mei surveys the area, taking in the chaos that surrounds them. "Ok, guys, Navar, Miri, and I will take on the rest of these Goblins. While Astran, Chitose, Jax, and Seiju return to the ship. If we're not back in time, Jax, fly the ship back to this destination and help us out."
"Will do," says Jax.
Astran swings her sword at the side of the house, causing a loud crash as a hole big enough for everyone to escape through appears. "Ok, guys, let's get out of here!"
As they undergo the relentless volley of Ion blast bolts, Miri surveys the area, becoming curious about what to do to escape the situation they are in. "We only have 30 seconds left until these shields give out. Anyone got any bright ideas?"
Mei looks around, her mind racing. She sees twenty soldiers from the back and ten from the front. "You guys take on the ten soldiers. But be careful of Olly and that telepath. And whatever you do, don't look into her eyes if you spot her. She's a Hypnotist type. If you fall into her trance, you'll likely never get out."
As the shield nears its end, Navar, Miri, and Mei prepare for the impending battle, focusing their minds and summoning JōKai energy throughout their bodies. Once the shield disappears, the air fills with the sound of crackling flames as Mei's hand ignites into a fiery blaze. "Flame Summoning: Ember Eruption!" She leaps into the air and unleashes a powerful wave of heat and flames toward the twenty soldiers surrounding them. The intense heat incinerates the house around them, exposing the group to the forested environment. Mei surveys the area, searching for any remaining signs of soldiers. "Seems I got all those jokers."
Suddenly, Olly appears out of nowhere, leaping forward and throwing a powerful right hook toward Mei, the wind whipping through the trees as he attacks. "Wind Fists: Omega Gust Punch!"
Mei hops into the air, avoiding Olly's attack. She then opens her mouth, and a ball of fire forms, the smell of smoke filling the air as Mei prepares her next move. "Flame Summoning Breath Variant: Dragon Breath Devastation!" She unleashes a burst of flames that hurtles toward Olly at breakneck speed. The heat of the flames is almost palpable, and the sound of them crackling through the air is deafening.
Olly sidesteps Mei's attack, but a part of the flames singes his arms. He winces from the searing pain and leaps back, aided by JōKai Amplification. Mei's face twists into a snide grin as she laughs, her nose scrunching up. "This is just like last time. I'm still superior to you."
"Don't get so cocky," He outstretches his arms, and a powerful force emanates from him, indicating his use of JōKai Exertion. He leaps into the air, summoning an abundance of Wind JōKai onto his hand. The wind whips through the forest, sending leaves and twigs flying in all directions. "Wind Fists Special Technique: Maximum Cyclone Rush!" Olly's fists move with incredible speed, mowing down countless trees and other objects in the area.
Mei bats an eye at the incredible speed. "Damn, this attack again.." She attempts to dodge the attack, but a part of it strikes her, causing her to get launched into a section of trees. The sound of branches snapping fills the air, and an array of trees falls from the force of her propulsion. Mei grabs her hip and recovers from the attack as she stands. "Dammit, why couldn't I dodge that? And why is it much more powerful than before?" She glances at her right arm, which has a bruise, and grabs it, the pain throbbing through her body.
She searches the area, attempting to find Olly. The sound of rustling leaves and the scent of crushed grass show his movements. "Now, where in the hell did he go?"
Out of nowhere, a tree falls near Mei. The sound of splintering wood is deafening, and the earth shakes beneath her feet. "Wind Fists: Omega Gust Punch!" Mei avoids the falling tree knocked down by Olly by leaping into the air. However, this makes her susceptible to attack. Olly approaches at rapid speeds with his hand cocked back in an open palm position and an abundance of Wind JōKai on it. "Wind Fists Palm Variant: Storm Smack!" The sound of rushing wind fills the air as the attack lands on Mei, causing her to get launched deep into the forest.
Olly opens a Mental Link to the Goblin telepath. "One supernatural has been defeated. Are the other two ones around?"
"Yes, they're not that far from you. But I've been given an order by our new superior to keep those two alive. Apparently, it'll be pivotal for the rise of our new Overlord."
"Understood. I'll incapacitate them, and you and I will rendezvous after you take out the other group."
As Olly makes his way back to the area of the destroyed house, Navar and Miri are still fighting off the rest of the Goblin soldiers. Navar's chest heaves, his sword slicing through the air as he cuts down a soldier. "I thought Mei said there were only ten of 'em!" Navar's eyes narrow in determination as another group of Goblins clamber around them. "Seems we have to take things up a notch, Miri."
Miri searches the area with Navar, their backs against each other as she plans a strategy. "I'll get them from the rear. You get them from the front."
"You bet!" Navar leaps forward toward the group of enemies, using JōKai Exertion to amplify the power of his sword swing. "Shining Sword: Brave Man's Slash!" Navar's sword slices through the air with a bright flash of light, taking down multiple Goblin soldiers.
Miri lunges forward, her daggers primed in a thrusting position as JōKai Exertion increases her speed. She can feel the rush of wind as she moves, her body humming with energy. "Twin Dark Daggers: Pouncing Strike!" Miri slashes down multiple Goblins and the rest of the horde surrounding them.
"Let's go find Mei. She's likely occupied by one of the Goblin Supernaturals," says Miri. Navar and Miri search the front area for Mei, but they can't find her. Miri uses her pager, attempting to call her, but she gets no signal. "Damn, she isn't picking up."
Suddenly, Olly appears from above, descending and throwing a right hook toward them. Miri can feel the whoosh of air as Olly's fist cuts through the air, his attack sending shockwaves through the ground. "Wind Fists: Omega Gust Punch!" Navar and Miri leap back to avoid Olly's attack, which puts a hole in the ground.
"Wait, Miri, ain't this guy you fought with, Seiju?"
"Yes, and I can sense he's gotten stronger from before. This won't be easy."
Navar summons Light JōKai onto his blade, causing it to glow with a bright radiance. He narrows his eyes, focusing on Olly. "Well then, guess you and I gotta take him down ourselves," With a fierce battle cry, Navar leaps forward, his blade positioned over his shoulder as he prepares to attack Olly. "Shining Sword: Brave Man's Slash!"
Olly, quick on his feet, dodges Navar's attack with a backward leap, then lands an uppercut on Navar's chin, sending him reeling backward across the grass and twigs. Miri jumps to Navar's defense, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Navar rubs his jaw. "The guy just packs a hell of a punch."
"Well, Navar, if you charge head-on with no plan, that's the result you get. Let's do that trick on him that Dad did on us last week."
"Got it!"
Olly bursts forward, charging at them and summoning an excess amount of Wind JōKai on his fists, preparing to throw a right hook at them. "Wind Fists: Omega Gust Punch!"
Navar and Miri jump backward in opposite directions to evade the attack, the wind whipping around them, causing their hair to fly in all directions. Miri tosses a dagger in her ankle slot, then performs a downward diving kick aimed at Olly. "One Dark Dagger: Fierce Diving Javelin!"
Olly jumps to the side to dodge the attack, which causes a massive shockwave of Dark JōKai to level many trees in the area. The sound of splintering wood fills the air as the trees come crashing down. Another result of the attack causes a dust cloud to appear, obscuring their vision.
"Where in the world did they go?" Olly thinks to himself. Then, Miri emerges from the obscurity of the smoke and lands an attack across Olly's chest. Before Olly can grab Miri, she vanishes back into the smoke. Olly screams in frustration, "I'm going to eliminate this cloud a-"
Navar soars through the air with incredible speed, his sword gleaming in the sunlight. He lands a powerful slash on Olly's body, the sound of metal meeting flesh echoing through the forest. Olly stumbles backward, his body still shrouded in a dense smokescreen.
"I need to get rid of this smokescreen, but every time I try to attack, they attack me before I can get it off. It's like they're used to fighting like this," Suddenly, Olly feels a dramatic rise in temperature around him. "What is this scorching sensation I'm feeling?"
"Flame Summoning: Firebolt Swarm!" Multiple fireballs appear from the sky, each landing a direct hit on Olly. The impact causes him to collapse, and the smokescreen vanishes.
Olly recovers, baring his teeth in a snarl. "I'm going to end this.." Olly charges toward Navar, the wind around them growing more robust and the leaves on the trees rustling at a high volume. Navar uses JōKai Awareness, entering a deepened state of concentration as Olly approaches.
"Remember what Dad said... Remember what Dad said..." Olly leaps into the air, unleashing a devastating barrage of punches toward Navar. Each punch creating a loud thud as it lands, leaving constant craters in the ground. "Wind Fists: Maximum Cyclone Rush!"
Navar immediately finds an opening in the attack, his heightened senses allowing him to anticipate Olly's moves. Navar prepares a defensive stance, his sword gripped in his hand. He leaps toward Olly, swinging his blade back to counter Olly's attack. "Shining Sword: Okayasu Parry!" He swings his blade to the right, knocking Olly out of the air, leaving him vulnerable. "Miri, get him!"
Miri springs forward, her body resembling a spinning purple cyclone. The force of her attack leveling countless trees in the area. "Four Dark Daggers: Four Fang Feral Death Strike!" Miri blitzes Olly's defense, landing a devastating blow that causes him to collapse and fall unconscious.
"Yeah, guys, we did it!" says Navar.
"Good, now let's go back to the ship so we can return," Mei pages Captain 499. "Captain, can you send an extraction team to grab Olly and another Supernatural?"
"Sure, I'm sending them right now," The page between Mei and 499 ends.
"Are you guys ready to return to the ship?" asks Mei.
"Yeah, let's go!" says Navar.
We now enter the POV of Astran, Jax, Seiju, and Chitose, making their way toward their spaceship. "We're a couple of minutes from the ship, guys..." says Jax.
"What's the status of the others?" asks Astran.
Jax reaches for his pager and contacts Navar. "Navar, are you guys okay over there?"
"We're okay! We just defeated some big Goblin guy! And we're coming as soon as the extraction team picks him up!"
"Okay, well, let us know y-" Before Jax can finish, Navar hangs up, causing Jax to clench the pager in anger. "I swear I hate when he does that. I'm gonna-" Jax inhales and exhales, closing his eyes and calming himself down. "You know what, never mind, let's just find the ship."
A few moments after the page, Astran, Seiju, Jax, and Chitose continue their walk toward the ship. Seiju whines and moans because of the long walk. "Ugh, we've been walking for hours. Dude, didn't you say we'd be there in a few minutes?!"
"Yes, but I don't know why we've been walking so long. The GPS says the ship is around us," says Jax.
Astran, Seiju, Chitose, and Jax continue walking for another 30 minutes, causing Astran to become curious. She places multiple rocks in a pile each time they pass, signifying they have been walking in circles.
"Everyone, wait a minute," says Astran.
Everyone halts their movement, turning around to look at her. "What's wrong, gorgeous? Do you need a break?" asks Seiju.
"No, I'm fine, but..." Astran points to the pile of rocks. "We've been walking in circles this whole time."
"No wonder we've been walking for so long," says Jax.
Astran turns to Chitose. "Do you have something that can thwart an illusion?"
"How do you know it's an illusion?" asks Chitose.
Astran points to a group of trees beside them. "Trees can't be this symmetrical unless some scientist manipulated them or someone was using a telepathic illusion to fool us..."
"I'm impressed. Someone like you can identify an illusion," says a haggard old lady. The sound of her echoing voice is eerie, and it sends shivers down their spines. Suddenly, the telepath ends her illusion, revealing a large group of angry rioting citizens with dilated pupils.
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" says Seiju.