Tarot and Yumiko flew around Yerachmiel, trying to find his weak point. "We need to get closer, Tarot. I can't spot the most vulnerable region to strike from this distance."
Tarot continued flying onwards as Yumiko balanced on the cloud. He zipped across the sky and darted behind Yerachmiel's colossal body. She analyzed his round and tall body and concluded she could cut through the armor, shrouding his mass.
"I see miniature openings to strike, but I need to find the one that could cause enough damage to destroy most of it." They flew behind him as Tarot noticed a gap in the midst of Yerachmiel's spine.
He directed Yumiko's attention to it and suggested cutting the middle. Yumiko examined it herself and narrowed her eyes, becoming deliberate. "It could work," she thought and studied the distance between the right and the left side of the corner, disconnecting the armor.
Suddenly, Yerachmiel's enormous eyes locked on Tarot and Yumiko, spotting them. Without hesitation, he dragged his colossal arm and attempted to smash them like birds with the stone.
"Hold tight!" Tarot shouted and maneuvered his cloud, accelerating and speeding forward. They evaded the attacking arm but compelled them to lose control due to the cyclone left behind.
Yumiko held on to Tarot's hips, who tried to regain control over the cloud and barely managed to thrive, rotating in front of Yerachmiel's face.
Yumiko held her hair to prevent them from dropping, keeping her eyes shut because of the intense wind. "Damn! How many tons of pressure does his body regulate?! I nearly lost balance!"
Her inquiry came short as Tarot warned her about the second attack. They braced and ensured to evade Yerachmiel's arm that slammed downward.
His hand convulsed the ground, bouncing the trees around the decimated terrain.
Rocks and debris soared amid the dust cloud and flung rearward, creating a dangerous zone for Chiaki's group to run between. "Duck, now!" Kou yelled and balled into the ground, dragging Aurora with him.
However, not all got fortunate.
Chiaki couldn't react in the nick of time and got struck by a rock. It crashed into her forehead. It caused her to bleed, fracturing her skull. She suffered an immediate concussion, forcing her to lose consciousness and tumble onto the ground.
She didn't know what hit her as her body declined across the dirt, inducing her to lose the whistle Timothy gave her. Kou and Aurora's shout, calling Chiaki's name, rang throughout the woods, installing dread and tension into their hearts.
Once the remainder of the rocks heaped by, Kou rushed toward Chiaki to check up on her. He tried to wake her up, but while it wasn't life-threatening, it was still a severe injury.
"I need to bring her to a safe place. Aurora, be careful!" Kou picked up Chiaki's body and leaned her on his back. He ran forward, but Aurora spotted the whistle Chiaki dropped and seized it.
Kyora continued, doing her best to prepare the staff before Yerachmiel could reach the celestial tree. Timothy appeared mindless and observed Tarot and Yumiko keeping their enemy busy. which allowed Kyora to compile more time.
"I'll prepare the vines when we need it." He stated, seeing Kyora nod with her tongue slipping from her mouth because of concentration while Timothy ran over the vine behind the tree. Once he reached it, he burned it precisely and seethed into the lower layer.
Suddenly, Ivione and Phalris appeared beside Kyora and scared her. The staff bounced from her palms forward as she did her best to catch it, practically juggling.
Fortunately, Kyora caught it and pressed it into her chest, sighing in relief. "What is your problem?! You~" she became peaceful instantly and smiled awkwardly, "O-Oh... divine emperor of wind and water. Pardon my squeak, and pretend it didn't happen. I hope you didn't come here to tear me apart, ha-ha ~ oh god, literally..."
Ivione folded his arms and observed her suspiciously. He opened his palm, "I see you've got some guts yelling at an emperor. But no, I didn't come here to tear you apart ~ yet. I'm here to assist since you're already working hard in developing a plan. Forget about what happened at the airship. I've realized Yerachmiel's a problem for my land. I'll let you order me around this one time prior to being the brains."
Kyora's awkward smile faded, giving her hope and courage. "Wow, I didn't expect to be praised by a 'god.' I'm delighted-" she didn't finish her sentence, "Quiet and tell me about the plan already!" Kyora squeaked and agreed, "Yes, sir!"
Tarot continued struggling, unable to control the cloud efficiently.
Because of the disastrous wind storming around them, Yumiko couldn't find the opportunity to slash Yerachmiel's crack in the back. Another problem arrived as Yerachmiel prepared for the next attack.
"Tarot, this doesn't look good for us! Hurry up, or we're dead meat!" he tried, but the wind was too heavy for him to regain control in time. They were at the angle of Yerachmiel's strike.
The fist neared them, preparing to crush them, however...
Ivione emerged from the wind currents and placed his palm before him, directing it at Yerachmiel's fist. "Wind Pulse..." A strong wind shockwave thumped forward and overwhelmed Yerachmiel's arm. It was heavy enough to knock the arm backward and virtually unbalance Yerachmiel. It surprised Yumiko and Tarot.
"Hurry, you two. You only have one chance, blue-haired woman. If you miss your precise attack, I won't be able to catch Yerachmiel off guard for the second time."
Tarot regained control as Yumiko beamed in happiness. "You've gotta be Ivione! Don't worry! I got this! Thanks! You saved our rears!" She announced as Tarot zipped behind Yerachmiel, readying Yumiko to deliver the necessary attack.
Yumiko spread her arms and legs on the cloud as her blades emerged in her hands from blue, gleaming particles. She twisted her left-handed sword and put it into her mouth, biting its handle.
Both swords became enchanted by the black steel as the one in her hand formed a blue energy surrounding the blade. Yumiko's eyes glimmered as the moon in the night sky discharged particles that streamed into Yumiko's sword and enhanced its pressure.
"I've got one shot. If I miss, we're in trouble." She calmed her body and drastically charged an attack within her blade. Her vision became covered by blue trails that expanded in the crack of Yerachmiel's back, assisting her with precision.
"Gotcha... Tarot, bring me near the middle!" as requested, Tarot zipped forward and positioned Yumiko to a better angle to deliver the charged attack.
She leaped forward and raised her sword high in the air, converting her blue energy into a golden ray of light that illuminated the skies above, shading Yerachmiel's titanic body.
Once it reached an appropriate size, she slashed forward, dragging the massive energy with her sword. It amazed Tarot and the people experiencing the golden light.
"Starfall Blitz!" She shot out the golden slice that curved downcast and flickered toward the crack. It rammed it, cutting deep into the gap, and plied a shockwave beneath Yerachmiel's armor, weakening it. It assembled enough force to crack its toughness until it gradually deteriorated and shattered the defenses into dust and debris, raining over the woodland's branches.
The left-behind wind from Yumiko's assault erupted throughout the skies. It formed a ringing vibration that bent most of the trees beneath.
Tarot hurriedly flew beneath Yumiko and caught her wrist, speeding around Yerachmiel to a safe distance. "Awesome! I got it broke!"
Indeed, Yumiko succeeded and shattered Yerachmiel's armor, impressing Ivione.
To be continued...